Kodak's biggest problem is that they are built around the idea of being a $30 Billion Company. Their infrastructure is too big to be a $3 billion or $300 million company. From numerous discussions on cinematography.com and elsewhere my understanding is their motion picture film division still does good business. A lot of it due to the fact that the majority of theatres still require 35mm prints and major films open so wide. Its the consumer division that is dragging the company down.
Another problem was that in the 90s they apparently scrapped all of their low volume film machines so they are only capable of creating huge runs of film which has forced them to drop film stocks to concentrate sales. So when Kodak drops a stock nowadays (like Plus-X) its because they can't clear the shelves before the stock expires. So they are now trapped in a cycle of limiting their niche stocks that Hollywood is not interested in, (B&W, Colour Reversal and the slower Colour Negs) which for many people in the fine arts scene is what appeals about film in the digital era.
Anyone know of how Ilford is doing these days?
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Received on Sat Aug 20 2011 - 07:50:47 CDT
