Kodak discontinues 7361

Alain LeTourneau · October 14, 2004

NEWS FROM KODAK !

After a long delay in getting the new product catalgue out, Kodak has annouced its decision to "discontinue" Black & White reversal print stock 7361.

This will have a serious impact on students and low-budget filmmakers who work with 7266 and 7265 and print on 7361. The new stocks look great and with Kodak's recent investment in these Black & White reversal emulsions and chemistry it's a shock to see this decision being made.

For those interested I will have a petition on-line in the next 7 days.

Regards,

Alain LeTourneau

John Pytlak RIP · October 14, 2004

NEWS FROM KODAK !

After a long delay in getting the new product catalgue out, Kodak has annouced its decision to "discontinue" Black & White reversal print stock 7361.

This will have a serious impact on students and low-budget filmmakers who work with 7266 and 7265 and print on 7361. The new stocks look great and with Kodak's recent investment in these Black & White reversal emulsions and chemistry it's a shock to see this decision being made.

For those interested I will have a petition on-line in the next 7 days.

Regards,

Alain LeTourneau

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I am forwarding any comments and concerns to the key decision-makers for Kodak's B&W motion picture products. I understand that 7361 would require significant reformulation to improve its environmental characteristics.

Sam Wells · October 15, 2004

A reformulated 7361 would be a perfect companion to Kodak's reformulated B&W reversal camera stocks, and let the students and independent filmmakers using those stocks to realize their work in film finish form.

7361 is the most beautiful of B&W print stocks; I'll put my B&W 16mm prints on 61 up against 35mm B&W prints any time, any place.

-Sam Wells

John Pytlak RIP · October 17, 2004

A reformulated 7361 would be a perfect companion to Kodak's reformulated B&W reversal camera stocks, and let the students and independent filmmakers using those stocks to realize their work in film finish form.

7361 is the most beautiful of B&W print stocks; I'll put my B&W 16mm prints on 61 up against 35mm B&W prints any time, any place.

-Sam Wells

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For now, there are remaining stocks of 7361. The reformulation of the two B&W reversal camera films was a fairly major project, with significant environmental advantages, in addition to the improvements in image quality. Reformulating 7361 would not be trivial.

Serge Gregory · October 19, 2004

For now, there are remaining stocks of 7361. The reformulation of the two B&W reversal camera films was a fairly major project, with significant environmental advantages, in addition to the improvements in image quality. Reformulating 7361 would not be trivial.

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I'm curious if there are others who would agree with John that 7265 represents improved image quality over the old 7276. I've heard favorable comments about 7266 improvements, but my experience (based on shooting just one test role) is that 7265 is noticeably grainier and lacks the distinctive contrasty snap of 7276. I shot a short last year on 7276 that was blown up to 35mm by Alpha Cine and with such spectacular results I have to say that some folks could be easily fooled into thinking that it originated in 35mm. And now I'm assuming that it would be impossible to replicate that look with the current stocks available.

Tim Carroll · October 20, 2004

John P. Pytlak,

Would you care to comment on this, it is in the same vein as this thread. What is Kodak's position on this?

Farewell From Franklin Film Lab

It is with a very sad heart that we must say goodbye to all our customers, acquaintances and friends that we have come to know in the past four years. Processing your films and helping you to understand the processes involved has been a real pleasure. Most of all, helping the students who are our future filmmakers has been the biggest enjoyment to us here at Franklin Film Lab.

The reasons for closing are many. The changes within the industry itself pertaining to the demands of running a business in California and the constant restrictions placed upon a small business are unbelievable. The latest and also the proverbial ?straw that broke the camel?s back? is the new chemistry, which Kodak has volunteered to agree to change in the B&W Reversal films with the adoration of the EPA. (Environmental Protection Agency). This new chemistry, while environmentally friendly, is not so friendly to the equipment, the film and who?s to say how safe it is to the operator. There are several problems involved and we are sure that after having 30 years of experience in these chemistries there will be more problems in the near future.

Allow us to list some of the problems, which are arising:

#1: The new bleach is highly caustic. Much more so than the older bleach which has been used for nearly 60 years. The new bleach will slowly, but surely eat away Stainless Steel. Our new machine is made entirely of high grade Stainless Steel. Since our new machine is designed completely different than that of the older systems being used elsewhere there is no way of running the system without complete damage to it. The one main tank can be replaced with a titanium liner but the costs are impossible to justify the changeover. A new PVC liner will be less expensive but the lack of heat transfer capabilities would negate the temperature control system. Another fact to consider is the possibility of the new bleach to come in contact with personnel. It will burn the skin within a few seconds.

