A new black & white film designed to be used in traditional Polaroid cameras is a step closer to becoming a commercial reality after crucial lab tests proved successful.
‘It is do-able. The question is how to commercialise it and take it forward,’ confirmed Steven Brierley, sales director for Ilford Photo which has been working with Impossible B.V, the Netherlands firm that acquired Polaroid’s production plant.
Ilford, which is based in Cheshire, joined forces with Polaroid after it announced plans to axe production of its iconic emulsion, blaming the digital photography revolution.
Impossible B.V plans to ‘re-invent and re-produce’ film for Polaroid’s instant film cameras.
‘We are confident we can make a Polaroid product in black & white. It is our version of Polaroid. It will be like Polaroid,’ Brierley told Amateur Photographer at a meeting in central London.
‘Essentially, we have made all the photosensitive components for a [film] coating – as a lab model,’ he explained.
Brierley added: ‘We need to complete the commercial discussions with the Impossible team before moving forward.’
Earlier this year Impossible B.V said it aims to start production next year, producing three million films in the first year and ten million in subsequent years.
The Impossible Project team had yet to comment at the time of writing.
However, we understand that Impossible B.V is due to issue a progress report this week.
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Pictures: The move comes 62 years after Edwin Land unveiled his ‘one-step process’ for producing finished photos in 60 seconds. Ilford says it has successfully produced the photosensitive components for a b&w film and is in talks with Impossible B.V over its commercialisation.
