Myth

As a college professor teaching filmmaking students in the “digital age,” I often encounter many misconceptions as to the true cost of shooting and finishing a film on celluloid. Students mistakenly believe that if it was not for the “digital revolution” and the “democratization” of the moving image that they would never have had the means or capability of producing a film due to the “high” price tag of film stock and lab costs. Guests visit our campus and say the same thing “we could not have done this if it wasn’t for digital.” When the guest artist is then asked about how much their project costs, they say “$60,000.” Wow! I have priced out feature 35mm films for under $20,000. What about the many young filmmakers who made films on film for over 120 years? They shot many films on celluloid and made masterpieces…on very low budgets! As moving image artists, we should feel free to use the medium of our choice and know the truth about the tools we use. The unfortunate thing is that students and new producers and directors are sincerely unaware of the actual cost of shooting on film. The intention of this article is not to disregard the creative attributes of digital technology, but to make the reader mindful of the price tag that comes with working with digital video as well as film. This post can also be utilized as a resource guide to help movie-makers who are interested in shooting on film.

Cost

Indeed film does cost money, and this is nothing new. Motion picture film has always had an expense, but that expense is very manageable over time. Also, that expense encourages expertise and also helps to elevate the quality of the project. If you spend $300 on a five minute short that screens in twenty festivals, is not the investment of shooting on film worth it? If you put quality in, you get quality out. If you respect your work to invest in it with both time and money – it certainly shows on screen. Film has a unique way of encouraging everyone from the director to cinematographer to actors to perform her/his very best. Movie-makers who work with film, commonly refer to this attribute as the “film discipline.” Ultimately, film places the responsibility of preparation and budget savings on the filmmaker. Film can be really expensive in one person’s hands or cost less than working with digital video another’s hands. It all depends on one’s creative practice.



Cinelicous Quote: Thursday, February 16th, 2012



“Here’s a surprising fact that independent producers may want to consider before they write off film as “too expensive”: There were 120 films in competition at Sundance this year. Based on our research and conversations with Kodak and Fuji only 5% were shot on film… and yet that small minority took 100% of the most coveted Jury and Grand Jury prizes in the US and World Dramatic competitions, as well as winning the Excellence in Cinematography Award in the US Dramatic category. It’s true that producers of sub-$1M independent film need to watch the bottom line… but isn’t the ultimate goal to win awards and thereby sell the movie?”

Ratios

It may sound ludicrous to electronic ears, but shooting film can actually be cheaper in a variety of situations. If one shoots at a shooting ratio under 5:1, film will come in below the cost of purchasing or renting electronic equivalent cameras. Steven Spielberg and his veteran crew are known for shooting quickly and efficiently with very few takes. It can be done, if one so desires. My career has focused on shooting on Super 8mm, 16mm, and 35mm on modest budgets. To some, these modest budgets of $300 are too often misinterpreted as a lot of expenditure for a short film because digital costs nothing, right? Wrong, there is always an expense.

The Secret is Out

What’s actually happening is that students and newcomers are sold inaccurate statements about film by the electronic companies and by people who have never worked with motion picture film. They say that film is “costly, cumbersome, and risky.” The majority of these comments come from RED, SONY, CANON, and PANASONIC. These companies want you to BUY cameras. Of course they are going to downplay the importance of shooting on film and give film a bad press. Where film stock usage can be controlled by the filmmaker over time, the video camera has a larger up front investment.



These major digital camera makers prey on the vulnerable newcomer to attract them to their product. Once hooked, these companies know you are likely to be addicted….for life. Or at least this is what they hope. Unlike film cameras that last forever, digital cameras depend on resolution and software upgrades.

This addiction to upgrades focuses on the false promises that your project will be better because it was shot on the newest RED camera (like the RED Epic or RED Scarlet). Much like any addiction, the substance abuser does not see the expense in their actions. They go for the fix every two years or even sooner! Like the iPhone, each new upgrade promises more. If you do not upgrade in six months, you become an outdated fossil – left behind. Most will agree, a mindset obsessed with technology can get in the way of the artistic journey.





