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

[xbs2034]

Originally Posted by Trekkie313

Wish 70mm would make a comeback...so much equipment just rotting in theaters around the world.

It would be great, but don't think there is that much equipment around. On the IMAX side, most of the theaters which showed Interstellar on film just two years ago have gotten rid of their projectors (usually in the conversion to IMAX laser). Some museum sites still have and play 15/70 pictures though (I saw one title on 15/70/ in a museum back in the Spring and nice to see that format again).

With regular 70mm, I think The Weinstein Company took back the equipment they installed for Hateful Eight, and beyond that there is something like 15 first run venues ready to show a new 5/70 release in the U.S..

[Jonno2009]

What's Doctor Strange's IMAX story? i read in the movie thread that about half the movie changes aspect ratio and fills up the screen? Were some scenes filmed in IMAX?


Thanks.

I wasn't going to go see the film in 3D but if there is some 'IMAX-ness' i might have to!

[antovolk]

Originally Posted by Jonno2009

What's Doctor Strange's IMAX story? i read in the movie thread that about half the movie changes aspect ratio and fills up the screen? Were some scenes filmed in IMAX?


Thanks.

I wasn't going to go see the film in 3D but if there is some 'IMAX-ness' i might have to!

An hour of it is presented in 1.9:1, like Guardians 1. Saw the film Sunday, was super well done in that regard. Guess they could've pulled a "filmed with IMAX cameras" since it was filmed on the Alexa 65....

[ManBeast]

Originally Posted by Jonno2009

What's Doctor Strange's IMAX story? i read in the movie thread that about half the movie changes aspect ratio and fills up the screen? Were some scenes filmed in IMAX?


Thanks.

I wasn't going to go see the film in 3D but if there is some 'IMAX-ness' i might have to!

The end credits states something along the lines of 'select scenes specially formatted for IMAX'. Nothing about being filmed with IMAX cameras.

I caught a bit of the standard 2D scope presentation today and looked like the close-ups were cropped way too close in comparison.

[nrocket3]

http://www.indiewire.com/2016/10/chr...mm-1201741695/

Does this mean they changed and are now filming with 35mm and not all 70mm? Or are they printing the 70mm scenes onto 35mm stock just to show it in more theaters?

[The Debts]

Originally Posted by nrocket3

http://www.indiewire.com/2016/10/chr...mm-1201741695/

Does this mean they changed and are now filming with 35mm and not all 70mm? Or are they printing the 70mm scenes onto 35mm stock just to show it in more theaters?

No, it is still being all filmed on 70mm; It's just being shown in 70mm and 35mm earlier before the typical digital release.

[NegaScott128]

Originally Posted by nrocket3

http://www.indiewire.com/2016/10/chr...mm-1201741695/

Does this mean they changed and are now filming with 35mm and not all 70mm? Or are they printing the 70mm scenes onto 35mm stock just to show it in more theaters?

The latter.

Honestly, I don't really see much of a point to seeing it in 35mm. I definitely see the benefit to 70mm and IMAX, but 35mm, to me at least, isn't much of an upgrade beyond standard digital projection.

[singhcr]

Originally Posted by NegaScott128

The latter.

Honestly, I don't really see much of a point to seeing it in 35mm. I definitely see the benefit to 70mm and IMAX, but 35mm, to me at least, isn't much of an upgrade beyond standard digital projection.

I'd still much rather see a 35mm print than a digital release. The color would be much better, for one. More detail too. The chain theaters around here are terrible- constantly playing 2D movies in 3D, etc.

Now if we had a nice 4K Dolby Vision theater here, that would be a different story.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by singhcr

I'd still much rather see a 35mm print than a digital release. The color would be much better, for one. More detail too.

Seeing as it's another generation from the negative I don't see how color & detail would be better once projected.

[Riddhi2011]

Watching movies projected on film as I remember, is a thing of beauty. The rich contrast, the deeper colours, the film grain, the judder, all make the experience more alive than clean and stable digital projection. The last celluloid shot film I sa on digital projection looked incredible though. It was 'The Magnificent Seven' (2016).
Certain scenes in 'Doctor Strange' has also been shot on celluloid film, but due to the extensive digital grading, it's certain than nothing particularly "filmic" will be retained from those shots.

[MazeRunner]

My theatre's website (locally owned) said they're updating to laser projectors. Is that good or bad?

[NegaScott128]

Originally Posted by TakeApartYourHead

My theatre's website (locally owned) said they're updating to laser projectors. Is that good or bad?

Depends. What did they have previously? If they were still using film, then the quality might be worse (personal preference), but they will be able to show a larger number and variety of movies. If they had 2K digital previously, then you'll see a boost in quality, and the same variety and number of films.

