Steven Spielberg has given the best answer I've ever heard about the difference between digital and film: "digital photography is a science and and film photography is a chemical miracle."
He said that during the press junket for the 2017 movie, The Post, starring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep. The interview has recently resurfaced on social media, and his words really hit home even more today – particularly with the explosion in film cameras and film photography we've seen over the past few years.
I was recently chatting to Josh Edgoose about the pros and cons of shooting on film, and we both agreed that film is pretty much just a pain in the ass these days. (Okay, that was more my sentiment; Josh's was, more specifically, that it just doesn't make economical sense for him to shoot on film in 2024, given how many photos he takes.)
Still, we agreed that there was an undeniable quality to film photography. Leave it to Spielberg, though, to articulate the point better than either of us could. When interviewer Kevin McCarthy asked him why he continues to shoot on film:
"Well, you know, digital photography is a science and and film photography is a chemical miracle. And when I say chemical miracle, it is – you never quite know what you're gonna get after the film takes a bath, and exposes the positive from the negative. And when you get to see the print, based on your negative, there's a lot of things that surprises me.
"And it always looks different, always looks real. There's grain, number one, and the grain is always moving, it's swimming. Which means that even in a still life, of let's say a flower on a table, that flower is alive even though it's not moving – because the film itself, the image is alive. And that's the difference."
At this point, McCarthy said, "That's so cool!" and Spielberg replied, "It is cool."
Yeah, it's cool. A pain in the ass, but cool. And now I want to throw a roll of Tri-X in my Canon AE-1 and go take pictures… Check out the full interview below.
If you likewise feel inspired to go shooting on film, make sure you're using the best 35mm film you can get. But if you just want to look like you're shooting on film, you might be interested in the best retro cameras for the classic style with modern substance.
