Film Vs. Digital: On Surviving Cinema's Present 3D Playing Field

Cinema is one of those art forms that is most affected by technological developments. Its tools don't last the way a painter's brush or a sculptor's chisel would. Yet, there are specific aspects of cinema that ultimately stand the test of time: the use of camera and a recording medium, either in film or digital format.

Filming the "Wrath of the Titans:" A Case Study

Let's take the case of the "Clash of the Titans" sequel "Wrath of the Titans," which is currently in production and set for release on March 2012. Jonathan Liebesman, fresh from "Battle: Los Angeles," hops in as the director of the not very much anticipated sequel, primarily because of the first film's really awful 3D presentation. "Clash of the Titans" was planned, shot, and edited in 2D, then as a mere afterthought, was post-converted to 3D. The result of the conversion from a technical standpoint was a complete disaster.

Deciding to Shoot in 2D, then Post-convert in 3D

Liebesman said that the sequel's workflow would require conceptualizing in 3D, still shooting in 2D, but editing in 3D. The final output will be post-converted to 3D. According to him, although he is focused in coming up with "a 'Gladiator' film with fantastical creatures in it," Warner Bros. wanted to have it converted. To backup the intention, he further said that he was shown a number of successfully converted works including "Inception," "Harry Potter, and even "Star Wars."

He seems convinced that the conversion process has already dramatically improved within the last two years. There are also many learnings from what happened with "Clash of the Titans" that would actually guide him through for this second attempt. For instance, the production will be shooting in 1.85:1 aspect ratio instead of the usual cinemascope filming in 2.35:1 aspect ratio, which would be ideal when post-converting to 3D.

Shooting on Celluloid vs. Shooting Digitally

The main reason why Liebesman decided to shoot in 2D is because he wants to shoot in film format. There are many reasons to convince a filmmaker to still shoot using celluloid and not using any digital cinema camera offering HD, 2K, or even 4K resolution. Perhaps, to just mention the most significant reason for this particular project, the film format best fits the director's vision and treatment, which requires a gritty and grainy look best achieved when shooting with a film negative.

Technically speaking, going the digital route won't give you that same grainy and organic look, feel, and movement. Think of it this way, film is made up of very small grains (circles), while the digital format is made up of very small pixels (squares). The different characteristics of each format greatly affect the final look each one can for a movie. It's also like comparing painting by hand with painting using a tablet. There are specific differences because the artworks originate from relatively different tools.

In terms of shooting in film or digital format, then post-converting to 3D, I think it doesn't really have much difference. Whichever format is used, the fact that shooting in film would still require film scanning and converting the footage into digital video (which is exactly how a digitally shot film is) prior to editing means that the difference is more on a cinematically artistic standpoint more than anything else.

Taking the Risk, Testing the Technology

As a film professional myself, I definitely understand Liebesman's reason of choosing film over digital format, given his vision for the "Titans" sequel. But I wonder, if he really wants to shoot in film and maximize the power of 3D filmmaking, why not shoot in IMAX instead? Is it because of budget constraints? Perhaps, it's one of the major reasons. Addressing this topic can get really complicated and technical that would probably require a series of articles to be able to better address all the major concerns involved in shooting with the IMAX's 70mm film system.

The question of whether "Wrath of the Titans" would become a successful post-conversion to 3D is still a puzzle for many people. Come to think of it, maybe it's still a good choice for everyone's benefit as this project can become a testing ground on how far the post-conversion process has really improved at this point.