I prefer shooting on tape. I would absolutely prefer to shoot on film but that’s unrealistic. I find digital to be aesthetically repulsive; the current shows on Netflix etc are gross to look at, everything about them tells me that they are so concerned with perfecting every aspect, and it makes the work feel disingenuous.

On a pure aesthetic level, I love grain that tape produces. It’s closer to film than what a new digital camera creates, though tape in itself is its own thing. When editing the contrasts are shaper and thus more interesting, and the lo-fi aspect makes the work feel more personal.

I like working with tape in that I have to get it right. There’s only so much tape, it’s not like digital where I can delete and start over; it gives me more incentive to get things right which subsequently makes me more alert and careful.

Though with saying this, I am looking to transition into digital. I feel I’ve done what I can with tape (of course I can do more) but maybe it’s time to see if I can find my own aesthetic on some fancy digital camera. Progress!