I Need a Smooth Noisy Pixel!
No, this is not about film being better than
digital and vice versa. I have just learnt to
look at them as apples and oranges. Somehow the
citrusy orange is more appealing to me at the
moment, but that's a whole different story and
doesn't apply to this metaphor. :-)
I love the cracks, pops and hisses of film and really enjoy the overall visual impression. When you watch film, it's like eating strawberries with cream. You enjoy both the composition of the image as well as the detail and texture of the film itself. And even though it is laborious to work with film, it is more satisfying as you are involved in the whole art-making process. Film teaches you the true meaning of perseverence and endurance and how they can really pay off.
But I also enjoy the clean look of digital, its smooth visual clarity, the overall ease of use. It's like a clear pane of glass, like an impassioned white canvas that takes a backseat and allows the art in it to take precedence. It's a different matter that different canvasses can make the same art look and feel different, but here the canvas is invisible so that doesn't apply.
Without digressing, this is what I have come to say. I need to buy a camera before I make a trip back home. I can't even decide if I want a motion camera or a still camera, let alone deciding between film and digital. I have come to terms with the fact that I cannot afford a motion film camera. So my choice has really come down to still film camera, still digital camera and a digital camcorder. I don't know my budget, but the word "economical" comes to mind... whatever that means!
