Will film ever come back?

[skieur]

My point is that every film image also requires it. It's not unique to either.

And before it comes back to bite me, let me qualify: requires it if it is to be other than a documentary image.

-JamesD

:mrgreen: Well, I will bite you. There is no such thing as a documentary image. That would only be possible if photography could somehow duplicate reality, which it can't.

skieur

 

[Alex_B]

:mrgreen: Well, I will bite you. There is no such thing as a documentary image. That would only be possible if photography could somehow duplicate reality, which it can't.

skieur

Nothing ever can "duplicate reality", so by your standard there would be nothing documentary on this planet, not movies, not images, no books or other forms ot text/storable information.

But total duplication is not what is needed.

Everything only captures a certain part of reality. If this part is unmanipulated, then it is documentary.

A photograph, leaving away colour-issues, at least geometrically is a 2-dimensional projection of a 3 dimensional scene. Hence, if this image is unmanipulated in that geometrical sense, then it is documentary of the scene.

Of course, by changing the angle of view and all you can hide or show certain things of the scene, and hence inspire different interpretations of what is going on in the scene. But still it would document a real scene (just not fully).

*sigh* but now I did it again ... although I did not want to start this topic again after all my posts on this in another thread had been totally misunderstood.

 

[skieur]

So, if film is dead, then why can I find it at any grocery store and drug store? Why do companies like Adorama, B&H, and Freestyle still carry it in profusion? Why have companies like Kodak, Fuji, Ilford, Foma, Efke, Forte, and Lucky publicly announced that they are committed to film?

Skiuer, are you the kind of person who can only see a nikon dslr as the only possible option? Were you convinced by their silly d40 ad (which was shot on film by the way)? I'm sorry, but your statement shows an ignorance and contempt that boggles my mind. Digital is here to stay, but IT IS ONLY A TOOL! Some of us actually prefer the look of film over digital and we are not as small a group as you would think.

Sorry for that rant. Whenever I hear stuff like that I feel like hitting them with a crown graphic. Digital and film can and do get along when you want them too and when you see them as tools. Folks like Mysteryscribe have a good head on their shoulders and can utilize both worlds. That's the way it ought to be.

Well, Kodak closed up their large plant in Canada, so the writing is on the wall. And, by the way, I use film too, I also realistically know it is dying.
When film was the only photographic media, scale made it profitable. As economies of scale become no longer necessary it becomes more expensive to produce film. Price goes up and more photographers move to digital as the quality improves, further pushing up the price of film. That is the way the manufacturing process and the economy works.

So, how long it will take film to disappear completely is open to question but the fact that it is heading in that direction is just basic economics.

skieur

 

[deanimator]

Nietzsche: "God is dead"
Skieur: "Film is dead"

It must be true then, cos they said so...!

 

[blackdoglab]

Nietzsche: "God is dead"
Skieur: "Film is dead"

It must be true then, cos they said so...!

and of course.... Nietzsche is as dead as a doornail. My point is that film and digital are both very different animals.

and by the way, I get the feeling that some folks here (like chicken little) are screaming "the sky is falling the sky is falling" when there's no chance of it happening. Film lives because most of us want it to live and buy it. Even Best Buy stores carry tri-x.

 

[blackdoglab]

How are digital images being preserved? History tells us that a computer
ten years or more from now may not be able to read the current media.
(How may of you have a system that can read a 5 1/4 floppy?) Even the
best CD/DVD's of today will have limited life. Some tests have shown that
they will deteriorate faster than originally thought.

good point. I've got several dvd's that are, what, five years old and are completely unplayable due to disc rot. Even when a negative is scratched, it can still be printed.

 

[deanimator]

That reminds me...got a bunch of Tri-X here on my desk...so I´d better finish my beer and get into the darkroom (ah...how I love the smell of D-76 in the morning).
Meanwhile...wonder how that old git is doing ...must be smelling quite bad by now, or do you think he is still explaining to God just who is dead...? One or the other...!

 

[blackdoglab]

Sorry if I burned any bridges... All I'm saying is, if film is dead, then why do i and a hell of a lotta folks still like using it? We've still got Ilford, Foma, Forte, Bergger, Fuji, Efke, and Lucky. Even if Kodak decides to screw film, I'm sure they'll give the manufacturing rights to a smaller company. And, if what I've seen follows through, that firm will deliver the same stuff for less. The life or death of film depends on the customer, and if we ask, it will be given. If you like film, buy it! If you like digital, buy it!

 

[deanimator]

...There is no such thing as a documentary image....

:lmao::lmao::lmao:

This thread is so insane it´s hilarious...should move it to the Off-Topic Fiction Cafe or something :cyclops::banghead::roll:

 

[Alpha]

This reminds me of a recent "forum" held at my university. The topic of discussion was "Evolution and Creationism: Mutually Exclusive?" And I thought, well, obviously. We don't have discussions about things that aren't. Cheese and Wine, incompatible? Nope, we don't have talks about that. Coffee and Cigarettes: Mutually Exclusive? No.

My point being, we wouldn't have this talk if film had, in fact, died. Another thing to note is that these discussions are rarely, if ever, started by even the most paranoid of film users. They're started by people looking to toot their own digital horns.

 

[nomade]

Film isn't gone to comeback, just that some other solution that is more convenient for everyday communication and journalism, also for sharing over the web, and even when shooting film we do scan and process them once more in PShop. Yet the convenient method lacks something important.
The chemistry of film doesn't match the precision of sensors, but it's better and more beautiful, and it is not perfect, and that's how great it is. It has some soul...

 

[terri]

I usually lock these threads, for reasons I've already stated, but the participants protested earlier so I've been ignoring it.

Anybody learn anything new? :sun:

Just say the word and we're done here.

 

[motcon]

Just say the word and we're done here.

word.


nothing of value in this thread....

 

[deanimator]

Agree...nothing happening here.

Move along folks...

 

[terri]

Thanks, all.