Imax has since evolved

[Gamil Zirak]

The FoTR is playing at an IMAX theater in my town (it's not actually mine; I just live there). I'm contemplating seeing it there. I think it would be so cool to see it on the realy realy big screen. Has anyone see it at an IMAX? It's only going to be there for another week. Is it worth it to see it there?

[Talimon]

It's worth it in the sense that it's about to go out of theatres, and I can assure you it won't be back for a while. But other then that, I found it to be a little disorienting in the IMAX. I much prefered to watch it in a normal theatre.

[Dûndorer]

what is the size diiference in I-max and regular theaters?¿?¿?

[Gamil Zirak]

I'm not sure the actual size difference. It's probably three times as big. It's like a big dome. If you've never been, you should go see something there. They have a lot of educational stuff (i.e. deep space, the ocean) there too. You can find out more at http://www.imax.com/

[Dûndorer]

are they those things where the seat moves as you are watching?

[Gamil Zirak]

I think some theaters might have them. It's been about eight years since I've been to one so I'm not for sure. I know some of them have 3-D movies. They rarely play "real" movies at the theater.

[Talimon]

IMAX has evolved since then... Today it's just a screen that's about 4 times the size of your average screen... Something like 100 yards by some other huge number. It's got the best sound system in the world, but the visuals, for a normal movie, don't work. They have to shoot it differently in order for the movie to work on IMAX. You just can't have close ups, and LOTR has a lot of those.

[Wood Elf]

I think everyone in the theatre would be sea-sick by the end. There is just way to much fast paced action in FotR to put on IMAX, I think. I know I would get so dizzy and disoriented, it would be like a three hour roller coaster ride!

[Gamil Zirak]

Dizzy? I've watched a helicopter ride (from inside the coptor) of a trip through the grand canyon. That will get you dizzy. I've also seen a flight to space.

[Talimon]

Yeah, but the thing is those films were filmed for IMAX. When making movies for IMAX, a whole new technique is used. The first rule of thumb is that you can't have close ups or quick cuts. FotR has an abundance of both, much more then most movies in fact. As such it doesn't translate well to IMAX, in my opinion. It's great on a really big screen, though. But IMAX is just TOO big.

[ReadWryt]

Yeah, nobody in their right mind would put a "regular" movie up on an Imax screen for general viewing...like "2001: A Space Odyssey" or "Fantaisia 2000"...it would never work! Oh wait, I SAW those in IMAX theaters and loved them...and I seriously doubt that FotR had more closeups and quick cuts then 2001...heck, there is nearly 10 minutes of Bowman's face with all that "slit scan" stuff reflected on his helmet at the end!

http://www.imax.com/films/production/dmr.html

[Talimon]

It's a matter of taste. I saw FotR on Imax and didn't enjoy it as much. The landscape shots are incredible, but when the action hits it gets disorienting.

[ReadWryt]

There are a few movies that scream to be shown on an Imax screen. 2001 is a good case, but I feel that Ted Turner would do well to take his original negatives of "How the west was won" and remaster them to IMAX film. The old Cinerama format required three projectors working simultaneously to present the movie, and Imax would permit it to be shown with one in the large format that the film was shot for. I agree that few movies are helped much by being shown in that manner, and I can imagine that scenes like the battle in Moria can be a bit unnerving, if not totally nausiating as the camera in that scene never stops moving and often changes the point of view quickly.

A film like (perish the thought, this is just an example) "Fantastic Voyage" would be great, but I certainly would not go see something like "Spiderman" on that screen...

[Talimon]

Have you seen that film "Baraka"? Now that would be a movie to see on IMAX. :)

[Shion]

...like "2001: A Space Odyssey" or "Fantaisia 2000"...it would never work! Oh wait, I SAW those in IMAX theaters and loved them...

"Fantasia/2000" was mastered directly to proper IMAX film, which is why it looked so dazzling on the big screen.

Have not caught "2001" on an IMAX screen, but it properly looked good there since it was originally captured on 70mm film (which would upscale to the giant format far more nicely than 35mm, I imagine).

I have seen LOTR a couple of times at IMAX, and sitting right up the back, thought it looked acceptable. Too grainy and hazy for me to say "it looked great," but the image size and sound loudness made it a lot of fun.

-Bon

[Talimon]

That's why Baraka would be mindblowing. It's done in fullblown 70mm, and the way it's shot really lends itself to IMAX. Unfortunately it's a kind of obscure movie, so I doubt it will ever make it.

[ReadWryt]

Originally posted by ReadWryt
That's the problem with projecting a 70mm print mastered from a 35mm format on something like an IMAX screen, and why IMAX has developed an all digital system for re-mastering to 70mm IMAX to attempt to correct the "Grain the size of golfballs" effect. I believe their first project utilizing this is going to be "Apollo 13: The Imax Experience", completely remastering that theatrical release for IMAX.

One of the most astounding things I ever saw in an IMAX theatre was Douglas Trumble's "This is Showscan"...70mm Imax shot and projected at 60 frames per second. Astoundingly realistic and nearly 3D at times, but far too expensive to do all the time. I think that Sony did an IMAX movie at 30fps so that they could squeeze 15fps per eye for a 3D format using PLZT LCD shutter glasses, but it never reached here for screening at the Ruben H. Fleet theatre...

For the 2001: ASO release Ted Turner remastered digitally right off the 70mm SuperPanavision negatives which had been stored carefully by MGM for years, 4 separate negs in CYMK format..it was amazingly beautifull...It was actually one of two times that I ever managed to stay awake through the whole movie...

(Sorry about the Quote Thingy, one would think I would know which was the Edit button by now...DOH!)