LaCie is sponsoring World Backup Day2012 and they’ve created this useful and easy to understand guide. Check it out and learn how to back up your files the right way!

We’re fully stocked on hard drives and are ready to help you kick off World Backup Day with the right tools!

Four months after devastating floods in Thailand, hard drive manufacturers are increasing production

So, why after just 4 months do we at Comtel still have a good inventory of drives?  Some kudos must go too our expert purchasers.  They’ve worked overtime to keep G-Raids and Lacie Rugged drives in stock for the digital commercial, television, and film productions that rely on them.  But, why are HDD’s even available when a worse fate was foretold?

A major reason is that manufacturers have recovered their production capabilities faster than expected.  According to Digitimes.com, “The global production capacity of hard disk drives (HDDs) will increase to 140-145 million units, about 80% of the level before flooding hit Thailand in late 2011, in the first quarter of 2012, according to industry sources.” http://bit.ly/wLTPaO That is much better than originally forecast. 

Toshiba and Western Digital suffered the most damage from the floods, but both manufacturers were able to increase production in their other facilities in other countries. Another major hard drive maker, Seagate, suffered relatively little damage to its factories, but 7 of its top 10 component suppliers were decimated by the floods.  Seagate moved quickly, however, to assist their recovery.  “The suppliers are being assisted when possible, with funding for capital equipment” http://bit.ly/x8qJr6

Global production of hard drives dipped 26% in the last quarter of 2011 as compared to the same period in 2010.  But, with the recovery efforts of the manufacturers, production increased by 13% in the first quarter of 2012 over the previous quarter. As the chart indicates, supplies of hard drives are new expected to be back to normal by the third quarter of 2012. 

Another factor creating supply for hard drives has been  price increases.  While demand for external drives has rocketed in Hollywood as filmmakers move away from film, the surge in prices has slowed demand for drives in pc’s and servers.  Customers for these products are delaying purchases waiting for prices to drop.  They may have to wait some time as prices are expected to hold at high levels until the end of the year. 

Still, if you’ve got a commercial, movie, or television shoot on the horizon, it’s still best to plan ahead as far as possible.  Hard drive production is still not up to full capacity.  A sudden spike in demand could create spot shortages that might disrupt your production.   Hard drive supply is still not all the way back, but it’s getting close.

Kodak World Headquarters. Soon to be renting?

Well, those concerned should have thought about it before they picked up a RED camera.  But despite the dire financial news surrounding Kodak, the news is good for the short term future of motion picture film.  Here are some reasons those dreaming of shooting on celluloid can sleep at night.

1.  Kodak is still manufacturing film stock and has no plans to stop.  Kodak has secured a $950 million line of credit to take them through the next 18 months of reorganization (http://reut.rs/y4RwEv)

2.  There is still a good demand for Kodak film stock.  7 of the top 10 highest grossing independent movies from 2011 were shot on film.  http://bit.ly/uEQnbj    Potential Academy Awards contenders were shot on film including “The Tree of Life” and “The Descendants”.   We get film inventories from major features at Comtel Pro Media on a daily basis. 

3.  There is still ongoing R&D on motion picture film.  Kodak just introduced another stock in their Vision 3 line of motion picture films.  Malcolm Spaull, chair of Rochester Institute Technology’s School of Film and Animation (http://bit.ly/yyVktp) noted that Kodak continues research and development in motion picture film and there is sustained demand.  It will eventually suffer the same fate as camera, the still but not for another decade. 

Still from 1922 Kodak Kodachrome Film Test. Movies shot on film have lasted over a century. Will we be able to say the same about films stored on hard drives?

4.  Motion picture film is still the best and cheapest medium for archiving films.   The Academy of Arts and Sciences just released “The Digital Dilemma 2”. It’s the follow up to their 2007 study that showed motion picture film can last for over a century, but digital masters can quickly become unwatchable due to equipment failures and incompatibility with new formats.  In the first study, they determined that to store a feature on film cost around $1,000 a year.  To store a digital master costs from $12,000 to over $200,000 a year.   5 years later and the situation has not improved.

5.  Full digital distribution for all films is still years away.   Malcolm Spaull also points out that the number of screens in the world projecting movies with film projectors is roughly 80 percent and 20 percent digital. Major issues still to be resolved include digital piracy and the expense to convert each 16 screen multiplex to digital.  That means film print stock is still needed.  Figure on 3,000 prints domestically per each major release.   If the demand for motion picture print stock is still there, Kodak will keep making film. 

So don’t worry about missing out on shooting on film.  Besides, as long as there is film anywhere, we will buy back the film stock.  This means that there will still be a source of inexpensive 35mm recans and short ends for independent productions.  This will allow even the lowest budgeted filmmakers to experience film, learn to love it, and keep it alive for generations to come.

Two motion pictures shot on film are racking up awards this year. “The Descendants” and “The Tree of Life” were most recently lauded by the Los Angeles Film Critics ( http://lat.ms/sqXY1u). How do we know they used film?  That information is available on www.imdb.com, but we know because short ends and recans from these movies made its way back through us to independent low budget filmmakers.  

"The Tree of Life" director, Terrence Malick, felt it was essential to shoot on film

 Each movie took a very different approach to their use of film. According to an article in International Cinematography Magazine (http://bit.ly/kCRisY), director Terence Malick and director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki felt is was essential to shoot on 35mm film stock. They ended up exposing over a million feet of Kodak 35mm 5217 and 5218. The Los Angeles Film Critics awarded the prize for best cinematography. 

Using a 3 perf process, "The Descendants" saved 25% on film budget

The filmmakers for “The Descendants” took a more economical approach.  Director Alexander Payne dictated the feature be shot on 35mm motion picture film. To save money, they used a 3 perf process. This shaves 25% off the amount of film needed.

