The Sudden Death of Film

[sirius]

I know how everyone around here loves seeing threads on this topic, not! But I'll leave the blame for the title of my post with Roger Ebert.

The sudden death of film
By Roger Ebert on November 2, 2011 8:49 PM

A thoughtful writer, perhaps you will enjoy his eulogy for Kodak movie film and the passing of an era. I do hope 35mm film stock stays "viable" for a long time. I love the whirr, click, and buzz of my M2 and would dearly miss using it.

 

[Rob-F]

I do hope 35mm film stock stays "viable" for a long time. I love the whirr, click, and buzz of my M2 and would dearly miss using it.

And I hope 120 film survives as well. I need it for my Hasselblads. And I just added a SWC to my arsenal!

 

[Mackinaw]

Ebert could be wrong. Kodak, a few days back, announced that they'll soon be introducing a NEW motion picture film:

http://motion.kodak.com/motion/About/The_Storyboard/4294969168/index.htm

 

[Nikon Bob]

Companies say a lot of things but I will wait until it actually happens. I hope there is some substance to what Kodak is saying but........

Bob

 

[rxmd]

It might one of these paradoxical self-fulfilling reverse causality things - people believe it to have happened already, and as enough people start to believe it has happened it eventually does happen.

 

[jsrockit]

people believe it to have happened already.

Completely true in NYC amongst non-photographers.

 

[sepiareverb]

Many of the nation's remaining mail-order company that processing film from still cameras has closed, even though stills are having a resurgence in serious market.

Nice sentence.

 

[Ezzie]

It might one of these paradoxical self-fulfilling reverse causality things - people believe it to have happened already, and as enough people start to believe it has happened it eventually does happen.

That how financial crises start, if there isn't a proper reason to begin with.

 

[SteveM(PA)]

Completely true in NYC amongst non-photographers.

Finding it to be true in Pottstown also. Even among the proletarian scholars of lower Gilbertsville.

 

[emraphoto]

really, is this conversation still going?

 

[Matus]

I am no expert, but the article linked above is about projection of the film in cinemas, not about the production / shooting of the movies.

 

[HHPhoto]

In Germany the cinemas so far have not replaced conventional 35mm projectors by digital projectors.
Lots of bigger cinemas already have digital projectors, but they are installed parallel to conventional 35mm projectors, both stand side by side.
I've seen it by myself, the last times I watched movies in cinemas I have looked through the projection windows.

Cheers, Jan

 

[Nikon Bob]

I am no expert, but the article linked above is about projection of the film in cinemas, not about the production / shooting of the movies.

Yes, that is true. Unfortunately if most cinemas convert to digital that is a big loss in demand for film.

Bob

 

[rogerzilla]

In another thread it is stated that the main movie camera manufacturers aren't making film cameras now.

Put your hope and trust in small film manufacturers, and hope Kodak sells up to one of them.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

It might one of these paradoxical self-fulfilling reverse causality things - people believe it to have happened already, and as enough people start to believe it has happened it eventually does happen.

I think you need a time machine for that case.

Now, if I can go back in time to stop myself in 1982 from finding the error in the digital imaging chips that we were using that was causing one pixel to drag down the current on all of its neighboring pixels...

 

[celluloidprop]

I think a realistic view is that the market will shake out over the next X years (decade? longer?) to one or two producers of B&W film - hopefully Ilford will be one of them (their quality is top-notch - I'm not sure I feel that way about Foma, etc.) - and quite possibly no color film at all.

Film won't die but it will be even more of a niche product than it already is.

 

[cosmonaut]

I still say Kodak should do some creative advertising to lure the younger generation to film.
I honestly think there's enough Holga users alone to keep Kodak going.

 

[haempe]

In Germany the cinemas so far have not replaced conventional 35mm projectors by digital projectors.
Lots of bigger cinemas already have digital projectors, but they are installed parallel to conventional 35mm projectors, both stand side by side.
I've seen it by myself, the last times I watched movies in cinemas I have looked through the projection windows.

Cheers, Jan

The change to digital projection in german cinemas has a time-frame of 5 years.
I know people they are involved in the preparations to this.
The main reason for the change is the logistic.
It saves a lot of money to send the data per wire instead transport the filmrolls...

 

[wgerrard]

Kodak'a problem is not that they have stayed with film too long, but that they botched getting into the digital market.

It is obvious that if film is to survive, it will do so inspite of the advantages of digital and because its idiosyncrasies appeal to enough people.

 

[semilog]

really, is this conversation still going?

Given that Kodak just pulled the plug on Plus-X, yeah, it is.