Why do movies from the 80's look different?

[Maximilian]

Just watched Escape from new york and Escape from LA, new york was made in 1981 and L.A in 1996, i can tell one is older than the other just by the way things look. I cant put my finger on whats different though, its the same with the older bond movies. What changed technologically that made things look... sharper i guess? Was there any change or is it just these two movies are in different quality formats?

 

[Agentbolt]

Lower color depth and a less sharp image. That's what you're seeing.

 

[imported_yovonbishop]

Kurt Russell aged 15 years.

 

[alien42]

hairdos and fashion

 

[MyThirdEye]

Originally posted by: yovonbishop
Kurt Russell aged 15 years.

lol

 

[akshatp]

Originally posted by: Soviet
Why do movies from the 80's look different

Because they are from the 80's?

 

[irishScott]

Costume/Prop Design has also become more detailed.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Filming and production techniques change over time. It's almost to the point these days that you can guess a movie within a couple years just by how it looks.

 

[torpid]

Is it the film itself or the post-processing they do? I assumed the latter.

 

[theprodigalrebel]

Hell, TV shows these days have better production values than some movies from the 80s.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: torpid
Is it the film itself or the post-processing they do? I assumed the latter.

If the cameras and lenses changed to get that sharper image then the film itself is recording a better image. But yeah, I imagine a substantial portion of the difference comes from better post-production.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2

Originally posted by: torpid
Is it the film itself or the post-processing they do? I assumed the latter.

If the cameras and lenses changed to get that sharper image then the film itself is recording a better image. But yeah, I imagine a substantial portion of the difference comes from better post-production.

It's not just the equipment, but also how they use it. What camera angles, how close, what movement, what lighting...

 

[theprodigalrebel]

Terminator 2: Judgment Day does not look like a movie shot 16-17 years ago. If made today, it would probably be a little more washed out to give it more of that that bleak/post-apocalyptic look.

 

[ChairShot]

it's all about the sideburns!!!

 

[E equals MC2]

Some 80s movies make me cringe during starting credits/title screen because the fonts are not digitally imposed, they're like hand drawn and shit.

Looks like absolute crap looking at film titles in plain boring fonts that's shaking, warped and with flat colors.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Agentbolt
Lower color depth and a less sharp image. That's what you're seeing.

Lenses were just as sharp then. And the color depth of film, even in the 1980's, is greater than current digital sensors (though most films are still shot on celluloid anyway).

Part of the issue with older movies is the degradation of the film stock, even the masters will age and look worse as time goes on. As others have pointed out, there are much better techniques available now to clean things up in post as well.

ZV

 

[Mahaguru]

I have always wondered about this also, and it's always been color and sharpness that gives it away. Just look at news footage of Gulf war I, you can immediately tell that is the early 90's just by looking at the colors. The newer episodes of X-files look very different from the mid 90's episodes, everything seems very sharp and the colors look natural, rather than washed out.