Film quality - what makes them grainy, matte, etc?

Question

I really do not know why different cameras produce different quality movies.

For example, in big blockbuster movies, there is a matte glossy magazine-like quality to the picture - compare this to Eastenders (UK) where it looks more like real-life.

Anyone know why big budget films look so different to real life?

Answer 1

There are many factors in play.

I would say that the first thing is the actual material from which the footage is taken, it would deal with the format, there are many formats of film available, 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, and Imax are the most common. The grain in the film comes from the type of emulsion and film format you use. The smallest the format is, it show more grain when projected.

Next would be the lenses used, which can give many effects, some are smoother to focus and contrast, and viceversa.

The thing about big budget films is primarily the use of lots and lots of equipment in lightning and other stuff used like gels and filters. One really important factor that gives quality to films is how much light is available when you shoot, the more light there is the clearer the image becomes.

You can know more about this by reading about film formats, and post-processing stuff, you can have some info taken out from some mags like American Cinematographer and the likes.

Or you can start by taking a glimpse of Micheal Langford's books on photo.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

the other guy is partially right, but your talking about the frame rate, eastenders and all television shows are filmed at 25 frames per second, films are made at 24, this means there is the slightest flicker, also, the film stock it was shot on plays a huge part in the way it looks