Husband-Wife Team Produces 1920s-Era Film in Basement, Only People Outside Major Manufacturers Doing So
Mark and France Scully Osterman from Rochester, New York, are making waves by creating their own orthochromatic film stock reminiscent of the 1920s. They're the only ones outside of major film producers doing this. Their collection includes a film coating machine, a vintage perforator, a slitter, a 1926 Leitz enlarger, a rare FIMAN developing drum, and lots of blank film. Their journey kicked off after they found a Leica 1a "Hockey Stick" camera in Istanbul. At 71, Mark has spent years studying photographic history at the George Eastman Museum. They’re producing MO-1925, which replicates the film used by Oskar Barnack, with an ISO of 10-20. To help fund their project, they've started a GoFundMe for support at their presentation in Wetzlar, Germany, where they’ll also donate a special roll of Barnack's film.
Key facts
- Mark Osterman and France Scully Osterman are the only people outside major manufacturers producing their own 1920s-era film stock.
- They have assembled a film coating machine, vintage film perforating machine, slitter, 1926 Leitz variable enlarger, rare FIMAN film developing drum, and thousands of feet of blank film stock.
- The project began after they acquired a Leica 1a 'Hockey Stick' camera in Istanbul, Turkey.
- Mark Osterman worked most of his life at the George Eastman Museum researching photographic evolution.
- Their film, MO-1925, is orthochromatic, sensitive only to blue and violet light, with an ISO of 10-20.
- They plan to shoot the film using a 100-year-old Leica camera and are making a documentary about the process.
- They have set up a GoFundMe to fund a trip to Leica headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany.
- They will donate a roll of film shot by Oskar Barnack in 1914 to the Leica Museum.
Entities
Artists
- Mark Osterman
- France Scully Osterman
- Oskar Barnack
Institutions
- George Eastman Museum
- Leica Museum
- Kodak
- PetaPixel
- Rust Magazine
- GoFundMe
Locations
- Rochester
- New York
- United States
- Istanbul
- Turkey
- Wetzlar
- Germany