andybarton Posted January 9, 2012 Share #1 Posted January 9, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Interesting read... Technology in film: Death by a thousand cuts | The Economist Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 9, 2012 Posted January 9, 2012 Hi andybarton, Take a look here Don't rely on the cinema to keep film demand going.. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
plasticman Posted January 9, 2012 Share #2 Posted January 9, 2012 Interesting read... Technology in film: Death by a thousand cuts | The Economist Not sure how many times we need to read this old story? and just a PS: I'm beginning to wonder why film users seem to have a pathological need to wallow in this sort of gloom? I believe that what we're currently seeing is the imminent death of the DSLR as a technology platform (with compact and phonecams destroying that market), but you don't see digital enthusiasts writhing in agony at the prospect. They're as enthusiastic and upbeat at the (fewer) new releases as they ever were. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share #3 Posted January 9, 2012 First time I've read this article. As a fellow film user, I don't consider this as wallowing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted January 9, 2012 Share #4 Posted January 9, 2012 First time I've read this article. As a fellow film user, I don't consider this as wallowing. I know you are Andy - but this seems to me one of many occasions when some tiny nugget of doom is unearthed and displayed for the sorrowing masses. This particular angle has been covered ad nauseam here in Sweden, at least - I've seen this type of article in all of the dailies. Most often it's written by someone who's totally clueless, incidentally - along the lines of "no-one's making film anymore therefore we have to change to digital (which is better anyway, because it's more modern eh)". Everyone swallows this line unquestioningly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted January 9, 2012 Share #5 Posted January 9, 2012 and PPS: I'm trying to practice what I preach. In addition to the whole freezer-shelf of Portra I bought recently, I've decided to buy at least one Pro-5Pack every time I'm in the lab or the near the camera store. Bought three packs today. Insignificant small-fry for most film users, but if everyone simply bought and used more film instead of contemplating the tea-leaves of doom, then film wouldn't be in the position it's in today. (rant over) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share #6 Posted January 9, 2012 I don't take enough photographs to keep the film industry alive, nor can I justify buying film in massive bulk trying to do so. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted January 9, 2012 Share #7 Posted January 9, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) I don't take enough photographs to keep the film industry alive, nor can I justify buying film in massive bulk trying to do so. No - there's really no point anyone buying film, as we all make no difference... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share #8 Posted January 9, 2012 You're missing my point. I can't justify buying 5 rolls of film every week, if I only use one roll per week. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted January 9, 2012 Share #9 Posted January 9, 2012 You're missing my point. Do you think I imagine that me buying a few boxes of Portra can save the film industry? Naturally, single-handedly this could never happen. But my personal enthusiasm for film has encouraged one other person I know to start using film, and I'm trying to buy as much as I can afford at a steady pace. And I'm not always contemplating the downside of film's mass-market decline, and generally being discouraging. I'm not accusing you personally of this either. I'm just tired of the endless rehash of bad news, and wonder what possible effect it has on people who are curious about trying film, and come along to fora like this. A few short years ago, I had no idea whatsoever whether film was still being made or not. I pretty much discovered it when I bought an M6, after loving the lowly DLux2. These days (just what? three or four years later), I'm not sure I'd have bothered. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalArts 99 Posted January 9, 2012 Share #10 Posted January 9, 2012 Digital projection is something the world saw coming quite some time ago. And all motion pictures shot with film have been transferred to digital for non-linear editing for quite a while now. Many filmmakers still prefer film and others like the flexibility of hybrid productions or all digital. I think that the media has only been picking up on this recently. But it was an interesting article when you consider the loss of the projectionist profession. And it's also interesting because it brings up the issues of distribution of digital in countries with less established infrastructure. Will this make films more accessible or less so? Has anyone here seen "Reel Paradise?" It's an interesting (and entertaining) film: 'Reel Paradise': Moving Theater Experience in Fiji : NPR What I've discovered that's kind of interesting is that my students (university age and have all grown up on digital), are demanding to use film. They see it as the 'creative alternative' to the mainstream of digital capture. They go to second hand stores and pawn shops to seek out analog cameras. They even compete as to who can find the 'coolest' camera. They're reading about the history of Leitz/Leica and Zeiss, etc.. They consider themselves the 'real' artists over their peers who they say are 'playing' with big DSLRs. I'm not sure how long this will last, but it's interesting nonetheless. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stealth3kpl Posted January 9, 2012 Share #11 Posted January 9, 2012 I'm also thinking of putting a big order in for lots of lovely C41 Portra (with the uncertainties of Kodak at the moment). How long do you think it will store in a freezer? Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted January 9, 2012 Share #12 Posted January 9, 2012 I'm also thinking of putting a big order in for lots of lovely C41 Portra (with the uncertainties of Kodak at the moment). How long do you think it will store in a freezer?Pete I'm trying not to think like that - instead I'm just shooting more, with the simple aim of using it all up. Even expired Portra colors are gonna be more interesting than a bayer array of RGB filters. Incidentally, as to the economies of digital projection: the projectors are currently prohibitively expensive. Even though they'll come down in cost in the future, many existing cinemas can't afford them and will soon have to close. Once the projectors are affordable, the cinemas themselves will be long gone and investment to establish new ones in small towns won't be available. Even here in Sweden, an enormous number of cinemas are expected to close. The biggest victims will be smaller, independent facilities. The winners will be mainstream, large multiplexes. Less cultural diversity. Fewer films. More Hollywood blockbusters. Less choice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted January 10, 2012 Share #13 Posted January 10, 2012 [...[ and just a PS: I'm beginning to wonder why film users seem to have a pathological need to wallow in this sort of gloom? I do not see gloom. I see liberation from digital for the small percentage who can learn film. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted January 10, 2012 Share #14 Posted January 10, 2012 I don't take enough photographs to keep the film industry alive, nor can I justify buying film in massive bulk trying to do so. Okay. That's one person. Do you think that's significant or representative, and of what population? And who really cares? The article really concerned cine film. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted January 10, 2012 Share #15 Posted January 10, 2012 Do you think I imagine that me buying a few boxes of Portra can save the film industry? Judging by your work and the demand for it, I would say, No, I could not imagine your few purchases leading to images that would uplift the film industry. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stealth3kpl Posted January 10, 2012 Share #16 Posted January 10, 2012 I'm also thinking of putting a big order in for lots of lovely C41 Portra (with the uncertainties of Kodak at the moment). Pete My order's in Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted January 10, 2012 Share #17 Posted January 10, 2012 Judging by your work and the demand for it, I would say, No, I could not imagine your few purchases leading to images that would uplift the film industry.. Hi Pico - I realize that personal attacks of this type are something of your specialty at the moment, but I just want to point out that I make no claims at all for my photography, whatsoever. It's not my 'work', and the overwhelming majority of my snaps, on film or digital, are simply family moments of no interest to anyone else. That's the case right now, when my kids are so small, and it probably will be for the next 18 years, or so. No need to try to score what you might have thought was some sort of hurtful point, when you so totally missed the target. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stealth3kpl Posted January 10, 2012 Share #18 Posted January 10, 2012 Yes, some of us do this for fun. Some around here might feel they're the next Doisneau but they're mistaken. Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebarnman Posted January 10, 2012 Share #19 Posted January 10, 2012 an enormous number of cinemas are expected to close. The biggest victims will be smaller, independent facilities. Don't forget about many of the drive-ins that will also close because of this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest joewehry Posted January 11, 2012 Share #20 Posted January 11, 2012 Here is a short list of recent movies using Kodak films. Despite industry changes, there are still artists who prefer this as their method of working. The Iron Lady, War Horse, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, True Blood, Harry Potter: Part 2, The Artist, The Descendants, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Dark Knight Rises, My Week with Marilyn, Pariah, The Tree of Life, The Help, , Savages, Anna Karenina, We Bought a Zoo, Lincoln, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Men in Black III, Boardwalk Empire, John Carter, Big Miracle, Glee, Snow White and the Huntsman, Bridesmaids, Carnage, American Horror Story (FX), Safe, Breaking Bad... and dozens more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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