Truth

Film users are addicted to celluloid, but with film, the addiction to camera upgrades does not exist. Let’s take a look at some well made clockwork 16mm cameras as a case study. A Bell and Howell Filmo 70DR, Kodak K100, or a Krasnogorsk 3 camera with three prime lenses or a zoom will only set you back $500. Most of the 16mm camera models out there were made from 1950-1990 and are still going strong. They may need a $200 clean, lube, and adjustment every 15-30yrs depending on use. Why are Arri, Aaton, and Panavision not making any new motion picture film cameras? The answer is: there are so many excellent used film cameras out there……one cannot make a profit since film cameras can last forever. Pick up a used Filmo or Kodak K100 and run some film through it – you’ll see what I mean.



Resolution

These $500 film cameras give one the resolution equivalent of a 3K sensor with no color compression. A 3K digital camera like the RED Scarlet will cost you $10,000. Ten grand is quite a chunk of change and many short films can be shot on 16mm and 35mm for less than this price. Super 8mm is equivalent of HD video (properly lit, exposed, and shot on low speed film stock with a professional grade camera), Regular 16mm is 2K, Super 16mm and Ultra 16 are 3K digital equivalent, and 35mm is 8K digital equivalent.

Planned Obsolesce

In fact, one can make ten 15 minute short films with a 3:1 shooting ratio for the price of the RED Scarlet. If you make a short film once a year, it will take you ten years to add up to the investment of the RED Scarlet. Even if you are shooting two projects a year, in five years the Scarlet will be obsolete. RED, CANON, and SONY marketing departments should give themselves a pat on the back for getting folks to buy into purchasing these cameras. Newness sells. If you are the business of selling cameras, digital has opened up a whole new market since digital video cameras have built -in/planned obsolescence. You can market a whole new line every two years and turn a big profit from young and old users. It wasn’t long ago that the Panasonic DVX100 (2003) was all the rave, then came the HVX200 (2005), and now the AF100 (2010).



Film School Investment

It’s crazy that even the largest film schools have bought into buying $6,000-$70,000 cameras. I have heard Universities dropping as much as $300,000 on buying Sony Professional HD video cameras. Many programs have been operating with the rugged ARRI 16S cameras since the early seventies. Talk about an excellent investment. How many purchases has the average American made that last 42 years- lifetime? Keep thinking………perhaps your toilet? These Sony cameras are mostly made up of cheap plastic and are nowhere near the quality of the ARRI 16S cameras in craftsmanship and durability. The Sony cameras have about a 5 year lifespan, if they don’t break first, the film department will likely upgrade in 5 years. Dropping $300,000 every few years sounds like a large waste of money. Would not that money be better spend on student project grants? This way, student senior thesis projects can be shot in the format the student feels best suited for his/her production. More creative choices will foster critical thinking, resulting in more quality work regardless of medium.

Computer and Software

In fact there’s more hidden expenses when working with digital video. These expenditures are easily overlooked due to their prevalence in our society. Yes, computers are integrated into our every day lives, but as of now….we still have a choice when we make art. These costs need to be taken into account in order to gain an accurate picture of the digital workflow. On top of your camera package, you need a computer, a monitor, and editing software. The major players here are Apple, HP, Adobe, and Avid. What’s their upgrade cycle? You’ve guessed it… about 2 years. Without education discounts, a computer w/ monitor for editing will cost $2,000 and a software package will cost $1,800. The average PC buyer may spend $650 on a computer, but to work with the high data rates of video, one will spend around $1200. Think of every news channel who switched to video in the early 1980s. How many expensive video cameras and editing systems did they purchase over the last 30 years? These news stations missed out on archiving history in the switch. Film’s shelf life when properly stored is 500 years, making it future proof to be scanned into any electronic format in the future. Digital video must be migrated to a new hard drive every 5 years. Just take a look at my office, and you’ll see twelve hard drives. One TB (terabyte) costs around $100. Now times that by two. One for the project and one backup. Oh, but you really should have two back-ups. We’re up to $300 every 5 years. In a New York Times article, “The Afterlife is Expensive for Digital Movies,” the paper reported on the results of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences archival research. “Titled “The Digital Dilemma,” the council’s report surfaced…..: To store a digital master record of a movie costs about $12,514 a year, versus the $1,059 it costs to keep a conventional film master.”

