This nibble is in the form of a 36-page booklet (200 x 120mm)
(or each 2-page spread can be printed at 200 x 240mm)
References and Further info
“Polaroid introduces the second revolution in photography” Polavision print ad (1978)
“49 legitimate business reasons for buying Polaroid instant movies for yourself” print ad (1978)
“Instant Movie Star” Polavision print ad (1978)
The $68 Million Instant Movie Disaster (Polavision) - Popular Science YouTube Channel (2024)
Instant Cine Film? Polavision and Polaroid's fall - Little Car YouTube Cannel (2024)
The Beautiful Catastrophe of Polavision [Instant Breakdown] - In an Instant YouTube Channel (2021)
Polavision: the Product That Killed Polaroid - Our Own Devices YouTube channel (2024)
Instant Failure: Polaroid’s Polavision, 1977–1980 - Erika Balsom (2019)
Timeline of Historical Colors in Photography and Film
Polaroid once made an instant film camera too - Roland Denning (Redshark, 2016)
Polavision – Polaroid’s disruptive innovation failure - Patrick Lefler (Customer Think, 2010)
The Branding of Polaroid 1957-1977, Paul Giambarba (2004)
Polaroid: Dreams to Reality – Elkan Blout (The Power of Boldness: Ten
Master Builders of American Industry Tell Their Success Stories, Joseph
Henry Press, 1996, ISBN: 9780309054454)
Creating Strategic Change: Designing theFlexible, High-Performing Organization - William A. Pasmore (Wiley, 1994, ISBN: 9780471597292)
Land's Polaroid: A Company and the Man who Invented it - Peter C. Wensberg (Houghton Mifflin, 1987, ISBN: 9780395421147)
Instant: The Story of Polaroid - Christopher Bonanos (Princeton Architectural Press, 2012, ISBN: 9781616891589)
The Camera Does the Rest: How Polaroid Changed Photography - Peter Buse (University of Chicago Press, 2016, ISBN: 9780226312163)
An inside look at Polaroid’s later years and revival by the man responsible. Polaroid: The Magic Material - Florian Kaps (Frances Lincoln, 2016, ISBN: 978-0-7112-3750-6)
Polavision: The Demise of a Legend – Melanie Goulish (Michigan State
University Libraries, 2023)
instant movies from polaroid? - Robert Gorman (Popular Science, March 1974)
Camera View - A Preview of Polaroid’s New Instant Movies – (The New York
Times, 8th May 1977)
Instant movies … Polavision lets you see them 90seconds after you shoot - Everett H. Ortner (Popular Science, July 1977)
Instant movies: Shoot now, see now
- Hans Fantel (Popular Mechanics, August 1977)
Polaroid set to market ‘instant movie’ system – (St Joseph Gazette, 1st February 1978)
Movies in 90 seconds – what it’s like to shoot and see them – Stephen
Walton (Popular Mechanics, April 1978)
Making instant movies: Here’s what it’s like to use the new Polaroidsystem – Everett H. Ortner (Popular Science, May 1978)
Polaroid’s annual miracles – Everett H. Ortner (Popular Science,
August 1979)
Through the Viewfinder - Everett H. Ortner (Popular Science, February
1980)
Instant Photography – Don Leavitt (Popular Photography, August
1982)
Polachrome: 35-mm Color Slides in a Jiffy – Don Leavitt (Popular Photography, June 1983)
Polavision
In most of the 20th century, if one wanted to capture a
motion picture they used film. Various forms of movie film formats were made
for consumer use over the years, from 16mm film to Super8. But all these systems
had the same issue – the film needed developing before one could see what was
captured. But what if there was movie film that can be developed instantly? One
could shoot a movie and then see it almost instantly in a projector. It had
been done in still photography, in the form of the Polaroid instant photo camera.
Could the same alchemy be used on movie film? Polaroid thought so – and did
just that. In 1977, Polaroid launched Polavision – an instant movie film
format. Unfortunately, it was a failure. There was little need for such a
product, let alone its lousy picture quality and lack of sound. Despite this,
it was an interesting idea. Worthy of a nibble.
“We have now done for living images what we had done for still
photography in the past.” – Edwin Land, to Polaroid shareholders in 1977.
