In this so-called 'digital age', there is still something magical about the 8mm film format Kodak developed in 1932, as a solution for home movies.

It was called 'Standard 8mm' back then and was actually 16mm film with twice as many perforations (as regular 16mm) along each side. The film was loaded into a camera, exposed along half its width, flipped and exposed along the other half. In processing, the film was slit down the middle; the result was two lengths of 8mm film, each with a single row of perforations along one side - and four times as many frames as 16mm film.

Michael is currently the Worldwide Manufacturing Quality Manager for Entertainment Imaging Films. He has been with Kodak since 1976. Prior to his current assignment Mike was the Quality Manager for Professional Films for 12 years, and a product engineer for X-Ray, and Aerial & Instrumentation film products. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Photographic Science and Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He joined the I3A ITIP (Integrity in Transportation of Imaging Products) team in early 2006, and became the testing sub-committee chairperson in late 2006.

Hype or Reality?  In advertising. ‘digital’ is a codeword often intended to mean ‘sharper, cleaner, faster, cheaper, better’.  In some applications it may be, but not in the art and craft of movie making.  As Kodak’s TV Segment and New Product Development manager, Bob Mastronardi deals with the hype and the reality of digital every day.  Here is some of what he hears – and his reactions.

Hype:   Digital capture is faster because it requires less lighting.

After attending UCLA, Bob began his career in the motion picture industry at Du Art Film Labs in NYC and moved from there to a continuing career in Kodak’s motion picture products and services business, starting in the greater NYC/ NJ area.  Through the years, he’s dealt with some of the world’s premier filmmakers, including Ethan and Joel Coen, Ted Hope, James Schamus, Christine Vachon, John Sayles, Spike Lee, Ken Burns, Fred Wiseman, and others.  In the TV arena, he’s handled Kodak’s business with NFL Films, Dick Wolf’s ‘Law & Order’, HBO’s ‘Sopranos’ and ‘Sex & the City’, among other programs.  In his current position as Worldwide Marketing and Strategic Planning Manager for Television Products and New Product Development, he led the launch team for the company’s newest product family, Kodak Vision3 color negative film.