Yep. Resolution is a tricky thing, because you could technically argue a specific digital resolution (that is not readily available on sensors at the moment) may match up with that film can offer... it's far more challenging than that.
Pixels do not perfectly match up with crystal density on film, as crystals also vary in size, potential, and the chemical reactions in general lead to a far more accurate representation of natural light (imho).
Film has a look that I still believe is superior to any digital camera out there.
However, I do greatly support the work of those mages- err... engineers who are making the overall photographic potential of the sensors and recording equipment become that much better.
RED is doing a phenomenal job with their cameras.
However, I must say... I am not going to enjoy getting used to these faster refresh rates for film.
I am forever going to hate it, and there's just no way I can change my attitude on this matter.
24fps for film feels perfectly fluid, and does a damn good job helping with the overall movie experience.
The total motion blur, when put into motion, feels right to my eyes. You cannot have an entire scene in crisp detail, we have a a very narrow FOV that is in perfect detail.
Having an entire scene rendered perfectly sharp and crisp seems to alien, and artificial. Yes, the entire movie experience in of itself is entirely artificial, but the whole point is that of the lengths we go to as a culture to make cinema feel more real, and to me when it feels slightly more artificial, it's a step in the wrong direction.
Of course, there are two problems with this argument of mine:
1) I have simply become accustomed to 24fps in cinema productions, and seeing anything else not only feels alien, but it also feels cheap and that exaggerates the feeling of artificiality, because in general, the higher the framerate, the cheaper said production tends to be. Home video is 60fps most often, as are many budget productions... broadcast television is basically 30fps. I recognize this, and is part of the reason I can more easily accept the fact that this higher-framerate future is simply inevitable.
In video games and anything similar, I do demand higher framerate, but with video, I hardly pay attention except to make sure everything syncs up correctly.
2) Now having started to type this, I see it's largely an extension of the first point.
With time, seeing more hollywood productions at a higher framerate, my eyes will simply expect the things I see, and thus grow accustomed to it. By that time, I hope I'll also no longer view it as seeming cheaper because of it.
Relatedly, I also might not have any of the problems I have discussed.
Will video shot at 120fps feel exactly like it does when displayed on a 120hz television and displayed at that same rate? As in, watching a regular movie converted on a 120hz TV. It feels
wrong, it's too damn sharp and crisp. There's no life to the movement, even the way people move look wrong and make the acting look worse. Yes, my eyes could become used to that I guess... but it removes the subtlety, and is forcing our eyes to simply accept what it seen, versus letting our eyes and brain do a little work like they do with all visuals. You see a person moving fast and the motion looks blurry, yes? You don't see motion in real life in perfect smoothness, but our brain kind of tells us we do. It's a weird dance, but I cannot see how motion on a 120hz tv looks like reality. It looks badly choreographed imho, not smooth and naturally flowing. Again, my eyes and brain may simply be used to one thing and stubbornly refusing to accept the new thing... I guess in time we'll find out.
That's the thing I fear the most, because eventually we will likely see 120hz in the cinema. Maybe not for a long time, but I think it'll be a natural progression as we eventually completely abandon the film medium. It is inevitable sadly. I don't want it to, because the tonal properties and overall feel has not been surpassed thus far, but I just don't see it standing the test of time against the progression of technology. Superior and more enjoyable as a format, but progress is double-edged like that.
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