The Digital Bits; "Grain is supposed to be there!"

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by mhafner

That wish may well be granted. The trend is going digital or low grain film with little to no visible noise. Grain can be added in post as desired.

I agree, and in regards to your comment of “going digital” that’s because digital cameras are actually becoming more and more similar to *the look* of film cam footage since the progression from original digital cameras like the Sony HDW 700A , 750 (and overall cost savings with digital cinematography).
For example, did anyone here immediately notice while watching Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, that it was shot with a “digtal” camera rather than on film?
I think not.

Less grain in major motion pictures has been going on for quite a while
(see - https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...&postcount=301 ) and I feel that for the large part it’s a stylistic trend. The important thing is to maintain the Director’s vision in regards to his work whether it was done in 1980 or 2008.

Other trends that seem to be evolving with more modern day films, which I never hear any forum members debate, are overuse of close-ups, rapid-cut editing (as in Batman Begins -1.9 seconds, or The Bourne Ultimatum - < 2 sec. ), and “wobble-cam” i.e.-- unsteady camera shots (as in The Bourne Ultimatum, Cloverfield, etc.) Now, if anyone tells me that they consider the later two movies to be any more “real-like” or “natural” than a classic movie with a bit more texture (grain) and zero hand-held shots, then I suggest that you may be suffering from vertical nystagmus and are on speed.

Sometimes I’m convinced that the current evolving cinematic trends (“wobble-cam” shots, rapid-cut editing, excessive close-ups) are related to Directors and Producers being influenced by television (“wobble-cam” examples being The Shield, Friday Night Lights, etc.) more than anything else.