8mm Forum: Are REAL Imax films dying out?

This is topic Are REAL Imax films dying out? in forum General Yak at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on May 14, 2010, 09:11 AM:

I don't have a fundamental objection to non-Imax features being printed on Imax film and being shown on Imax screens, but all the evidence in London nowadays is that they are completely taking over, with generally less than 20% of each day being allocated to genuine Imax films.

Personally, I think that's a shame as you can't see such films elsewhere and they are the only films which have the exceptional definition needed to look fantastic on enormous screens. It seems unlikely that anyone will be able to justify the expense of shooting on Imax film if there are only limited opportunities for the films to be screened, so I wonder if we are now seeing the death - or at least a serious decline - of the very films that caused the Imax cinemas to be created?

[ May 14, 2010, 06:37 PM: Message edited by: Adrian Winchester ]

Posted by Claus Harding (Member # 702) on May 14, 2010, 10:27 AM:

Adrian,

According to the grapevine, two things are going on with IMAX:
One is, as you mention, the Hollywood features using the format selectively for some scenes, as a selling gimmick.

The other, more ominous thing is that IMAX is more and more becoming video, with theatres that advertize "IMAX" but which have smaller screens and use digtial projection.

There was a story about a meeting between IMAX top brass and the theatre managers where the latter were strongly asking for there to be a differentiation between real IMAX and the video version in the advertizing, but the company wouldn't allow it.

Everything is "The IMAX Experience" and they figure most people won't give a damn. As usual, the good stuff loses, being flattened down to the lowest common denominator.

It is remarkable that here you have the higest-quality format ever invented in terms of pure film 'look' and resolution and they are throwing away the very thing that made them special, the pure quality unobtainable by anything else.

I like to imagine that at least a few regular joes will attend a digital IMAX screening after having been told how great the IMAX format is, only to come out thinking "what is supposed to be so special about it?" but most likely I am dreaming.

Claus.

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on May 14, 2010, 11:40 AM:

IMAX is going to Digital format now. So what you see migh be considered as a Video projected on a huge screen.

Unfortunately IMAX is the only one and it is a trademark too. So whatever they decide to advertise it is solely they decision that no one can complain. There will be no competitor.

regards

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on May 14, 2010, 06:49 PM:

I agree with the points made by Claus and clearly the smaller digital screens are a 'dumbing down' of the IMAX name, but I was referring to the enormous 'genuine' IMAX screens that are increasingly not showing films shot in IMAX, even if they have been printed on 15:70 IMAX film. I don't believe that even the Imax corporation intends - at least in the fairly near future - to convert these cinemas to digital, but please tell me if I'm wrong!

My point was that if these cinemas are mostly screening feature films (and many of these, such as 'Avatar' and 'Alice and Wonderland' don't contain any Imax sequences), does this mean that the sort of films that initially characterised IMAX cinemas - i.e productions lasting about 50 minutes and shot using IMAX cameras - will rarely if ever be made in future?

Posted by John Clancy (Member # 49) on May 15, 2010, 03:19 AM:

Adrian, can you drop me an email john(dot)clancy(at)bfcc(dot)biz as you have fan mail from an article you had in projections.

There used to be a 'Showscan' ride in the Trocadero, Piccadilly and when you went in it was no better than a modern, budget, home video projection. Showscan is supposed to be 70mm film projected at 60fps. I complained to the school leaver running the place but he couldn't understand what I was talking about. Imax will go the same way.

Posted by Barrie Didham (Member # 1741) on May 15, 2010, 02:20 PM:

Its like anything these days,if its good,its got to go.

Most have gone the way of Digital and i cant see them turning back,it cheap and less work needed to keep it going,and with 3D being all the rage,it seems the most likley media everyone will want to work with

IMAX made it to New Zealand but never really made it out of the ball park,I remember them saying at one point that we could see IMAX coming in the main citys,but it never happened,then it kind of just faded away,i would say 70% of people here have no idea what IMAX is and those that do link it to fun rides rather them Movies.

