the 'thing' with a movie, be it on film or video, is the audience. if you make a movie on film for example, and have it in your mind to make a film print for projection immediatly upon completing the editing, then you will no doubt have to incur the costs of whether it is traditional cut, or a digital cut. both options are obviously and readily available for you to do so. but the real question is; is it justified? in other words, do you already have a deal with someone that will project the movie in a theatre(s)? or is it you want to submit your film to festivals wherein they receive actual film, instead of a tape or dvd as is common today. will submitting your film to festivals on actual film lend to it's success? if so, then does the cost justify the level of success an actual film print brings to the matter? if so, then make your print(s) either traditionally or digitally, based on your budget.
however, in the real world(from my own eyes anyway), it is obvious most of the film festivals will accept films on tape and/or dvd. additionally, all the internet site film festivals/competitions can only accept the film in a digital format for online viewing(triggerstreet, etc.). so if the purpose of your film is to be viewed by more the just yourself, in today's world, the most obvious path is digital delivery. and i say this with new filmmakers in mind, not established filmmakers of new filmmakers with studio/distribution deals.
if your movie is a good movie, and is well received/accepted by those who have viewed it, then it stands a chance to move it's way up the rating ladder in the various film festivals, or in some cases directly within the studios themselves. in these cases, if you take the cake at the various film festivals, or score high internal rating with the various stuios who you submitted your movie to, then would it not be logicol to say that those who are interested in purchasing your movie for either theatrical release or distribution, would also be the same people you would negotiate a deal with that could include a theatrical release(even if it is in only one theatre, so your movie can stake that claim of 'theatrically released') or video/dv distribution wherein you make part of the deal they are to pay for a film print for your own self, simply because you so desire one?
but making a film print of your movie just for the sake of making one does NOT benefit the movie's success one way or another unless you have made a deal for theatrical release, or a studio/private interest has decided it would be better for your movie to be projected film in the various film festivals, instead of tape or dvd. or, you may simply want to make a film print on your own accord for your own personal reasons, in which case it is totally understandable and respected(because you learn, accomplish, and have a final product/fruit to show for yourself and your labor).
but no matter the direction you take, you need to PLAN it and decide upon it so you can buget for it accordingly ... both you time and $$.
personaly speaking, i desire to have my first film viewed by as many people as possible. additionally, i desire to win competitions and film festival awards ... not just placing, but actualy WINNING, being on the top of the hill, the king on the thrown, etc. i do not desire to make a bad film(even though the mere fact of my inexperience may very well result in one). and i also do not desire to make a film that only i will view. however, i am making a movie for me, first and foremost. but in that, i understand that if after making my first movie i realize it is something i want to continue doing, then i must be realistic in that regard and PLAN correctly. because unless you are made of money, or have a constant river of it running through your billfold, you will not be able to make a second movie, a third, and so on. in order to IMPROVE your movie making abilities, you will also need to increase your budgets. and so chances are your second film will be much more expensive then your first film, simply because you desire to explore greater teritory, which results in increased expense ... be it the salary of an actor, the various special effects scenes you opted to include, the location, the time period(if in the past or in the future, all of the set designs and costumes must adher to this illusion, hence increased expenses). whatever the case, most people yern to improve on their craft, not stand still with it. now it might be that your first movie was made on literally your good looks and charm alone. so you second movie may actually cost you $omething other then your humility/integrety/soul/time/whatever.
the reasons for shooting your movie on film vary between individuals. my reasons, for example, have to do with actually shooting on film, and understanding film, and mastering my artform relationship with film. it also has to do with my PLAN of action, wherein i aspire to win the audiences of the various competitions and film festivals, thus taking the prizes. and in this desire, comes reasoning ... the reasonsing is; because my film will take the prizes at the various competitions and film festivals, it will no doubt be a strong/real/viable/valuable negotiating tool for me to use in my efforts to realize a 'theatrical release' of my film, hopefully one that will be worldwide ... because that is my aim, my goal, and my overall objective. but foremost, it is my DESIRE. and as part of my PLAN i also intend on securing worldwide distribution of my film on vhs, dvd, satellite, cable, broadcast television, and even the internet.
so having a clearly defined objective/goal, you can create a PLAN of action. in this plan of action, it is clear to understand(by way of logicol discovery) what is require each step of the way. so seeing as how my plan includes a theatrical release, i will ned to make certain that either my film original, or high res digital copy, are ready to be used to generate the actual film print, be it the traditional way or the digital to film printer way, either of which will be subject to the actual success of my film at that point, and my ability to negotiate what i so desire to realize(traditional or digital to film printer).
this site is a great site to learn about film equipment and processes for new filmmakers using small guage film, perhaps one of the best ... at least the best for me and my own learning path. there are obviously other pieces to the puzzle regarding filmmaking like, screenplay creation(triggerstreet.com), and the ability to correctly write what it is you visualize in your mind, so that your story translates to film using the correct beats and patterns that human beings have grown accustomed to. you can take the best photos in the world, but if you are not able to put them together to tell the story correctly, then the film will fail the audience. you can be the best writer with the best screenplay, but if you are not able to take good photos, your film will suffer. you can be the best screenplay writer and cinematographer in the world but if you cannot manage people, you will not be able to oranize a film. you can be the best of all of these, but if you do not know how to market and sell you and your film, your film will suffer. and there are so many other areas within these ones mentioned above that were not mentioned, but are equally important, that if not addressed correctly, will cause your film to suffer. like editng, sound, set and costume design, etc. for those of us making our first film, we are having to do much of this ourselves. each one takes time and a certain amount of money based on what your budget will allow. issues like making film prints are much better served AFTER your film has earned a place in the minds of those willing to invest in it, not before. but if making a film print is for personal education and experience, then no matter the film, it will serve a purpose and be worth every penny providing you got out of it what you so desired ... which would be 'understanding' of such a person, place, of thing ... or in this case, a process.
by the way, currently on ebay there is a film printer that can be had for under a $1000.00usd. it has been relisted a few times, and is called the fire 2200(or something like that). so if you so desire, you could most likely rig this machine to ake your digital images and output them to film. additionally, there are much more reasonable services for taking digital files back out to film then the arri device, for example service companies with the following machine could most likely do the same service for 1/3 the price:
http://www.lasergraphics.com/pages/cine.htm
eric