Dr Edwin Herbert Land (1909-1991)
The story of Polaroid (and Polavision) is personally linked to the
company’s founder, Dr Edwin Land. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Land was a
curious kid who took apart household appliances and (at age 6) blew all his
house’s fuses.
He studied physics at Havard, focusing on optics, but left after
freshman year, moving to New York. It was here he developed his first product –
an inexpensive synthetic polarizing light filter, which he patented in 1929. He
returned to Havard, but didn’t finish his studies or get a degree (he was
awarded an honorary doctorate in 1957). After this, he established a lab with
his Havard physics professor, George Wheelwright III, to commercialize his
filter in 1932. This became the Polaroid Corporation in 1937. The filter found
many applications – sunglasses, photography, 3D movies, and more.
In 1943, while on vacation in Santa Fe, New Mexico, his 3-year-old
daughter Jennifer was marvelling at a snow-covered sight. She asked her dad to
take a photo of the sight. After taking the photo, she asked the following
question - “Daddy, why can’t I see the picture straight away? Why does it take
weeks to arrive? Why do I have to wait?” Within an hour Edwin conceived his
most famous idea – the instant photo camera. Land first demonstrated his “Land
Camera” in 1947. It proved to be an instant success.
As well as instant photography, Land worked on many things in optics, resulting
in 535 patents in his lifetime. Highlights include missile guidance systems,
the optics of the Lockheed U-2 spy plane and early spy satellites.
Land was a scientist first, to the point he made sure his did “an
experiment each day.” However, he was notorious for doing very long research
sessions. Once he had an idea, he would experiment and brainstorm until he
solved it – without taking a single break! He had to have food bought to him
and be reminded to eat. He once wore the same clothes for 18 days straight,
while working on the production of polarized film. He had teams of assistants
working in shifts, so he could continue working.
Instant Movie Film
The idea of instant developing movie film dates back to the 1930s, when
John Logie Baird employed an “intermediate” film process in this pioneering TV
studio. 35mm film cameras had developer tanks places beneath them to develop
their film as soon as its exposed. While still wet, this film was scanned for
transmission.
“Land was a benevolent but slightly paranoid autocrat who disdained
market research because he felt that his products would create demand, and who
let very few people in on his ideas before they were ready to go to the market.
He personally selected and educated his closest confidants in the secrets of
instant photography so that they would be intensely loyal to him. Then, he gave
them instructions to conduct certain experiments or create new processes, the
purpose of which only he understood. He also gave his subordinates strict
orders to tell no one, including their peers, what they were working on, and to
report results directly to him.
…
… in a company run by a genius, there are a lot of stupid people. Not
stupid in reality, of course; the scientists, researchers, marketing people and
others at Polaroid were among the brightest and
Best in the world. But in the face of Land, they acquiesced. How could
they not have? Land created the company. He invented the products. He had
proven himself right in the face of detractors time and time again. At the
zenith of his career, it was difficult for anyone, including his closest
friends and associates, to tell the emperor that he had no clothes.” – William
A. Pasmore, Creating Strategic Change (1994)
Creating “Sesame”
“[Polavision is] one of our earliest and most challenging dreams” –
Edwin Land (1977)
With the huge success of instant still photography, the idea of instant
movie films wasn’t far away from Land’s mind. In 1947, Land had said that his
instant still photo technology can be “inherently adaptable … for making motion
pictures”.
Developed under the codename “Sesame,” Polavision was developed along
with work on improving instant still photography. Been its main product, Sesame
was a lower priority in Polaroid. But that was not the only factor that
affected its development. Another was Dr Land himself. Sesame became his
favorite project, expecting it to become a big success, like his still cameras.
Project Sesame began in the 1950s. But was slowed down due to work on
better still cameras. Land’s first cameras were not exactly what Land
envisioned. He wanted a fully automatic camera that can just snap a picture,
develop it, and reveal a high-quality color image after a minute without
removing a cover beforehand. Polaroid eventually achieved this in 1972, with
the SX-70 camera. It cost Polaroid over half a billion dollars to develop.