#2: The new bleach will cause all Polypropylene pumps to fracture and fail which has already happened at another lab in the LA area after their conversion to the new bleach. They experienced a failure during a run and lost about 18 rolls of film. Student?s film. These pumps must be replaced with a PVC style pump. Another $600.00 for each pump added to the changeover costs. Another lab?s holding tank for the new bleach sprung a leak and spilled its contents into the sewer without proper treatment. Now how can that be environmentally friendly?

#3: The new bleach will not allow the operators to Push Process film. Pushing film to increase the speed or to enhance the grain is done by extending the time in the first developer. To achieve this, the older machines being used elsewhere must slow down the run but by doing so it also extends the time inside the new bleach. The problem another lab has experienced with this has been a complete removal or ?melting off? of the films emulsion from the base of the processed film. Kodak?s response to this problem was that they never really recommended push or pull processing before and highly discourage it now.

#4: The costs involved for us to convert to the new chemistries are many. Another cost to convert to the new system will be a need to change the mix ingredients for the first developer as well. In the old first developer there is a Sodium Thiocyanate, which is a metal solvent. The new first developer uses another type of metal solvent you can only get in large quantities from Germany. Those quantities will last our lab about five years and the storage considerations are worrisome. Other labs mix from Kodak?s kits. We mix from scratch to lower the costs of processing, which we pass on to our customers.

#5: Our customers have shown a desire to continue to use our lab because of the quality of the old process we offer; the finer grain achieved in the Plus X in the older process. To change over to what everyone else is doing will only make us just another lab. That was not our goal. We refuse to comply and become just another cow in the herd. Though we are told the conversion to the new system is not ?really? mandatory, as a business, we have learned to read between the lines when it comes to outside sources such as the EPA and their control over businesses especially those in California.

#6: We at Franklin Film Lab are very concerned about the world environment. We are the only motion picture film lab that we know of that is being restricted to sewage discharge in the way we are experiencing. We are in a different county than LA. LA allows discharge to the sewer system to be 10 times higher in TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) than the San Bernardino area. And people wonder why the Santa Monica Bay is so filthy? With those restrictions in mind we needed to devise a way to eliminate those discharge levels. For the past 3 years we have been reconstituting our developer and fixer run off and taking those used, reformulated chemistries and donating them to many major high schools in the area for their use in the photography programs. One school, Franklin Film Lab?s owner?s alma mater, class of 1974, was able to continue their photo program last year just because of this donation system we implemented. It will no longer be feasible to continue this next year since we will be closed.

A special note from Frank Wood, Owner of Franklin Film Lab:

In closing let me say thank you to all those students who found our lab and have shown us respect and appreciation for continuing to use our lab. Let me also express our apologies to those mentioned for us not being able to continue to be a part in your desires to make films and trying to make a difference by staying away from VIDEO.

I truly respect Kodak for doing what they can to help the environment and continuing the film experience. I am sure they too read between the lines when it came to the EPA?s suggested conversions. I sometimes wonder though, if you hug a tree too tightly, do you end up killing the entire forest? It?s just a thought.

Good luck and God bless.

I always considered Frank to be a friend of mine, he had done alot of work for me over the years. We had a production scheduled this summer to be shot in Kodak B&W which we had to cancel because Franklin Film Lab closed.

-Tim Carroll

Alain LeTourneau · October 20, 2004

I always considered Frank to be a friend of mine, he had done alot of work for me over the years. We had a production scheduled this summer to be shot in Kodak B&W which we had to cancel because Franklin Film Lab closed.

-Tim Carroll

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I second that as Franklin was a great lab. I think I was the last person to make a WP on 7361 there. The prices were the best of any lab around too.

Alain LeTourneau

Tim Carroll · October 20, 2004

I second that as Franklin was a great lab. I think I was the last person to make a WP on 7361 there. The prices were the best of any lab around too.

And Frank was such a good guy. I miss talking with him. He always went out of his way to help us out on projects. He had a real love and passion for the whole thing.

-Tim