My theory as a film person (worked as a DoP, colorist and VFX guy) is that the grain of a film has three main appeals: 1. It simulates detail and depth where o

My theory as a film person (worked as a DoP, colorist and VFX guy) is that the grain of a film has three main appeals: 1. It simulates detail and depth where optically it may be lacking. This gives the imagination of the viewer some space to operate (think how pixel graphics in video games work) 2. The moving grain makes the glow of time visible. A grainy still picture of a empty room feels different than the very same image without it. The one without grain feels like a photograph. 3. Grain on an image can make the image feel like something you look onto rather than into depending on how it is used in editing. Just like the visible brush stroke in a painting it can be artistically desirable to make the viewers aware they are looking at a picture that has been made. In the end more often than not it is just a matter of taste. Personally I like the feel film gives