A Question for Kodak (or anyone who wishes to fill me in)

[+AnonymousGuest+]

What the hell is going on with Kodak Australia?

I remember calling them about the Vision2 stocks when they were made available and was told the reason they weren't going to offer them in this country was due to the fact there isn't anyone here who can process it.

Yet now that K40 is no more they are offering 64T direct from Kodak Australia and at numerous shops around the country even though they make it clear you have to send it to america to have it processed, hmm...
When I rang them to order a few carts and they made sure to tell me this, I asked them "So, if you are now offering the 64T which needs to be sent away, why not stock the Plus-X aswell because there ARE labs in Australia who process it, so even though it's a b/w stock it may be more convenient for people who want a fine grained stock shooting their project in b/w if they could buy, process and transfer their footage without it having to leave the country... some people aren't going to like the grain/look of 64T and don't want all the added hassle". Her reply "Plus-X has been discontinued", that's news to me!

I don't get it. We have a Rank telecine suite with a super-8 gate here that's capable of transfering negative, we have one of the biggest short film festivals in the world held here, we have many super-8 only festivals held each year yet Kodak won't offer us a professional super-8 choice in the way of the Vision stocks because there is nowhere to process it, yet they'll offer 64T as Kodachrome's replacement even though you can't get that procesed here either. Is it just me or does this not make much sense?

And not offering Plus-X even though we have a Lab who develops it just seems stupid really.

[Actor]

we have many super-8 only festivals held each year

Do the entrants in these festivals limit themselves to 64T?

And not offering Plus-X even though we have a Lab who develops it just seems stupid really.

If they don't offer Plus-X why would a lab exist that develops it?

[+AnonymousGuest+]

Do the entrants in these festivals limit themselves to 64T?

They are (were) fairly limited to tri-x and k40. I have never seen a super-8 short shot here that wasn't one of these two stocks (other than the old Ektachrome). The reason for this is obvious, both stocks are/were readily available with either local processing or free processing with free return postage. Most of these guys started out on video and have decided to switch over to film. I guess for most the convenience of buying/developing super-8 locally after being able to purchase video tapes at three dozen local stores eases the transition being easier and cheaper. Most people don't want the added expense and hassle of ordering film from overseas only to send it back for processing and then paying postage again to have it returned. Postage alone can exceed the cost of the film when you are paying for it three times before even being able to view what you have shot. This is a massive deterrent for people in Australia wanting to get into the format but having nothing but one grainy black white stock available to them locally to purchase and develop.

Many people don't like to shoot black and white and now with the loss of k40 that only leaves one stock locally available but without local processing. I can tell you for a fact that many of the guys who enter these festivals will either go back to dv, buy an old 16mm bolex or just not bother, all of which are bad for the format.

Most film shooters I know aren't made of money and only shoot maybe 5 or 6 rolls a year, most of the time to have it shown at these little festivals. But now with all the added expense the end of k40 and no local processing entails, that goes from 6 rolls to 3 and for some it just doesn't seem worth it.

If they don't offer Plus-X why would a lab exist that develops it?

I guess because they can and some people do get it developed there still. People such as myself who went through the bother of ordering my plus-x from kodak america, getting it sent to a friend in the states and then having that friend send it to me.
The Sound and Vision Stock shop in Sydney can "source it" but it's over $40 per cart. With processing that's $60 per cart. There are very few people I know willing to spend $60au for 2 and a half minutes of black and white super-8.
The reason the processing is so expensive is due to the fact they don't get much business for these stocks so it's a specialty service.
The majority of their business in super-8 is Tri-X which is locally available for $22au. This is still quite a bit more expensive than it's RRP in the States but well within reach to your average shooter.

If the Vision stocks "were" made available here they may not prove very popular but at the same time i can't understand why Kodak would say that they won't make it available due to it's lack of local processing but then replace k40 with 64T when it can't be developed locally either. Sure, you can develop it yourself but most people "don't". The majority of people I know also use NLE software for editing so the fact one is negative is not really an issue.

And again, I'm sure if Kodak made Plus-X available here for the same price as Tri-X it would prove just as popular. Atleast then we'd have two (albiet both b/w) stocks to play with without stuffing around with overseas labs and postage.

My apologies for the long winded reply.

[Evan Kubota]

Not to belittle your situation, but the new Tri-X is really a fantastic stock. The grain is not bad at all. I prefer it to Plus-X for anything except bright outdoor conditions (have to be careful not to overexpose - and may need a high ND filter). Plus-X is really nice in direct sunlight.

[+AnonymousGuest+]

I agree. I really like the new Tri-X aswell and I'm glad it's so readily available here. I guess my problem is that while Tri-X is definately a nice stock it's not suited to all projects nor may it have the desired look one may be after.

I mean, would it really be that costly for Kodak to offer the Vision2 and Plus-X stocks here? They didn't take long getting the 64T out and as I've mentioned numerous times, that has to be sent back to the States for developing anyway so what's the difference?