I’ve been hearing a lot of complaints recently that RED looks too digital because the footage is so clean. There seems to be the common collective that film grain is the thing that is missing from the RED’s look. Here are several tools to give you that film grain look, as well as the emulation of select film stocks. Check out the examples below and visit their respective site’s for more details. I decided to go with Cinegrain for a couple projects and most people assumed I shot on film. The look of a film is very subjective and depending on your background or bias this might make the skeptics well, less skeptic. We know that resolution is no longer the issue, neither is dynamic range. Have a look for yourself, try the free versions, and enjoy. Filmconvert has become my main film emulation plugin for many reasons. It’s simple, looks great, and has tons of options. It is worth every penny!
Cinegrain: $499-$3,000 (100-400 clips up to 4K resolution)
CrumblePop Grain35: $199-$299 (1080p & 4K)
Gorillagrain: $99 (21 Clips – 1080P)
Filmconvert: $495
I’ve become a huge fan of Filmconvert! Their plugin is now available in OFX for apps like Davinci Resolve. The interface is simple, the looks are gorgeous, and they just work every time. Lots of thought has been put into this app and I highly recommend it for an overall film look. You can adjust the intensity and amount of film grain and can even remove it if you don’t want it!
RGrain: $60 (7 clips – 1080P)
Now it’s your turn to decide which one fits the needs of your project best. All are good options, but some are higher resolution than others. Prices listed are for packages of 35mm, 16mm, and 8mm stocks.
*Red has also released a new film look tab in RedcineX Pro that drops 35mm film grain over your footage which can be rendered out along with the video. So there are several options to get that film grain you all love so much.
