Large Format/"Premium" Theaters (IMAX 15/70, Digital IMAX, XD, ETX, RPX, etc.)

[Pieter V]

Transformers: The Last Knight - 3D Featurette - Paramount Pictures - YouTube

[Spike M.]

Guess that answers the question of whether IMAX 3D = Alexa 65 now.

Makes me feel more comfortable about M:I 6.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Spike M.

Guess that answers the question of whether IMAX 3D = Alexa 65 now.

Makes me feel more comfortable about M:I 6.

You gotta love those tacky "IMAX 3D" stickers all over the rigs

But yeah, Alexa 65 = two thumbs up.

[Dubstar]

Originally Posted by J-Mart

I'm going to be in San Francisco next week and we'll be seeing Fate of the Furious. It looks like the AMC there offers Dolby Cinema and IMAX Laser. Which format should we choose? Any suggestions?

Soundwise Dolby Atmos - but in terms of wanting a very large screen go with IMAX laser, I don't know about the Metreon's Dolby Cinema set up but quite a few nationwide select auditorium's have had the problem with ancillary red light bouncing back onto the screen thus negating truly dark black level reproduction

[ghornett]

I would say Dolby, yeah the imax screen will be bigger but it won't change AR anyway, and dolby uses laser projectors too. Plus the atmos advantage.

[Dreamliner330]

I'd be 100% happy if every action movie was shot in native IMAX 3D.

I've seen Dolby Cinema with Laser and Atmos, I like Digital IMAX 2K 3D better. I can only imagine how amazing IMAX laser must be.

[Jonno2009]

Anyone know if Guardians will have some IMAX tricks up it's sleeve?

Debating if i see it in IMAX 3D(which im not a big fan of 3D) or if i just do the regular 2D(non imax)

[UFAlien]

Wikipedia claims it will have expanded image scenes in IMAX. The links it uses as citations don't actually mention that, but considering the last one did - as well as the last two other MCU films - I'd be surprised if this one didn't.

[xbs2034]

Originally Posted by UFAlien

Wikipedia claims it will have expanded image scenes in IMAX. The links it uses as citations don't actually mention that, but considering the last one did - as well as the last two other MCU films - I'd be surprised if this one didn't.

http://mcuexchange.com/james-gunns-t...-galaxy-vol-2/

Yes, Gunn even planned the aspect ratio changes at the script stage.

Also, I noticed Panavision is designating certain films (some they mention are Rogue One, Passengers, Ghost in the Shell, and Guardians Vol 2) as being shot in "digital large format", not 100% sure of the designation criteria, but seems like it is based on the sensors and lenses used
http://www.panavision.com/panavision...cinematography

[Spike M.]

Originally Posted by xbs2034

http://mcuexchange.com/james-gunns-t...-galaxy-vol-2/

Yes, Gunn even planned the aspect ratio changes at the script stage.

Also, I noticed Panavision is designating certain films (some they mention are Rogue One, Passengers, Ghost in the Shell, and Guardians Vol 2) as being shot in "digital large format", not 100% sure of the designation criteria, but seems like it is based on the sensors and lenses used
http://www.panavision.com/panavision...cinematography

The Panavision DXL/Red Epic 8K sensor isn't really large format in the traditional sense. Its sensor size is more comparable to a Full Frame 35mm camera such as a Canon 5D MKIII or Sony a7S. It's in the middle ground between a traditional 35mm sensor and full-fledged 65mm sensor like the Alexa 65.

Since we live in age of IMAX 15/65mm, which makes even traditional 65mm look like a baby, the idea of calling the DXL/Epic 8K "large format" seems odd to me.

Although honestly, outside of IMAX capture, who cares? The logic of why 65mm was so beneficial back in the day doesn't really apply to modern day digital.

[singhcr]

Here is the previously linked NY Times article about Dunkirk if you cannot access the article on their website.

[Show spoiler]

Q&A: Nolan Previews Adrenaline Rushing War Epic 'Dunkirk'
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS APRIL 3, 2017, 9:15 A.M. E.D.T.

LAS VEGAS — Director Christopher Nolan has spent his career bending minds (and cities) with his films. He works on a scale that is stubbornly and obsessively cinematic and it seems that no concept, be it Batman or the multiverse or dreams, is too big for the visionary filmmaker.

His latest movie, "Dunkirk," out July 21, takes him out of the fantasy world and into reality and the storied evacuation of Allied soldiers from that beach in France in May and June of 1940.

