How to Make a Video Look Like Film
These days, cinematographers can shoot professional-quality motion pictures on video for a fraction of the cost of film. Video cameras are cheaper and more portable than ever, and even on a modest budget beginners can shoot like the pros. But video has its own characteristics, such as sharp focus that lacks the silkier look and more subtle atmosphere of good old-fashioned film. However, here are a few simple steps that can help make that video look like film.
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Instructions
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Prepare the camera
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Adjust the video camera's speed to no faster than 30 frames per second, or ideally, 24 frames per second. This will cause the image to "smear," or blur slightly, when the camera pans - a slight smear is one of the most noticeable differences between video and film.
With high-definition video, when the camera follows a football in flight, the camera will not only capture the ball, but the background elements, too -- the stadium, people seated in the stands, etc., and all of those elements will be in sharp focus. Film, however, will record the spiraling ball in sharp focus but other visual elements behind it will tend to blur, or smear, as the panning camera follows the ball's arc through space. -
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Stretch a nylon stocking over the opening in the camera body where the lens attaches and snap the lens into place, and shoot video with the simplest of filters.
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Experiment with Schneider Classic Soft and Pro-Mist lens filters. Lens filters give video the soft atmosphere of film stock and also create a more narrow depth of field, like film.
The Classic Soft filter and Pro-Mist filters both soften excess sharpness and contrast and generate a warm halo around highlights. The filter will allow the cinematographer to keeps the actor's eyes in focus while diffusing the background. Pro-Mist filters come in either black or warm, which color-corrects bluer outdoor light. The black Pro-Mist is more subtle. Both Classic Softs and Pro-Mists come in grades of diffusion. The lighter grades are 1/8, 1/4 and 1/2. Heavier grades are 1 and 2 -- they can be very heavy and distracting. It's best to test them first.
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Tips & Warnings
As tempting as it might be to use natural light sources when shooting video indoors, do not shoot interiors with sunlight streaming in, such as a shot with an actor standing before a big, bright window. The cinematographer would need to flood the actor with a tremendous amount of electrical light to equalize the interior scene with blazing sunshine from outdoors. Otherwise, the entire exterior landscape as it appears through the window will turn pure white and the person indoors will appear to be surrounded by a fuzzy glow. The simplest solution to the problem is to simply avoid mingling interior and exterior shots.
