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View Full Version : Kodak says it will continue to make film!!!!!!



Light Guru
6-Sep-2012, 12:29
Big big news Kodak today. Film manufacturing will stay with Kodak.

"Kodak will continue to manufacture and distribute its quality line of motion picture film products. As a matter of fact, all film manufacturing will actually stay with Kodak, including that of consumer and professional still film. We will continue providing our entertainment customers with the products and support they have come to depend upon from Kodak."



Read more: http://motion.kodak.com/motion/About/The_Storyboard/4294970036/index.htm#ixzz25ifSRv4u

Drew Wiley
6-Sep-2012, 13:03
I'd take any rumor at this point with a grain of salt. Even within a corporation like this, the
right hand might not know what the left is doing. I've heard very conflicting "official" pronouncements over the years from Fuji too. Time will tell. Maybe they were just sending
out a trial balloon to see if anyone was interested.

Robert Budding
6-Sep-2012, 13:11
That must mean that the entire company is up for sale now . . .

vinny
6-Sep-2012, 13:24
whatever.

bob carnie
6-Sep-2012, 13:30
I have to agree, this thing is getting so boring , one day on one day off,

whatever.

Bob Salomon
6-Sep-2012, 13:42
Or they can't sell the film making division for the price they expected.

Richard Wasserman
6-Sep-2012, 13:45
I was talking with the owner of a small independent movie theater yesterday. He has just invested $250,000 in digital projection systems because after January 1, 2013 all movies will be digitally projected and optical prints for projection will no longer be available. 20th Century Fox according to him had digitized their entire inventory, including cartoons, and had destroyed the film. I assume other studios are doing the same. I think the film market is shrinking....

timparkin
6-Sep-2012, 14:12
I was talking with the owner of a small independent movie theater yesterday. He has just invested $250,000 in digital projection systems because after January 1, 2013 all movies will be digitally projected and optical prints for projection will no longer be available. 20th Century Fox according to him had digitized their entire inventory, including cartoons, and had destroyed the film. I assume other studios are doing the same. I think the film market is shrinking....

Well he doesn't know what he's talking about because film is now recognised as the 'only' archival option for long term storage of motion pictures - this includes the transference of 100% digital move production to film for storage. There is a great white paper called 'the digital dilemma' worth taking a gander at. Also even though final projection is digital in many 1st world countries. These systems are still way out of reach for most third world countries and hence distribution on film will still be important.

Kodak have just signed a three year contract to supply film to Disney, Warners, NBCU and Paramount (although there is a 180 day sunset clause).

Frank Petronio
6-Sep-2012, 14:58
It's confusing because still consumer, still professional, and movie film are all made in the same place, so how they sell only part of that sounds complicated....

Jim C.
6-Sep-2012, 17:27
I was talking with the owner of a small independent movie theater yesterday. He has just invested $250,000 in digital projection systems because after January 1, 2013 all movies will be digitally projected and optical prints for projection will no longer be available. 20th Century Fox according to him had digitized their entire inventory, including cartoons, and had destroyed the film. I assume other studios are doing the same. I think the film market is shrinking....

Utter nonsense, as timparkin said film is the only archival option, still film negs over a century old are still viable, sadly many motion picture
films that were nitrate based are lost forever. That independent theatre owner should look at the supplement on the restoration of Jaws bluray,
after all the digital hoo hah they made a new film negative for preservation.

BrianShaw
6-Sep-2012, 17:32
I have to agree, this thing is getting so boring , one day on one day off,

... but that is what keeps a soap opera going.

Andre Noble
6-Sep-2012, 18:24
20th Century Fox according to him had digitized their entire inventory, including cartoons, and had destroyed the film.

If true, that would rank right up there with Ron Wayne selling his 10% share of Apple, Inc for $2300 in 1976.

Bill_1856
6-Sep-2012, 18:54
In other news: Today, flying monkeys landed on Mars.

Sal Santamaura
6-Sep-2012, 19:13
Or they can't sell the film making division for the price they expected.Or for any price. :)

Andrew O'Neill
6-Sep-2012, 20:39
Kodak continuing to manufacture film doesn't sound like a good idea to me, considering their track record but we'll see...

