After 45 years in the motion picture film industry, Nigel Horn, general manager of Kodak Film Lab in London, retired at the end of September 2017.
During his career, Horn held several roles at film processing laboratories in the UK, including Henderson’s Laboratory, under the BFI’s ownership (1974-76), Studio Film & Video Laboratories (1976-86), Technicolor London (1987-93) and Soho Images (1993-04), before founding Post Production Services (2004-06) and then the i-Lab laboratory in Soho in 2006, and subsequently co-founding the i-Dailies laboratory in 2012.
i-Dailies was acquired by Kodak in August 2016 and Kodak has announced plans to move the lab to Pinewood Studios. Horn has played a key role in successfully bringing the Kodak Film Lab and Pinewood Studios collaboration together. He will manage the completion of the flagship processing facility opening at Pinewood Studios, and remains committed to working with Kodak to mentor the next generation of film technicians. His successor will be announced in due course.
In addition to his career in film processing, Horn was a judge at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival on the Commission Superieur Technique’s technical committee. He also recently composed and played the music for a new feature-length documentary about the artist Bill Viola.
“Nigel has played a valuable and central role in the motion picture industry for the last 45 years,” said Antonio Rasura, director of motion picture services at Kodak. “I want to thank him sincerely for his hard work, commitment and dedication, and to wish him the best of luck in his retirement.”
“Nigel has devoted himself to the Motion Picture Film industry and added value across multiple businesses over his career,” said Steven Overman, president of Kodak’s consumer and film division. “His in-depth knowledge, skills and experience have been invaluable, and I wish him all the best as he moves on to another phase of his life.”
“I am delighted to have had the opportunity to work ‘hands-on’ in all aspects of film processing, and to have devoted my working life to supporting a medium that I have always been passionate about,” said Horn. “I am proud that i-Dailies was instrumental in sustaining film as a creative choice in the UK in 2013, and to contributing to film’s subsequent renaissance, which will continue into the future under Kodak’s guidance at our exciting new laboratory.”
