Look at the back of an Impossible film and you will discover a series of numbers at the edge of chemical pouches. What does this 10-digit-code mean?
In a moment you are going to decode these numbers. Are you ready? Here we go!
# 0415443213
You can break down the code into 5 groups, you will know the production date and type of film by reading this code.
1st and 2nd numbers: Production month
3rd and 4th numbers: Production year
5th and 6th numbers: Machine used for the production (for internal records)
7th and 8th numbers: Film type
9th and 10th numbers: Production day
Here is the list of various film type codes used as the 7th and 8th numbers:
02: B&W film for SX-70
32: B&W film for 600 and Image / Spectra
70/72: Color film for SX-70 (including Monochrome Cyan SX-70)
80/82: Color film for 600 and Image / Spectra (including Monochrome Magenta and Cyan 600)
So “0415443213” means that the film is a B&W film for 600 and Image / Spectra which was produced on 13th April 2015by machine #44. Isn’t it easy to decode?
Next time when you are contacting the customer service of Impossible, please state the number of the film as it is easy for the team to understand which film you are referring to and its exact production date!
Polaroid Corporation, which started in Cambridge, is best known for its instant films and cameras. You may not know that it’s initial market was polarised sunglasses. During this lecture, you are going to look through Polaroid’s heyday and its lasting impacts.
THE FOUNDER OF POLAROID – EDWIN LAND
Land set up a research laboratory at his home in his teenage, started experiments on the first light polarisers in sheet form and to establish the applied science of polarised light. He thought that a polariser would look like a sheet of plastic or glass and that would be practical and convenient to use. In 1929, Land obtained his first patent ever.
He founded the Land-Wheelright Laboratories with his professor to continue his polarisation studies. Later this lab was renamed the Polaroid Corporation. As head of the company, Dr. Land never diversified into other businesses, sold out to another company or borrowed money on a long-term basis.
MILESTONES
1947
Polaroid Land Camera was demonstrated publicly
1948
Polaroid Land Camera was put on sale before Christmas
1950
Black and White instant film was introduced
1960
15 second pictures and automatic exposure technology
1963
Color film and film cartridges
Edwin Land demonstrating Polaroid color instant photograhy (Credits: The Life Picture Collection)
1965
Low priced Swinger
Late 1960’s
Polaroid invited the world’s best-known photographers like Andy Warhol, Ansel Adams and William Wegman, providing them free film and studio space and asked them to take some photos and gave them few prints back in the Polaroid Artists Collection
Andy Warhol with Polaroid SX-70
1971
The Square Shooter was introduced
1972
SX-70 was introduced
Edwin Land with Polaroid SX-70 on the cover of LIFE
a pocket-sized, self-developing Polaroid camera + 1 inch thick, 7 inches long
A thin sheet contained 8 separated chemical sheets protected by an “opacifer” layer that kept out the sun’s rays while the picture developed outside the camera. Each of the 8 layers respond to a different light frequency when exposed, resulting in brilliant color. Because the dye was metallic, the finished product didn’t fade except when exposed to extreme light for prolonged periods. Polaroid’s main competitor, Kodak, has yet to master this difficult process in its own film.
1977
Instant Home Movie camera was introduced
IMPACT
Since Polaroid was established, the Eastman Kodak Company brought the Land polarisers as camera filters. Since Polaroid was incorporated, they began to graft polariser technology onto many products such as 3D movies and glare-reducing googles for dogs.
The invention of instant camera changed the picture-taking habits of people around the globe. In response to his 3-year-old daughter’s bewilderment about why the camera could not produce a photo immediately, he was inspired to make “a camera that would produce developed photographs as soon as its shutter clicked”. He termed it instant photography.
Time magazine has described the basic process for instant photography in this way: “A negative inside the camera is exposed and then brought into contact with a positive print sheet. Both are then drawn between a pair of rollers, which breaks a tiny pod of jelly-like chemicals that spread across the sheet, producing a finished picture in seconds.”
During World War II (1939-1945), Polaroid designed and manufactured numerous products for military, including colored filters for rangefinders and periscopes and an infrared night viewing device polarising.
In 1947, Land demonstrated the Polaroid Land Camera with film publicly, and started selling during the Christmas season next year. The camera was a huge success and would remain on the market for 50 years thereafter. Polaroid’s products under Land gained wide acceptance. At present, there are still millions of followers on instant photography.
“An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.”
“You always start with a fantasy.”
“If you sense a deep human need, then you go back to all the basic science. If there is some missing, then you try to do more basic science and applied science until you get it.”
“The purpose of inventing instant photography was essentially aesthetic.”
BIOGRAPHY
Edwin Land was born in Connecticut, United States in 1909.
In 1929, when Land was still an undergraduate in Harvard University, he created polariser, an optical filter which passes light of specific polarised light and blocks waves of other polarised light, at the age of 20.
The technology of polariser has a wide range of applications. It was used in the production of sunglasses, military hardware and color animation.
In 1937, the Polaroid Corporation was officially established.
In 1939, Polaroid created color animation for jukeboxes, 3D glasses for movies, and the ability to dim light coming through a window.
In 1943, Land’s 3-year-old daughter asked him why she could not see the photo immediately after it was taken. He felt a rush of inspiration.
His answer to this? 4 years later in 1947, Polaroid one-step instant camera, the world’s first instant camera was invented.
In late 1948, this never-before-seen camera – called the Polaroid Land Camera – hit stores shelves, made an instant success and took the world by storm. It was available in sepia tones only.
In 1950, Polaroid’s first instant camera using black and white film was born. It was popular for both military and civilian photography.
Harvard University awarded Land an honorary doctorate in 1957 for his lifetime of scientific achievement.
Polacolor, the first instant camera using color film was introduced in 1963.
Land was a pioneer as a manager of Polaroid. In 1960’s he hired women and minorities for management and research positions ahead of many other firms.
In 1971, Land formulated and introduced Retinex theory – both the eyes and the brain are involved in the processing.
In 1972, Land introduced Polaroid SX-70 – a camera with the picture emerging from the camera automatically. It has become one of the most popular products and increased the company’s revenue by 4 times from 1961 to 1972.
A failure of film venture called Polavision was a financial disaster to the company. Land resigned as Chairperson of Polaroid in 1980.
After retiring, Land founded the ‘Rowland Institute for Science’ to go on his research on optics. His lab eventually discovered how color is perceived in the human brain.
In 1991, Edwin Land died in Cambridge, at the age of 81.
