How to expose for a film look

The grade gets the credit, but most of what reads as film is decided on set. A look can only work with what the sensor recorded, and what it recorded depends on where you put your exposure.

Protect the highlights, then lift

Film handles overexposure gracefully and digital does not. Expose so the brightest thing you care about still holds detail, then lift the mid-tones in the grade. A frame that looks slightly dark in the monitor will take a film look far better than one that looked perfect.

Give the look some colour to work with

Neutral, even light gives a preset very little to shape. Mixed light, a warm practical in the background or a patch of open shade are what make the same look feel alive on one frame and flat on another.

Shoot the guide frame

Every pack includes a reference frame with the exposure and white balance it was built on. Match that on your first shot of the day and the rest of the edit goes quickly.