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Rare Kodak Video Shows the Making of Medium Format Films

Ever wondered how the films we all love and crave for are made? Kodak has the answer, in an interesting 1958 documentary showing early production process of medium format films!

We already know the wonders of film photography and how its unique charm continues to captivate photographers and viewers to this day. We certainly find its timeless beauty refreshing in this fast-paced digital age. But, just how well do we know the rolls that create part of the magic in our analog photos?

In a rare 1958 documentary footage, Kodak gives us a fascinating and detailed view on how early films were made. The video shows the step-by-step process for making medium format (120) films, which were widely used from the 1890’s up to the 1950’s. According to the video information, although the exact source and purpose for the footage remains unknown, Kodak must have used it either as an instructional film for their new factory employees or as a promotional video for the camera-loving public.

Without further ado, we now present the amazing 2-part documentary below!

What are your thoughts on Kodak’s awesome documentary footage? Let us know through a comment below!

written by plasticpopsicle

44 comments

  1. kutshie

    kutshie

    AWESOME!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  2. maxwellmaxen

    maxwellmaxen

    super interesting!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  3. susielomovitz

    susielomovitz

    wow!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  4. mephisto19

    mephisto19

    super!!!!!!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  5. tytusek

    tytusek

    WOW! WOW!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  6. roland

    roland

    I need all those machines and chemicals! NOW!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  7. vicuna

    vicuna

    fascinating "cooking" and assembling process!!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  8. shiin

    shiin

    I LOVE documentaries on how things are made, thanks so much for posting this!
    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  9. sippel121

    sippel121

    And now I know.
    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  10. herbert-4

    herbert-4

    Seriously cool!!! Now, LSI needs to convince Kodak to start making Kodachrome and Aerochrome again!!!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  11. plasticpopsicle

    plasticpopsicle

    All those films are making me drool! I wish we can still see/buy/use that much 120 films today!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  12. myvitaminx

    myvitaminx

    great documentary!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  13. anarollemberg

    anarollemberg

    Making films still requires using gelatine made of animals. That's really sad!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  14. copefan

    copefan

    how cool is that..... i love old films!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  15. kanyapratita

    uh wooooww! super cool!
    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  16. ilibingangmgasakim

    ilibingangmgasakim

    it was raining film!!!! hahaha i got excited when i saw the paper cover of the films. :D
    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  17. clickiemcpete

    clickiemcpete

    That was fascinating!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  18. razgriz94

    razgriz94

    so many film....!!! i want to shoot like no tomorrow
    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  19. mythguy9

    mythguy9

    If you search on YouTube for any film making documentary, you'd be surprised by how FEW there are...

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  20. polka-dot

    polka-dot

    ag dis mooi, en ek hou van die hollandse taal :-)

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  21. stickyvinny

    stickyvinny

    Nom!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  22. magali

    magali

    I am itching to try medium format!!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  23. brucelython

    brucelython

    nice...

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  24. bass_clarinet_2000

    bass_clarinet_2000

    That was great. Cotton really is the fabric of our lives. *dum dum dum clash*

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  25. clownshoes

    clownshoes

    Ha, almost all in the dark. Kodak must have really good insurance.

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  26. liisachisholm

    liisachisholm

    so cool!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  27. tal_dr

    look how many rolls! we need a time machine to go back in time to get rolls.
    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  28. ginasoh

    ginasoh

    really awesome!
    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  29. daihowell

    daihowell

    Thats so cool.

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  30. blackswan

    I loved this documentary! So much film! *want*
    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  31. itsdebraanne

    itsdebraanne

    look at all that cheddar!! :P

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  32. mangaman

    mangaman

    It's in Dutch !!!! go belgium (or Holland) by the way, when they roll up those big sheets of plastic in part 1. dont't those rolls look like big 120 mm films ? :3 this was cool
    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  33. chails

    chails

    so cool!
    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  34. lazybuddha

    lazybuddha

    Fascinating.

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  35. nigelk

    nigelk

    I have always wondered how film is made. Now I know the answer!!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  36. woosang

    woosang

    Very cool!! What a great find.

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  37. isaacfl

    isaacfl

    I hope we still have silver for years to come
    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  38. gomi11

    gomi11

    Los trabajadores con pajarita i todo!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  39. jhamiefloatie

    jhamiefloatie

    That's fascinating!

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  40. albishim

    albishim

    The last part which men said "Shoot while you can" really made me sad. Because Kodak's business are quite not good these days.
    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  41. bylcuenca

    bylcuenca

    now we know... =)

    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  42. dabellamy

    dabellamy

    awesome process. anyone know what the camera was right at the end of the second video? x
    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  43. makingkodakfilm

    If you want to see how it is done in 2010 see: www.makingKODAKfilm.com There has been a lot of research, science and technology applied since the 1950's. Bob Shanebrook
    about 1 year ago · report as spam
  44. alexluyckx

    alexluyckx

    Great film, thanks for sharing! Also, I spotted a Kodachrome box in there along with Verichrome Pan (which is an awesome b/w film to shoot with)
    10 months ago · report as spam

Read this article in another language

This is the original article written in: English. It is also available in: 中文(繁體版), Spanish & Português.