Abstract: Production and post-production processes and equipment are modified to create a "film look", minimizing the need to introduce noise and artifacts into the video signal wherein the camera, lighting and post production processes are keyed to a film-generated benchmark to provide parameters which are followed during videotaping and post-production to generate "film look" images. The lighting of the sets to be videotaped are adjusted to be comparable to the lighting used for film and a benchmark film test is shot utilizing a video camera and a film camera. The producer of the film look video can review and adjust visual aspects of the film image to determine the "look" desired. Certain parameters from the benchmark are then utilized for camera settings and post production processes as well as lighting to generate the desired look.