When you watch a movie, you probably don’t think much about the actual film used to shoot it. But the type of film can change the way a movie looks and even how it makes you feel. Some filmmakers love digital cameras, while others believe traditional film is better. But not all film is the same. Different types of film create different effects, and directors choose carefully based on what they want you to see and feel.
Film Size and How It Affects a Movie
The size of the film used in a camera is called the film gauge. It changes how a movie looks. The three most common film sizes are 16mm, 35mm, and 65mm. Each one has its own style.
16mm film is small and grainy. It gives movies a rough, natural feel. 35mm film is the standard for Hollywood movies. It’s clearer and works well for almost any type of film. 65mm film is large and sharp, making movies look big and grand.
Filmmakers don’t just pick a film size randomly. They choose it carefully to match the kind of story they are telling. Some movies need a rough, old-fashioned look. Others need a clean, modern feel. The type of film helps create that look.
16mm Film: Gritty and Raw
16mm film is the smallest of the three. It creates a grainy, rough image, which can look unpolished. This might sound like a bad thing, but it works perfectly for certain movies. If you’ve seen old horror films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or The Evil Dead, you know how raw they feel. That’s because they were shot on 16mm film. The grainy texture makes them feel real, like you’re watching something that wasn’t made in a fancy Hollywood studio.
16mm is also great for serious dramas. Movies like The Hurt Locker and Fruitvale Station use this film to make their stories feel more natural and lifelike. The grain makes the scenes feel personal, as if you’re right there with the characters.
But 16mm doesn’t always look harsh. Some directors use it to create a soft, nostalgic feeling. Movies like Moonrise Kingdom and Carol use the warm tones of 16mm to make their stories feel cozy and old-fashioned. This shows how the same type of film can be used in different ways to create different moods.
35mm Film: The Hollywood Standard
35mm film is the most popular choice in Hollywood. It’s been the industry standard for decades. Unlike 16mm, 35mm has less grain and looks cleaner. It makes movies feel polished and professional.
Because 35mm is so clear, it works for all kinds of films. Big action movies, romantic comedies, dramas—everything looks good on 35mm. This is why most classic Hollywood films and even modern blockbusters are shot on this type of film.
One reason directors love 35mm is because it looks similar to digital cameras. Sometimes, if you don’t know much about film, you might not even notice if a movie was shot on 35mm or digital. But film lovers can tell the difference. Film has a richer, more natural look, while digital can sometimes look too sharp and artificial.
65mm Film: Big, Bold, and Beautiful
65mm film is huge. It has the clearest, sharpest images and makes movies look grand and epic. It was popular in the 1950s and 60s when Hollywood made big, expensive movies. Movies like Lawrence of Arabia used 65mm to capture large landscapes in incredible detail.
Today, filmmakers still use 65mm for special films. Director Paul Thomas Anderson shot The Master on 65mm to give it a vintage, high-quality look. Quentin Tarantino used 65mm for The Hateful Eight because he wanted to release it in a super-wide format.
Some movies go even bigger by using IMAX 65mm, which is even larger than normal 65mm. Christopher Nolan shot Dunkirk in this format to make the action feel real and massive. IMAX gives movies incredible detail, making it perfect for war films, space movies, or anything that needs to look huge on the big screen.
Mixing Different Film Types in One Movie
Some filmmakers don’t just use one type of film for their movies. Instead, they mix different film sizes to create different moods in different scenes.
For example, in Steve Jobs, director Danny Boyle used three types of film for the three different time periods in the movie. The first part, set in 1984, was filmed on grainy 16mm, making it look old and rough. The second part, set in 1988, was filmed on 35mm, giving it a cleaner and more modern feel. The last part, set in 1998, was filmed digitally, making it look sleek and polished—just like the technology that Steve Jobs was creating.
Another movie, Porto, used three types of film to show different emotions. The sharp 35mm was used for happy memories, the grainy 16mm was used for the sad present, and the low-quality Super 8 film was used for old, blurry flashbacks. This mix of film types made each scene feel different and special.
Film vs. Digital: A Big Debate
Many filmmakers today use digital cameras instead of film. Digital is easier and cheaper. You don’t have to buy film rolls, and you can see the footage immediately. But some directors refuse to give up on real film. They believe it looks better and feels more natural.
Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, and Paul Thomas Anderson are some of the directors who still prefer real film. They think digital looks too clean and doesn’t have the same depth as film.
Some movies even mix digital and film. In The Florida Project, almost the whole movie was shot on colorful 35mm film, but the last scene was filmed with an iPhone. This sudden switch to digital makes the final moments feel different and dreamlike.
Why It Matters
Most of the time, you don’t notice what type of film a movie was shot on. And that’s the point. The director picks the film type carefully, knowing that it will change how the movie looks and feels.
If a movie is shot on 16mm, it might feel raw and gritty. If it’s shot on 35mm, it will look clean and professional. If it’s on 65mm, it will feel big and cinematic.
Filmmakers don’t just pick a film type for no reason. They do it to create emotions and tell stories in the best way possible. Even though many movies today are digital, film is still alive and used by directors who love the special look it gives to their stories.
So next time you watch a movie, think about how it looks. Is it clean and sharp? Is it grainy and rough? Maybe now, you’ll notice the details that make each film unique.