Comments on: J.J. Abrams To Shoot ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ On 35mm Film With Cinematographer Dan Mindel

By: Brandon Wright

Brandon Wright — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:13:04 +0000

The new Star Wars trilogy will be shot on 65mm film. They will also likely shoot 35mm too. And "Wolf of Wall Street" was shot on 35mm and 65mm film. There were only a small number of low light, hand held scenes a shot on digital in that movie.

By: Gangatron

Gangatron — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:13:04 +0000

Digital is garbage. Essentially you are photographing nothing. A binary code which 50 or 100 years from now shall be worthless, that is if it still exists. The transfer to digital is a fraud, propagated by dumb producers & dumber cinematographers. Roger Deakins is a prime exponent of the new idiocy. A cinematographer who is getting old & lazy. His failing eyesight means that he needs a big digital feed to see what he's getting. The talented young cinematographers (Greig Fraser, Adam Arkapaw, to name a few), love shooting on film because they know this format gives you a depth & beauty that digital cannot match.

By: S Martin

S Martin — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:13:04 +0000

Some transition Scorsese made, since Wolf of Wolf of Wall Street was mostly shot on film.

By: LA2000

LA2000 — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:13:04 +0000

While dutch angles and lens flares worked just fine as a method of visually reinvigorating the dusty "Star Trek" series, Abrams really needs an elegant and skilled visual classicist to create a sense of updated continuity with the original 3 pictures. Mindel is fine, but that isn't his forte.

It should be Roger Deakins. Period.

By: Rob Howard

Rob Howard — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:13:04 +0000

A step in the right direction, for sure – but I'd rather see this shot in 70mm.

By: Matt Zoller Seitz

Matt Zoller Seitz — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:13:04 +0000

""Star Wars: Episode I â The Phantom Menace," was the first movie to include a digitally photographed shot."

Depends on what you mean by "digitally photographed."

By: Brian K

Brian K — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:13:04 +0000

Dan Mindel. 1st AC on Thelma and Louise. Now that's some serious pedigree. I salute JJ Abrams for filming on 35 mm. Good news. Digital is what it is. Great in many ways, but, still not film. Digital is 1s and 0s. Film is particulate on subatomic level. Light and shadows reacting to infinite substructures. Big difference. Can hardly wait to see the new Star Wars film. Could be one of the best. Although I really liked Revenge Of The Sith. Big Darth Vader fan here.

By: PÃ¡ll

PÃ¡ll — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:13:04 +0000

You know Peter Suschitzky (Cinemaphotographer on TESB) is still working? Just an idea.

By: Dr. Dave

Dr. Dave — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:13:04 +0000

Now, if he does all the effects with miniatures instead of CGI… I'm in.

By: Glass

Glass — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:13:04 +0000

I'm sure Dan Mindel is amazingly talented, but you say that like they got Roger Deakins or Vittorio Storaro onboard. Great, the guy who Tony Scott's horrible late-career films is shooting this.

By: eric

eric — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:13:04 +0000

Digital is like McDonalds – fast, quick and inherently lifeless. Film is like slow cooked food – has depth, life, heart, character, soul.

To anyone that does not work in the industry – film can come out after simple processing looking amazing.

I always let out a sigh of boredom when the digital capture pops up on our screens – it is lifeless and doesn't capture the scene with all it's beauty.

It is then the weeks and weeks of post we have to put into the capture to make it look halfway decent.

All that effort just to make digital 'look" like film.

By: eric

eric — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:13:04 +0000

Digital is like McDonalds – fast, quick and inherently lifeless. Film is like slow cooked food – has depth, life, heart, character, soul.

To anyone that does not work in the industry – film can come out after simple processing looking amazing.

I always let out a sigh of boredom when the digital capture pops up on our screens – it is lifeless and doesn't capture the scene with all it's beauty.

It is then the weeks and weeks of post we have to put into the capture to make it look halfway decent.

All that effort just to make digital 'look" like film.

By: Northern Star

Northern Star — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:13:04 +0000

This is GREAT news, say what you want about the increasing quality and resolution of digital capture images, but they still cannot and never will be able to compare with the warmth, the richness, and the texture of a 35mm image… it's just a pity Peter Jackson didn't shoot 'The Hobbit' on film to match the aesthetic of 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy.

With a strong script in place, shooting on film, and bringing back actual scale models for VFX shots (as implied by Kathleen Kennedy), I would say thngs are looking mighty good in the Episode VII camp right now… onward to December 2015!

By: ted

ted — Fri, 13 May 2016 09:13:04 +0000

Wonder when PTA will not be able to shoot on film anymore.