Meanwhile they were power struggles in the company, due to Land’s focus
on research over the day-to-day operations. Land had said “There isn’t any
number two; there are a lot of number threes”, and he regularly had his number
threes battle against each other. As a result, by the time Land began
concentrating on developing Polavision, in the mid-1970s, Polaroid received a
shock – Kodak introduced their high-quality (and cheaper) version of the SX-70
camera in 1976. Polaroid sued, resulting in a 10-year federal court case, and
Kodak been forced to pay them $909.5million.
The internal politics came to ahead when, in 1975, Land made William J.
McCune president and COO of Polaroid. Land remained chairman of the board, CEO,
and director of research. In that same year project Sesame was named
“Polavision.”
As Polavision was developed, some in Polaroid had reservations. Stanford
Calderwood (executive vice president, until 1970) said “the movie camera
business only accounts for three percent of the entire photographic market, and
yet Land insists on getting into it.”
When McCune balked at bringing Polavision to the market, Land marched
into the board of directors and demanded that he’ll be in charge of the program
personally. Considering Land’s position, the board thought he already was, so
pretty much had final say and got their approval. In the end, no matter what,
Land wanted Polavision. He believed it was the next big thing. It had to be.
Polavision’s development, production, and marketing cost Polaroid an estimated
$200million.
“Working hard but keeping mum, Edwin Land’s engineers and researchers
may be readying another blockbuster for camera buffs …” - Robert Gorman (Popular
Science, March 1974)
In March 1974, Popular Science published speculation on
Polaroid’s instant movie film system. Reporter Robert Gorman had researched
patents to speculate Polaroid next new product, and the result was surprisingly
accurate. In response Polaroid’s Eelco Wolf issued a memo to all publicity
managers setting out Polaroid’s position that the let unnamed product was part
of ongoing research into instant transparences, still in development and they
had no “marketing dates or timetables” for it.
Launching
Polavision
“The era of
instant movies is here!” – The New York Times
Polavision was unveiled on April
26 1977 by Land in front of a crowd of 3,800 shareholders and Polaroid’s
executives (and 200 members of the press) at the company’s 40th
annual stockholder’s meeting in Needham, Massachusetts.
He announced that “the era of
immediately visible living images is now at hand.” then paused for applause,
and continued “I would
like to introduce to you a new field of science, art and industry —called
Polavision.”
The event was a carnivalesque. Cameras were given out and juggers,
mimes, and members of the Boston Ballet Company were present to give them
something to shoot. After this demonstration, Land said to the crowd “The new
system … is a way to relate ourselves to life and each other.”
“… there is no question the camera and cassette
he calls Polavision will open new worlds in Super‐8 filming.” – The New York
Times
Polaroid originally planned to release Polavision in late-October 1977. Polavision
was finally launched in a test market (California) in November 1977, and rolled
out nationwide in March 1978. Polaroid was confident of its success. 1977 was the first year Polaroid
sales exceeded $1billion. Sadly, it proved to be otherwise….
“The company that seems to
specialize in turning impossible concepts into hardware has done it again:
Instant movies are a reality. Polaroid calls its new system Polavision.” -
Everett H. Ortner (Popular Science, July 1977)
“People will be able to keep a
motion-picture diary of their daily lives, just as they now have family albums
of stills. … They can exchange cassettes with friends or distant family
members.” – Edwin Land (Popular Mechanics, August 1977)
“We could have added more features in both camera and viewer, … Our
interest at this time is in the average user. Subsequent models will contain
additional elements such as a faster lens for low light filming, power and
sound.” Edward Land (1977)
Camera
“Designed for virtually
foolproof operation, [the] camera is easy to handle even when you’re wearing
heavy gloves.” – Stephen Walton (Popular Mechanics, April 1978)
Manufactured by Eumig, and
retailing for $184 in 1978, the Polavision camera is designed to be easy-to-use.
Despite weighing 1.5lb (0.7kg), the camera is packed with features, including automatic
exposure, an in-frame low-light indicator, and a built-in color correction
filter for daylight shooting.
The camera is powered by
four AA batteries.
Lenses are set to focus in
just two positions. When extended out it can do close-ups (6-15ft). When pushed
in, it focus over 15ft. A 2:1 zoom lens (12.5-25mm) provide modest wide-angle
and telephoto shots.
