ABSTRACT
Perhaps three people in a hundred think standard-definition video looks better than film. That explains why, for many years, companies have been making software that purported to give video a “film” look. By and large, these have been a complete waste of both time and money because the results never even came close, but that didn’t stop people from dreaming. For many decades, independent filmmakers dreamed of using inexpensive video cameras to shoot their projects, and through careful lighting and inventive post-production techniques they hoped to create a look indistinguishable from film. The dream was to then enter festivals and win top prizes. Sundance would call and a distributor would offer a distribution deal. That meant transferring their inexpensive video to 35mm film. It’s an involved process, but in the dream it worked, and soon their low-budget project would be shown in theaters all over the world.
