RGB Color Labs is closing

[Rob Belics]

Got this letter today:

 

"After 30 years at our present location we have lost our lease and find that we are unable to conveniently locate to another facility."

 

It goes on to say they are ceasing operations within 30 days.

 

They also say you can get film processed at Photoworks.

 

For those who don't know, RGB Color Labs sold and processed motion picture film in canisters for use in still cameras.

[David Mullen ASC]

That's too bad.

 

I don't see anything on Photowork's website that they handle ECN-2 or FCP.

[Kevin Zanit]

Wow, that is too bad.

 

I always wondered how they kept that location, being it is fairly prime.

 

They were always nice, and offered a great service, it's unfortunate they wont be around.

 

 

 

Kevin Zanit

[K Borowski]

Does anyone know if there are any MP labs willing to take up the slack for a reasonable price? I am going to call RGB and see what is up. Aren't there a lot of still photographers on movie sets that still see the value of film stills over digital and just load ECN-2 into their cameras? Isn't RGB where they all get it processed?

 

Regards.

~Karl Borowski

[Wendell_Greene]

I processed a lot of film at RGB both in school and out and I'll be sad to see them close. Oh, well I guess I better go by and see if I buy that Sergio Leone poster hanging over the counter that I've been admiring for years. :)

[John Pytlak RIP]

Many labs don't want to take the risk of running short "still" lengths of film through their motion-picture ECN-2 processing machines. A roll with many splices has a greater risk of breaking or jumping a roller in the machine, and a film break in the machine can ruin hundreds of feet of film.

 

Short lengths would also have to be prespliced into a roll to feed onto the machine, as the feed-on operator has only a short time to make a splice while feeding the machine.

[K Borowski]

That's all well and good John, but what I'm saying is that having an ECN-2 still lab is something of a necessity for a good many set photographers. Why would they shoot C-41 or digital when there are free ends just sitting around on the set? Also, there has to be more than one processing machine at a decent lab, so surely there is some lab out there somewhere that can retool a single machine to handle rolls of still film. Or even better, couldn't a still photo machine be retooled for ECN-2? If no one takes over where RGB leaves off, there's going to be an ECN-2 still lab near Cleveland, Ohio really soon.

 

Regards.

~Karl Borowski

[David Mullen ASC]

That's all well and good John, but what I'm saying is that having an ECN-2 still lab is something of a necessity for a good many set photographers.  Why would they shoot C-41 or digital when there are free ends just sitting around on the set? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Why would a unit stills photographer be hired on a film and then have to find free film? There's a budget set aside for shooting stills that includes the film needed. Besides, what stills guy wants to spend his time working on a film after hours spooling down the movie film used on the set into cassettes? And there's no time during the shoot to do that.

 

Traditionally, color stills on sets have been shot on reversal and now digital more and more, at the request of the marketing department. It's all about delivering photographs for marketing purposes and they have traditionally wanted slides.

 

Beyond that, I too am worried about the closing of RGB labs because I like the idea of being able to shoot tests on movie film with a still camera, although I hardly ever did...

[Nathan D. Lee]

I called Photoworks in Seattle and asked about ENC. The receptionist said that they did infact process it, but she seemed to be a little clueless on any details or even that she knew what it realy was, still insisting that they do.

They sent me a free pre-paid mailer kit all of which is very "Wal-Martish" and still mentions nothing about ENC. I live near Seattle and i may try stopping by and getting more info, and will let you all know.

Regaurdless i dont think it is going to be as good as RGB. I ama student and it was th greatest way to test film and learn without a painfull mistakes.

[John Pytlak RIP]

The process used for motion picture color negative film is Kodak "ECN-2", not ENC:

 

http://www.kodak.com/US/plugins/acrobat/en.../h247/h2407.pdf

 

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/support/....4.5.16.8&lc=en

[Nathan D. Lee]

Right, i was just typing fast and figured everyone knew what i ment. Good call though.

[Rob Belics]

Rocky Mountain Film processes this. I think their prices are about $10 higher than RGB was.

[John Pytlak RIP]

Rocky Mountain Film processes this.  I think their prices are about $10 higher than RGB was.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Rocky Mountain Film Lab also offers custom processing for old films whose processes have been discontinued (e.g., E-4, C-22, etc.)

[Dominic Case]

Why would they shoot C-41 or digital when there are free ends just sitting around on the set?

They would actually pay more to get a cassette of ECN2 processed than they would to buy stills stock and have it processed at a professional stills lab.

 

Also, there has to be more than one processing machine at a decent lab, so surely there is some lab out there somewhere that can retool a single machine to handle rolls of still film. Or even better, couldn't a still photo machine be retooled for ECN-2?

It's not so much the risk of breaking film with so many joins. It's the extra work involved in a separate run just for stills rolls (to minimise the loss if anything does break) and of making up lots of short rolls. This puts the cost of the processing up to dollars per roll. Not attractive to anyone except the occasional DoP doing stock tests. And that isn't enough business to warrant dedicating a machine to do it.

 

Obviously RGB didn't see enough business in it to make them want to relocate.