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Aaron Saffa
Entertainment Imaging Commercials Account Manager
As a first time visitor to the Cannes Lions Festival (or to Cannes at all for that matter) I still find myself (three days in) a bit wide eyed and slack jawed, much like I would imagine from the proverbial starry eyed Midwestern kid arriving on the bus to Hollywood... And I'm already from Hollywood!
So it would seem that Cannes Lions is enough to impress not only this rookie, but even the veteran industry elites who have arrived by the hundreds to take some much deserved rest, relaxation, and celebration for the amazing work they create in the commercial industry worldwide. During a year in which almost every industry has felt the pressures of a difficult economy, advertising is no exception, and it's a testament to the professionals in this business that the quality of the work has persisted through these tough times.
Case in point... Today I attended the Young Director Awards, hosted by the Commercial Film Producers of Europe (CFP-E) and Shots at the Hotel Palais Stephanie. Kodak had the honor of being a primary sponsor for this event again this year, and it was an impressive reminder of the talented people that we at Kodak are fortunate enough to work with day to day. With often limited resources, these emerging commercial directors were able to create funny, heartwarming, thoughtful, and even at times gut-wrenching narratives, in just minutes (or less) of screen time. As a member of the Kodak team, I'm proud to be a partner in these productions, and as an audience member, I was quite simply blown away. Of particular note was the spot "Stars", which was beautifully shot on Kodak film, and was given a special YDA jury award. We will be hosting the YDA winners on the Kodak boat as well, and truly our congratulations go to all the filmmakers, along with our best wishes as we look forward to working with you on future projects!
And as these new filmmakers enter the marketplace, I'd also like to give a shout out to Matt Miller and the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) as well as Francois Chilot and everyone at the CFP-E for working so hard to build, maintain, and foster an environment which welcomes and facilitates the creativity and hard work of all the directors, producers, and commercial industry professionals. The AICP and CFP-E hosted a lunchtime forum with some of the top commercial producers in the world to discuss the increasing challenges faced during these difficult economic times. Ideas, perspectives, and strategies were exchanged across borders, with representatives from six continents and a variety of countries in attendance. Kodak was proud to once again be the sole sponsor of this event, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with the AICP and CFP-E. Moreover, having now been at this meeting for the first time myself, it's this rookie's opinion that these organizations are more important than ever in creating and maintaining a shared vision throughout the industry.
Madlen Nicolaus
Kodak's Social Media Representative in Germany
Last Saturday the Podcast Conference Niche09 took place in Munich and Kodak was one of the main sponsors. At Niche09, organized by Alex Wunschel, 150 producers of podcasts, web video content and video blogs got together in the publishing house Süddeutscher Verlag in Munich. Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany's largest national subscription daily paper, was also one of the sponsors of the event.
Alex Wunschel - Niche Organizer
The Niche09 Podcamp's focus was on conception, production, distribution, and promotion as well as marketing of audiovisual and digital content. The participants had to choose between 18 different workshops (length 1 hour) that took place in three parallel tracks.
Niche09 Podcamp Munich
Kodak provided three yellow Zx1 Digital Video Cameras to be raffled off to the attendees. Furthermore, Kodak provided 6 Zx1 and 5 Zi6 Digital Video Cameras for the attendees to try out the products, to interview each other, and to document the workshop. When Alex Wunschel announced that 11 of the participants would get the chance to test the Kodak Digital Video Cameras, they all ran up to me and grabbed the cameras. Within seconds all Pocket Video Cameras were taken.
At the workshop "Conception, preparation and planning of video productions" Alexander Franz Köllner - ifranz.tv - presented the Kodak Zi6 as the perfect tool for video production. As some of the main advantages of the Zi6 compared to e.g. Flip Mino he mentioned the unbeatable price, the great audio performance in close-up range, the SD HC card slot and the fact that it runs with normal AA batteries, so you can even use it in the "outback".
They say all good things in life come to an end. Today we announced that Kodak will retire KODACHROME Film, concluding its 74-year run.
It was a difficult decision, given its rich history. At the end of the day, photographers have told us and showed us they've moved on to newer other Kodak films and/or digital. KODACHROME Film currently represents a fraction of one percent of our film sales. We at Kodak want to celebrate with you the rich history of this storied film. Feel free to share with us your fondest memories of Kodachrome.
I've had the profound privilege of working with the world's greatest photographers in my role here at Kodak. I serve as the company's liaison with the pro community, and I've gotten to know the best of the best. Each one has their Kodachrome story.
I thought I'd share with you some reflections on Kodachrome from a small sampling of these great artists - Steve McCurry, Eric Meola, and Peter Guttman.
Listen to what Steve and Peter have to say as they reflect back:
"Before digital, Kodak was already shifting gears--moving away from the boundaries of KODACHROME (long lab times, fewer labs, a more environmentally friendly, as well as constrained, chemistry)" said Meola. "E100SW and E100VS were a natural evolution of the KODACHROME look, and made my life a lot easier. And they kept all the great things about KODACHROME --long latitude, fine grain, great color--and made it easier for me to get processed anywhere. In some ways, those films were natural predecessors to the digital age."
Steve McCurry, whose picture of a young Afghan girl captured the hearts of millions of people around the world as she peered hauntingly from the cover of National Geographic Magazine in 1985, offered these words:
"The early part of my career was dominated by KODACHROME, and I reached for that film to shoot some of my most memorable images," said McCurry. "While KODACHROME Film was very good to me, I have since moved on to other films and digital to create my images. In fact, when I returned to shoot the 'Afghan Girl' 17 years later, I used Kodak's E100VS film to create that image, rather than KODACHROME Film as with the original."
From Peter Guttman: "Kodachrome was for me the visual crib in which my photographic dreams and visions were nurtured. The rich hues, and startlingly lifelike textures imbued within this elegantly crafted film provided a vivid training ground for sharpening my vision of the world. The initial draw to Kodachrome was its unrivalled archival durability, but I shortly realized the magnificent renderings of reality that the film was capable of. I credit Kodachrome as my most reliable tutor, educating my eyeball with an awareness of the delicacy of light and the subtleties of color.
With the strict discipline of a Kodachrome vision firmly under my belt, I felt free to playfully experiment with other films. I have in recent years become enamored with Ektachrome 100VS which has now become my film of choice for its dazzling hues, deeply saturated color and intense sharpness--all optical tools that serve me well in portraying our planet's stunning diversity."
"There are in life a few constants, but far too few. The sun rises in the morning and sets at night, and Kodachrome was what was always there to help us record those sunrises and sunsets and to brilliantly capture that ephemeral distance between light and shadow.
We would win awards with it, and the images that the light burned into its emulsion were a paean to this film, as much as the film was part of the soul of the photographers who used it and the unparalleled images they made with it.
We waited up nights to open those golden boxes--like young children surprised with glee and knowing we could drift asleep again and that all was right with the world, and that there was still Kodachrome, and almost nothing else mattered." - Eric Meola
