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CREATING A NEW SUPPLY LINE “The best thing for everyone is that we’re now in a position
to supply any sort of production at very short notice from the stock we hold.”
The recently opened premises of supply and distribution company Transco first4media at number 2 Dean Street in Soho, London look set to become familiar territory for Fuji customers.
They are, among other things, the main distribution outlet for Fuji motion picture negative, and the site – under the managership of Barry Byrne – has already proved busy beyond initial expectations.
At a time of increased competi- tion in the industry the opening of this outlet could not have been more timely. Offering a complete range of Fuji motion picture film negative, from the 64 daylight to F500 and everything in between, first4media also carries an extensive range of audio, visual, digital and data related products.
At the last count the 12,000 square foot site carried 1800 different stock lines in all, making it a handy one stop shop for TV, pop promo and commercial productions.
“They can order whatever they might need from us,” explains Byrne, “and we would deliver to studios or production office addresses on location. Or they could come in and buy it over the counter, which people have done for smaller projects like documentaries, or student films.
“Features are still done from Finchley Road, which makes sense when you think that an average movie might go through a quarter of a million feet of film. It’s so much easier to supply that kind of quantity directly from the manufacturer rather than shipping it in and out of central London.
“Which is not to say that if anyone was shooting in the capital and they were caught short then they couldn’t come to us. We’d be happy to help out. And of course Fuji as an outlet at Finchley Road is
not able to deal with sale or return or other things like that which the industry demands.
“We’re a much more traditional retail operation, with a keenly com- petitive pricing structure agreed with Fuji. It’s ideal for the commercials industry, where they’re usually shot over a period of one or two days, and they’re straightforward in and out jobs. The best thing for everyone is that we’re now in a position to supply any sort of production at very short notice from the stock we hold.”
Stored in a dedicated cool room to keep it at the optimum temperature of ten degrees Celsius or fifty degrees Fahrenheit, the stocks have sold well across the range to date, although the newest F400 tungsten balanced stock has performed particularly well.
“An indication of how well things have gone is that we started off with mini fridges,” adds Byrne, “but demand has outgrown that, so now we have our cool room to store it all in.”
Being able to keep a keen eye on the movement of the various products, Byrne also notes that advances in film technology and manufacture mean that faster stocks like the F400 are becoming more reliable as times goes on.
“I think there’s an older genera- tion of cameramen who worked when fast stocks were less sophisticated than they are now. The emulsions showed a lot more grain, and conse- quently the cameramen lighting for television dramas would never touch them years ago. They just wouldn’t screen in sufficient quality on televi- sion. But that’s changed now.”
A division of Transco Group Plc – though not to be confused with the gas supplier of the same name – first4media are established on a healthy basis of supplying customer needs within the industry for more than a decade.
They have grown to become the largest supplier of professional recording media in Europe, with an annual turnover in the region of
£14 million. And with Byrne bringing 30 years worth of experience to his newly assumed post this track record of cool professionalism looks set to continue.
“I started off working in process- ing laboratories,” Byrne explains, “and gradually worked my way through the ranks, from grading to client contact. I was laboratory manager at Universal Film Labs, and then I went on to Agfa Motion Picture for eight years before they finished manufacturing
motion picture
negative. I then
went onto the sales
department of the
Film Stock Centre,
and ended up man-
aging the company.
Then I came here.”
Since August,
business has been
brisk. Two TV dra-
mas in particular
have benefited from
first4media’s exper-
tise, productions in
various stages of production The Cazalet Chronicles and Gentlemen’s Relish, both of which were based at Teddington Studios. They are the first of what should be many satisfied cus- tomers. ■ ANWAR BRETT
Products can be purchased by phone, fax, e-mail support@first4media.com, from first4media’s website www.first4media.com or in person over the trade counter.
Office hours are 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Telephone: 020 7544 5400
(main sales office number)
Fax: 020 7544 5544, Priority free fax order number: 0800 181 347
Photos from top: Transco first4media Manager Barry Byrne; sales counter and the window display for Fujifilm at 2 Dean Street
EXPOSURE • 23