Sunday, January 22, 2012

The Last Kodak Moment?

Sad news this past week as the Eastman Kodak Company officially announced bankruptcy. This news is depressing for me not only as a film-lover, but also as a proud Rochesterian--I was born and raised in the Western, New York city where George Eastman based his revolutionary company, and I know I'm not alone in expressing a certain degree of bewilderment that such developments could come to pass.

Of course there's the obvious: digital has surpassed traditional film. It is inevitable that existing technology needs to change following the arrival of new innovations, yet surprising that Kodak could not anticipate the restructuring it needed to remain a leader in the photographic industry. Even more unbelievable, it appears that Kodak actually created the first digital camera prototype back in 1975!

I was just a kid back in the 1970s/80s, and Kodak's presence was felt everywhere-- from taking school trips to their inspiring headquarters and office park, visiting friends' families who owned their own darkrooms, or learning about the history of photography at the George Eastman House (where I had the opportunity to lecture last year!). Although my father worked for Xerox, one of the other great innovators in town, it was hard not to feel a certain amount of pride when you considered that such an important part of the people's everyday lives was manufactured in your own backyard.

Photo taken of Detroit skyline, 2004. Like the Motor City,
hopefully Kodak and Rochester can weather the storm.
Photo ©2004 Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.
It must have made more than an impression on me, as I would go on to pursue photography and filmmaking to some degree during my professional career. I have been kidded by many that I always seem to be taking pictures. I actually had a chance to work with Kodak early in my career, on a TV commercial for the EastHouse rehabilitation center in Rochester. I visited Kodak's main headquarters, and utilized their stock film library to find time-lapse footage of a flower degrading over time. With Kodak's help, I reversed the footage to match a narrative describing how visitors to EastHouse could go on to rehabilitate themselves and lead productive lives. I was proud of the spot, and thankful for the assist from Kodak, who always seemed very generous to the community in their own right. Like the flower coming back to life in my spot, I hope the iconic company that has given so much to the world (and my hometown) can find a way to reorganize and remain relevant in the digital age.

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