Image and sound stored, processed, and output as binary data instead of analog signal — industry standard since ~2010. Enables nonlinear editing, unlimited color correction, VFX, and loss-free duplication.
Since the first digital cameras became viable in the nineties, something fundamental has shifted on set — not just technically, but in the very logic of how we work. Digital means: light is converted into pixels by sensors, these into zeros and ones, storable on memory cards instead of film reels. Sounds abstract, but for you in practice, it means: you don't need to conserve lamps like you used to, you can shoot hundreds of takes without cost anxiety, and your first rough cut can be re-edited five times without a generational copy losing quality.
The consequence was a complete reordering of the post-production pipeline. Whereas in the past you received a copy with losses during editing, today you work with the exact same data that the camera recorded. This enables color grading in its current form — not color correction as before, but genuine creative control over every channel, every pixel. VFX teams can work with the same material without accepting conversion losses. The grading suite becomes the actual artistic department, not a repair shop.
Practically on set, you notice the difference like this: you look at a monitor that shows the rough cut live — what the sensor sees, you see in real-time. With analog film, this was impossible; you had lab reports and test screens. Today, you set the white balance, exposure, and color space on the monitor, and know immediately after the take whether it worked or not. This speeds things up, but also makes it more demanding — because you bear full responsibility for the raw image immediately.
A pitfall: digital cameras are sensitive to clipping, to uncontrolled highlights. Because the bits are limited, you have to expose more cleverly than before. Film stock had a gentle curve in the highlights; digital sensors drop off like a cliff. This is not a flaw in the system — it's the rule you need to understand. In return, digital gives you incredible flexibility in the shadows, data for grading that was previously lost.
Since around 2015, digital is no longer the future, it's everyday reality — and analog has become a stylistic choice, not a standard necessity. This changes the mentality: you consciously choose film today because you need its characteristics, not because there was no alternative.