8mm Forum: What is the purpsoe of IMAX for commercial films (non-documentary)?

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Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on October 25, 2010, 10:31 AM:

Yesterday was my first time to see Hollywood films at IMAX, i.e BATMAN the Dark Knight. During my childhood, I went to IMAX for documentary films and was attracted by huge screen and the way films was shot, making us like inside the picture.

But what is the point to show commercial films at IMAX now?. The IMAX' tags say "See More, Hear More and Feel More".... but also we Pay More. It is $5 more from the usual screen.

Hollywood films was shot in the way of normal film (only a few scenes with IMAX technology) and when it is shown at IMAX the difference is only size of the screen and nothing more!.

If it is in 1990s, I would admit that there would be a big effort to show film at IMAX, because it has to be printed on different film format, i.e 70mm with a different projector. But now they do not need to print the film because it is a digital era, so what they need just a different projector. Therefore, it is less expensive than it previously used to be.

I think I will not go to IMAX again for these kind of films, what about you?

cheers,

Posted by Jean-Marc Toussaint (Member # 270) on October 25, 2010, 01:33 PM:

I go on a regular basis. I love the experience, love the huge screen and *really* love the sound system. It's loud without saturation and the subwoofers'rumbles remind me of Sensurround.
Just saw Resident Evil a few weeks ago and I'll probably go and see Ga'hoole next week. Can't wait for Tron to be released...

Posted by Claus Harding (Member # 702) on October 25, 2010, 03:28 PM:

As I see it, IMAX has done a great job destroying their own brand by switching to video.
They have/had something no one else could offer: 70mm film, run horizontally, with monster sound and projection quality.
So what do they do: they kill the very thing that makes them special.
To top it off, they refuse to let theatre managers specifically advertize if they have 70-mil. or just video. Amazing.

IMAX is and was 70mm film on a colossal screen. That was the whole point. Not video.
Now, whether this format is good for feature films, I don't know. But for pure image and sound quality, nothing comes close to the original 70mm presentations.

Claus.

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on October 25, 2010, 05:56 PM:

Hi Winbert,
I broadly agree with you and regret the decline of the sort of films that made IMAX special. This was discussed a while back and you can find more comment here:
http://8mmforum.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=001661#000000

Personally, I think the key thing is that even a film like 'Alice in Wonderland' shown via horizontal 70mm IMAX (which I've seen) represents a 'dumbing down' of true IMAX, because an IMAX film actually shot AND screened on IMAX looks far sharper than the features NOT shot on IMAX and converterd to it.

Posted by Pasquale DAlessio (Member # 2052) on October 25, 2010, 08:34 PM:

Bottom line on IMAX......there is nothing like the original! If it ain't broken...don't fix it! They cheapened the format and ruined it with converted films. Another way to make a fast buck at movie goers expense. Anybody remember Cinerama?

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on October 26, 2010, 07:19 AM:

quote:
they refuse to let theatre managers specifically advertize if they have 70-mil. or just video. Amazing.

Hi Claus,

Isn't that easy for us to find whether video or film is used. Just see to the projector booth, if there are two light source come out from the booth, that means it is video as they are using two projectors 2 * 2K) simultaneously to achieve a huge screen which is only ideally for 4K projector.

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on October 26, 2010, 09:20 AM:

Winbert - I'm puzzled by your statement above - as there are two beams of light with 70mm IMAX, as two projectors are used.

I had some interesting correspondence with the Technical Manager at the London IMAX and he did acknowledge that 70mm IMAX can beat digital in some respects. On the other hand, if you ask questions to IMAX's information service, you get a quick reply, but one featuring bland corporate nonsense about how the format used makes no difference.

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on October 26, 2010, 09:43 AM:

Adrian,. yes that what I saw at AMC theater in Canada, and after reading wikipedia about IMAX, it is so in accordance:

quote:
IMAX digital currently uses two 2K-resolution Christie projectors with Texas Instruments Digital Light Processing technology alongside parts of IMAX's proprietary technologies. The two 2K images are projected over each other, producing an image that is potentially of a slightly higher resolution than common 2K digital cinema. Originally, IMAX had been considering using two Sony 4K projectors.[29] Some reviewers note that this approach may not produce image quality higher than using one 4K projector, which are available for some non-IMAX theaters,[28] including AMC's own.[30]

I can say that most of us has been fooled by IMAX ! [Mad]

ps: [edited] I just notice your statement

quote:
s there are two beams of light with 70mm IMAX, as two projectors are used.

Did you say that IMAX 70mm (non-digital) also use 2 projectors? really...? how could it be, where there is one reel film used while screening?

[ October 26, 2010, 04:16 PM: Message edited by: Winbert Hutahaean ]

Posted by Michael O'Regan (Member # 938) on October 26, 2010, 09:45 AM:

quote:
Another way to make a fast buck at movie goers expense. Anybody remember Cinerama?

Anyone remember real film???

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on October 26, 2010, 09:58 PM:

Quote...Anyone remember real film.

What this stuff [Wink]

Yep...Still using it almost every day...well..until they throw me and the projectors into the junk pile. [Smile]

Quote.... anybody remember "Cinerama".
I wish I did, I never saw it in action however the old "Cinerama" theatre here, which sadly is long gone did run 70mm prints back in the 70s. I remember films like "Ryan's Daughter" and "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines" to name a few and was lucky enough to be given the grand tour and chat to the projectionist the night he was running the 70mm print of "Mag Men" I wish I had taken some photos as there is little record of the cinema's existence "pity" the projector was an impressive Philips DP70.

Graham.

Posted by Nick Field (Member # 2132) on October 27, 2010, 12:51 AM:

quote:
Did you say that IMAX 70mm (non-digital) also use 2 projectors? really...? how could it be, where there is one reel film used while screening?

In 70mm format of IMAX two projectors are used with two identical films one for left eye and one for right,both films are syncronized together. The projectors are not like the standard projectors used in all cinemas they use vacuum technology to show each frame of the film.
So two films are used so that means two platters are also used so a big projection booth is needed.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on October 27, 2010, 05:22 AM:

Never had the chance to get to see an Imax movie so here is a question, when you talk about "Imax 3D" in 70mm are the films shot using the "Imax 70mm Camera", or is it 35mm blown up? those 70mm camera's I imagine would be a must to use to obtain the high quality image that Imax was all about in the first place.... anyway here are a couple of photos I took of different film formats that you might find of interest.

a strip of 70mm Imax film

Imax at the top...impressive compared with the rest [Smile]

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