The built-in color
correction filter is locked out for indoor use with a screw-in key or by
attaching the Twi Light.
Shooting
with Polavision
The Polavision camera records
pictures at 18 frames per second. To shoot, you squeeze the rear trigger then
the front trigger. When the LED above the viewfinder frame flashes, you got
only got six seconds of film left. When you run out of film, the LED stays on
without flashing. As the camera doesn’t produce a white flash between shots, Polarvision
can be used to make crude animations. But you can’t control how many frames
that are exposed when you pull the trigger.
Twi
Light
As the film requires A LOT
of light to make decent pictures, a highly suggested accessory is the Twi Light
– a two-beam light attachment for the camera. Costing $42, its bright enough to
luminate subjects up to 10ft away.
For $26.95, you can buy a
carry case that can hold the camera, the light, and four cassettes.
Polavision
Film
Polavision uses Super8
format movie film. Polavision film reproduces colour with an additive process,
instead of the subtractive method most colour films use. The film is made of a black-and-white
emulsion base, covered with a transparent layer scored with microscopically
narrow red, green, and blue filter stripes (4,500 per inch). Unfortunately, this
filter reduced the amount of light that reached the film’s emulsion, reducing
its sensitivity (a film speed of ISO 40). As a result, Polavision needed a lot
of bright light to capture decent footage.
For comparison, the
Polaroid SX-70, introduced in 1972, originally used film with a speed of ISO
160. Polaroid 600 film, introduced in 1981, has the speed of ISO 640.
In regular color film,
the three primary colors are captured on three separate emulsion layers.
Polavision uses just one emulsion layer covered by a color filter.
“We went to the thicker base because we found that standard films could
not take the punishment of repeated projections for more than perhaps 100 times
without showing damage. We tested our films for 1,000 projections and found the
heavier base was practically mandatory, if both film and color quality are to
be preserved.” – Edwin Land (1977)
Polavision
Sound
“We want the audible beauty of sound in our sound films to match the
visual beauty of our film.” – Edwin Land (1977)
The film used in
Polavision has a magnetic strip, suggesting future plans for sound capability.
Land said during the 1977 launch “In the near future, perhaps a year or two, when the new system is over
its teething problems, we will add sound in subsequent models. By tooling up
initially for sound, we save the cost of retooling later. … In the camera, we
will have to add a solid state, miniaturized sound recording unit, with
provision for a microphone. … If we can, both cassette and camera will stay the
same size.”
In 1979, at Polaroid’s
annual share-holders meeting in Needham, Massachusetts, Land demonstrated stereo
sound by capturing “a handsome and bosomy soprano” singing Gershwin’s
“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy…” It was achieved using a separate strip of
magnetic tape interwoven with the film. This tape is three times wider than the
magnetic stripe found on Super8 film, and runs faster than in standard tape
recorders, allowing great sound quality. They were plans to offer an add-on
sound system to players, but it never materialized.
Phototape
Cassette
Polavision film was sold
in “Phototape cassettes.” The cassette measures 15 x 7 x 130mm and weighs 85
grams. Each cassette contained 38.5ft of film, recording 2,800 frames, resulting
in about 2.5 minutes of recording time. That may not seem much, but it was
enough for the casual filming situations Polavision was aimed at. Cassettes
retail for $9.95 each.
“I find … that the 2½
minutes of film time that the Polavision cassette offers is just about right as
an entertainment module. Just about the time you’ve finished the last
eight-second take of Jim Marshall carving the turkey or Joe Sweeney raising his
glass in let another toast, you get pretty anxious to see what it looks like.”
- Everett H. Ortner (Popular Science,
May 1978)
The status of a cassette is stated by a label on the film seen from its
access hole. On a new unused cassette, it says “unexposed.” After use in the
camera, it says “exposed.” After development in the player, it says “rerun.”
Polavision
Player
Manufactured by Eumig,
Polavision tapes are developed and played back in a table-top
12-inch screened projector
unit. Weighing 24lb, the player retailed for $515.
The player has 45°
viewing angle and works best when viewed 5-6ft away.
