Anyone with a foot in the past century, who remembers only having 24 or 36 shots to play with when taking holiday snaps will most likely have played with a Polaroid camera at some point in their lives. An mainstay of the later 20th century, this iconic camera makes a return for the 21st century and is partnering with The Mandalorian to bring some 70’s swagger back to photography and StarWars.com caught up with Polaroid’s chief marketing officer Marta Martinez to discuss its return.
StarWars.com: Polaroid has always been just a fun way to shoot film, and I feel like the instant film inspired by The Mandalorian reflects that. Can you talk about how it came to be?
Marta Martinez: We decided to focus the Polaroid instant film on the Child to create a playful contrast to the understated camera design, which is like the Mandalorian himself. As the Mandalorian and the Child journey through the series together, their roles complement each other — we wanted to bring those complimentary characteristics to life through the relationship of The Mandalorian Polaroid Now camera and the Child-inspired film.
Part of bringing to life the playfulness of the Child comes from the fact that you don’t know what frame you will get with your picture. Our team of designers developed 12 unique frames, with eight included in each pack of film. The colors of the frames once again are inspired by the commanding landscapes of the Outer Rim worlds.
Of course, after you load the film you will get a unique collectible “dark slide.” Our dark slides protect the sensitive instant film from light exposure and each pack of the Child-inspired film contains one of the eight unique dark slide designs. These Easter eggs were created as a subtle quest for Polaroid photographers to bring their own bounty hunt to life.
StarWars: As a Star Wars fan and child of the ’80s, this is obviously right up my alley. But I also think this release can be a great gateway into Polaroid photography for younger fans.
Marta Martinez: Polaroid has been part of the cultural landscape for over 80 years and this is still true today. The Polaroid and Star Wars fans grew up together. Most people don’t realize that many of the early Star Wars movies have cast and continuity photos shot on Polaroid film. There’s a beautiful mix of nostalgia and innovation here that is perfectly captured in this dynamic partnership.
Some brands can capture the imagination of different generations and this is what I think we are both doing here; building on our heritage but reinventing the stories to make them relevant to a new generation. Whereas older fans grew up with instant photography, younger fans grew up with the endless camera reel hidden on a smartphone. To take a picture and hold the final product in your hand, that’s the real magic we create.
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