The thing that worrys me is in the future what will we be left with,can Digital stand the test of time,you can pickup 8mm up to 35mm films now from 50 years ago thats almost as good as the day it was made,its the type of media that even if you didnt have a projector,you could workout how it was used and build one,but down the line when even i may no long be around what will left for those wanting to look back at the past,i find it hard to believe that budding collectors will one day have a forum up like this to talk and trade thier DVDs or storage chip cards with 40 to 100 years old 3D movies on them,and if they found an old disc how would they even know what it was or how to use it,i really dont think Digital will last long enough and at some point these Digital films maybe lost for ever.

When i look back i can see how Hollywood as it was came to an end,Vinyl was treated the same way we now treat film and look where those producers of music are now,take EMI,thier almost bust,the CD failed them and the MP3 will push them over the edge with time(anyone here remember the first one hit wonder on MP3 only? I dont),like film the vinly was the mainstay of what they were,and much like film we can still find it and use it today.

The smaller everthing gets the more risk that we will loose it alltogether one day,and mankind will look back on us with little knowledge of us at all,we may with time be seen as the second Dark age,there will be hardly any record of us at all,no photos,films or sound recordings or paper trails,as the Silicone fade away with time we will go with it.

Long live the hard media of old,long live and hail the humble film.

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on May 15, 2010, 07:22 PM:

I hate to disagree but I'm yet to hear any evidence that any of the enormous screen IMAX cinemas showing 15:70 film have converted to digital, but if anyone can name a cinema that has, please do so and I'll look into it. The recent wave of relatively small screens that have irritated people by using the IMAX name were surely all digital from the start - none have ever used 15:70 film.

Posted by Barrie Didham (Member # 1741) on May 15, 2010, 11:35 PM:

IMAX coming to you on a Hard Drive,ermmmm.....

http://celebrationcinema.com/?pid=30813

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on May 16, 2010, 03:58 PM:

Barrie, thanks for the info, but do you know if the cinema in question was previously using 15:70 film and screening films shot on IMAX cameras?

Posted by Barrie Didham (Member # 1741) on May 16, 2010, 04:33 PM:

Yes i believe so

http://www.celebrationcinema.com/?pid=307

Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 892) on May 19, 2010, 12:36 PM:

Sad find, Barrie. For those joining the discussion late, you might find some earlier posts enlightening at the Avatar thread.

Posted by Jose Artiles (Member # 471) on May 22, 2010, 07:10 PM:

One day become when they will want to make a step back to recovery and enjoy real film and then will be when us,the collector,must keep our films,the real films for OUR EYES ONLY because that people
is what deserved,never see film again and only us,the collectors and film lovers will enjoy ours conserved films like what they are....OUR...TREASURE...JUST FOR US,i will be gld to see many of that "dogma " people and "video digital lover" people deseperately cryng and looking for culture,the real film....the real cinema will be at last just for us...the film collectors HA HA HA [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Roy Neil (Member # 913) on May 22, 2010, 11:22 PM:

Yes.

Posted by Barry Johnson (Member # 84) on June 03, 2010, 06:57 AM:

Well ost of the population thrive on a diet of digitally projected films.It is almost inevitable that you can soon watch dreary talent shows (a staple thing in the UK) on whatever format you wish even Imax.We are a dying breed to use film.
Be areful what you wish for.
Amen.

Posted by Claus Harding (Member # 702) on June 12, 2010, 11:52 AM:

A nice exception to the rule:
"Legends of Flight" premiered at The Air and Space Museum here in DC last week, in 70-mm 3-D (I worked the promotion at National Airport where they had antique planes and such.)
The director, Stephen Low, went with the real thing; he has won awards for IMAX already.

I made a point of complimenting him for shooting it on film (Kodak Vision) and he mentioned that Fuji, as an experiment, had done a run of IMAX stock that looked beautiful as well.

Nice to see that 'compromise' doesn't win the day every time.

Claus.

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on June 13, 2010, 10:06 AM:

Thanks for that, Claus, we needed cheering up a bit!

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