Production Glossary
Film Stock
Film stock is the material on which images are captured when using a motion picture camera. Film stock is made up of silver halide crystals that are bound together by a gelatin colloid. In color film stock there are three layers of the emulsion. Despite the number of layers, the mixture is light sensitive and, when exposed to light, captures the desired image. Film stock can be classified by the following elements: base, chemistry, responsivity, emulsion, black and white, color, physical attributes, and color temperature.George Eastman, John Carbutt, and Hannibal Goodwin worked together to purpose celluloid for film capture. In 1889, Eastman Kodak sold the first commercial celluloid still image film stock. Later, in 1895, Eastman Kodak began to sell film stock for motion pictures which utilized the same emulsion that was employed in their still film. Standardization of film stock throughout the 1900s encouraged continued innovations and variety. Color film stock did not become widely used in film production until the 1940s, despite its commercial availability from about 1908.
