Everything you ever wanted to know about film formats – shot on 35mm film

This is another one of those “when worlds collide” moments for me. Now, I wouldn’t consider myself to be a “maths geek” but I am interested in maths. I use it often in my photography and programming work. So, like a million or so others, I’m subscribe to Stand-up Maths.

I always like it when random channels I subscribe to dip their toes into photography and video. In this video, Matt Parker – the host of Stand-up Maths – walks us through film formats. And just to complete the look, he shot the whole thing on 35mm film.

Film Formats – There are quite a few of them!

You wouldn’t think there’d be a lot to say about film formats. Larger formats capture more detail, typically with a shallower depth of field with a given aperture and field of view than smaller ones. That’s it, right? Well, not exactly.

35mm film as used in movies – or to film Matt’s YouTube video – is the same 35mm film used in our old SLRs. It’s the same physical size with the same sprockets and layout. But it can be shot in multiple ways, depending on how you orient the film, whether you need audio or not and what type of lens you’re using.

Matt walks us through exactly what all of the numbers and codes mean and why specific frame sizes and aspect ratios are the way they are. Several different film stocks are used to shoot different segments of the video, too, giving you an example of different looks film can present.

Which format is best?

Using scaled up models to demonstrate the shape and size of different formats and lens projection circles (even anamorphic ones), Matt makes it really easy to understand the differences between them. And check this out to see how Kodak still makes their film today.

There’s no “best” when it comes to film formats – or sensor size, in the case of digital. There is only what gives you what you need. Sometimes, a smaller format can be more advantageous. While at other times, only the resolving power of larger formats will do.

But this should provide you with a good understanding of different formats and how and why they exist.

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