New Home Film Processor Frank Lets Filmmakers Develop Super 8 and 16-mm Movie Film Themselves

Frank film processing device for home Super 8 and 16-mm film, Digi Mart USA News: Many low-budget filmmakers still shoot on 8-mm or 16-mm analog film for its rich, organic, textured look, but getting it processed has become a major hassle. According to a report by New Atlas, Super 8 was once easy to develop: a cartridge dropped at a local camera store was sent to a regional lab and returned about two weeks later for roughly US$20.

Today, Super 8 cartridges reportedly cost about US$65 without processing, and the few labs that still handle them charge approximately $40 per cartridge. Users who do not own an analog projector must also pay to have their footage digitized, adding another step to the process.

The device, called Frank, is developed by Estonian startup Vintage Visual and was the subject of a successful Indiegogo campaign. It is now in the Late Pledge category, meaning its funding goal has been reached while pledges are still being accepted.

The motorized machine accepts Standard 8, Super 8 and 16-mm film, both black-and-white and color, negative and reversal, and uses standard Developer/Stop/Fix chemistry kits with less than one liter of liquid per cartridge.

To operate it, users prepare and heat the chemicals to the required temperature, load the film onto the supply reel in a dark bag, place the reel in the machine, choose a program on the touchscreen, add the first chemical and press Start. Frank then handles agitation and winds the film through the chemical bath onto the take-up reel.

It alerts users when a chemical must be drained and the next added, with timing determined by monitoring the chemicals’ temperature. Once processed, the film is removed and hung to dry.

According to the report, a pledge of €1,085 (about US$1,214) would secure a Frank, while the planned retail price is €1,281 ($1,434). The report notes that frequent use would be needed for the device to pay for itself.

Pledge figures and the planned price are as reported and have not been independently verified.