Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Fuji To Cease Motion Picture Film Manufacturing By End Of The Year?

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Topic: Fuji To Cease Motion Picture Film Manufacturing By End Of The Year?

System Notices
Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi

Posts: 215

Registered: Apr 2004

posted 09-10-2012 02:04 PM

Fuji To Cease Motion Picture Film Manufacturing By End Of The Year?web page

Source: deadline.com

quote:
EXCLUSIVE: Fujifilm won a Sci-Tech Oscar this year for its contribution to motion pictures, but Deadline hears the division of the company that produces motion picture film is set to close by December 31. A Fuji spokesperson said they were unauthorized to answer any questions. However, industry sources say they are aware of the plans. “They clearly are going around telling people,” one says. Fuji film is used for about 20% of studio business with Kodak repping the other 80%, I’m told. While there remain stalwarts, fewer movies are shot on film today and eventually, a source opines, no one will be manufacturing it. However, film is still considered the best medium for archival preservation given the unknowns surrrounding the future of digital archives. In that regard, there’s a bigger general question facing the industry as it tries to work out what will be the best long-term solution.

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Louis Bornwasser
Film God

Posts: 4441
From: prospect ky usa
Registered: Mar 2005

posted 09-12-2012 08:43 AM

"Closing the factory" is not the same as stopping. More likely production will be moved to another facility, now that it is low volume. Louis

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Jim Cassedy
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1661
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Dec 2006

posted 09-12-2012 09:32 PM

A friend sent me this story yesterday.
(It was 'cut & pasted' into his e-mail, so I don't have a link)

Fujifilm To Stop Making Film For Movies: Kyodo
Kyodo News/via Reuters
Sept 12- Japan's Fujifilm Holdings Corp will stop making film used to
shoot motion pictures around next spring due to a fall in demand,
Kyodo news agency said.

The film and camera maker has seen faltering demand for motion picture
film due to increasing digitalization in the movie industry, especially since
a hike in the film prices in July, the news agency reported.

Fujifilm will, however, continue making special film designed to preserve
motion pictures for a long period, Kyodo said.

(Reporting by Eileen Anupa Soreng in Bangalore; Editing by Sreejiraj Eluvangal)

ALSO- I was switching channels last night & happened to see this
was one of the lead stories on the NHK news. I don't understand
Japanese, but it was obvious from the visuals & graphic charts
that they were talking about this.

It's just another example of what I keep telling people:
When you see the words "digital cinema" the next phrase that
should pop into your mind is "UNEMPLOYMENT"

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Shawn M. Martin
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 175
From: Arlington, VA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 09-12-2012 10:41 PM

I've read posts on other forums from a few people who have contacted Fuji, and they were told that production stops next March. Prices have apparently already gone up 35%.

I thought they would just discontinue some of their lesser used negative stocks--they currently have nine--and maybe one of their print stocks too, but no, they're basically burning the whole thing down.

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Paul Gordon
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 580
From: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Aug 2005

posted 09-13-2012 02:31 PM

From Fuji:

http://www.fujifilm.com/news/n120913.html

September 13, 2012
Fujifilm has mainly provided negative films for shooting and positive films for projection in its motion picture film business operations. However, in order to adapt to the recent rapid transition of digitalization in the shooting, producing, projecting and archiving processes of motion pictures Fujifilm has decided to shift its business operations to provide products and services designed for digital workflow of motion picture production and projection.

Digital cinema camera shooting has been gaining momentum, and digital editing that heavily uses CG composition and VFX processing has now become common in motion picture production. There is also an increase in the number of movie theaters that converted to digital projection, following the increase of 3D motion pictures, implying the dramatically advancing digitalization in the motion picture industry. In such trend, Fujifilm has strived to reduce the costs of the production process for its existing negative films and positive films and continued to supply such films. However, the dramatic decrease of demand in the last few years has become far too great a burden to be covered by corporate efforts. Therefore, it has been decided to discontinue the sales of negative films, positive films, and some other products of motion picture in a prospect of March 2013.

Fujifilm will continue to provide films suitable for long-term archiving, high-performance lens for motion pictures, and other products and services designed for digital workflow of motion picture production and exhibition. Fujifilm will strive harder than ever to provide such products and services in its continuous contribution to the motion picture industry.

