What sets Fränk apart
Frank is a semi-automatic, time-compensated processor for Super 8, Double 8, and 16mm. You pour the chemistry. Frank handles the agitation, the timing, and the temperature compensation. Here is how each part works.
Active Time-Compensation
Active Time-Compensation feature automatically adjusts development time if the temperature shifts during processing. This means perfectly developed film, every time, without stressing and guesswork.
Continuous Motor Agitation
A motor turns the reel without stopping. No manual inversion rhythm to hold, no aeration, no uneven marks from a tired arm. End-to-end density variance on the prototype measured log 0.01 to 0.02, effectively uniform from the first frame to the last. A built-in alarm alerts you when it's time to attend Fränk, so you can do something else while your film develops.
Vertical Half-Submerged Reel
The double-spiral reel stands upright with only half its surface in chemistry at any moment. That single geometric move is what lets a motor rotate cine film continuously without sloshing, and it cuts the chemistry volume to one litre.
Funnel In, Valve Out
Chemistry enters through a funnel at the top and drains through a valve at the bottom. The pours and drains stay in your hands by design. Everything between them is automatic.
Three Formats, One Machine
Frank runs all three cine formats on one machine. Its reel holds two independent 50 ft (15 m) compartments, so both sides develop at once and a single run takes up to 100 ft (30 m) of film on the same litre of chemistry. A standard 100 ft roll of 16mm splits into two 50 ft lengths before loading. The cut costs about 5 cm of film, roughly 0.2 seconds at 24 fps.
One Litre, Standard Kits
Frank uses one litre of chemistry per fill, sized to the standard chemical kits already sold worldwide.
Compatible processes
+
- B&W
- General
- C-41
- Kodak · Adox · Arista · Bellini · Cinestill · Fuji Hunt · Jobo · Tetenal · Unicolor · Flic Film
- ECN-2
- Bellini · Cinestill · Flic Film · Ilfocolor · Jobo
- E-6
- Adox · Arista · Cinestill D6 · Ilfocolor · Jobo
- ECP
- Kodak (ECP-E2)
Frank does not heat chemistry. It senses temperature and compensates the development time. Pre-warm to your target in a water bath, and for longer processes a sous-vide circulator holds the bath steady.
Programs and Connectivity
Frank connects to your phone or laptop over WiFi, with no app to install. From the browser interface you build and save your own custom programs, or fine-tune the defaults step by step. Firmware updates arrive the same way for the life of the product, steadily expanding what Frank can run and widening chemical compatibility.
The full spec
Format & capacity
Process control
Physical & power
Frank does not heat chemistry. It senses temperature and adjusts time. Pre-warm to your target in a water bath.
Back Fränk on Indiegogo
The campaign runs 31 July to 12 September 2026. Delivery is targeted for Q1 2027, all-in with VAT and worldwide shipping included.