[MazeRunner]

Originally Posted by NegaScott128

Depends. What did they have previously? If they were still using film, then the quality might be worse (personal preference), but they will be able to show a larger number and variety of movies. If they had 2K digital previously, then you'll see a boost in quality, and the same variety and number of films.

IDK they have digital. Film projectors still exist? Theyre the best in terms of screen though that I've seen. Each screen is always bright.

I went to Paragon Odyssey last weekend and the screen was so dim and had a blue tint I was so mad. The electric leather recliners were amazing but the dim screen ruined it.

[NegaScott128]

Originally Posted by TakeApartYourHead

IDK they have digital. Film projectors still exist? Theyre the best in terms of screen though that I've seen. Each screen is always bright.

I went to Paragon Odyssey last weekend and the screen was so dim and had a blue tint I was so mad. The electric leather recliners were amazing but the dim screen ruined it.

Some theaters still use film projectors, but most have moved to digital. From the sound of it, your theater uses normal 2K digital projectors, so the switch to 4K laser projectors will be a pretty nice upgrade.

Can you send a link to the theater? It would help if I had more information.

[xbs2034]

Originally Posted by ManBeast

The end credits states something along the lines of 'select scenes specially formatted for IMAX'. Nothing about being filmed with IMAX cameras.

I caught a bit of the standard 2D scope presentation today and looked like the close-ups were cropped way too close in comparison.

Yeah, I saw Doctor Strange in regular 3D this evening and noticed in the big action sequences and some close ups (which I assume were part of the specially formatted IMAX scenes) that it seemed very cramped vertically.

Funny enough the whole film was basically presented in 1.85 since the theater had side masking set on (I'm guessing cause they were splitting the 3D Doctor Strange screen with A Madea Halloween) which you could sometimes see a bit of the image through, but at least seemed like the information on the sides lost wasn't as big a deal as the IMAX cropping.

[Riddhi2011]

Originally Posted by xbs2034

Funny enough the whole film was basically presented in 1.85 since the theater had side masking set on (I'm guessing cause they were splitting the 3D Doctor Strange screen with A Madea Halloween) which you could sometimes see a bit of the image through, but at least seemed like the information on the sides lost wasn't as big a deal as the IMAX cropping.

That's horrible. One screen spit into two, do they lack auditoriums? I've never had to experience such a travesty. Here only one movie is projected on a screen/auditorium at a given time. No split screens. The worst thing that happens sometimes (rarely), is that flat DCPs (1.85:1, 2.00:1) are zoomed to fill the 2.39:1 screens, cropping top and bottom. All multiplex screens in India are 2.39:1.

[UFAlien]

I don't think he meant they were literally showing two movies at once on one screen / in one auditorium. How would that even work with the sound and such?

More likely he meant the auditorium had split showtimes - it shows Doctor Strange, then Madea, then Strange, and so on. But Strange is a 2.40:1 film and Madea is 1.85:1 - so he's saying when they were showing Strange they didn't bother removing the 1.85:1 masking and the sides of the frame were essentially cut off. Still terrible but not as bad as showing two movies at once.

[xbs2034]

Originally Posted by UFAlien

I don't think he meant they were literally showing two movies at once on one screen / in one auditorium. How would that even work with the sound and such?

More likely he meant the auditorium had split showtimes - it shows Doctor Strange, then Madea, then Strange, and so on. But Strange is a 2.40:1 film and Madea is 1.85:1 - so he's saying when they were showing Strange they didn't bother removing the 1.85:1 masking and the sides of the frame were essentially cut off. Still terrible but not as bad as showing two movies at once.

Yup, exactly right, the screen was doing two Strange and two Madea showings, alternating between the two. It's actually pretty common to split showtimes between screens in small/medium sized multiplexes I find (this theater has 7 screens) but they should still properly set up for each showing IMO.

[NegaScott128]

Originally Posted by UFAlien

I don't think he meant they were literally showing two movies at once on one screen / in one auditorium. How would that even work with the sound and such?

That's exactly what he's saying.

A good theater would change the masking between screenings, or present either Boo or Strange with black bars. I had that happen when I saw Guardians of the Galaxy, and they were showing it on a 1.85 screen. They basically just letterboxed it. If this theater did not have the ability to change the masking, then they should have either presented Boo pillarboxed or Strange letterboxed. Cropping Strange to 1.85 is the worst possible solution.

[xbs2034]

The first two episodes of Marvel's "The Inhumans" TV series will be shot entirely with IMAX digital cameras and debut exclusively in IMAX for two weeks in Sept 2017 (sounds similar to what was done with Game of Thrones, but better in that viewers can see the episodes early this way and the IMAX showings are going to be more planned for)

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/76733