imagine you can travel back to the 1940s. You will be an early producer of matrix emulsions. You cannot take equipment with you, although you may take your curent knowledge, as well as  being able to lookup  patents issued before 2000.

Most importantly: you know it is possible, even limited to the engineering,  mechanical, and chemical systems of the 40s, 50s. Always an advantage second movers have — certainty.

If I say “film” how far does that word take you — where? if you are an Internet generation film might only take you to Kodak and Hollywood.. your search might also only take you to saran wrap.

however if you know of more than one film maker and you don’t run that word on or hyphenated you may know of Ilford, Dupont, Ansco,  Agfa, Defender or more. If those names are in your dictionary then you’ll understand the time travel exercise and you’ll understand the notion of film being discussed.

How does the emulsion become — what is included in the kettle, how is it mixed, how does it become a coating on the base, why doesn’t it fall off upon drying… many more questions will sprout — but they were all answered robustly even by 1940. 

Every bit of knowledge needed to make a matrix film was common trade knowledge by 1941 — panchromatic films remained closely guarded insights until 1950. 

There were enough solutions to the problems that engineering and industrial chemists were selecting choices for cost-market reasons.

why don’t you gather a group of three travelers around a studio table to plot your journey — I won’t be going. Safe travels.