Eastman Kodak: Strong increasing demand for movie film

[Henning Serger]

Dear photrio members,
we recently talked here about the strong increasing demand for photo film, and the statement from Eastman Kodak that their production of photo film has more than doubled in the last five years.
But not only the demand for photo film is increasing at Kodak, also the demand for movie / cinema film is increasing. And even stronger than that for photo film.
The numbers were e.g. published in this report:
https://www.kameramann.de/technik/i...v_a4pBRBuUKuQKHnIyUZCB0S7O9wMHE2LovVtpzeTJfnc

As it is in German, I will translate the essential numbers for you:
- In the last years, Eastman Kodak has built four new processing and film copy facilities globally (New York, Atlanta, London, Bombay)
- because of the strong increasing demand another new film processing / copy facility will be built
- in the new processing facility in New York 6 billion (!) meters of film have been processed since opening
- there is new demand for 65mm film
- demand for 35mm film is up by 155% during the last four years
- demand for 16mm film is up by 206% during the last four years
- demand for 8mm film is up by 407% during the last four years.
(Data given by Steve Bellamy, President Motion Picture & Entertainment, Eastman Kodak).

Best regards,
Henning

 

[Agulliver]

Thank you for this update! Great to know another sector of the film market is exhibiting positive increases. I suppose Ektachrome has boosted sales of 8mm and 16mm ?

 

[Tom Kershaw]

I've not had a chance to listen yet but the BBC put this programme out this morning: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000d70k#play - 'The Last Exposure' - the blurb for which contains the lines:

'We hear his story of printing - a physical, technical skill, as well as a dangerous and smelly one. We envisage the end of the analogue era of photography, and celebrate the alchemical eclipse.' - This almost seems like 'fake news' compared to what we hear from Henning and other sources, eg. De Vere selling well into the market, including new machines...

 

[guangong]

Great news. A lot of Super8 was used to document significant family events. People are beginning to understand that unlike DVDs bought commercially, which are etched, home made DVDs use a dye and are far from permanent. As for myself, I use 16 mm and Super 8 to document much of my work. Also, editing film beats staring at a computer screen.

 

[foc]

Great to hear such positive news.
It is always a joy to read your posts, Henning, and thank you for the updates.

 

[removed account4]

its a good start...
thanks for the info !

 

[Meyer Trioplan]

Always love seeing your postings here as a nice fresh perspective that is backed by evidence, in contrast to the more dreary anecdotal posts that appear as well!

Thanks for the update!

 

[bsdunek]

I think that's good news. I'm still looking for Double-8 transparency film. In color, all I see is negative, and then it is digitized. I, like ganging, like to manually edit my films. I also want to show them with a projector on a screen. A TV screen just doesn't do it for me.

 

[ic-racer]

Kodak dropped the ball on Double-8 a few years ago. I wonder if they still have the perforating equipment, as the actual Double-8 film is the same size as 16mm.

BTW: the Foma Double-8 B&W Reversal is great film. I have some loaded in one of my cameras right now. Yale Photo Video in California processes it and splits it for me.

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threa...x-reg8-movie-chance-for-one-more-batch.91878/

 

[MultiFormat Shooter]

But not only the demand for photo film is increasing at Kodak, also the demand for movie/cinema film is increasing. And even stronger than that for photo film.

Excellent news! I have a "soft spot" for movies and movie film, especially 8mm and Super 8. Independent of that, new demand for film is always a good thing. Since movie film drives research in still film (at least in the past), maybe we'll continue to see new developments/refinements.

 

[Kino]

I've not had a chance to listen yet but the BBC put this programme out this morning: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000d70k#play - 'The Last Exposure' - the blurb for which contains the lines:

'We hear his story of printing - a physical, technical skill, as well as a dangerous and smelly one. We envisage the end of the analogue era of photography, and celebrate the alchemical eclipse.' - This almost seems like 'fake news' compared to what we hear from Henning and other sources, eg. De Vere selling well into the market, including new machines...

My God; how the BBC has slipped! It used to be a Journalism icon, now its just like it's Internet counterparts - meme cheerleaders.

"... photographic chemicals and paper are no longer being made..." It isn't until 10 minutes in you discover they are talking about Cibachrome paper, but the distinction between this and all photographic paper is not made clear.

Fire that reporter..

 

[Tom Kershaw]

My God; how the BBC has slipped! It used to be a Journalism icon, now its just like it's Internet counterparts - meme cheerleaders.

"... photographic chemicals and paper are no longer being made..." It isn't until 10 minutes in you discover they are talking about Cibachrome paper, but the distinction between this and all photographic paper is not made clear.

Fire that reporter..

I haven't been brave enough to listen yet. You'd think considering the size of BBC there would be someone in the vicinity of the programme who was a darkroom user or at least familiar with contemporary analogue photography. Unfortunately, there is prior form, as they produced an odd "documentary" on 'Jazz in London today' a couple of years ago which made it sound as though a small group of people had completely rediscovered and renewed the music, and forgot to mention anyone who wasn't part of the producer's narrative.

 

[Kino]

Yes, most "journalists" have transformed themselves into Tribalistic cheerleaders who report to their preconceived notions, rather than actually investigate the situation and factually report.

While I think the photographer is solid in his personal artistic notions (never saw anything he has done, but he sounds quite lucid), his sweeping generalizations about the death of photography and the darkroom are swallowed whole and reinforced by the reporter without out any substantive rebuttal.

That's not journalism.

