8mm Forum: Stupid question about film (the word)

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Posted by Vidar Olavesen (Member # 3354) on September 12, 2014, 05:47 AM:

In Norway, we don't have a distinction between film and video. They say they are film collectors, even though they are video collectors. In the US they use Movie and Film, don't they? What's in the other countries, any distinction?

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on September 12, 2014, 06:40 AM:

We would generally just say film collector to anyone who had an interest in collecting motion pictures no matter what medium the motion picture was on. Obviously this is a violation of the word "film" for anyone collecting DVD's etc, but I guess there is only us on here who really cares about stuff like that.

I have to say I don't come across too many layman who say that they miss celluloid old or middle aged (obviously the young have never used it). Most people seem to love the ease of use of the digital formats that exist nowadays here in the UK and see it as a big improvement over what went before and to an extent it is difficult to disagree with them. Real film either got into your veins or didn't I suppose back then and it's the same with still photography I think.

Posted by Ken Finch (Member # 2768) on September 13, 2014, 04:58 AM:

I aggree very much with Andrews comments. Although we "oldies" continue to be passionate about "real" film, it must be said that the development of the digital media has enabled millions of people to become "film collectors" who would previously never been able to afford it. Like so many of my age, it was only thanks to Pathescope and 9.5mm that I was able to collect films. Hardly any of my cine equipment and films were purchased new. For example, You could purchase a second hand car for less than the price of a Bell and Howell 601 16mm sound projector. Ironically, it was the development of Super 8 Sound that enabled me to obtain much of my 9.5mm equipment and films as the more "well heeled" abandoned 9.5mm for the new Super 8 equipment and package films. Ken Finch.

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on September 13, 2014, 06:11 AM:

It's an intersting question. In French, there is also a distinction between film and video (the same two words than those used in English) but the word "film" is used in most of the cases. The distinction is done during technical discussion but seldom in the context of talking about watching a film. The word "cinéma" is still used to refer to the building where you go now to see digital projections. And probably many people don't even know that "films" are no longer projected in 35 mm.

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on September 13, 2014, 08:56 AM:

If you think about it, most people go their whole lives pretty separated from the process of presenting a "film". Whatever goes on happens in that little room at the back of the theater and is basically somebody else's business.

With audio it was always different. Whether it was a cylinder or a record, or an 8 track, or reel to reel, or a cassette or a CD, the people listening were hands on with the medium. The difference is obvious to them.

-never in my life have I heard somebody call a record a "CD", and my 12 year old, who's never seen one in person can tell you what a "record" is because it's obviously not a CD.

For a lot of people, they probably imagine the flickering light and the reels up there in the booth, but call it "video" anyway.

"what-everrrrr"

What really got me once was someone calling a reel of film a "file"!

Posted by Guy Taylor, Jr. (Member # 786) on September 13, 2014, 10:21 AM:

How about when someone with a digital camera says that they are going to shoot some footage. Makes me want to ask how many feet of what it is that they are shooting.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on September 13, 2014, 04:23 PM:

We went to Reading cinemas yesterday to watch a movie shot on 35mm film over a 12 year period called "Boyhood". It was very good and well made.....Anyway "Reading Cinemas" still use the image of 35mm film on there intro, even though there is not a piece of film or film projector in sight.

In my view its a bit of a "con" really....to still continue to use that type of advertising [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on September 13, 2014, 04:33 PM:

In Brussels, you can see posters promoting a shorts festival. You can see 35 mm filmstock, they use the expression "A films ouverts" (open films) and you can see a young man with a double 8 camera in his hands !

Posted by Panayotis A. Carayannis (Member # 1220) on September 15, 2014, 03:58 PM:

When I say "I am a film collector",to people,I must explain that I mean "like the cinemas,I project film in reels,with a machine and not DVD on a screen".Because today everybody has a small or big stack of DVDs in his home.
I also get angry when journalists in both tv and newspapers say:"a video was discovered recently of Hitler urinating...",or, whatever...!!!!

Posted by Mark Todd (Member # 96) on September 15, 2014, 04:16 PM:

In the 90`s I was in our local-ish small cinema before they got a new 35mm projector and the old one stopped. Someone near to us hopped up and said " I`ll go and tell them the video " has stopped !!!

I often wonder how many people in there that day knew what they were looking at ???

I think many would say I collect DVD`s or I collect Blu Rays over the word films.

I have to be honest I was aghast at the thought of films on sticks or chips etc but now happily pop things on to a memory stick to view them. Especially trailers etc.

Best Mark.

Posted by Vidar Olavesen (Member # 3354) on September 15, 2014, 04:23 PM:

A friend of mine, who's collecting Blu-Rays was at my place and we watched Invaders From Mars and he said it was the best picture he'd seen, much better than the local cinema. Colors and all was superb. Made me happy that he really saw the difference

Film is still not beaten in terms of quality, life and experience for me and have a hunch it never will. 4K? 8K? I feel it's stays with the dead picture with no life for me and I won't be going to "cinema" anymore unless the show films

Thanks for the inputs, seems like it's mostly the same all over ... Acceptance that video is called film (should be a law against it :-) )

Posted by Larry Arpin (Member # 744) on September 15, 2014, 11:58 PM:

I remember my teacher used to say 'there are no stupid questions'. I've heard mostly movie collection when referring to DVD's, etc. My son used to say projector films referring to the actual film he was watching.

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