It’s a process that has become very popular with independent filmmakers because of the savings. Combined with low cost short ends, the savings really multiply.  

Eventually, any leftover film from these productions comes back to us in the form of ends and recans. And, while these features may be paying a list price of up to .65 cents per foot, it is available to independent filmmakers everywhere from us as low as .06 cents per foot.  

So, if you want to use the same film these features used to get their fantastic, award winning look, and save a ton of money, give us a call.

The floods in Thailand have shut down 14,000 factories

The cause of the hard drive shortage lies in the historic rainfall in Thailand has caused massive flooding.  It has left hundreds of thousands homeless, over 500 dead, and thrown over 660,000 out of work.  The latter is a result of over 14,000 factories closing.    Among these factories are those of Western Digital.  

Western Digital supplies 30% of the world’s drives and 60% of their operation is in Thailand is now under water.   Another major drive manufacturer, Toshiba, has 50% of its operation in Thailand.  Nidec, which makes motors for 70% of all hard drives worldwide, has had their factories in Thailand flooded as well.  

For a good overview of the crisis, check out the story on the crisis at http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/storage-sticker-shock-why-thailand-floods-mean-pricier-hard-drives/   They report that “…at a minimum, it would be reasonable to expect hard drive production during the remainder of 2011 — and likely extending into the first quarter of 2012 — will be as much as 25 percent lower than expected.”  

All this terrible news has caused panic buying, manufacturers  increasing prices, and distributors delaying shipments until it can be all sorted out.     

Here are some ways to get through this apocalypse:  

Plan Ahead – There will be drives.  Just how many will be available and when isn’t clear.   If you are at a production company, start analyzing what you will need in the next 6 months.  If you are a production manager, you may have a tougher job predicting what you may need for the next job.  But, any lead time from your DIT would help.  

Lacie tests 30% of all drives before and after manufacture

Be Open To All Hard Drive Options – G-Drives and G-Raids are usually everyone’s first preference. So, naturally, they were the first to vanish.  But, Lacie drives are great and have dramatically improved quality control.  They test 30% of all drives before and after manufacture.  Cal Digit produces excellent drives.  OWC is popular too.  

Contact Your Comtel Pro Media Sales Rep – They will have the best information as to what is on order and what may be arriving.  If you know what drives you will need in the future, you can place an order.  This will get you in line for the drives when they arrive.   

Shoot Film – Yes, shoot film instead of using digital photography which requires a drive for back up and storage.  Film is the ideal storage medium.  It still produces the best images, costs little to store, and is still available.  In fifty years, you can drag it out of your closet, make a print, and still have the best looking images around.   

For more information on the hard drive crisis or to inquire on what is available,  contact Comtel Pro Media at 818-450-1100 or email customerservice@comtelpm.com

Save up to 90% off the cost of new film by using ends.

At Comtel Pro Media, The best image capture medium is now at its most affordable. While the demand for 35mm motion picture film has declined as digital formats gain popularity, the result is that prices for recans, long ends and short ends have never been lower. The savings can be as much as 90% off the cost of new film stock.

So, if you think that the cost of film stock is an obstacle to shooting on film, think again!

I’ve been selling ends and recans for over 20 years to features, shorts, music videos, and commercials. Prices have never been lower. Sadly, since we’ve been in the digital filmmaking age for some time now, many people aren’t familiar with ends and recans. (For that matter, many filmmakers may not be familiar with film!) So, a brief re-education in ends may be necessary.

A recan is a full camera load. It is most typically a 400’ roll of film that was prepped for the camera, but not used. A long end began as a 1,000’ full camera load, but is shorter than its initial length. For example, a production may have loaded a 1,000’ roll and shot just 200’. That remaining 800’ is a long end. A short end began life as a full 400’ load, but like the long end, has been partially used. It is usually between 200’ and 390’ in length.

I could give you some great examples of who is still using ends and recans; but they would then kill me. Why? Because they never let anyone know they shot on ends. The quality is the same as new and only the producers know and they are thrilled with the savings.

I can tell you a VMA award winner playing on MTV around the clock was just shot using ends, a Sundance award winner is now shooting his latest project on ends, and a number of students are now using ends on their projects.

Prices have come down so much on ends and recans that they are very inexpensive option for filming.  A year ago, a 400’ recan of Kodak 5219 Vision 3 500T was going for as much as .42 cents per foot. It is now .26 cents per foot. A 650’ long end of 5207 Vision 3 250D was .32 cents per foot. Now it is .18. A 300’ short end of Kodak 5213 Vision 3 200T was .18 cents per foot. It is now just .08 cents per foot.

Our inventory at Comtel Pro Media is at the mercy of what is available for repurchase from production, but we’ve got a great selection. There are still many major features shooting on film. “The Change-Up”, “The Three Stooges”, “My Mother’s Curse”, are some of the most recent now in release or close to it.

Why shoot on film? Danny Cohen, the director of photography for “The King’s Speech”, explains in an interview http://www.studiodaily.com/main/technique/projects/12926.html why he chose to shoot on film.

“I just think you have a lot more flexibility when you shoot on film. HD is good for certain things, but there’s a simplicity and texture you get when you shoot on film. Money plays a huge part in what you shoot on these days. Everybody approaches the question of what format to shoot in with a completely different point of view. As a cinematographer, I think you still get the best images from film.”

So, with the price of ends and recans lower than ever, shouldn’t you be considering shooting on film too?

For more information on the savings on film stock Comtel Pro Media has to offer, call me at 818-450-1122 or email me at richard@comtelpm.com