 

[Prest_400]

This is absolutely fantastic news, as we have known, it is MP film the one that is the basis of Kodak's manufacturing. Good to know the times of continuous decreases are behind.

 

[JWMster]

FWIW, in a reporter's newsroom, it probably is true that film is "dead". Digital replaced it. And imagine: a reporter who doesn't think the world revolves around him/her self? Perish the thought.
Fact is, as far back as the 1930's, you had movies where the editor says, "Y'know... run the usual story" and of course Casablanca's Claude Reims line, "Round up the usual suspects." Readers as well as news reporters (and editors) only have so much time to put into a story. Care and concern? Hmmmm.

Yes, there are some who are prolific, popular, profitable AND good. They're treasures. The rest? They get the job done.

 

[cmacd123]

if you go through this list of Oscar contenders for 2020, you will see that shooting on film is still happening, in spite of all the digital comeras out there : https://www.indiewire.com/2019/11/cameras-lens-2020-oscar-contenders-best-cinematography-1202187839/

 

[Henning Serger]

Dear friends, thank you all very much for your appreciation and kind words!

Always love seeing your postings here as a nice fresh perspective that is backed by evidence, in contrast to the more dreary anecdotal posts that appear as well!

Thanks for the update!

Thanks.
I always try to do my very best to give you the most accurate and precise information as possible.
Well, my professional background is scientific work. After my studies at University I worked for several years in different interdisciplinary scientific research projects at University.
Extremely accurate and precise work is of course an absolute necessity for successful scientific research.
And as my current own company for technological and economic research is also completely based on a scientific workflow, nothing has changed in my workflow over the years .

One content of the linked article may be also interesting for you: At the short film festival in Halifax in 2018 were 2 of the presented films shot on film. In 2019 155 (!) of the presented films were shot on film.

Best regards,
Henning

 

[MattKing]

The increasing demand for movie film is part of the reason why there is a short term backlog of still film.
Eastman Kodak has finite resources, so they have had to ration those resources between the demands being placed upon them.
But demand begets increased production, increased production begets increased income, and increased income begets increased resources.
All with a time lag of course.
But in the end, this is all very good.
A question for Henning - does he have any information about whether there is any resurgence of operating movie film projectors.

 

[cmacd123]

any information about whether there is any resurgence of operating movie film projectors.

My understanding is that when the studios implemented the "Virtual Print Fee" system, where the studios subsided theaters to install digital projection equipment, the deal included a requirement that the 35mm equipment be scrapped, or at least removed. The studios did not want to have any demand for Physical prints.

 

[MattKing]

I believe that the VanCity theatre in Vancouver - where the Vancouver International Film Festival is based - maintains a 35mm projector because some international material and some older movies are available that way.
I would only expect to see film projectors in "Art" theatres, or in the very few theatres that are chosen for the few IMAX and 65mm films that have been distributed that way.
Henning's mention of the Halifax "short" festival made me wonder if there might be use in other festivals as well.
And of course, the international market.

 

[DREW WILEY]

I suspect it was more often a ruse by the big studios to get theaters so far under debt to them for installation of new equipment that they have been forced to sell out, giving those same big studios a near monopoly. The same thing frequently happens when big oil companies force the gas station franchise agreements that mandate mini-mart investments, then deliberately raise their own gas prices to force them into default, so they can buy back these same marts at a discount after someone else has already put in all the hard work to get the momentum going. Has been almost a routine sinister policy for decades with one big oil producer I can think of; but they do it on a regional rotation basis, to conceal their motives. But there are ways around monopolization. In this area not only is there a demand for low-rent funky theaters that still cater to real film movie enthusiasts, but even the new Pacific Film Archive that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build does so as a significant part of its venue; but there they don't serve orange soda and popcorn - expect wine and sushi, and pay appropriately. I'm not a member. I'm a skinflint "borrow a classic movie on a disc for free at the library, and watch it at home" type. I hate the look of digital movies, along with extreme speaker volumes and flu germs all over the seats that come with the territory of teenage action flicks.

 

[Sirius Glass]

After years of hearing "Film is dead.", "They do not sell film any more.", "I heard you can't get film.", this is music to my ears.

 

[Kino]

I always try to do my very best to give you the most accurate and precise information as possible....
One content of the linked article may be also interesting for you: At the short film festival in Halifax in 2018 were 2 of the presented films shot on film. In 2019 155 (!) of the presented films were shot on film.

Best regards,
Henning

Henning,

I am curious; can you confirm that the increase in motion picture sales is for color negative and not color print film?

 

[Henning Serger]

Hello Matt,

The increasing demand for movie film is part of the reason why there is a short term backlog of still film.

due to my sources at Kodak it is at least not the main reason for the backorders.
The main reasons for the photo film backorders are
- demand surpasses the converting capacities for photo film; even 3-shift per day operation is not sufficient anymore, new additional converting machinery is needed
- with ColorPlus 200 there is a supply problem with some raw materials; currently the available volume on the market for these materials is not big enough to satisfy demand; this situation will stay at least until summer of this year.

A question for Henning - does he have any information about whether there is any resurgence of operating movie film projectors.

No, sorry, currently I have no further information concerning that special topic.
Just one information: When the digital projectors were installed in my local cinemas, they have been installed next / parallel to the remaining 35mm film projectors. The 35mm film projectors were not removed.

Best regards,
Henning

 

[Henning Serger]

After years of hearing "Film is dead.", "They do not sell film any more.", "I heard you can't get film.", this is music to my ears.

Well, Steve, fortunately these statements have never been true .

Best regards,
Henning