Film and Digital for Education

“What about DSLRs, can’t I pick up a Canon T4i kit for $1,000?” Yes, we currently live at the height of the DSLR proliferation. Canon released the T1i in 2009, now in 2012 they are already on the fourth incarnation, the T4i. The professional 5DMKII was released in 2008, now they sell the 5D MKIII. Talk about out of control upgrades. The DSLR shoots in 1920x1080p HD, this is the equivalent to Super 8mm ($200 for Canon 1014E, Nikon R10, Nizo Professional .) The difference here is that the film has infinite color where the DSLRs utilize highly compressed H.264 codec and have shutter jingle and moire. Super 8mm has limitations too, such as inconsistent registration and prominent grain (if shot with high speed stock). I use and have a great time shooting with a Bell and Howell Filmo 70DR, and would not hesitate to use it even on a feature. Obviously one makes concessions in any format and chooses the right tool for the right job or uses what works best for them. Below will be a comparison on a student budget as well as a micro “indie” pro budget. In order to make the comparison competitive, the following criteria will be used: 2K resolution, lowest camera purchase price w/ lens, native workflow, and finishing.

Estimates

The following gear and prices are general ballpark figures and in no way are absolute. If you are resourceful, you can manage with lower prices in any of these work-flows. You may be the small percentage of people who hold on to software and equipment beyond their designated expiration date. Maybe you edit with Lightworks ($60/year for Pros and $30/year for students!) instead of Adobe or Avid. Perhaps your parents gave you a camera or found one that was your grandma’s. Good for you!! You are saving money! The best tool is often the one that you already own or one that you pick up at a yard sale for very little.

Professional “Indie” Digital Package



Black Magic Digital Cinema Camera + Quality Zoom Lens – $4,000 Apple Macbook Pro w/Retina Display+AppleCare- $2,600 Adobe CS6 Production Premium (Professional) – $1800 Lifespan of software and gear – 2 years

Total: $8,300/15 minute short a year cost = $4,250

Professional “Indie” Film Package w/ Photo-chemical Finish

Bell and Howell Filmo 70DR w/ C-Mount Lenses – $500 Viewer/Rewinds/Splicer/Projector – $200 Film Stock – 1500ft/45 minutes – $450 Processing/Workprint – .$40/ft – $600 Photo/Chemical Finish Print – $1000 Lifespan of gear: lifetime (Equipment cost is subtracted for the second year.)

Total: $2,750/15 minute short a year cost – $2,050

SUPER 8, 16MM, 2K/DSLR WORKFLOW PRICE CHART

Chart Based on a 15 minute Short Film w/ Shooting Ratio 3:1. Kodak Education Store 16mm prices are used for student estimates. KODAK OFFERS A 30% DISCOUNT FOR ALL STUDENT AND FACULTY PRODUCTIONS! Education discounts are one of the most helpful ways of saving money when shooting on celluloid. The lowest lab and camera costs available were factored in. Sources are at the end of the article.



