Meeting with Kodak's head re Kodachrome

[Evan Kubota]

"How do we know that Kodak isn't simply liquidating some assets?? Perhaps the Swiss Lab is located on some really prime real-estate in Switzerland and the time and money are both good and needed right now??"

We don't, and in fact, I've heard it mentioned on this forum that the land is now fairly valuable. That may have factored into Kodak's thinking, but it's generally a really poor decision to sell land for short term money when it was already used as a continuing source of profit. It typifies the kind of short-term expedient decisions that Kodak tends to make.

Regardless of their motivation for closing the Swiss lab, the point still stands that it was *their* lab, and complaining about lack of lab support when they closed it themselves, and the other K40 lab is going to continue operating, is bullshit.

[LastQuark]

That may have factored into Kodak's thinking, but it's generally a really poor decision to sell land for short term money when it was already used as a continuing source of profit. It typifies the kind of short-term expedient decisions that Kodak tends to make.

In most companies nowadays, CEO's have roadmaps geared within the life of their tenure as CEO's. I do not think top executives are planning for the long term nowadays. No one will take the hit now and let his successor get all the kudos. Too bad it is now a fact of life.

[S8 Booster]

In most companies nowadays, CEO's have roadmaps geared within the life of their tenure as CEO's. I do not think top executives are planning for the long term nowadays. No one will take the hit now and let his successor get all the kudos. Too bad it is now a fact of life.

awfully true. will make our lives more and more boresome and predictable one in the long run (consumer related matters) except for those money pours outa thir nose. also the run for short sight profits has severe consquences in other areas like power transmission systems to switch path for a minute but the "problem" is the same.

in the old days those companies made good money and paid a lot back on precautionary maintenance and construction. now this has turned into max profit and "break down based maintenance" (ie repair after failure or breakdown)kicking a lot of their most experienced emplyees or thei quit due to disagreement on safety issues. running lean on the costs - high on profits. every idiot in teh world can mangage that. result: profit high for the shareholders and unpredicatbility for the consumers which also pays the higher price for their unpredictible services AND higher energy costs.

so, defensive management & strategies and profit maximation - that is all we are gonna see in the future. no - we are not in the picture but our money is. same with kodak it seems.

t

[matt5791]

Matt,

YOU don't think it is that good but a bunch of people DO. Just becuase you don't like it doesn't give you any right to say others cannot use it.

There IS somewhere that can process it, Dwaine's for a start.

This whole "we're tearing down the Swiss lab so nobody can process it" is a smokescreen. It has nothing to do whatsoever with whatever reasons Kodak may have for axing K40 super 8.

They obviously *want* to axe K40, otherwise they would have asked Dwain's if they could handle the increased business once the lab is gone...or asked if any other business was willing to take on K14 processing. Clearly if the will were there, Kodak could find a solution that kept K40 on the shelves. For whatever reason they want to get rid of it.

1. I have never said I don't like K40 (or other Kodachrome variants for that matter - my Pentax has a roll of K200 loaded at the moment)

2. All I have ever said is that it is not as good as someone could be forgiven for thinking having read some of these threads.

3. As for one Lab in Kansas being viable to support the emulsion - Get real, honestly. Anyone at Kodak suggesting that this was a good idea would be laughed out of the meeting, and rightly so.

4. I really find it very hard to believe there is any kind of "smokescreen", underhand motive or whatever.

Everyone knows that Kodak has problems generally at present, and I would suggest that this may be as much to do with digital pressure as it is to do with management - it has been seen here in the UK many many times before. Businesses, especially large ones, often in a position where their core product has little competition, become complacent.

What has probably happened is an accountant in Kodak has discovered that the land in Switzerland is probably equal to 24 months revenue from Kodachrome or something like that, so it has been dictated that the land wil be sold, there will be no money to build a new lab because of the 5 year, or whatever, return. When a company is in need of cash short term decisions to generate immediate funds start to be implemented.

I wonder if Fuji appear to be continuing more sucessfully at present because they never became complacent and continued to implement change with the company?

I wouldn't be suprised if we saw the sale of the chemical arm of Kodak sometime within the next 5 - 10 years to a smaller operator who can run the operation in a downsized form to service the market niche.

Matt

[Alex]

Kodachrome 40 is most difficult to shoot on overcast days IF the sky is included in the shot, especially if the rest of the shot has dark tones in it. So the popularity of Kodchrome stock could be greater in locales with more blue skys rather than white, overcast ones.

[mattias]

the popularity of Kodchrome stock could be greater in locales with more blue skys rather than white, overcast ones.

except that white overcast skies create a quality of light that kodachrome and other contrasty stocks love. especially if the overcast layer is thin so the light still has some direction.

/matt

[matt5791]

Kodachrome 40 is most difficult to shoot on overcast days IF the sky is included in the shot, especially if the rest of the shot has dark tones in it. So the popularity of Kodchrome stock could be greater in locales with more blue skys rather than white, overcast ones.

I don't really understand - I have always thought K40 looked miles better on overcast but bright days.

Do you mean that the sky, in included in the frame, might affect an automatic exposure system?

Matt

[Alex]

Get on a ladder and shoot down, pretty much any white sky lighting will look spectacular, if one actually avoids showing the white sky. Or one can shoot with mountain backgrounds, either with green vegation, or without .

[Angus]

the popularity of Kodchrome stock could be greater in locales with more blue skys rather than white, overcast ones.

except that white overcast skies create a quality of light that kodachrome and other contrasty stocks love. especially if the overcast layer is thin so the light still has some direction.

/matt

I agree 100%.

As always with K'chrome you have to be careful with exposure.

[Alex]

Kodachrome 40 is most difficult to shoot on overcast days IF the sky is included in the shot, especially if the rest of the shot has dark tones in it. So the popularity of Kodchrome stock could be greater in locales with more blue skys rather than white, overcast ones.

I don't really understand - I have always thought K40 looked miles better on overcast but bright days.

Do you mean that the sky, in included in the frame, might affect an automatic exposure system?

Matt

Lets say you are shooting a parade with a white sky background. You point your camera at the colorful marchers, but inevitably, you get a white sky in the background. Even with proper exposure, the picture just won't pop the way kodachrome normally does.

However, lets say you can elevate your postion, eliminating the white sky as the background by shooting downard, you'll get spectacular looking images with Kodachrome.

Some of the best looking Super-8 I ever shot was from the rooftop of a hotel. I actually was just shooting a few seconds of throwaway footage at front of the cartridge. I shot down the length of Hollywood Boulevard.
I did have a blue sky that day but what I think also made the shot look so good was that the road below became most of my background.

When you can't get a colorful blue sky background (when shooting Kodachrome 40), your best bet is to avoid the white sky background UNLESS you can somewho have a brighter foreground (generally impossible unless you have HMI's handy)