Why Does Television "Look" Different Than Movies?

[SDon1969]

Why Do Most Television Programs "Look" Different Than Movies? I'm not talking about definition or picture quality, I mean it just looks different overall. Take a soap opera for example. Take the same actors, script and sets and have a studio film a scene - I bet it'd have a totally different look & feel about it. It's almost an intangible quality that I can barely explain. Is it just different film stock? Different kinds of cameras? Different film speed? Different techniques? All of the above?

[DetroitSportsFan]

The difference between video and film is noticeable.

[Chevypower]

It's a totally different art. Film is often given a softer look, it uses 24 frames per second, instead of 30 (25 in PAL countries). TV producers (especially in studios) would use a wider angle lens, and the lens would be on the wider setting. The studio is lit for all angles. Film producers have the subject lit specifically for the shot they want, more time consuming. It's more carefully thought out, they would have the camera more on a telephoto shot, with softer focus on the background, and shorter depth of field over all. Film producers would often be using filters over the lens. It's not a quality thing, it's a different art.

[jw]

goes back to the grain subject. Some producers add grain so it doesnt look like its a stage act, more life like.
Lighting, camera type.

Perfect exapmle is.....Watch a Tyler Perry play and then watch the movies he has....big difference and I bet they use the same type camera

[Roland1919]

Just watch The Shield, its filmed in 35mm and shot documentary style...translation is beautiful, looks and feels like your there...(Not meant for Blu-Ray, would be pointless)....

[JasonR]

Does the Blu version of 300 look like the one on MaxHD? I thought the one on MaxHD looked great, and I didn't notice any grain. However, people are always complaining of how this looks on Blu....