We'd look at it with our eye and not see the difference but video picks up the brightness. Even though I've worked with film for 30 years, I've always had difficulty explaining the process. It's such a simple and classic format. With today's film emulsions, I find that films work very much like your eyes. Your eyes operate in an organic way, and are very forgiving, with the range of various levels of light.
Film is that simple and that forgiving.
If your eyes approve of the image, and you expose film to the average light level, film will deliver the subject just as perceived. The real skill of a DP of course comes with lighting and execution of the shots. You've performed quite a few tests comparing various formats over the last few years. I went through all the elements that are different-the motion artifacts, the range of contrast, and so on. One difference in television is that with film you shoot an average exposure and you light the situation in the best way you can.