Nolan spoke to The Associated Press about "Dunkirk" at the recent CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where he was promoting his epic to theater owners:

AP: Why Dunkirk?

Nolan: As a filmmaker you're always looking for a gap in cultural movies and Dunkirk is a story British people are raised on. It's in our DNA practically. But it has not been addressed in the movies. So for me, it was a very exciting gap. I've spent a number of years trying to figure out what's the angle of approach, what's the angle of attack for getting the story across? So we came upon the notion of creating a very experiential film, one that rather than trying to address the politics of the situation, the geopolitical situation, would really put you on the beach where 400,000 people are trapped, surrounded by the enemy closing in and faced with annihilation or surrender. The fact the story ended with neither annihilation nor surrender makes it one of the greatest stories in human history.

AP: How did you approach it?

Nolan: The approach is trying to take the full experience and put the audience there. What would it be like to be on the beach? To be on a boat trying to cross the channel? It's a huge challenge, but exactly the kind of challenge that you look for in film.

AP: You have said the film is less about character than survival. Can you explain what you mean?

Nolan: I feel like Dunkirk is such a universal event and it involves so many people that to try to encapsulate the specific detail of the human experience wasn't the way to go. What we decided to do was to really try and live in the moment of the experience ... the very immediate and human desire to survive. It's the most human movie I've ever made because it's about the desire for survival. We wanted to tackle that and make what I refer to as a very present tense narrative where you're in the moment with the characters. You're not necessarily spending too much time discussing who they were before or who they will be after.

AP: This film has been rated PG-13. Was that a choice you made during production?

Nolan: All of my big blockbuster films have been PG-13. It's a rating I feel comfortable working with totally. "Dunkirk" is not a war film. It's a survival story and first and foremost a suspense film. So while there is a high level of intensity to it, it does not necessarily concern itself with the bloody aspects of combat, which have been so well done in so many films. We were really trying to take a different approach and achieve intensity in a different way. I would really like lots of different types of people to get something out of the experience.

AP: Is there any truth to the report that the production bought a $5 million vintage plane to crash?

Nolan: No. We used real antique vintage planes and flew them for the movie but we also constructed full scale models to destroy. A lot of money was involved but not that much money. I would never! Obviously never ... These planes are so beautiful and so valuable for so many reasons and the respect I have for them having done this, especially now having worked with them. The Spitfire is the most glorious machine.

AP: And you tell the story from three points of view?

Nolan: The story needs to be told from different points of view intertwined. We spend time looking at various points of view. On the beach. In the air. Out on the sea.

AP: Do you feel like you've evolved at all since "Interstellar"?

Nolan: It's not really for me to speak to the bigger creative issues, but from a technical point of view, to me "Dunkirk" is a story that I've wanted to tell for a long time but did not have the technical expertise to be able to. We shot the entire film on large format celluloid film, which has never been done before. With each film we've always included some IMAX photography, but this film is almost entirely in IMAX and what isn't is large format. It should be a very strong presentation.

[Zhorik]

Is there a list anywhere of which films were released in IMAX with wide color gamut and extended dynamic range (similar to Dolby Cinema)?

Are all Dolby Vision movies getting IMAX EDR as well?

[Spike M.]

Originally Posted by Zhorik

Is there a list anywhere of which films were released in IMAX with wide color gamut and extended dynamic range (similar to Dolby Cinema)?

Are all Dolby Vision movies getting IMAX EDR as well?

IMAX and Dolby HDR are competing formats, not complimentary ones.

[Zhorik]

Originally Posted by Spike M.

IMAX and Dolby HDR are competing formats, not complimentary ones.

I know, but during the grading process, is the movie being graded in IMAX EDR as well (as they have different peak luminance)? Or is it being handled by IMAX in their DRM process? Either way is there a list of movies released or soon to be released in it?

E.g. The Lego Batman Movie was released in Dolby Vision using the Rec. 2020 volume. Was it similar in IMAX laser release or was that limited to P3?

[Spike M.]

Originally Posted by Zhorik

I know, but during the grading process, is the movie being graded in IMAX EDR as well (as they have different peak luminance)? Or is it being handled by IMAX in their DRM process? Either way is there a list of movies released or soon to be released in it?

E.g. The Lego Batman Movie was released in Dolby Vision using the Rec. 2020 volume. Was it similar in IMAX laser release or was that limited to P3?

