Any film labs left in Ireland?

Mike Tounian · January 24, 2013

I sort of doubt it, as I have been googling the crap out of this, but I can't come up with anything. Trying to write a budget for a feature that we'd like to shoot in Ireland on 35mm, but it is starting to look problematic in the least.

Anyone from the UK have recommendations? Is it safe or even possible to get negative to a lab in London from Dublin, or Belfast?

Thanks lads!

Chris Burke · January 24, 2013

there aren't any. you would ship it to a lab in UK. Probably closest.

Freya Black · January 24, 2013

I sort of doubt it, as I have been googling the crap out of this, but I can't come up with anything. Trying to write a budget for a feature that we'd like to shoot in Ireland on 35mm, but it is starting to look problematic in the least.

Anyone from the UK have recommendations? Is it safe or even possible to get negative to a lab in London from Dublin, or Belfast?

lol! There are no labs in Ireland and havn't been any as long as I remember! I mean there aren't even labs in Scotland Wales or Northern Ireland and in fact theres now no longer any labs outside of Londonish anymore in the UK.

People have been sending film by courier to London from Ireland for as long as I can remember.

All the Hollywood films shot in Ireland used to routinely do this although there is presently a trend towards shooting Alexa there, perhaps for this very reason.

Freya

January 24, 2013

As has been mentioned there has never been any film labs in Ireland. We always processed in London. Dailies get cut off around 2/3pm, hit the bath that night and we get a lab report first thing in the morning.

Brian Drysdale · January 24, 2013

The last film lab was in RTE, which switched to 16mm neg when they stopped shooting VNF reversal for their news & programmes. Not used by everyone, but they were used by independent producers. RTE closed it when the lab equipment needed replacing, but there wasn't a large enough market to justify the cost.

Edited January 24, 2013 by Brian Drysdale

Mike Tounian · January 26, 2013

Thanks all for the information. I suppose this is not surprising.

Stephen, since you mentioned a "workflow" of sorts to get this accomplished, I would like to ask what is the safest way for the negative, and the most economical way, to get film to London for processing? How do courier services work in the UK? I'm in the states and have never even been to the UK, so I literally have no idea how this would all be done.

We are looking at locations in both Dublin and Belfast and I am determined to shoot this film on 35mm. Thanks again to all for your advice!

January 27, 2013

Negative goes via courier to Technicolor London. Technicolor London process and then telecine (or scan) and give a lab report the next morning. They can also provide dailies in whatever format you want. Expert Air and Wells Cargo do/did the bulk of the film courier work in Ireland. I had a shoot there last may and we used wells cargo. It's all fairly straightforward. Just give them and technicolor a call.

BeatriceSteimer · February 22, 2013

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