Do any Kodak people lurk here?

[kodachromearchive]

This seems to be a board of remarkable vitality. You would think that some of of the information contained would be valuable to them as they "place their bets" for survival.


He's my "jab" in hopes of getting them off their duffs:


1. Find a way to provide sound - without requiring inordinate additional camera / projector expenses. Investigate optical/digital techniques such as datagyphs.

2. Get your small run production costs down, so you can nurture a potential film revival. Ain't gonna happen without film....

3. Offer a decent film scanning machine (8mm/super8). The present state of film/digital conversion technology is unacceptable.

[S8 Booster]

No.

Their nose is stuck in the piles of budget docs.
Never see the light.
Approach job in early morning darkness.
Approah home (when they occationally manage to go home) in late night darkeness.

R

[LastQuark]

One actually lurk in smallgauge in yahoo groups...cut and paste below.

To: smallgauge@yahoogroups.com
CC: frank.ricotta@kodak.com
From: john.pytlak@kodak.com | Add to Address Book
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 12:01:23 -0500
Subject: Re: [smallgauge] 8mm mag trk projector

Chad:

You may be thinking of the Kodak Instamatic M-100 Super-8 projector, which
had a wooden case similar to the Pageant 16mm projector:

http://www.craigcamera.com/lit_kodakrepairmovieproj.htm

http://www.photobooksonline.com/books/manual04MP.html

The Kodak Sound8 Model 1 projector is also a possibility.

John
(signed by:)
John P. Pytlak
Senior Technical Specialist
Customer Technical Services
Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, New York 14650-1922 USA
Telephone: +1 585 477 5325
Cell: +1 585 781 4036
Fax: +1 585 722 7243
e-mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
website: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Hello,

I saw the recent posting on 8mm mag sound track projectors, and I am
also I am seeking one to purchase. Does anyone know of one for sale or
have one in their collection with make and model number? I believe
Kodak made one that looked similar to a Pageant. There is an article by
J.M. Moriarty, R. B. Johnson and R.J. Roman (Kodak employees) called
"Magnetic Sound Track For 8-MM Home Movies" which I can fax to anyone
who is interested. I believe it appeared in August of 1960 in SMPTE.

Chad Hunter
George Eastman House
chunter@geh.org

[Scotness]

I can't remember if it was here or on Mike's forum but I drew the attention of one thread to Erika Piquet in the lab in Switzerland and I just got an email back saying they don't follow the forums but can be contacted directly through their own feedback mechanisms blah blah blah - it was a shame - they'd learn alot from seeing what the users of their products think and are up to - but for all we know the Kodak employees are who are dealing with Super 8 are probably the prahiahs of the Kodak company - perhaps Super 8 departments are where all the trouble makers get sideways promoted to! Hope not though!

Scot

[Paul L.]

Give up waiting for Kodak to provide you with sound film. It's over.

If you want Kodak to keep producing super8 film, keep buying what's available, shoot it, and develop it with Kodak if it's K40. Be happy that you have what you have.

[Nigel]

Paul--

I Agree!

Good Luck

[super8man]

Do you think it would be TOO MUCH TO ASK if Kodak simply offered any kind of digital transfer service with each roll of K40 - seems like a no brainer. Heck, charge double the other guys and I would still have it done by Kodak. Pretty please?????

OK, back to Hockey Night in Canada - I love Direct TV!!!!!!

Cheers,
Michael

[S8 Booster]

Well, with Single8 Fuji offers a DVD transfer option when they process the film so...? They even add sound stripes on the original film as an option.

Reading my own writing I may consider a SWITCHover?

R

[Paul L.]

Now that would be a great service.... K40 directly to DVD. Obviously it wouldn't help for Tri-X or Plus-X, but even having that as an option for K40 would be cool.

[David M. Leugers]

Hmmm. Funny, I never see where I can purchase Fuji single 8mm film here in the states, let alone anything from Agfa or Ilford. Kodak not only sells S-8mm film, they sell it directly to us users (at a considerable cost savings) and still manufactures leader and other products such as cement which almost no one else bothers with anymore. They have a kick ass website full of good info. I have always gotten a written response from them whenever I have had a problem or even just a question. John Pytlak is a true enthusiast who can be found giving excellent advice and information on many film related websites. To say Kodak as a company does not care is pure bullshit. I for one am glad they are still helping us realize our film dreams but they are a company with pressures of the marketplace and from their stock holders. They just introduced Vision 200 ASA negative (the first negative stock available from ANY manufacturer in S-8mm) and are on the verge of bringing out Vision 500. They just improved Plus-X and Tri-X reversal films (I can't wait to try them out) and this is just a year or two after serious pressures to do away with B+W reversal films. Few lamented the disapperance of mag-striped stock like I did but times change. You noticed that no other manufacturers jumped in and produced mag-striped film? With the great boost video transfers have done to our small gauge film, it is a wonder that Kodak still makes any reversal stocks, but they do. I still have my hopes that they will come out with a super Ektachrome slow speed stock to blow the doors off everyone. But I won't rant about it if they do not make what I want them to make. Please, this approach is a waste of time and energy. Just because a company produces products to make a profit, doesn't mean they do not care about their customers. Now your experience (especially outside the USA) may be totally different. If so, maybe you should contact Kodak headquarters in Rochester, NY and let them know about it.

David M. Leugers

[kentbulza]

I thought Kodak discontinued direct sales of Super 8 film a few months ago. I bought 10 rolls during what I thought was the last week. Am I wrong? Can you still buy it by phone or something?

[woods01]

I thought Kodak discontinued direct sales of Super 8 film a few months ago. I bought 10 rolls during what I thought was the last week. Am I wrong? Can you still buy it by phone or something?

I can buy it at a local shop but I assumed S8 was availabe for order
through their motion picture hot line and if you pleaded poverty they
would give you 20% student discount like they do with 16mm.

[woods01]

DP

[kentbulza]

Yeah. I actually called their hotline and they sell it direct and it's only $13.57 or something for 5+ WITH processing. They pulled their website where I used to order it and when they did, they said they stopped direct sales, but I guess not.

Very strange company sometimes. Where digital truly is better (ordering on the web), they discontinue it and when analog is truly better (Kodachrome 25), they discontinue it. Only Jean-Luc Godard contradicts himself more.

[super8man]

Just click the ORDER/BUY FILM button on KODAK's super 8 site and presto, live operator to sell you film. I did not know about the including processing stuff. I thought 9.87 for K40 was a great deal so I never even bothered to enquire if they offered those processing mailiers. Next time I will.

Oh, and I ordered it last week! So, stop looking for excuses and get on the phone. They have tonnes of film to sell you!

Later,
m