Film stock

Film stock is a light-sensitive strip used to record motion-picture images. Its emulsion, base, perforations, and format shape how it is exposed, processed, and projected.

Photographic emulsion: A suspension of light-sensitive silver-halide crystals in gelatin, used to form photographic images. Its crystals record the exposure that film stock later reveals through development.
Motion-picture film format: A specification for a motion-picture film image and its recording or projection dimensions. Film stock is manufactured to formats that set image area and handling requirements.
Cinematography: The art and practice of creating motion-picture images through camera placement, lighting, and exposure. Cinematographers choose and expose stock to shape an image’s appearance.
Digital cinematography: The capture and production of motion-picture images using electronic image sensors and digital recording. It records images electronically rather than in a photosensitive film emulsion.
Film base: The transparent support layer that carries photographic emulsion in a film strip. Its material affects the stock’s durability, flexibility, and safety.
Film gauge: The width of a motion-picture film strip, commonly identified by formats such as 8 mm, 16 mm, and 35 mm. Gauge is a basic physical distinction among film stocks.
Motion-picture camera: A camera that records a sequence of images on film or another image medium. Its gate and transport must match the stock’s format and perforations.
Black-and-white film: Photographic film that records brightness differences without reproducing color. It is a distinct stock family with a different image palette and processing.
Film perforations: Precisely spaced holes along film edges that engage camera and projector mechanisms. Their dimensions and spacing help determine how stock moves through equipment.
Film speed: A measure of a photographic material’s sensitivity to light, commonly expressed as an ISO rating. Speed indicates how much light a stock needs for a given exposure.

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