THOUGHT LEADER
creating a reusable cartridge. Someone still has to throw a sizeable chunk of black plastic in the bin for every three minutes of footage they capture – unchanged since 1965. Fortunately, there are industry technologists experimenting with better methods. Edmund Ward, managing director at north London lab Analogue Image – aka On8mil – specialises in resale, processing and scanning of all film formats. He’s dedicated to restoring and improving Super 8 technology too, including refurbishing Super 8 cameras and remanufacturing parts. Ward has also been trying to build a reloadable Super 8 cartridge. By buying Super 8 stock in bulk, cartridges could be loaded and issued to Super 8 rental clients, who would return them to the lab when exposed. Whether Kodak would be willing to sell Super 8 film in bulk is another issue, but it’s a no-brainer in terms of sustainability. WHAT’S IT MADE OF? One thing that’s hard to get around sustainability-wise is that film is made of animals. Gelatin, made from boiling down the ligaments, skin and bones of livestock, is necessary in the creation of film negative, and alternative chemistries have not yet yielded better results. There may be better, non-animal- product solutions available, but so far there hasn’t been a push to find them. Raising cattle has a huge environmental impact – in land and water use – plus substantial methane emissions (methane is 28x more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas). So, if film is to continue, it’s got to cut out the beef. YOU can’t get spares FOR THE MACHINES OUT THERE on the market now ”
OLD-SCHOOL Embracing analogue charm, Saltburn uses 4-perf 35mm film and 4K scanning
chemical products – discontinued its HFE film cleaner a couple of years ago. The alternative cleaner Lane provides is a widely available petroleum-based solvent, Isopar G. The sales of the new machines have exceeded Lane’s expectations, but being a small, agile company and doing much of the engineering design himself, he can respond to market needs rapidly – and there certainly is a rising demand. “You can’t get spares for the machines out there on the market now,” continues Lane. “The chemicals they use have been banned, and manufacturers won’t make it any more since it causes neurological damage. If you have a film lab – and there are many of them out there – each individual machine is vital for the whole food chain. There are businesses out there which stop for want of a $2 part they can’t find.” In a world where it’s ordinary to throw away a server over five years old, a business which uses the same gear decade after decade seems like something out of a fantasy novel. But in the pre-digital age, the raison d’être of many mechanical engineers was to
create something which could both last a lifetime and be easy to repair.
KEEP SUPER 8 SUPER The world of film manufacture and development is small. Kodak is still the dominant producer of film stock, supplying both still and motion picture. Productions have few alternatives if they are seeking more sustainable options. The surge in shooting on film has also meant increased use of 8mm and 16mm stocks. Back in 1965, Kodak introduced the Super 8 format, replacing standard 8mm with a different perf configuration and larger frame size. The Super 8 format was preloaded into plastic cartridges, saving consumers from having to load the tiny 8mm film stock manually and thus saving many family holidays from paternal fits of rage. After shooting, Super 8 cartridges are sent to the lab and a spool of developed film is returned. The plastic cartridges are disposed. To this day, the disposable plastic cartridge is the method of Super 8 film delivery. Kodak has shown no signs of upgrading to a recycling scheme or
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