Take 5 minutes and do this survey now! I have contacted Ferrania and hope to be involved with this project in some way… I have lots of info and thoughts to share. If anyone knows people at Ferrania please send them my way.
http://www.filmferrania.it/survey/
Also, check out this great movie on film production at Ferrania.
Viva la Revolution- Stephen
Figital Revolution 
I was at Ilford 2 months ago and they were installing the Ferrania 35mm cassette making unit. Massive, multi million pounds equipment. I suspect Ilford will be heavily involved in the production of Ferrania film.
I know loads of people at Ilford.
Still awaiting and looking forward to your Monochrom Review. Suspect you might have canned it. Do you still have a Monochrom ??
I sold my MM a month ago… loved it but love film more. Yeah I imagined Ilford would be involved as it is a lot to get all needed stuff up and running on a budget…
Dave Bias, formerly with Impossible, is involved. There will be no Ferrania presence at photokina, which you can take any way you please(no money? no product?). The chance of Harman involvement is interesting.
I remain skeptical if only because of Ferrania’s radio silence since last August’s revival hoopla. Ferrania was mostly invisible in the N. American market unless you count their marketing of Scotch brand film long ago. Frankly never saw their product on offer anywhere.
Film boxes on shelves is the firmest evidence that they’re back in the game.
The fully automatic 35mm cassette machine at Ilford is not a Ferrania machine, it is THE Ferrania machine. It was already installed and undergoing thorough testing in March. It tales a strip of aluminium, the spool, end-caps and two pieces of felt; rolls, assembles and tests the friction and if it’s not perfect, it ejects it down a side channel. All eclectronic control with controls in Spanish and German only. Would have cost millions to design and manufacture.
Ilford previously subcontracted film cassette production, but they have looked into every cost saving opportunity, including creating new chemical formulae to overcome price rises on supplies that have been introduced because of falls in world wide volumes. A lot of respect for what they’ve done and continue to do.
Can’t imagine Ferrania have the equipment and will to go it alone.
Stephen,
I think your views on the greatest monochrome camera available would be very well received, good or bad. It’d win a lot of friends and help people understand what’s at stake here. There are not many writing reviews who have the experience, knowledge and the desire to push film further along its road. Keanu did it, I encourage you to do it.
Cheers
Ferrania have published the first results from the survey. Not that many surprises there.
I think what is needed is a high amount of collaboration between indie film makers. I am thinking of companies like Impossible, Adox, Cinestill, and hopefully some of the bigger players still around such as Ilford and, maybe, Kodak if they can get their arse into gear…
Why not have a conference on Film Photography? Get those guys and the interested public together to share ideas and learnings, and to celebrate film photography and have some fun on the way?
Considering that it has become a niche market that is run by enthusiasts whose interest goes deeper than pure monetary concerns (not that much money in the film market anymore anyway) I think it could benefit everybody – not much use in thinking in competitive terms. For goodness’s sakes, maybe they could even jointly buy some raw materials to get a better price.
Probably just me being naive, but one can dream…