Kirk Gittings
6-Sep-2012, 20:51
My oldest daughter used to work for Sony in their film archive. Old films were digitized, restored and then burned to film again for archival storage. That was maybe 6 years ago?

timparkin
7-Sep-2012, 06:08
My oldest daughter used to work for Sony in their film archive. Old films were digitized, restored and then burned to film again for archival storage. That was maybe 6 years ago?

I suppose it depends on how important the material is. If it's not that important but you don't really want to trash it, digital storage makes sense. If it's very important then all research points at monochrome film colour separations being the best.

Tim

Brian Ellis
7-Sep-2012, 07:54
I've read the press release linked by the OP. There presumably is a grand master plan of some sort behind Kodak's appearance of total confusion about whatever it is they think they're doing from one day to the next.

Brian Ellis
7-Sep-2012, 08:08
Well he doesn't know what he's talking about because film is now recognised as the 'only' archival option for long term storage of motion pictures - this includes the transference of 100% digital move production to film for storage. There is a great white paper called 'the digital dilemma' worth taking a gander at. Also even though final projection is digital in many 1st world countries. These systems are still way out of reach for most third world countries and hence distribution on film will still be important.

Kodak have just signed a three year contract to supply film to Disney, Warners, NBCU and Paramount (although there is a 180 day sunset clause).

I know nothing about the motion picture film business so this may be a stupid question. But as I understand that deal (and I haven't of course seen the contract, I've just read about it), Kodak has agreed to supply the film to the studios but I haven't seen that the studios have agreed to take any particular amount of film or to pay anything to Kodak if they don't take any particular amount. If that's the case would it not be possible for the studios to continue switching to digital for retail distribution (i.e. movie theater) purposes and only take whatever presumably small amount they need for archival purposes?

IOWs, couldn't the movie owner mentioned by Richard Wasserman be right despite the existence of this contract?

bob carnie
7-Sep-2012, 08:28
Brian
I suspect this is not so far from the truth... on another thread I have predicted Kodak will hook up with a world class printing device company like Durst , and knock the socks off
Epson and Cannon, a combination like that would be very compelling.
I did beta test Kodak rag paper over 7 years ago, it was never released. I just hope they s..t or get off the pot, and do something.


I've read the press release linked by the OP. There presumably is a grand master plan of some sort behind Kodak's appearance of total confusion about whatever it is they think they're doing from one day to the next.

John Fink Jr.
7-Sep-2012, 08:35
"Originally Posted by Richard Wasserman View Post
I was talking with the owner of a small independent movie theater yesterday. He has just invested $250,000 in digital projection systems because after January 1, 2013 all movies will be digitally projected and optical prints for projection will no longer be available. 20th Century Fox according to him had digitized their entire inventory, including cartoons, and had destroyed the film. I assume other studios are doing the same. I think the film market is shrinking...."

I can not believe they would destroy the film?????

Richard Wasserman
7-Sep-2012, 09:38
I was just repeating what I was told. I got the same story from both the owner and manager of the theater, but of course don't know how correct it is. Perhaps they were referring to the projection prints, but not the masters? They both lamented the passing of film projection, but are looking forward to lower electricity and labor costs. Maybe they can stay in business a while longer. I do know that with digital projection the use of film is dropping precipitously. Instead of shipping large reels of film for every movie, they now send a hard drive—saves the theaters a ton of money on shipping and the projection systems are automated. Being a projectionist is not a good career move at this time.



"Originally Posted by Richard Wasserman View Post
I was talking with the owner of a small independent movie theater yesterday. He has just invested $250,000 in digital projection systems because after January 1, 2013 all movies will be digitally projected and optical prints for projection will no longer be available. 20th Century Fox according to him had digitized their entire inventory, including cartoons, and had destroyed the film. I assume other studios are doing the same. I think the film market is shrinking...."

I can not believe they would destroy the film?????

Curt
7-Sep-2012, 10:37
Two new portmanteau's of the day.

If Eastman Kodak keeps the film division, will they produce a slow speed film that's Efkesque now that Efkended its production?

Andrew O'Neill
7-Sep-2012, 13:50
I doubt it but it would be nice if they introduced yearly runs on IR film.

evan clarke
7-Sep-2012, 15:44
In other news: Today, flying monkeys landed on Mars.


Even better, I saw a piece on Facebook about sunrise pictures from the rover. A woman replied that she didn't realize that Mars had a sun too!!!!

