Ferrania Italy Kickstarter campaign

[blevblev]

Dead Link Removed

 

[AgX]

Well, the important news is less the Kickstarter campaign, but their statement to intend to do more than producing small scale in the R&D lab, but to revive the complete Ferrania film plant.

 

[duparis00]

Kickstarter for Film Ferrania just went live!

Dead Link Removed

The need 250 to buy the remaining equipment and fund the first batch. 2 days in and they're already 10% funded, if anyone wants to support these guys please pledge something. I put in for 2 rolls of 135 and 120. The good thing about kickstarter is you're not charged unless they're funded. So you only pay if they're successful.

 

[AgX]

Now the question arises, is that a serious plan or just a storytelling to enhance interest in the current project?
There are personal connections with the Impossible Project (great in marketing with stories) and also lot of question marks on the economical field.

 

[AgX]

Already a new thread on this topic:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Now the question arises, is that a serious plan or just a storytelling to enhance interest in the current project?
There are personal connections with the Impossible Project (great in marketing with stories) and also lot of question marks on the economical field.

Do you have reason to believe they are committing intention fraud? And for only $250,000?

That's not really very much money these days...

Ken

 

[AgX]

No.
If they were uttering not true intentions that would not be fraud at all. As they were not related to current production. (And that is what this Kickstarter campaign is about, to my understanding.)


But rescueing complete machinery of this scale (once being plants in itself) and re-start production on them with so many alternatives around is at least surprising. Unless they got a concept still veiled.

These are complicated machines and apparatus, in need of approvals when new installed. Nothing you put in a van and just move into an empty premises.

On a lesser part this has been done, but with a much wider concept.



That does not mean that I do not welcome the idea of reviving a whole factory. And I can assure you there had been ideas of this kind years ago.
But their concept seems the least feasible. To me. And I might be missing something.




As it is no longer feasible to revive the Ferrania film plant within the proper premises they intend to buy the big installations and remove them. That would still be a long way from having a new plant.

 

[trythis]

Its already over $30K. oops, $31K. It goes up every 5 seconds.

 

[kuparikettu]

Have you watched the video on the Kickstarter page? There they tell what their plans are: not to revive the whole factory, but to buy the Big boy to build from it a smaller version. In its current size it is way too big, but they hope to "make it slimmer". They also explain why they need to acquire those two other things as well. Watch it, these things aren't in the text.

 

[trythis]

So predictions as to how fast this reaches goal?
I am guessing just under 24 hours. It appears to be moving up $2000 every 10 minutes.

 

[kuparikettu]

For some interesting predictions, see Kicktraq: http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/filmferrania/100-more-years-of-analog-film/

 

[AgX]

Have you watched the video on the Kickstarter page? There they tell what their plans are: not to revive the whole factory, but to buy the Big boy to build from it a smaller version. In its current size it is way too big, but they hope to "make it slimmer".

That still would mean having a complete plant. The width of a coating device would merely change the size and not all the complexity of the whole plant, but only may help a little in making a small scale coating run more profitable.
The same time reducing chances on other markets.

Things are not as simple as they seem or are put.

 

[Dr Croubie]

Have you watched the video on the Kickstarter page? There they tell what their plans are: not to revive the whole factory, but to buy the Big boy to build from it a smaller version. In its current size it is way too big, but they hope to "make it slimmer". They also explain why they need to acquire those two other things as well. Watch it, these things aren't in the text.

Damn videos. Ferrania may be known for its cine film but at least half their audience now would be in the 'still' world.

Interesting thing is that they say 25% is for the cost of film and 75% goes towards removalists.
So at $25 for a roll-reward that works out to only $6 a roll production and distribution cost, which is not bad at all for a) one of the only non-fuji slide films left, but more importantly b) hand made on the low-volume machines they already have.
Actually, at $70 for 4 rolls it's even cheaper, $4.30 a roll.

Time to put my money where my fingers are, I'm in, just gotta decide what I want for how much...

 

[kuparikettu]

Things are not as simple as they seem or are put.

Sure, no doubt about that. I myself want to see that all in the positive light: sometimes all information is too much information. Sometimes knowing about all the complexities could be way too much for involving people. But why would we need to know it all? I do not concern myself with all the details when I give money to charity. And sometimes even charities make things look a bit different than what they are -- and for a good reason, many times.

For example, here in Finland we have some charities that make it possible for you to buy for a Christmas present a goat or a school uniform for a child in the developing countries and then you can give a card to your friend that says you have bought a goat and that donation is your present to him or her. But if you read the fine print, you haven't really bought a goat. No, all that money goes to a big pile of money and those working in the charity allocate the money in the best way possible. They aren't lying but they aren't really telling all the complexities either. And it's really a good thing, because those complexities might make people less likely to contribute even if the people running the charity were real professionals and capable of tackling those complexities.

So, I'm choosing to trust that Ferrania will be doing the best they can and that they have this thought through. If I can with my small contribution of money help make this thing reality, I don't need to know the complexities. It's their work to solve those, not mine.

 

[Simonh82]

They have said in the past that the Italian Government (local or national, I can't remember) were also funding the factory rebuild. I suspect they will be getting most of their money from government funding and private investment.

As someone said on the other thread the kickstarter will demonstrate public demand, which may well be needed to secure the private backing.

The also pointed out that the reward levels are quite low by many kickstarter standards. This might point to wanting to see lots of backers rather that a few big ones.

Who knows how it will work out but I'm very happy to back it to help secure their future.

 

[gleaf]

I like long shots.

 

[ChristopherCoy]

I wonder if the kickstarter video was filmed with digital.

 

[Regular Rod]

I wonder if the kickstarter video was filmed with digital.

It would be stupid to use anything else. The item is a video to view over the Internet not a cinematic film to be projected and viewed in a cinema.

RR

 

[Ricardo Miranda]

First day is drawing to a close with:
915 supporters and
$50 000 reached.

 

[AgX]

They have said in the past that the Italian Government (local or national, I can't remember) were also funding the factory rebuild. I suspect they will be getting most of their money from government funding and private investment.

Yes, such a state funding would be the best argument to prove me wrong.

 

[ChristopherCoy]

It would be stupid to use anything else. The item is a video to view over the Internet not a cinematic film to be projected and viewed in a cinema.

RR

Because doing so would further their cause.... at least in my opinion. It can be done. I spent my teen years in a broom closet of a video production company transferring 8mm reels to VHS.

 

[Oxleyroad]

Well I am in. Bring on full production!!!

 

[Ektagraphic]

I have a feeling that they are going to reach this goal pretty quickly! They already have $61k!

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Gentle warning on that. Most KS projects do not proceed linearly to completion. There is usually a longish mid-term period when things slow down significantly before picking up again near the end.



Ken

 

[JRoosa]

I'm in for four rolls.

J