35MM Film Will Survive A Bit Longer As Kodak Signs Deals With Major Studios
35mm film continues to fight for its life. Last year, a fewhigh profiled filmmakersvowed to continue to use film stock on their films. Now the last remaining manufacturer of film,Kodak, has just signed deals withDisney, Fox, Paramount, Sony, NBC UniversalandWarner Bros.– basically every big studio in Hollywood – to “purchase undisclosed amounts of film over ‘a few’ years that would be enough to extend Kodak’s film manufacturing business.” So will 35mm film survive? Read more about the answer below.
The Hollywood Reporterreported the news of the deals. No specific numbers were disclosed but the fact the deals will allow Kodak to keep making film is a huge deal. In addition, now that the major studios are on board, the company is working with smaller production companies on a film by film basis to try and get them to shoot film.
Here are a few more details from the THR report:
According to Wednesday’s announcement from Kodak, the deals mean that the company will continue to manufacturer camera negative, intermediate stock for postproduction, and archival and print film. It also said Kodak would pursue “new opportunities to leverage film production technologies in growth applications, such as touchscreens for smartphones and tablet computers.”
35mm film will never get back to where it was even five years ago, simply because the movie theaters are almost all digital projection. Even if a filmmaker shoots on 35mm film stock, eventually, their movie is going to be projected digitally. For example, this was the first year ever the Sundance Film Festival hadno 35mm at the festival.
But because of filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, movies being screened on film is becoming an event. That happened withInterstellar, and you can imagine something similar will happen later this year when J.J. Abrams’Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was shot on film, comes out.
In addition toStar Wars, other big 2015 releases shot on film areMission: Impossible 5, Jurassic World, Ant-Man, Cinderella, EntourageandTrainwreck.Even 2016’sBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justiceshot on film. So it’s not dead and this deal will keep it alive. Will 35mm film survive? It certainly seems so.
