ORWO announces international roll out of new colour film stocks

ORWO announces the creation of two brand new stocks specifically designed for film production.

This stock – the first new colour motion picture stock to be produced in over a decade – also does not have a Remjet layer which means it can be processed in simple, small, boutique labs and more importantly, it can be developed under the “domestic” C41 process.

This will allow productions to quickly set up labs on location anywhere in the world without the concern about rushes being damaged in transit. The stock can also be processed in the existing ECN-2 laboratories common to motion pictures, but even then, it is a quicker, cleaner process (no remjet removal required) and thus also benefits from less stress (and handling) of the delicate camera negative when it is going through the machines. This modern method of processing, without the carbon based remjet layer, is also more environmentally sound and results in less waste. 

After more than four years of development, and listening to much feedback, Orwo has produced these stocks in all formats: 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, 65mm – offering an alternative look and providing something totally unique in the modern marketplace.  

During the last decade, ORWO has become renowned for its cutting-edge range of black and white film products. These have been used to great effect by luminaries like David Fincher (in his preparations for the Oscar winner, Mank) and a range of wonderful artists throughout the world (e.g. Tacita Dean).  

Orwo’s impressive black and white range incorporates: negative film for motion picture production, duplicating film, print film, sound recording film, and film leaders for the processing and distribution business — with high profile users including Library of Congress and the British Film Institute, among many prominent archives.  

These new stocks are now on the market internationally and will revolutionise filmmaking forever. The old formats also have exciting wider modern relevance – with Orwo currently extensively testing the archiving of data, paper and A/V to film, for long term storage. 

ORWO has successfully finished 3 different colour production manufacturing runs this year – and is proud to announce the launch of the secretly developed NC400 and the hotly anticipated NC500 colour cine stocks.  

Additionally ORWO is deep in R+D on other new colour and speciality stocks, with leading household name directors and cinematographers in top secret consultation for both permanent new additions to the Orwo colour line, as well as unique “one off” speciality films for their individual, prestige projects. 

ORWO’s Executive Chairman Jake Seal says, “This is an exciting time for analogue – the film making and photographic community has been crying out for new colour stocks and for a continuous reliable supply of them… and these new stocks (and many more) will now be here every year from now on — it’s also nice to rethink both the processing and the packaging, to make a more environmentally conscious product.” 

And the best of the latest cutting edge technology (virtual sets and 3D environments) can now be combined with the grand old 100 year old format – creating something truly unique. 

‘Intriguingly, we are right now also testing this stock in virtual environments — where the  inherent softening, the rich deep colours and the wonderful grain are combining really nicely to make the super high definition virtual sets look much more easy on the viewer’s eye,’ continues Seal.