Filmotec was a small outfit who saw a niche for making B&W Movie film film stocks. they were using an external firm to do the coating. and had a fairly comple line N74, UN54, DN31, Dp31, PF2 and 3, as well as Sound recording films. All Black and white and all aimed for Motion Pictures. BUT their were 30.5 metre rolls of 35mm film for sale. Archives were a big customer. they did not activly try to market any film for Still Camera use, although it was very attractively priced, and the rep in North America was quite happy to sell film for any use.
Mr. Seal, is a movie Producer, and he wanted some colour film. he brought a few outfits together and did a reorg to get the NP400, and NP500 made. I have been told by an unnamed source that some of the Staff left. The German Camera magazine article that I mentioned before claims that the firm has 2 Full time staff doing R&D, and rents time a few weeks a year on the former AGFA coating Machine. - and that they are looking to hire finishing staff but find that many potential workers are not keen of spending the workday in the Dark. when they replaced N74 with N75, the movie edge printing when to the Pre-Key_code format, (no longer any bar codes on the edge of the film) which to me implies that they have had to use OLDER perforating and edge signing machines.
they seem to have contracted with more than one supplier to convert and package film for still use. that operation is more complicated than it looks. It seems that converted film that they were expecting in the fall is just now arriving, and along the way they have arranged to sell some as Private label AristaPan to Freestyle, who has a VERY LONG history of selling Private label film, having started in 1946 selling war surplus film at a discount price)
I doubt if we will get any better explanations. Just cross our fingers and or toes that the result will be another place that will be able to provide us with Useable film. I know I went through over 800ft of the N74 over a several year period.
Mr. Seal, is a movie Producer, and he wanted some colour film. he brought a few outfits together and did a reorg to get the NP400, and NP500 made. I have been told by an unnamed source that some of the Staff left. The German Camera magazine article that I mentioned before claims that the firm has 2 Full time staff doing R&D, and rents time a few weeks a year on the former AGFA coating Machine. - and that they are looking to hire finishing staff but find that many potential workers are not keen of spending the workday in the Dark. when they replaced N74 with N75, the movie edge printing when to the Pre-Key_code format, (no longer any bar codes on the edge of the film) which to me implies that they have had to use OLDER perforating and edge signing machines.
they seem to have contracted with more than one supplier to convert and package film for still use. that operation is more complicated than it looks. It seems that converted film that they were expecting in the fall is just now arriving, and along the way they have arranged to sell some as Private label AristaPan to Freestyle, who has a VERY LONG history of selling Private label film, having started in 1946 selling war surplus film at a discount price)
I doubt if we will get any better explanations. Just cross our fingers and or toes that the result will be another place that will be able to provide us with Useable film. I know I went through over 800ft of the N74 over a several year period.