Kodak Expands Palette Of New Generation Films

Tim Tyler · October 6, 2004

Kodak revealed two new films that incorporate the company?s advanced VISION2 color negative film technology. The introduction adds 100- and 200-speed, ultra-fine grain color negative films with specialized imaging characteristics to the KODAK VISION2 product line.

?Nobody loves film like Kodak,? says Kodak Chairman and CEO Daniel Carp. ?These exciting new products reinforce our strong commitment to film technology. Kodak is dedicated to developing a full range of products and services ? both digital and traditional ? to help bring the visions of filmmakers to the screen so that the viewing audience enjoys the richest experience that technology can provide.?

The new generation of KODAK VISION2 films leverages a quantum leap forward in photochemical science and technology. According to Robert Mayson, general manager of image capture and vice president of Kodak?s Entertainment Imaging Division, ?The new films provide extraordinary creative latitude for cinematographers, coupled with efficiencies designed to retain the integrity of the original images during postproduction. We are making considerable progress on a long journey to a future with unlimited possibilities.?

KODAK VISION2 100T Color Negative Film 5212/7212 is rated for an exposure index of 100 in 3200 degrees Kelvin tungsten light. KODAK VISION2 200T Color Negative Film 5217/7217 is rated for an exposure index of 200 in 3200 degrees Kelvin tungsten light. Both new films offer significant advances in under- and over-exposure latitude, extremely fine grain and enhanced capacities for recording subtle details in highlights and shadows. They are available in 16, 35 and 65 mm formats.

?Cinematographers who have tested the new films are finding they can probe deeper into both highlight and shadow areas and record nuances in details that are important to the stories they are telling,? says Mayson. ?They also like the truer colors, the fidelity of skin tones and the more subtle grain structure.?

The two new films are optimized for both digital and optical postproduction applications.

?The 200-speed film is ideal for such visual effects applications as blue- and green-screen photography, where well defined edges and accuracy in color reproduction are crucial,? he says. ?There is built-in protection against unwanted light absorption, which helps visual effects practitioners make the clean separations needed for seamless compositing.?

The company introduced the first member of its new family of films in November 2002. KODAK VISION2 500T Color Negative Film 5218/7218 is rated for an exposure index of 500 in 3200 degrees Kelvin tungsten light. Kodak unveiled a second 500-speed film in December 2003. KODAK VISION2 500T Expression Color Negative Film 5229/7229 is designed to render images with a somewhat softer look, including smoother skin tones and a more subdued range of contrast and color saturation.

?Filmmaking is an interpretive form of artistic expression,? says Mayson. ?These developments are a response to customers who have been telling us they want more flexibility and more creative latitude. They also want the ability to retain the subtlest details recorded on the negative during both optical and digital postproduction with the goal of putting them on cinema and television screens.?

Mayson points out that the KODAK VISION2 family of films incorporates new sensitizing layers that provide important advantages during postproduction. He explains that the exposed negatives are designed to retain the fidelity of the original images when they are converted to digital and optical formats for postproduction. ?This provides more flexibility for manipulating images during post production,? he says. ?That?s important, because with the advances being made in digital intermediate technologies, the role of cinematographers has extended deeper into postproduction.?

Peter Deming, ASC (Twisted, Austin Powers, Mulholland Dr.) is among the cinematographers who have tested both of the new stocks. He cites ?truer color saturation and an improved range of contrast? as an advantage offered by the new 100-speed film, and ?improved skin tones, and more details in shadows and highlights? in the 200-speed stock.

Visual effects supervisor and director of photography Bill Taylor, ASC (Bruce Almighty, XXX, Star Trek: Nemesis) says, ?The new VISION2 5217 film produces a flawless composite, with no sign of fringing. The film has another advantage in that it is innately compatible with the other members of the VISION2 family. It doesn?t require any special color correction to match surrounding footage.?

Mayson notes that filmmakers around the world have embraced the KODAK VISION2 500-speed film.

?We believe this is the beginning of a renaissance in the global art of filmmaking,? he concludes. ?Remarkable work is being done, and the best is yet to come.?

Mayson emphasizes that Kodak is still in the relatively early stages of bringing recent advancements in emulsion technology to the marketplace. He anticipates additional developments before the end of the year.