The Destruction of Film, Filmed.

[RattyMouse]

Here's an article on a new art exhibit at the Eastman house, documenting the destruction of Kodak's facilities as well as other film manufacturers. More than a bit ironic.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/lifestyle/art/2014/09/26/ryerson-university-robert-burley/16259297/

 

[Photo Engineer]

I was there for the destruction of B65 and 69. They served pastries and hot coffee. It was a pain driving home through the dust. It crossed my path once about 2 miles north of the park and turned everything black.

PE

 

[RattyMouse]

I was there for the destruction of B65 and 69. They served pastries and hot coffee. It was a pain driving home through the dust. It crossed my path once about 2 miles north of the park and turned everything black.

PE

I can't imagine what that felt like.

At my last company, we got bought out by a competitor. They took our customers, a few people (I was offered a job but turned them down) and then they shut us down. My last few months were spent literally throwing the company piece by piece into dumpsters. Talk about depressing.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Something similar happened to one of our children who worked for a major company.

The inventor of 2e sensitization was telling me that most of her data got thrown into a dumpster. So, they had a lot of redoing to catch up and make a product that could be sold. Told to me by Annabelle herself on a walk into GEH from the parking lot. She died shortly after that. Very tragic loss of a brilliant mind and wonderful person.

PE

 

[Jim Noel]

Saddest of all is the question, "Are we progressing or regressing?"

Jim

 

[AgX]

"By 2007, Agfa's central facility in Mortsel, Belgium, near Antwerp, had already closed. Agfa-Gevaert Company, originally Gevaert & Cie, was established in 1894. Kodak, Agfa and Ilford, these companies date back to the late 1800s. The loss of these film-producers elicited a sense of finality," Burley says.

Burley photographed Agfa's closing in Belgium in 2007

What kind of nonsense is that ???

 

[kb3lms]

The inventor of 2e sensitization was telling me that most of her data got thrown into a dumpster.
PE

Stupid.

The removal of buildings I understand but I have never understood the purposeful destruction of knowledge. Especially knowledge that cost monumental effort and capital to gain. Stick it in a filing cabinet in a warehouse but for goodness sake don't throw it away. Sadly, the company I work at today has done the same thing, but mostly by pissing away employees.

Spent a lot of time in B-69 at one point. Hard to believe that is all gone. Hell, I haven't been to Rochester in over 20 years!

 

[Sal Santamaura]

I found two things about the article's "slant" interesting. First, there's no mention of the "F" word (Fuji). Second, this quote is presented as fact:

"Because of the precision and the chemistry, the way film needs to be manufactured, you have to make miles and miles of film, to be consumed by millions of people, in order for the production of film to be a viable business model."​

That's only true of one has facilities massively oversized for the current market. Ask Ilford how it's going for their products at much lower volume.

 

[PKM-25]

I still can not believe they discontinued Kodachrome-II, I swear they are worse than Al Quesadilla! This is so depressing I think I will mix a strychnine cocktail paired wth "Decon" biscotti...

 

[RattyMouse]

I found two things about the article's "slant" interesting. First, there's no mention of the "F" word (Fuji). Second, this quote is presented as fact:

"Because of the precision and the chemistry, the way film needs to be manufactured, you have to make miles and miles of film, to be consumed by millions of people, in order for the production of film to be a viable business model."​

That's only true of one has facilities massively oversized for the current market. Ask Ilford how it's going for their products at much lower volume.

Interesting point. Has Fujifilm ever imploded buildings? Surely Fujifilm must have or had some massive facilities too, right?

 

[drmoss_ca]

Notice how the camera lingered on the spectator holding a Sony video camera? It made me note how many of the spectators were photographing the event on tiny little digital cameras from makers other than Kodak.

Chris

 

[Prof_Pixel]

That's only true of one has facilities massively oversized for the current market. Ask Ilford how it's going for their products at much lower volume.

The color films Kodak manufactured are much more complicated than the B&W films being made by Ilford. Kodak (and Fuji, I'm sure) have done the things necessary to maintain a high degree of quality control in their color products (which includes 'eating' (destroying) product that didn't meet standards. It remains to be seen if FILM Ferrania will be able to manufacture films with consistent quality levels or with Impossible Project quality.

