Grain in movies

[Skygod]

I see a lot of reviews refer to the grain. I believe this is referring to that moving/grainy look of movies when you look very closely.

I remember the movie 300 had tons of this, and that most movies have some measure of it.

question is: is this intentional, and what is the source of it? Why is the movie 300 heralded as a great visual achievement with so much of that "grain" going on?

Thanks

[Squozen]

Grain is not evil, it's part of life. Enjoy your discs.

[Herr Schmidt]

That i dont know,Im sorry to say i was not a fan of 300.The movie was not my cup tea.Thats just me thou.

[dad2erin]

Originally Posted by Skygod

I see a lot of reviews refer to the grain. I believe this is referring to that moving/grainy look of movies when you look very closely.

I remember the movie 300 had tons of this, and that most movies have some measure of it.

question is: is this intentional, and what is the source of it? Why is the movie 300 heralded as a great visual achievement with so much of that "grain" going on?

Thanks

Depending on the type of film stock that the filmmaker uses it can have more or less grain in the film. T2 was shot on Super 35 which allowed Cameron the option of shooting with many different types of lenses, Super 35 is a very grainy stock. Grain is some times used as an asthetic choice by the filmmaker as well.

So grain is not bad it is actually good. Unfortunately as hd viewers we think that if there is not a perfect picture than the remastering must have had a problem.

Go and check out any copy of T2 on dvd before the extreme edition and you will see that the film is almost unwatchable, then look at the Bluray the grain is still there but clean and in focus.

[Blu Haze]

300 was made to be like that. Thats why it look older or some shi. d

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by Skygod

Iquestion is: is this intentional, and what is the source of it? Why is the movie 300 heralded as a great visual achievement with so much of that "grain" going on?

Yes, it was intentional in 300. It was trying to look like the graphic novel on which it is based.

Gary

[syncguy]

In some cases grain is intentional. A good quality video could be smoother than film, however, in some cases grain is added electronically, possibly because the director wanted it that way.

As mentioned earlier, some film stock is grainier than others. It is the directors decision to select a film stock for a movie (after considering many factors).

I personally don't like grain. But it is okay for some (or perhaps for lot of) people. In real life we do not have grain.

[Skygod]

Thanks for the answers.

I wasn't sure if grain had a clean, simple answer like the infamous black-bars discussion. Although I guess both come down to director's film choice.

Call me a non-purist, but after watching some 25-30 blu-ray movies, I definitely prefer low-grain.

300 was a disapointing in more than just the visual department. Ironically, the best three looking blu-ray movies I've seen are all animation: Cars, Rattatoiue, and the Simpsons.

[syncguy]

Originally Posted by Skygod

Thanks for the answers.


300 was a disapointing in more than just the visual department. Ironically, the best three looking blu-ray movies I've seen are all animation: Cars, Rattatoiue, and the Simpsons.

I cannot fully appreciate high definition with animations. I know this is not the case for many others. I prefer the natural environment, people and faces to appreciate high definition. If you could, try Pirates (Curse of the Black Pearl). This is one of the best I have seen. Not sure whether you would like the story/graphics etc.

[Anthony P]

is this intentional,

sometimes, but for the most part no.

and what is the source of it?

film

take a blank sheet of paper and hold it to the light, do you see how some parts are darker while others are lighter? That is because when paper is created the fibers all fal in random places and some places will be more clumped then other. The plastic of the film is uniform but the molecules that are photosensitive are random like the fibbers in the paper. So a film will have the same uneven clumping as the paper.

So film grain is a natural by-product of any film. That being said you can buy different films and some are more grainy then others. So there is always a choice (which might be limited by cost or circumstances)

also since it is natural in film every time you make a copy of a copy you add/change the film grain because the grain on the new film will affect the image that you see.

Why is the movie 300 heralded as a great visual achievement with so much of that "grain" going on?

because it is a good movie that looks good. The irony is that in this particular movie the grain is pretty much all artificial and used to give the look the director wanted.

[NJ_RAMS_FAN]

Originally Posted by Squozen

Grain is not evil, it's part of life. Enjoy your discs.

yea, it doesn't bothered me at all. it makes the movie look kool.

[JJ]

GRAIN OHNOES !!!

[jw]

[jw]

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