BrianShaw
7-Sep-2012, 20:03
... OMG... and next someone will say Mars has a moon. Oh my.

RichardSperry
7-Sep-2012, 20:26
From their FB announcement 'clarification'.

It sounds like they are hoping to sell the film business. Sell the manufacturing equipment. Having the buyer keep the equipment in the same buildings(ex-Kodak buildings). Make a license deal with the buyer to private-label film back to Kodak to retail.

I think this is why they sound wishy washy on the whole deal.




Mars has two moons.

ic-racer
7-Sep-2012, 20:56
I was talking with the owner of a small independent movie theater yesterday. He has just invested $250,000 in digital projection systems because after January 1, 2013 all movies will be digitally projected and optical prints for projection will no longer be available. 20th Century Fox according to him had digitized their entire inventory, including cartoons, and had destroyed the film. I assume other studios are doing the same. I think the film market is shrinking....

I suspect the distribution prints will be destroyed. This action will put pressure on the movie theater owner and will prevent 'bootleg' prints from surfacing. This says nothing of any archival film storage for which the theater owner has little or no interest.

Curt
7-Sep-2012, 23:03
By the time it's over the price for a sheet of film will be a hundred dollars and come in a package of one.

Toyon
8-Sep-2012, 19:29
How many of you still go to movie theaters? Or if you do, how much less than you did 10 years ago?

Steve Smith
9-Sep-2012, 03:40
It sounds like they are hoping to sell the film business. Sell the manufacturing equipment. Having the buyer keep the equipment in the same buildings(ex-Kodak buildings). Make a license deal with the buyer to private-label film back to Kodak to retail.

I translated it as wanting to sell the marketing side of the film business but to continue manufacturing as a sub-contractor. Whilst that could work, I don't think Kodak are in a position to guarantee continuous delivery of product.


Steve.

Greg Blank
9-Sep-2012, 08:22
Long before sheet film costs $100 per sheet, I will have built my own unique size ULF camera, and coating my own plates.

Lenny Eiger
9-Sep-2012, 14:25
Brian
I suspect this is not so far from the truth... on another thread I have predicted Kodak will hook up with a world class printing device company like Durst , and knock the socks off
Epson and Cannon, a combination like that would be very compelling.
I did beta test Kodak rag paper over 7 years ago, it was never released. I just hope they s..t or get off the pot, and do something.

I think you are right about this. Kodak has always had the research scientists to make whatever they wanted. When Berkey sued them in the '80's they were 15 years ahead of the products they had released. (Some of which we are still using.)

Kodak had the capacity to do amazing things. They just happen to also be the dumbest company on the planet. They hire CEO's that have no understanding of the product lines, what they mean to their constituents, etc. Then they make stupid decisions, one after another.

Even now, to announce they will sell off the film. Doesn't that mean that many people, who want to see b&w film continue, will shift their allegiance to Ilford. I already had, but what kind of nonsense announcement is that? It's a self fulfilling prophecy.

This company makes no sense. At one time I understood their motivations, but no longer.

Lenny

paulr
9-Sep-2012, 18:41
I was talking with the owner of a small independent movie theater yesterday. He has just invested $250,000 in digital projection systems because after January 1, 2013 all movies will be digitally projected and optical prints for projection will no longer be available. 20th Century Fox according to him had digitized their entire inventory, including cartoons, and had destroyed the film. I assume other studios are doing the same. I think the film market is shrinking....

The industry is definitely moving fast toward all-digital distribution, but this doesn't have anything to do with how a movie is shot. The number of directors and cinematographers who prefer film is shrinking, certainly. But it's still quite large (http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/26/tribeca-film-vs-digital-in-side-by-side/), and isn't going to be approaching zero any time in 2013.

Oren Grad
9-Sep-2012, 19:08
The industry is definitely moving fast toward all-digital distribution, but this doesn't have anything to do with how a movie is shot. The number of directors and cinematographers who prefer film is shrinking, certainly. But it's still quite large (http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/26/tribeca-film-vs-digital-in-side-by-side/), and isn't going to be approaching zero any time in 2013.

Kodak is also taking another stab at marketing film as an archiving medium:

http://motion.kodak.com/motion/About/The_Storyboard/4294969992/index.htm

Time will tell how successful that will be. But it could be a steady business for some time to come, albeit at a much smaller volume than used to be required for distribution prints.