An Introduction to Film

productions use either 16mm or 35mm. Generally,
the wider the gauge, the more expensive the film
and, all other factors being equal, the better the
quality of the image.
Another variable aspect of film stock is its speed
(or exposure index)—the degree to which it is light-
sensitive. Film stocks that are extremely sensitive
to light and thus useful in low-light situations are
called fast; those that require a lot of light are
called slow. There are uses for both slow and fast
film stock, depending on the shooting environment
and the desired visual outcome. Fast films are
grainy (as larger grains of light-sensitive material
need less light to record an image with a fast shut-
ter speed), whereas slow films are fine-grained and
require either a slow shutter speed, more light, or
both. When a film’s look must uniquely match the
demands of the story, cinematographers will mix
film stocks (e.g., Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers,
1994; cinematographer: Robert Richardson or Tom
Tykwer’s Run Lola Run, 1998; cinematographer:
Frank Griebe) or intentionally use the wrong
chemicals to process film stocks to achieve the
desired look, as in David O. Russell’s Three Kings
(1999; cinematographer: Newton Thomas Sigel).

Which stock is right for a particular film

depends on the story being told. With only a few

outstanding exceptions, however, virtually all

movies are now shot in color, for that is what the

public is accustomed to and therefore expects. As

Figure 6.1 shows, when Hollywood began to use

color film stock, only 1 percent of the feature

releases from major studios in 1936 were in color.

The growth of color production slowed during

World War II because all film stock, especially

color, was in short supply, but by 1968 virtually all

feature releases were in color.

Although color can heighten the surface realism

(if not the verisimilitude) and the spectacle of many

stories, it is not suitable for all films. For example,

films in the expressionist or film-noir styles are

deliberately conceived to be shot in black and

white; it’s almost impossible to imagine anyone

having shot F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu(1922), John

Ford’s The Informer(1935), or Fritz Lang’s The Big

Heat(1953) in color. During the 1970s and 1980s,

certain television executives tried to “improve” the

“old” movies they were showing on television with

the process of colorization: using digital technol-

ogy, they “painted” colors on movies meant by the

230 CHAPTER 6 CINEMATOGRAPHY

FIGURE 6.1 Color Film Production, 1936––1968

362 1936 1%

Year of

Total number of feature releases from major studios release Percentage of releases in color

363 1940 3%

268 1944 10%

248 1948 15%

278 1952 32%

237 1956 49%

184 1960 37%

144 1964 57%

157 1967 94%

177 1968 100%