The Journey of KODAK VISION2 Films
By Mike Ryan, Film Technology Development Manager
Kodak Entertainment Imaging
As an imaging scientist, and as a representative of the broader R&D team here at Kodak, I must say that receiving this type of recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is thrilling.
It's also very gratifying to know that all the years of research and development work that went into creating the VISION2 Film product line has met with such tremendous marketplace success. From Day 1, our customers embraced these films, and we at Kodak felt that we had breathed new life into this elegant capture medium … even though film has been around for over 100 years!
The introduction of the VISION2 Film technology platform was also very significant given the ongoing convergence of film and digital technologies within the motion picture industry, which continues to progress at a rapid pace.
Yet while technology, innovation, and marketplace dynamics continue to evolve at an ever-increasing rate of speed, some things will never change.
Enabling great filmmaking
From our customers' perspective, the motion picture business will always be about telling stories in which the technology is transparent, where the technology works behind the scene to enable the filmmakers' creativity.
That's where Kodak continuously strives to serve this industry - by providing the best solutions across the evolving workflow … and helping those technologies work seamlessly together in order to bring a filmmaker's vision to the screen, more faithfully, efficiently, and at the highest levels of performance.
As with the traditional optical workflow, we strongly believe that the best digital postproduction workflow starts with film-originated images, but we also know that we need to keep film a relevant and vibrant option within that workflow.
The development journey
So, how do we begin the process of innovation? The KODAK VISION2 Color Negative Film family, first introduced in 2002, began its journey many years before in the beakers and flasks of the research labs.
Improvements in film's image-capture efficiency are dependent on the advances of the individual technologies that comprise the multilayer film pack (the numerous layers of emulsion coated onto the film base, which contain silver halide crystals, dye couplers, etc.). Hundreds of molecular structures are designed, tested and analyzed to determine impact on the whole imaging chain - from photon capture through the final step of dye formation.
Concurrently, the development team conducts industry research to gather the necessary input to design any new series of films. They listen to cinematographers' and colorists' feedback and assess the performance of our current products, analyzing such characteristics as color reproduction, contrast, photographic speed, telecine, and optical printing performance.
Technical improvements
Specific to VISION2 Films, we took the best qualities of the original VISION Film system and combined it with features such as longer linear latitude, improved image structure, increased shadow detail, and more natural rendering of colors and flesh-tones. Then we worked to optimize the camera negative for both traditional optical printing and digital postproduction.
Numerous cycles of prototype film design, production testing, and external trade tests all followed. Hundreds of individuals were involved in different phases of the commercialization process. Team members spent significant time in the field conducting assessments with cinematographers to ensure we had successfully translated their requests into products that would offer them additional creative choices and unprecedented flexibility.
The improvements in the image quality of the high-speed VISION2 500T Film product proved to be so dramatic that it is now the predominant choice of cinematographers. It became Kodak's largest volume color negative motion picture product within 12 months of introduction.
The continuing relevance of film
Kodak has demonstrated with VISION2 Films - and the recently launched KODAK VISION3 Color Negative Film 5219/7219, built upon many of the VISION2 innovations - that even though film has been around for over a century, silver halide still has a lot more to give. This recognition from the Academy is a testament to the innovation and dedication of the technical staff at Kodak and further shows film to be the medium of choice for motion imaging customers.
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