I was just commenting this week to a photographer friend how it’s interesting to compare film photographs to digital images. Many people prefer the richness, texture, and warmth of old film photographs over the razor-sharp images produced by digital cameras. Just check out the latest book with Ruth Orkin’s stunning film photographs.
Fujifilm’s x100v camera owes its ginormous success to its ability to use film simulations that make digital images resemble film photographs of yesteryear. TikTokkers loved the look of old film so much they made it perhaps the most coveted camera, selling for nearly double its retail price. (Fujifilm just released a newer model, x100vi.) The paradox of a distinctly 21st century social media platform making people yearn for a distinctly pre-digital look should not be lost on us.
Against this backdrop, I wasn’t in the least surprised to read the New York Times article today reporting how some people are upset by the AI-enhanced versions of old movies, such as the Titanic. AI can add pixels to films to provide greater sharpness or “upscale” a film, much like the razor-sharp digital images produced by digital cameras and smartphones.
The article reports: “Home video reviewers have described [the upscaled movie True Lies] as an overly sanitized presentation, with one faulting its “routinely odd-looking images” and another arguing that it appears “almost artificial.”
The upscaled versions of movies might not be as jarring as colorized black-and-white movies. But they do raise a valid question: Why? Why mess with old movies? The world isn’t perfect. And not every detail (pixel) looks razor-sharp to people in real life.