Alex Drecun's Wayfairing

I uploaded another film to youtube. Alex Drecun's Wayfairing is the first film that I was able to film on 16mm. Shooting on film is so much different than shooting digital. Many people say that its easier to shoot digitally, therefore better. However, I believe that there is a good deal knowledge to be learned from going through the process of film. With digital you are able to look through the viewfinder or at the screen and know exactly what your getting. With film you look through the viewfinder and all your seeing is a reflection of what is being seen through the lens. You don't actually see what is going come out with the final processing. Basically there is a small mirror in the camera which reflects the light from the lens. When you open the shutter it blocks the mirror. When filming you dont actually see the image that is going on the film, you are looking at the time when the shutter is closed.

Many factors go into the exposure. You have to be conscious the entire time during filming. Every little detail needs to be thought out. The whole time on set I was running around with a light meter and measuring tape pulling focus and figuring out where we needed to cut or bring in light. With digital you don't have to meter a thing. Most people have no idea what it even means when the actors face is two stops more than the background. Being able to distinguish how much light is hitting your actors/scene is a huge part in being able to create a style and sculpt a film set especially when you are trying to achieve a "Filmic Look." I hear that term thrown around everywhere but most people who want to achieve that look have never worked on film to begin with.

I think any filmmaker needs to go through the process of working on film at least once. There is so much to be learned that will help someone create an interesting image on digital. In our day and age with the creation of Youtube people are now able to film anything they want. However, most of what we find on the internet is crap and not thought out at all. It's amazing how much a film can improve with just a little thought.



More films to come!!!