"This could be the year that film goes away for Kodak!" ... [quote: George Conboy]

Trooper (snipped) said:
In all seriousness, consumer film is going away. But, someone will continue to make much smaller quantities of film than what is produced today at a higher price than what is available today. There will be less choices, and you'll have to special order it, but film will still be available for a while.
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I agree wholeheartedly. Like I said in one of our periodic "oh noes, filmz iz DEAD!?!?! OMG OMG" threads from a few years back:

"My take on film: it will likely be available for many years - as an art supply. Limited emulsions, spotty availability, high price."

I stand by my prediction, not that it's any kind of brilliant insight.
 
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accounting for film

accounting for film

I'm wondering what the actual costs of film production are. Obviously Kodak's film “manufacturing equipment” was amortized a long time ago so the production costs are
• repairs to equipment
• materials
• labour
Those are the variables. The equipment is slightly variable but closer to a sunk or fixed cost.

An earlier post showed Kodak's film division made money every year but last year. I'm wondering how the "accounting" works for the film division.

I remember watching Tom Hanks on the Academy Awards noting that he had a percentage clause for "Forest Gump" one of the biggest box office hits of it's time. He said he had been advised “the film didn't make any money” so he didn't get his percentage.

I'm cautious in my interpretation of financial statements ever since Enron and Arthur Anderson. FWIW I've read income statements and balance sheets for over 20 years, it can be some of the best fiction ever written.
 
rangefound said:
Was reading on collodion wet plates and came across this: http://getsatisfaction.com/eastmanhouse/topics/how_and_why_to_distinquish_wet_and_dry_plates . Now you may ask what does that have to do with anything, read the last comment.
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Well, that was interesting. Mr. Osterman, a Process Historian at George Eastman House seems to contradict himself in the space of a couple of sentences. To wit:

"If you want to make a serious study of the negative, which by the way is soon to be obsolete, come to the museum and do some primary research . . . There is no better place to gain a world class understanding of photography."

Or maybe he's just being ironic? The best place there is to study the negative, which is also the best place to gain a significant understanding of photography, is a place where this serious study of the subject is about to become obsolete . . . ? Sounds like he doesn't have much hope for the future of the art and craft.
 
Al Patterson said:
They are poorly managed becuase they are run by MBAs. Before the proliferation of the MBA degree, America was the greatest economic power on the planet. The more MBAs we produce, the worse we become.

Please, fire all the MBAs, or outsource THEM first... Save America, fire an MBA...

(yes, there is SOME sarcasm here, but can you disprove this sarcastic rant???)
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An interesting comment. A pal of mine was the chief scientist at a huge Si Valley company. It was raided with the assistance of the newly hired MBAs and split up into 3 smaller companies. He said the same about the MBAs. These people were money people who knew nothing about how the company made its products or bought the materials needed for production. The company founders were retired at the time of the split up. One of the first things these people did was fire Scientists and Engineers (who were quickly hired by competing companies - putting their intellectual property at risk) and hired more MBAsl. The MBAs made a lot of money with stock options and the company is a shadow of it's former self. The process took 5-10 years. It's become the American way. America doesn't make products anymore, we (with the MBAs) now make deals..
 
Roger Hicks said:
Out of idle interest, there's still a coating line in Iran. I know nothing at all about Iranian payscales or environmental regulations, but it shows that there are more coating lines around than some people realize.

Cheers,

R.
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Obtaining a roll of Iranian made film here in the States will be as easy as walking in your local cigar store & asking for a box of Cuban's!
 
john_s said:
As far as I'm concerned, Fuji is finished already. (120 size Neopan 400)
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Exactly, & don't forget Fuji killed off neopan1600 already. Not to even mention the films made for Freestyle under the Legacy Pro line. At least (at the moment) the Kodak made Arista Premium is still available. If anyone thinks Fuji will come to the rescue needs to pull their head out of the sand. I suspect Ilford, Efke & films from China will be around when Kodak & Fuji are no more. As for Color films this may be good news for films such as Ferrania Solaris to expan their markets.
 
gb hill said:
Obtaining a roll of Iranian made film here in the States will be as easy as walking in your local cigar store & asking for a box of Cuban's!
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I've actually spent a fair bit of time in Iran and I've never seen locally produced film anywhere.
 
jan normandale said:
I remember watching Tom Hanks on the Academy Awards noting that he had a percentage clause for "Forest Gump" one of the biggest box office hits of it's time. He said he had been advised “the film didn't make any money” so he didn't get his percentage.

I'm cautious in my interpretation of financial statements ever since Enron and Arthur Anderson. FWIW I've read income statements and balance sheets for over 20 years, it can be some of the best fiction ever written.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting
 
bobby_novatron said:
This thread is really charging up my hoarding instincts!

Better trade-in my bar fridge for a full-sized KitchenAid! :)
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Got two full fridges with freezers, and a horizontal freezer chock full. Plus a pantry stocked to the edges. I worry most about expiration dates and power failures. :cool:
 
I just took deliver of this after I just bought 100 rolls of 120 last month.
My freezer and I blame you all.


wa1o_61d_u9ryg.jpg
 
Considering that I am typing this from Rochester, where Kodak has brought me to lecture about my photography, much of which is film based, I think this is NOT the year film will go away for Kodak. And unlike some people my knowledge comes directly from high level executives at the company. They are still committed to making film despite all the rumors...
 
t.s.k. said:
I just took deliver of this after I just bought 100 rolls of 120 last month.
My freezer and I blame you all.


wa1o_61d_u9ryg.jpg
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I only live 100 miles away can I be your friend?
(and where do you get the best deal on that kind of quantity)
 
Damaso said:
Considering that I am typing this from Rochester, where Kodak has brought me to lecture about my photography, much of which is film based, I think this is NOT the year film will go away for Kodak. And unlike some people my knowledge comes directly from high level executives at the company. They are still committed to making film despite all the rumors...
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Dear Damaso,

Surely you should know by now that talking to senior, enthusiastic and knowledgeable people at Kodak is worthless next to rumours spread at second hand by pension salesmen.

Cheers,

R.
 
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