“Close up, the screen image
has an odd “pointillistic appearance, as if created by a French Impressionist
painter – all pepper and salt, but, of course, in color.” - Everett H. Ortner (Popular
Science, May 1978)
Developing
Polavision
After filming, the cassette
can be placed in the viewer, where the film is developed. When the cassette is
inserted the film is automatically rewound to the supply reel. This rewinding
pulls a tab in the cassette that opens a seal, releasing developing reagent in the
development chamber. The reagent is gravity feed by a tiny nozzle above the
film. During development, the whole film is sped across the nozzle in 20
seconds, coating it, with the help of a coating bar, a 6.5-micron layer of
reagent. Very little reagent is needed (only 12 drops) to process the whole
film. Afterwards, the film is wrapped up tightly in the supply reel. This
tenson activates a switch in the player to stop everything for 45 seconds, to
give the chemicals time to develop the film. After this, the player’s projector
light turns on and the developed film is projected to the screen, via a plastic
prism in the cassette. After development, a cassette can start automatically
when inserted in a player, rewinding automatically after playing.
“…there are 3,000 pictures or Super‐8 frames in each cassette, each
smaller than your pinkie's fingernail. It takes very little liquid to develop
just one square foot.” – Edwin Land (1977)
Instant
Replay unit
For an extra $42, you can buy a
disk-shaped Instant Replay unit, which, when plugged in during playback, can
stop the film and rewind it back 10-20 seconds.
Picture
Quality
“If you expect the quality of
70-mm theatrical movies, it will disappoint you.” – Stephen Walton (Popular
Mechanics, April 1978)
“If you and your family get a
thrill out of seeing a movie of what has just happened, it will delight you.
There’s really nothing to compare it to.” – Stephen Walton (Popular
Mechanics, April 1978)
Polavision films are shoot and
displayed at an “acceptably smooth” 18 frames per second. Popular Science
magazine described the picture from Polavision as “grainy and contrasty close
up, but surprisingly pleasant from a few feet away.” They found it produced
colors good, rendering skin tones realistically. However, for most users, with
little knowledge about lighting and filming, the result was mostly murky.
“As a combination of portability and immediacy, Polavision is unique.
You can film anywhere with it; you can film and play back anywhere
there’s a 100-volt outlet. It will be a good while before videotape can offer
comparable convenience at a comparable price.” – Stephen Walton (Popular Mechanics, April 1978)
“I tried using the product but it was obviously a turkey compared to
anything I was using that Kodak offered and a positive disaster when compared
to my 8mm Bolex. … Instant movie film was an engineering achievement but it's
precisely what separated Polaroid techies from Polaroid pragmatists. There just
weren't enough customers out there on whom to work the magic.” – Paul Giambarba,
graphic designer and Polaroid freelancer
“An Instant Dud for Polaroid” – Newsweek (1979)
By the time Polavision was released in 1977, the market it was aimed at,
home movie film, was in the middle of dying out.
Video tape, in the form of VCRs and early video cameras, had already
entered the market. Video provided instant replay – faster than Polavision
could ever achieve. A video tape can also record up to an hour and be played in
multiple models of compatible VCRs … and can be erased and reused multiple
times, unlike exposed film.
However, video tape was initially expensive, compared to Polavision. (In
1977, the JVC HR-3300U Vidstar retailed for $1,280, with blank VHS cassettes
costing $19.95 each. Additionally, the JVC GC-3300U video camera cost an
additional $1,500.)
But, as in all electronics, prices soon fell.
(By 1980, the 11½-pound portable JVC HR-2200U VCR could be bought for $1,250
and the JVC GX-66 video camera for $850, plus $16 for a blank VHS tape. In
1983, the Sony BMC-110 (the first ever camcorder) was sold for $1,500, and a
5-hour Beta tape cost $11.89)
This, and its picture quality and lack of sound, pretty much killed Polavision
as soon as it went on sale. And faults in early units didn’t help neither. In
September 1979 Polaroid wrote down the price of all remaining stock by
$68.5million. By 1980, some retailers had cut the price of equipment by much as
60%.
Shareholders were not happy. In March 1979 they sued Polaroid, claiming
that the company failed to disclose information on Polavision’s poor
performance during a stock sale in January. Polaroid lost this suit in 1987 and
was found liable for $30million of damages. In the April shareholders’ meeting,
Land demonstrated a wide-angle screen for the player and sound, which never
reached the market. In May, Polaroid laid off employees for the first time
since the 1950s.