However, professional and amateur photographic still film will continue to be manufactured.

Products and services focused on
(1) Lineup of lenses for digital motion picture cameras and projectors
Enhance the lineup of Fujinon lenses which are highly acclaimed for its quality in the motion picture and broadcasting industry for many years.
HK series for PL mounts which are favored by many motion picture productions, the new FUJINON ZK4.7 x 19 cine-lens that offers high optical performance despite its compact size and light weight, etc.
For the screening of digital motion pictures, Fujinon lenses for 4K digital cinema projectors and lenses for super high-definition images
(2) Color management system
On-set color management system, Image Processing System IS-100, for digital shooting (motion pictures, television, and commercials) in a high degree of precision, enabled by Fujifilm's proprietary technologies for color reproduction and color management nurtured in the fields of photography and printing.
(3) Systems for archiving of digital images
Data media for long-term data storage of ultrahigh capacity that utilizes Fujifilm's proprietary BaFe (barium ferrite) magnetic material
Motion picture recording film (ETERNA-RDS) for long-term archival preservation of 500 years with silver halide technology
Digital data archive service as a data storage service that allows users to manage valuable data in an integrated manner (Promoting mainly in Europe and the USA and preparing for the deployment in Japan)

Products ending its sales
Color Positive Film
Color Negative Film
B&W Positive/Negative Film
Intermediate Film
Sound Recording Film
High Contrast Panchromatic Films
Chemicals (Japan only)
For enquiries on information in this media release, contact:
Media Contact:
FUJIFILM Corporation
Corporate Public Relations Division
TEL: +81-3-6271-2000
fujifilm_pr@fujifilm.co.jp
Customer Contact:
FUJIFILM Corporation
Photo Imaging Products Division, Motion Picture Film Marketing Group
TEL: +81-3-6271-2124

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System Notices
Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi

Posts: 215

Registered: Apr 2004

posted 11-11-2013 02:18 PM

It has been 423 days since the last post.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 11-11-2013 02:18 PM

Fuji is bring back by demand a number of sought after pro films including ASA 100 Velvia in most film sizes up to 8"X10"!!

Film is far from dead!

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Stephen Furley
Film God

Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002

posted 11-13-2013 06:51 AM

Had they dropped that? I thought it was just (most) motion picture films which had gone.

Now that Kodak have dropped all colour reversal films there should be more of that market for Fuji to pick up.

For black and white still film Harman (Ilford) still do a very wide range, including many unusual sheet sizes which they produce to order once per year with a minimum order of just one box. They discontinued motion picture film a few years ago, but I think they might possibly re-introduce it if the demand was there and Kodak dropped 5222/7222. I doubt if the market is big enough for both Kodak and Harman to make a black and white motion picture negative.

After the death of the EFKE plant in Croatia ADOX 100 ISO film is now being made in Germany.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 11-16-2013 10:35 AM

Yes, they ha dropped ALL of the sheet film completely. There is a neat story about a photographer buying the last completel lot of Velvia 8X10 sheet film and paying 250K for it all. Photographers must have screamed when it disappeared! Velvia is still the best of the best when it comes to E-6 chromes.

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Steve Wilson
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 109
From: Paoli, IN, USA
Registered: May 2004

posted 05-06-2014 11:29 PM

Spiderman 2 was printed on 35m Fuji Film acording to the lable!

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-14-2014 01:19 PM

Well, you can no longer purchase their color negative stocks on 16mm or 35mm...

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Martin Brooks
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 900
From: Forest Hills, NY, USA
Registered: May 2002

posted 07-04-2014 08:08 PM

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
Well, you can no longer purchase their color negative stocks on 16mm or 35mm...

Fuji stock is available from Film24 at www.filmstockclearance.com. They bought all the Fuji remaining stock several years ago. Obviously not a lot left.

Strangely, some stocks that were previously reported as being out of stock have come back into stock, so either Fuji found more stock in their warehouse or Film24 found another source.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-14-2014 03:56 PM

Martin... That link is dead.

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Shawn M. Martin
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 175
From: Arlington, VA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 07-15-2014 12:19 AM

The link is real; it redirects to frame24ltd.co.uk (their new name I guess?). Martin just accidentally linked the period at the end.

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