I'm a bad person to ask a follow-up question on this (Geoff get your a** over here), but I believe Rec. 2020 is only used for the consumer version of Dolby Vision (or "EDR", now, apparently). Theatrical projection uses beefier standards that the consumer renditions then try to approximate.

But, anyway. There's no such thing as "IMAX EDR". Extended Dynamic Range is another term for Dolby Vision, which is just their version of HDR. IMAX isn't a part of the conversation for HDR or EDR, since the aren't using either technology. IMAX is regular old Standard Dynamic Range. While the HDR versions are given ground up color grades, often from the filmmakers, IMAX starts with the regular SDR grade and then "enhances" it where needed.

[xbs2034]

Originally Posted by Spike M.

I'm a bad person to ask a follow-up question on this (Geoff get your a** over here), but I believe Rec. 2020 is only used for the consumer version of Dolby Vision (or "EDR", now, apparently). Theatrical projection uses beefier standards that the consumer renditions then try to approximate.

But, anyway. There's no such thing as "IMAX EDR". Extended Dynamic Range is another term for Dolby Vision, which is just their version of HDR. IMAX isn't a part of the conversation for HDR or EDR, since the aren't using either technology. IMAX is regular old Standard Dynamic Range. While the HDR versions are given ground up color grades, often from the filmmakers, IMAX starts with the regular SDR grade and then "enhances" it where needed.

Are you sure about that, this article claims both IMAX laser and Dolby Cinema have Rec 2020 capability.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...mc-prime/28452

And this from a Force Awakens producer mentions the deliverables on the film included HDR versions for IMAX laser and Dolby Vision

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/beh...s-films-867387

[UFAlien]

Originally Posted by Spike M.

The Panavision DXL/Red Epic 8K sensor isn't really large format in the traditional sense. Its sensor size is more comparable to a Full Frame 35mm camera such as a Canon 5D MKIII or Sony a7S. It's in the middle ground between a traditional 35mm sensor and full-fledged 65mm sensor like the Alexa 65.

Since we live in age of IMAX 15/65mm, which makes even traditional 65mm look like a baby, the idea of calling the DXL/Epic 8K "large format" seems odd to me.

Although honestly, outside of IMAX capture, who cares? The logic of why 65mm was so beneficial back in the day doesn't really apply to modern day digital.

All the films on the list except for Guardians 2 were shot at least partially on the Alexa 65, which actually does have a sensor size comparable to 65mm film. In any case what Panavision is actually referring to in their article is the use of their own large-format lenses.

Sensor size is actually very important to digital cameras. It's not a direct analogy to film (the Alexa 65 has the same number of photosites as the standard Alexa and thus the same pixel resolution) but the larger sensor size allows larger photosites, which leads to less noise and better dynamic range. And if they wanted to, they could fit significantly more photosites the size of the standard Alexa's onto a larger sensor for higher pixel resolution with similar noise/dynamic range levels to the standard Alexa's. Presumably they went with larger photosites instead since the current number is already well above 4K, the highest current standard for digital projection.

[Poya]

Not to mention the fact that it's too damn expensive to shoot an entire film on the Alexa 65. Only a handful of films so far have done so, and they had the budget to back it up.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Poya

Not to mention the fact that it's too damn expensive to shoot an entire film on the Alexa 65. Only a handful of films so far have done so, and they had the budget to back it up.

It's an expensive package for sure but with films like Passengers and Assassin's Creed using the 65 throughout that's a very good sign, as they've got chunky budgets but aren't silly $200M+ spends either.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Spike M.

I'm a bad person to ask a follow-up question on this (Geoff get your a** over here), but I believe Rec. 2020 is only used for the consumer version of Dolby Vision (or "EDR", now, apparently). Theatrical projection uses beefier standards that the consumer renditions then try to approximate.

But, anyway. There's no such thing as "IMAX EDR". Extended Dynamic Range is another term for Dolby Vision, which is just their version of HDR. IMAX isn't a part of the conversation for HDR or EDR, since the aren't using either technology. IMAX is regular old Standard Dynamic Range. While the HDR versions are given ground up color grades, often from the filmmakers, IMAX starts with the regular SDR grade and then "enhances" it where needed.

I've no idea what IMAX do re: their HDR masters, but Dolby Vision can indeed be mastered with 2020 colour, their theatrical release of Inside Out made use of it a couple of years ago. The recent Lego Batman movie was also reportedly mastered in 2020. It needs a specific RGB laser projector from Christie in order to be able to cover the 2020 gamut, however I've no idea if every Dolby Vision/Cinema venue is suitably equipped.