Jake Seal Talks About Film Grain’s Rise in the Digital Era

In this episode, Jake Seal dives into the unexpected revival of film grain in the digital filmmaking era. Sharing personal insights and industry trends, he explores why filmmakers are embracing grain to bring warmth, texture, and emotional depth back to digital visuals. Discover how this once-forgotten element is making a powerful comeback and why imperfection might just be the secret to storytelling that truly resonates.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
You know, the funny thing is, when we first started
transitioning into the digital age of filmmaking, everyone was so
excited to leave behind what they saw as imperfections, things
like flicker, dust, scratches, and of course, film grain. It
was all about getting that perfect, clean, crystal clear image.

(00:21):
Don't get me wrong. Digital technology opened a lot of doors.
It made filmmaking more accessible, faster, and in many ways,
more efficient. But somewhere along the way, we lost something,
and that something is texture, emotion, imperfection, humanity. That's what

(00:42):
film grain brings to the table. It's not just a
layer of noise, it's a layer of feeling. It reminds
us that we're watching something made by people, not machines.
And now, in this age of digital perfection, we're starting
to crave that human element again. You can see it
in the resurgence of analog esthetics, in the way indie

(01:04):
film makers and even big studios are reintroducing film grain
into digital footage. It's not just nostalgia, it's intent, it's storytelling.
I've worked on both digital and analog formats for years,
and I can tell you film grain has a presence.
It dances on the frame, It doesn't just sit there

(01:24):
like pixels. It interacts with the light, with the color,
with the emotion of the scene. You look at an
old thirty five millimeters shot and there's a magic to it.
It's imperfect in all the right ways. The grain creates
a sense of intimacy. It brings texture not just to
the image, but to the story. When you remove grain completely,

(01:47):
you often end up with an image that's too clinical.
It might be technically perfect, but emotionally it feels sterile,
and audiences notice, even if they can't put their finger
on what's missing. That's why you see so many filmmakers today,
especially those who grew up on digital, actively seeking out
ways to recreate the film look. Whether they're using LUTs

(02:10):
overlays or shooting on film outright, they're trying to bring
back that soul. I had a young filmmaker approach me
a while back and ask Jake, why are you still
talking about film grain? Isn't it outdated? And I told
him not at all, it's timeless. Think of it like

(02:31):
vinyl records. Sure we have digital music that's technically flawless,
but people still love vinyl because it feels warmer, richer.
It's the same with film grain. It brings something organic
to an otherwise synthetic medium. I think the shift back
to film esthetics is also a reaction to how far
we've gone with digital manipulation. We're living in a time

(02:54):
where images can be so heavily processed, whether through VFX,
AI or even just over editing, that they no longer
feel real. Film grain, in a way, reintroduces truth. It
gives the image permission to be raw again. Even in
commercial filmmaking, where budgets are tight and deadlines are tighter,

(03:14):
I've noticed clients requesting a film look that often means
adding grain in post production, but not just slapping on
a filter. It has to be thoughtfully done. You've got
to understand how grain interacts with different types of lighting,
how it affects shadows, how it complements skin tones. When
done right, it doesn't look like an effect. It looks

(03:37):
like a memory. That's the real power of film grain.
It taps into emotion. It reminds us of older movies,
of real film stock, of something handmade. It doesn't just
trigger visual recognition, it triggers feeling, and in storytelling, that's everything.
I think the beauty of where we are today is

(03:58):
that we're not stuck choosing between analog and digital. We
can blend them. We can shoot digitally and still incorporate
grain to give the image warmth, or we can go
full film if the story calls for it. The tools
are all there, it's just about how we use them.
For me, film grain is a reminder that perfection isn't

(04:18):
always the goal. Sometimes the goal is honesty, texture, soul,
and film grain gives us that it's not just an
artifact of the past, it's a tool for the future.
In this ultra digital world. It helps us bring humanity
back to the frame. So Yeah, while the industry might

(04:40):
keep evolving with new resolutions, codecs and censors, I think
film grain will keep holding its place, not as a relic,
but as a choice, a deliberate, creative choice, because sometimes
the smallest details make the biggest emotional impact, and film
grain that little flicker on the screen, it still matters.