THE VERY SUBTLE, VERY REAL SIGNS THAT PHOTOCHEMICAL FILM IS DEAD

Interesting read, Renn, thanks.

Yeah I dug it.

In prep for Memphis Beat, we got a bunch of stuff from Breaking Dawn. In the office supplies they gave us, we also got several boxes of film cans, cores, and bags. I literally could not give the stuff away. No one wanted it or had any need for it, not the vendors or other productions (we shoot Memphis Beat on Red).

Sad. I ended up keeping a couple of boxes of the film cans for my wife to find a use for at school or our son's room, but the rest I had to throw out since it sat there for months with no one wanting it.

I wonder what Quentin Tarantino will have to say about the whole thing.  While I never really believed him when he said it, didn't he declare a few years back that the day he can no longer shoot on film......he will retire?  Pretty sure he said something to that effect.  I suspect that day is soon approaching.

You can still very much shoot on film. Just fewer and fewer productions are.

From a production stand point, film is a pain in the ass. It is expensive, it takes up space, it requires management (i have literally had to be at the airport at 5 am to get in film stock, also on Saturdays). Also, at the end of the show, anything you didn't shoot is just there and has to be sold back. Film also requires special pick ups which is more money out of the budget.

Shooting on Red means I buy 7-10 hard drives and then we are good to go. They all stay on the camera truck. Hell, I can FedEx them to post if i need to.

So that is how producers and upm's and accountants see it.

Very interesting read. In a way its very sad about the impending death of film. There will always be hold-outs who will not give up...but their numbers will dwindle over time. It's unfortunate that this is what is happening, but its just how technology advancing leaves certain things behind over time.

I've been working in color timing and the like for the past 5 years at one of these companies and it's amazing how swift the change is coming.  Especially with the Arri Alexa camera turning out images stunningly close to 35mm.  And when Roger Deakins starts mentioning that the digital workflows for this camera “seem to me to have tipped the equation” you know the end is nigh. 

Great piece of writing.  Nice to see my side of the industry getting some ink here.