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The 70's & early
80's is the last heyday of the 16 mm home market, before the
video tape revolution took hold. Many companies
were popping up to service collectors film needs including
Canterbury Films, Niles Films, Thunderbird Films, Storace
Films, Reel Images, Movie Wonderland & Mizzle Films to
name a few. By the late 80's they would be mostly
out of business, a couple would survive by selling
video tape. Films Inc. Swank, Corinth, New Yorker Films, Kit
Parker, Twyman and dozens of other film rental companies
flourished too. But by the middle 90's,
Swank & Kit Parker are the only Rental libraries left.
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1970
1970 is
the final year for IB
Technicolor
being
printed in 16 mm. The film RIO
LOBO is the final printing.
At the end of the year the Technicolor Corporation closes it's dye
transfer process for 16 mm, in favor of the cheaper Eastman
process. The company calls it CRI Technicolor. (and don't let
anybody tell you C.R.I. doesn't fade , IT DOES).
1971
 
Super 16 MM Frames
Super 16 is
introduced, for use by professionals. The image is
enlarged by
using the
space taken up by the soundtrack.
KIT
PARKER FILMS is
founded and becomes a leading 16mm distributor, but by 1998 it
gets out of the
16mm business and becomes stictly a DVD, and home video operation.
1972
LA
CUCARACHA
Nearly two years after Technicolor
ends making
dye
transfer
prints in 16mm, They return once
more to 16mm with a special reprint of LA CUCARACHA, for archival
reference, LA CUARACHA was an experimental short released by RKO in 1934 to test
the new three strip Technicolor before they commit to a feature, it was a
big success and won a Academy Award.
World's First Video Cassette
Recorder (for home use) -- Phillips Model 1500 Introduced in England in
1972.
1973
The Big Reel,
The second
major 16mm film collectors publication begins life and is the only paper with
16 mm film advertisements by the 1990's.
1974
Kodak
introduces SP Kodak (Special Process) color film, thought early to be a
low fade stock, but tends to turn brown, it was discontinued in 1983.
1975
The
Technicolor company finally does away with their dye transfer process in 35
mm domestically. A reprint order of Disney's SWISS
FAMILY ROBINSON
released during the summer was the
last. They closed their dye transfer plant in Hollywood, then sold
the equipment to Beijing Film & Video Lab. in China.
Sony introduces the first
commercial
video format, Betamax.
1976
JVC
introduces their video format Video Home System (VHS)) JVC's
HR-3300,
that
ushers in the video tape revolution & becomes the biggest
threat to 16 mm up to this time.
Castle Films releases their last short, OPERATION TALL
SHIPS, A Bicentennial film, In 40 years Castle releases a total of 1.046
films. It’s quite ironic that the end of Castle Era marks the
beginning of the Video Tape Revolution.
1977
Film
Collectors World,
the third major film collectors magazine begins publication, but by the
1990's under the name Movie
Collectors World,
is strictly advertising posters & videos.
1983
Eastman
LPP
stock (Low Fade Positive Process) is introduced. A
new low fade process that was printed by Eastman Kodak to combat
the earlier unstable Eastman stocks, was launched with great fanfare by
the company. But some film preservationists say that even LPP
after 15 years has shown some slight f
After
70 years Bell & Howell abruptly severs all ties with the film
industry, selling it's projector division and goes into microfilm publishing.
1992
The
World
Wide Web begins life on Feb 15th, with
16 mm websites popping up
to service 16 mm collectors needs over the next few years. By the end of 1994, the Web
has 10,000 servers, of which 2,000 were commercial, and 10 million users.
1995
The World Wide
Web
provides a new avenue for film collectors with resource websites like 16
MM FILMS.COM
& e film
center.
Web sites
where collectors can chat about 16 mm films,
and collecting
with one another.
 is founded in September of 1995, in Pierre
Omidyar's San Jose living room. In the next couple years it
brings 16 mm collecting into the computer age with on line auctions.
1996
The
DVD revolution is launched.
2003
16 mm film
celebrates it's 80th birthday
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