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There are several variables in classifying stocks; in practice, one orders raw stock by a code number.

A piece of film consists of a light-sensitive emulsion applied to a tough, transparent base. Originally cellulose nitrate, which is extraordinarily flammable, was used. In the 1930s, film manufacturers introduced " safety film" with a cellulose triacetate plastic base. All amateur film stocks were safety film, but the use of nitrate persisted for professional releases. Kodak discontinued the manufacture of nitrate base in 1951, and the industry transitioned entirely to safety film in 1951 in the United States and by 1955 internationally. Since the 1980s a growing number of films have used polyester film stock.

Film chemistry may produce either a positive or negative image. Camera films that produce a positive image are known as reversal films. But since negative films are much more commonly used, there are terms based on the steps needed to produce a viewable finished print; one speaks of negatives and positives. Obviously there are color and black and white stocks.

Film is also classified according to its width and the arrangement of its sprocket holes—a range of gauges from 8mm to 70mm or more, single-perf or double-perf configurations.

Another critical property of a stock is its film speedFilm speed is the measure of a photographic film stock's sensitivity to light. A stock with relatively lower sensitivity requires a longer exposure and is thus called a slow film while a stock with relatively higher sensitivity can shoot the same scene wi, or sensitivity to light. Speed determines the range of lighting conditions under which the film can be shot, and is related to granularity and contrast, which influence the look of the image.

Motion picture film is known to be a highly unstable medium: improperly preserved film can deteriorate in a period of time much faster than many photographA photograph (often just called a photo is an image (or a representation of that on e. paper) created by collecting and focusing electromagnetic radiation. The most common photographs are those created of visible wavelengths, producing permanent records os or other visual presentations. Owners of home-made films often find that their film can become brittle and unwatchable in the space of a few years. Decaying film stock gives off an odor similar to that of vinegarVinegar (from Old French vinaigre "sour wine") is a sour liquid made from the oxidation of ethanol in wine, cider, beer, or the like. Vinegar is typically three to five percent by volume acetic acid, and natural vinegars also contain smaller amounts of ta, which is why film buffs often refer to such decaying as the "vinegar effect."

Finally, one should mention the distinction between camera stocks and print stocks. It is possible to transfer video images to film stocks that can be developed and printed in the normal manner. Theater performances have been preserved that way for many years—the 1964Events January January 1 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. January 3 Senator Barry Goldwater announces that he will seek the Republican nomination for President. January 5 In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Ort New York production of HamletThe Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare and one of his most well-known and oft-quoted plays. Written between 1598 and the summer of 1602, this masterpiece of Elizabethan theatre first appeared in print in 1603 in a ver with Richard BurtonThis article is about the 20th-century actor. For the 19th-century explorer, scholar, and orientalist, see Richard Francis Burton Richard Burton ( November 10 1925 August 5 1984) was a Welsh actor from the late 1940s through the 1980s. He was born Richard, for example, was shot on video and printed as a film that was released in movie theaters (See also: Kinescope). Digital video equipment has made this approach easier, and certain movies such as Timecode ( 2000) have been produced that way.