Class Cam Lens Edit Stock 2K/HD Scan Soft Lab Total Pro 2K

Digital Back Magic Kit

3,500 Canon

$500 Apple

$2,000 N/A N/A Adobe

$1800 N/A $8,400 Pro 16mm 70DR

$200 C-mount

$300 Splice$200 $450 N/A N/A $1600 $2,000 Pro 2K 16mm

Scan 70DR

$200 C-mount

$300 Apple

$2,000 $450 $550 $1800 $180 $5480 EDU DSLR

Digital T4i

$1,000 Kit Lens

$0 Apple

$2,000 N/A N/A $450 N/A $3450 EDU S8mm

Film 1014

$200 Kit Lens

$0 Splice$200 $150 N/A N/A $180 $730 EDU S8mm

Scan 1014

$200 Kit Lens

$0 $2,000 $150 $360 $450 $180 $3,340 EDU 16mm

Scan $200 $300 $2,000 $450 $385 $450 $180 $3965

35MM, ARRI ALEXA, RED EPIC WORKFLOW PRICE CHART

Chart Based on a 15 minute Short Film w/ Shooting Ratio 3:1. 35mm film stock prices consist of .08/ft SHORT ENDS (ie. left overs from large budget productions), which give an 88% SAVINGS over purchasing fresh stock from Kodak. The table focuses on the micro independent filmmaker’s approach to shooting film and utilizes the most economical shooting methods which includes the use of MOS film cameras with non-sync sound. If you are interested in a 2K scan of 35mm film, just subtract $1,000 from the total cost.

Class Cam Lens Edit Stock 4K Scan Soft Lab Total Buy 35mm

Print Finish Arri 2 C

$2,000 $1,000 $500 $360 N/A N/A $4,000 $7,860 Buy 35mm

+ 4K Scan Arri 2C Buy

$2,000 $1,000 $2,000 $360 $2200 $1,800 $540 $8,440 Buy ARRI

ALEXA/RED $60,000 Zeiss

$15,000 $2,000 N/A N/A $1,800 N/A $95,000 Rent

ALEXA/RED $4,500

3 days $1500 $2,000 N/A N/A $1,800 N/A $9,800 Rent

35mm + 4K Scan $600

3 days $1500 $2,000 $360 $2200 $1,800 $540 $8,700

Choice

The choice is up to the artist, not the camera companies. There are many ways to save on any of these processes, whether film or digital. Both mediums can be inexpensive or very expensive depending on one’s resourcefulness. The longevity of film equipment, the low cost of archiving, and low shooting ratios are the biggest ways film has the potential to save over digital. From the above chart, one can see that a 35mm motion picture camera can be purchased for $3,000. That camera is the legendary, ARRI 2-C – a favorite of Stanley Kubrick.

Research, be selective and if you want to shoot on film, go for it! Expense should not be an issue, especially with so many passionate and friendly resources out there. Kodak, Pro8mm, Cinelab, Duall Camera, Super 16 Inc, Light Press, and Process Blue are just a few companies with folks who can help you on your journey. If you do not exercise your creative right to choose film, you may lose the option. Film is not just for the big budget projects of Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, and Wes Anderson. It’s for all of us. There are ways to work on celluloid, even on a modest budget. As Nolan and others have professed (as seen on the chart), working photo-chemically all the way to the finished print has some advantages and can possibly save money.

Film and digital video are not just mediums, they are a creatives processes, a way of life – each unique in its own way. Think of shooting film and video like knitting and crochet, both demand different mental and physical processes. Some folks switch easily back and forth, others stick to their preferred craft. From many years working and teaching film, I’ve noticed that the tools of celluloid film emphasize process over product. The speed and immediacy of digital video tends to favor the product over process workflow. If you enjoy a good odyssey where the universe collaborates with the movie, you may be a good candidate to give film a try.

Educate yourself and your producer. Shooting Super 8 with the exceptionally sharp Kodak 7203 and 7213 is a superb low cost option for students and ultra low professional budgets. A $25 Yashica Super 800 Electro Super 8mm camera that you pick up on ebay for $25 is a good investment. Let your imagination soar and do not get caught up in camera and software marketing. Celluloid has given us Chaplin, Keaton, and Murnau and continues to be a catalyst for creative filmmaking. Film is a viable option, but it does demand a conscious effort and participation on your part, especially if you are on a tight budget. Own your vision and stay true to your artistic process!

To see a list of projects shot on Kodak Motion Picture Film, visit: http://motion.kodak.com/motion/Customers/Productions/index.htm

For independent and experimental works, visit:

http://canyoncinema.com/catalog/films/

Sources