In June 1979 a new version
of Polavision was announced, with stop-motion functionality. It was “Just the
thing to study your golf swing.” Polaroid hoped this will salvage Polavision,
by selling it for industrial applications. It got endorsed by the US Olympic
skiing team and the Professional Golfers’ Association of America as a training
aid. The police even used it to catch drug smugglers.
But, even in this market,
it didn’t sale well, forcing Polaroid to cease production.
As a result of Polavision’s failure, Edwin Land (after a personal loss
of $660million) resigned as CEO in 1980 and resigned as Director and Chairman
of the Board in 1982. After deciding to devote his time to his own scientific institute,
the Rowland Institute of Science, he sold all his remaining shares in Polaroid
in 1983.
“Polavision is just the wrong product for the wrong market at the wrong time”
– Marvin Saffian, Wall Street analyst (1979)
But the research that led to Polavision wasn’t wasted. Improving on
Polavision’s technology, Polaroid created Polachrome, an instant color slide
film system. Introduced in 1983, it was a minor success.
Polavision eventually did find a niche application – in industrial
testing. It provided an instant means to view high speed footage of test
subjects … or at least create test shots of subjects before the proper
equipment is used, like Polaroids were used by photographers to test exposure
settings before using expensive film.
And what about Polaroid?
Sadly for Polaroid, the same management that approved Polavision made
another mistake in hindsight - mistreating the threat of digital imaging
technology on their core business. Due to declining sales of instant photo
cameras (and lack of success in digital cameras and scanners), in 2001 Polaroid
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. From 2002, “Polaroid” branded TVs
and DVD players were sold. Polaroid
discontinued cameras in 2007, filed for bankruptcy again in 2008, and ended
production of instant film in 2009.
But before that happened, in 2008, Florian Kaps, André Bosman, and
Marwan Saba founded the Impossible Project. They bought the last remaining
factory and restarted production of instant film in 2010. Later, they made
cameras too. In 2017, Impossible Project’s biggest shareholder acquired the
rights of Polaroid’s name, changing the company name to Polaroid Originals. In
2020, they became just Polaroid.
In a 1978 print ad, Polaroid listed 49 “legitimate business”
applications for Polavision. These were…
Introducing children to potential adoptive parents.
Scouting locations, props, and costumes for advertising.
Aerial Photography.
Bidding for HVAC contracts.
Selling aircraft, by showing them in flight.
Showing off breed animals.
Showing off new apartment listings to potential renters.
Analyzing traffic patterns for architects
Recording archeological excavations.
A training aid for athletes.
Recording and playing back scenes and events for authors, for
inspiration.
Help show brides-to-be what they look like in wedding dresses.
Show the progress of construction jobs.
To show talent to talent bookers.
Promotion in conventions.
Recording events on cruises for passengers.
A training aid for dancers.
To record the activities of kids in daycare or at camp for their
parents.
Before and after shots of interior decorating and landscaping.
Evaluating demolition jobs.
Promotion of products in department stores.
Recording suspect movements and evidence in crime investigations.
Exhibit things in exhibitions.
Provide visual records of events, eliminating the need for descriptive
writing in reports.
To view properties for evaluating approvals for mortgages.
Demonstrating firefighting techniques and document violations.
Promote charities door-to-door.
Aiding medical therapy.
Teaching tennis, golf, fly fishing, dancing, karate, gymnastics, skiing,
swimming, etc.
Document insurance claims.
Record movements as legal evidence.
Monitor production lines in factories.
Recording surgical procedures for later study.
Military intelligence.
Preview models for photographers, air directors and fashion executives.
Estimating and recording the state of stuff before and after a house
removal.
Record activity in oil and gas pipelines.
Studying the impact protection properties of packaging.
Record working models for patent applications.
Quickly updatable presentations.
Provide visual instructions or demonstrations of new products.
Viewing properties for sale.
Aiding research and development.
Teaching safety procedures.
Promoting new services or products as soon as their available.
Providing instant coverage of recent events for TV news programs.
Customizable films for travel agents.
Document safety and compliance violations.
Aid the observation of animals.
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