Watch: 'In Praise of 16mm' Video Essay Discusses the Grainy Format

Time for some film education and film appreciation in the form of a video essay from "The Royal Ocean Film Society". The video essay is titled "In Praise of 16mm" and it is exactly that - filmmaker/cinephile Andrew Saladino examines the use of 16mm film (as opposed to the standard 35mm or larger 65mm) for making movies. For those wondering how often 16mm gets used, some filmmakers do still use it every so often. Here are some recent films that were shot on 16mm: Carol, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, The Squid and the Whale, The Hurt Locker, Moonrise Kingdom, Black Swan, Happy Christmas, Primer, Listen Up Philip, and others. Watch below to learn more about the aesthetic and what makes 16mm "so darn cool."

Thanks to our friends at The Film Stage for the tip on this video essay. Original description from Vimeo: "Film nerds like me love to wax lyrical about 35mm and 65mm, but I often think that 16mm gets unfairly overlooked. Let's spend a few minutes chatting about the format in all its grainy and gritty wonderfulness." The video was created by Andrew Saladino, also known as "The Royal Ocean Film Society" - follow him on Twitter @andymsaladino. For a listing of the songs used, and info on various film formats/where to buy stock, visit the Vimeo page. 16mm has recently been used by Todd Haynes, Wes Anderson, Pablo Larraín, Kelly Reichardt, Alex Ross Perry, Danny Boyle, and many other filmmakers. What do you think of 16mm?

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