Re: Kodak B&W Paper Discontinued?

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Maxey" <written_by@msn.com>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2005 5:56 PM
Subject: Re: Kodak B&W Paper Discontinued?

>> Odds are they'll make film until the movie industry stops
>> using it. One
>> minute of 35mm movie film is likely more film then the
>> average consumer
> uses
>> in ten years.
>
>
> Not so sure. I thought the odds were Kodak would not stop
> making paper.
>
>
> I agree. Just keep in mind there are several manufacturers
> of movie film
> stock out there. Kodak makes movie film, but it does not
> mean they will make
> amateur film.
>
>
> I will no longer predict what Kodak will or will not make.
> I do wish they
> would bring back Kodachrome sheet film and dye transfer
> supplies. I also
> wish Technicolor still made IB prints, but that will
> likely not happen much.
>
>
> Bob
>
   I'm not sure where Technicolor is with IB prints. A few
years ago they built a small scale IB plant here and a few
movies were released with IB prints. I don't know if the
project was successful. Technicolor went to considerable
trouble to find dye sets, etc., that were reasonably safe
environmentally. The IB process is also quite economical for
very large numbers of print. Current practice in the
industry is to open pictures nationwide in a great many
theaters at once so large number of release prints are
common. The break point for the original process was around
250 prints. Less than that was more expensive than
chromogenic prints, more than that was cheaper. Once the
matrices are made a large number of prints can be made from
them.
   The samples I saw looked pretty good but it was evident
there was a problem somewhere, probably in the original
negatives but maybe not. To my eye the overall technical
quality of motion pictures is inferior to that of fifty or
sixty years ago. Part of this loss is due to the sausage
factory operation of the laboratories. Throughput must be so
high for labs to be profitable that quality control is
difficult. Also release prints are now further removed in
generations from those of the studio system days.
  Technicolor discontinued the original IB printing process
in the mid 1970's. I think _Taxi Driver_ was the last
feature picture to be printed in the old process.
Technicolor gave various reasons for discontinuing it but
the actual reason was simple, it was no longer profitable.
The number of prints for a typical feature at that time was
perhaps 200, plus the equipment at the Cole Ave plant was
wearing out and had difficulty running at the speed
necessary for any chance of being economical.
  Even though Technicolor no longer looked as good as it did
in its hayday it stil looked better than chromogenic prints.
The modern version probably still does although chromogenic
materials have improved enormously.
   Technicolor's IB process and Kodak Dye Transfer are
essentially the same process although there are differences
in detail.

---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com