 

[Prof_Pixel]

I was there for the destruction of B65 and 69. They served pastries and hot coffee. It was a pain driving home through the dust. It crossed my path once about 2 miles north of the park and turned everything black.

PE

Here's my video of the B-65/69 implosion (and resulting dust cloud) just about 7 years ago. I spent most of my Kodak career in B-65/69. It was a sad day. (... and yes, I had brought a dust mask!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fk5I_oTvEs

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

It remains to be seen if FILM Ferrania will be able to manufacture films with consistent quality levels or with Impossible Project quality.

Unfortunately, we've been put into the position of pretty much not having any other choice BUT to cheer for Film Ferrania. And then adjusting to whatever they can provide. I'd much rather be shooting Kodak E-6, but they bailed. And Fuji is on life support.

So ya' do what ya' gotta' do...

Ken

 

[Prof_Pixel]

Ken,

I hoping for the best with Film Ferrania, but I suspect reaching Kodak/Fuji quality levels won't happen right away for them.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Fred, I saw Bob Shanebrook go zooming by in your footage. I was outta there before the dust cloud hit that area. I was already in my car.

PE

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Ken,

I hoping for the best with Film Ferrania, but I suspect reaching Kodak/Fuji quality levels won't happen right away for them.

And I don't expect that either. I expect that Scotty is going to beam us all back to the photographic 70s, but without any of us getting rid of our gray. And without any of those nice, bright colors to fall back on.

However as I've gently stressed before, when choosing a film from your favorite manufacturer for the upcoming weekend, extinction is not an option. And neither for that matter are low prices any longer. So we'll adjust because we won't have a choice.

Perhaps fortunately, I sense the amateur cine guys are even more desperate than we still guys are. So we'll see...

Ken

 

[Prof_Pixel]

Perhaps fortunately, I sense the amateur cine guys are even more desperate than we still guys are. So we'll see...

Ken

My Dad shot lots of B&W 16mm movies in the 1940's; I'm surprised today's B&W film producers aren't actively going after cine camera applications.

 

[RattyMouse]

Notice how the camera lingered on the spectator holding a Sony video camera? It made me note how many of the spectators were photographing the event on tiny little digital cameras from makers other than Kodak.

Chris

Even if Kodak were successful with digital cameras, that never would have saved them. There's nowhere near the revenue and profits in that industry to replace all that lost film profit.

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

My Dad shot lots of B&W 16mm movies in the 1940's; I'm surprised today's B&W film producers aren't actively going after cine camera applications.

Here's a Kodak Retina Ia Press25 flashbulb photo made on Kodak Super-XX film by my dad of his US Army buddy in Vienna, Austria in about 1953. His buddy is reusing a wooden shipping crate to pack things for the return trip home. The crate is labeled:

ITEM NO. 12
400 - MAG 16MM KODACHROME FILM
EXPIRES SEPT. 1954

Ken

 

[PKM-25]

I just shot some TMY and Velvia 100 in 4x5 on insane Fall colors a few miles up the road. What an amazing time to be a film photographer, so many amazing products. Glad I stocked up!

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Stupid.

The removal of buildings I understand but I have never understood the purposeful destruction of knowledge. Especially knowledge that cost monumental effort and capital to gain. Stick it in a filing cabinet in a warehouse but for goodness sake don't throw it away. Sadly, the company I work at today has done the same thing, but mostly by pissing away employees.

Spent a lot of time in B-69 at one point. Hard to believe that is all gone. Hell, I haven't been to Rochester in over 20 years!

But most engineering records are kept so poorly nobody would be able to make heads or tails of them anyway afer a few years.

 

[Arklatexian]

If my memory serves me correctly, I believe Ferrania was manufacturing Ferraniacolor in the 1950s. Is that the same company that you are talking about?.....Regards

 

[Jeff Kubach]

Sad to see!
\
Jeff

 

[AgX]

If my memory serves me correctly, I believe Ferrania was manufacturing Ferraniacolor in the 1950s. Is that the same company that you are talking about?.....Regards

Ferrania was a major film manufacturer.

Film Ferrania is a start-up enterprise based on a few former employees and the film R&D facilities of Ferrania, after they cancelled film manufacture a few years ago and limited their business to their chemical plant.