Scorsese: Film's still the best

Martin Scorsese believes film remains the best way to capture motion pictures.

Last week Kodak revealed it will continue to produce film stock after negotiating with major movie studios.

And Martin applauds the manufacturer’s decision not to discontinue its product, as the Academy Award-winning director is convinced the medium must be safeguarded.

"We have to remember that film is still the best and only time-proven way to preserve movies,” he revealed in a statement released to The Hollywood Reporter. “We have no assurance that digital information will last, but we know that film will, if properly stored and cared for. This news is a positive step toward preserving film, the art form we love.”

Film has been considered by many to be a dying medium and Kodak’s sales of the product has plummeted 96 per cent in the past decade.

In his formal letter on the subject, Martin didn’t discount the impact digital technology has had on the movie industry, but insists high-definition shooting apparatuses still have a long way to go.

“I'm not suggesting that we ignore the obvious: HD isn't coming, it's here,” he wrote.

“In the history of motion pictures, only a minuscule percentage of the works comprising our art form was not shot on film. Everything we do in HD is an effort to re-create the look of film. Film, even now, offers a richer visual palette than HD."

Several directors echo Martin’s sentiments on film preservation. Quentin Tarantino, J.J. Abrams, Christopher Nolan and Judd Apatow are also supporters of the campaign to keep the medium alive.