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Considerations

The Revival of the Analog World

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Recently, while browsing through YouTube's suggested videos, I came across a documentary from the channel Best Documentary that talks about the return of the analog world. The video focuses on the revival of the Polaroid brand, brought back to life thanks to the vision of Florian “Doc” Kaps, a Viennese biologist with a strong passion for the analog world. Thanks to his project, “The Impossible Project”, Doc managed to revive Polaroid, recreating the iconic instant films whose secret formula had been lost due to the discontinuation of production by key chemists. But the main theme is broader: it speaks of a true rediscovery of analog in general.

What struck me the most is how Generation Z, the same generation as my daughter, is leading this movement globally. This generation, raised in an era dominated by digital technology, is rediscovering the pleasures and slow rhythms of analog, almost as a response to the frenzy imposed by the digital world.

The “digital frenzy” is a phenomenon that has silently permeated our lives, aided by the advent of smartphones and social media. Today, we are used to consuming information and images instantly and continuously. Our brain is bombarded by content presented through algorithms designed to capture our attention, often without giving us the time to consciously choose what we want to see. We are pushed to consume everything immediately, without wasting time.

Kodak and Fujifilm film with an analog camera


But in this whirlwind of speed and immediacy, are we perhaps losing something fundamental?

For those who love photography, digital has drastically changed the way we shoot: we have lost the habit of thinking, reflecting, and waiting. Shooting on film means stopping to reflect on every shot, living the anticipation of the results. There is no room for compulsive shooting: you need to think and rethink the composition, training the photographic eye to capture the right moment. Every film shot is the result of a thoughtful choice, an action that involves the mind, eye, and heart.

Analog photography forces us to stop, to think about the subject, to imagine the final result, and then to wait, with impatience or hope, to see the fruit of our work. There is also frustration, of course—that feeling of having captured the perfect image, only to discover that it didn’t turn out as desired. But it is precisely in this imperfection that the beauty of the analog world lies. Shooting on film means slowing down, living the art of the unexpected, and turning anticipation into emotion.



How are film and camera manufacturers reacting?

During the pandemic, the TV series Euphoria chose to shoot much of its second season on Kodak Ektachrome film (Amazon), a format that, at the time, was no longer in production. The cinematographer, Marcel Rèv, contacted Kodak and convinced the company to resume production, promising to use such a large quantity that it would make economic sense for the company. Since then, Kodak has continued to innovate in the field of analog photography.

One example is the redesign of the Kodak Portra series (Amazon), now optimized for scanning, meeting the demands of modern consumers who prefer to digitize negatives rather than print them. In August 2024, Kodak announced a collaboration with Photo Systems Inc. and CineStill Inc., which led to the reintroduction of color negative development chemicals, the famous Flexicolor. Additionally, the company revealed, during the second-quarter 2024 financial presentation, the opening of a new facility in its hometown of Rochester, New York, scheduled for 2025.

Leica analog cameras and photographic film
cup of cappuccino and an analog camera

But Kodak is not the only giant in the analog world reacting.

Fujifilm, after suspending film production due to difficulties in sourcing raw materials, responded to the growing demand by opening a new plant in China dedicated to the production of color and black-and-white film rolls. Another major focus of Fujifilm is its instant photography line, Instax, which continues to gain popularity.

Ilford, a leader in black-and-white photography, conducted a global survey in 2018, the results of which, published in 2019, revealed that over 35% of film users were under 44 years old and had never shot on analog before. During 2021, Ilford launched a new line of color negative films called Ilfocolor, demonstrating how analog photography is experiencing a new era of popularity.

Other brands are also entering the analog world. Lomography, born from a collective of analog photography enthusiasts in Vienna, is one of the pioneers of this revival. Today, it offers a wide range of films, some of which are considered valid alternatives to the more expensive Kodak Portra, making film photography accessible to a growing audience. Other similar projects include CineStill, Candido and Vandals, to name a few.

In the world of analog cameras, 2024 has seen the return of several iconic models, demonstrating how the photography industry continues to respond to the growing interest in the analog world. An example of this trend is Pentax, which introduced the Pentax 17 (Amazon), a camera that combines modern technologies with the charm of film photography.

Rollei has also followed this path, launching an updated version of its famous Rollei 35 AF. This new model, while remaining faithful to the compact design and elegance of the original 1960s model, integrates modern features such as autofocus, making it suitable for both nostalgic users and those new to analog photography.

Already in 2022, Leica relaunched its iconic Leica M6, one of the most beloved rangefinder cameras of all time. With a design almost unchanged from the original 1980s model, the M6 has received some technical improvements, but the pure analog experience that defines it remains intact.



What role do great artists play in the revival of the analog world?

Christopher Nolan, known for his love of film, asked Kodak to develop a special 65mm black-and-white film for his movie Oppenheimer (2023). This film did not exist before, but thanks to collaboration between Kodak, FotoKem (post-production), IMAX, and Panavision (cameras), it was custom-made for the project. Nolan chose this format to create a distinctive aesthetic between the various parts of the film, alternating color for the sequences of Oppenheimer's personal life and black-and-white to represent the security hearings, highlighting the different perspectives of the protagonists.

Behind the scenes of the film Oppenheimer: Nolan frames Cillian Murphy with an analog video camera
Behind the scenes of the film Oppenheimer: Nolan takes up an analog camera for the shooting

This wasn’t the first time Nolan used film in an innovative way. Previously, for movies like Interstellar (2014) and Inception (2010), he preferred shooting on film, helping to keep the tradition alive in an industry increasingly dominated by digital.

Other high-profile directors like Quentin Tarantino have followed the same path. For films like The Hateful Eight (2015) and Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019), Tarantino chose to shoot on film, emphasizing the beauty and depth of analog images in an increasingly digital age.



What can we expect?

Certainly, the revival of the analog world doesn’t imply the disappearance of digital, but rather an evolution where they coexist. Modern society is deeply immersed in the immediate consumption of images and information (the digital frenzy I mentioned earlier), and reversing this trend is almost unthinkable, practically utopian. The continuous rise in prices also does not favor analog photography: although the cost of film is significantly higher than digital, the added value of analog is tangible and profound.

digital camera and a list of gin and tonics
olympus analog camera with film rolls

This phase of coexistence is already a reality in areas such as weddings and fashion. Wedding photographers are rediscovering the charm of film to capture the naturalness of moments, while in the fashion world, the vintage and authentic aesthetic of film adds depth to images. This shows that analog is not just nostalgia but a conscious choice that allows for unique visual storytelling.

The analog community grows bigger every day, because film photography is something concrete and tangible. When you develop a negative, you can hold it in your hands, observe the details imprinted on the film—something real and physical. The shot you produce is not a collection of digital data saved on a hard drive, but a true image impressed on a material support, something you can touch and keep. This experience creates a deeper emotional connection with photography, offering an interaction that digital simply cannot replicate.

Analog, therefore, is back and here to stay.




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