Despite digital technology having taken over modern filmmaking practice, we are all still obsessed with a "film look" and how to achieve this either in production or post-production. I want to focus specifically on editing and post-production, as trying to emulate film stock using digital cameras comes down to an impressively diverse variety of factors: lenses, lighting, sensor size & colour science, movement, and many others. Post-production, however, is slightly more straightforward.
Plugins: this is likely the quickest and easiest way of achieving a film look. In terms of workflow, you would use an external plugin either as a grading tool (i.e., using it to create the look) or a finishing tool at the end of your process. My favourite plugin is FilmConvert, due to its versatility and exhaustive features (e.g., film grain, halation). It is, however, expensive for a solo user (179 USD) and won't necessarily transfer well to someone else's workflow if you are sharing work as you would have to buy a license for them too. I also prefer the look of other tools, despite many features in FilmConvert being helpful. PowerGrades: this is currently my preferred way of achieving film emulation. A PowerGrade is essentially a preset for the grading tool DaVinci Resolve that is fully customisable - showing you all the nodes and effectively the grading path for a specific shot. It's more versatile than a LUT, but not as restrictive as a preset or plugin: indeed, you can even export a PowerGrade as a LUT and share it with another editor (with caveats). My favourite PowerGrade is the extremely popular Cineprint35 created by Tom Bolles which is relatively affordable (69 USD) and includes a LUT pack too for efficiency and ease of use. I find myself using this tool often due to its versatility and beautiful colour science. LUTs: Look-Up Tables (LUTs) often get a bad reputation due to their limited nature. They are effectively single-handed presets that you apply in your specific editing or grading tool, with limited variables and often one control slider (e.g. intensity). To achieve a more complex look, you can end up combining LUTs (which I've often done) and having to keep track of what LUT you used on what project. In effect, if you own multiple cameras from different brands, or are working on someone else's project, the number of LUTs you need to use starts to multiply and the workflow might become complicated. Despite this, they can be useful as a finishing tool or converting one camera look to another. I use Triune Films' cinematic LUTs due to their variety and coverage. They keep skin tones organic and are a quick solution towards finding a specific tone for a project. Colour Profiles & Styles: this is probably the quickest way of achieving a film look - in camera. Due to the popularity of LOG technology and the ease with which most digital cameras can now be graded, there is a tendency to rely on post-production. Yet, most modern cameras have beautiful colour science that allows you to get a film look in camera. Canon cameras, for example, famously produce great images straight out of the box. I am personally a fan of Fujifilm's products that contain sophisticated Film Simulations based on actual film stocks produced by the company. They allow you to produce videos & photos that look great as JPEGs/.MOVs - ready to be lightly edited and delivered. |