Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: IMAX,..no, Giant Screen...no, Ultrascreen!!!

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Topic: IMAX,..no, Giant Screen...no, Ultrascreen!!!

Phil Hill
I love my cootie bug

Posts: 7595
From: Hollywood, CA USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 02-20-2002 04:02 AM

Prints timed (light adjusted printing) to a specific venue is quite common. I have printed many prints, but in general, Large Format prints, both 1570 and 870, 2D, are printed to a 10 fL spec.... which is the "desireable" target range for LF. There is NO loss of contrast or color if printed and lit correctly since the print density is specifically adjusted for this light intensity.

>>> Phil

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 02-20-2002 08:22 AM

Phil,
Trust me Gord WILL give you all kinds of sh!t now that you've given it all away! Not only is it more practical to shoot in 8/70 but it also saves a ton of $$ in film stock and lab costs. If done right even ord would never know the true format it was filmed in. I love Kodak films but things would be even better if they shot with Fiju Velvia

I agree with you that the 8/70 format can look great when done right when done right and on a system that is designed right. The ONLY difference I've seen between the two formats is on sceen light level. The 8/70 image is never as bright and I think this can be attributed to most systems using a matte white screen, and of course the smaller hole letteing less light through. If you want to get rich quick, you need to come out with an on-site 8/70 screen coating service similar to what the big boys have......
Mark @ Homejustleavingtogotowork

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Owen Shave
Film Handler

Posts: 34
From: Manchester, UK
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 02-20-2002 10:02 AM

As I mentioned in a previous posting our largest 35mm screen is only 5m shy of the width of our imax screen (85 feet). so I guess without the technical restraints, a 35mm presentation on our Imax screen probably wouldn't look a whole lot different to that on our largest screen. Except of course the large area of the screen above and below the projected image that would be left un-untilized. Our guests would be used to this however as we have no (yes, no) masking in *any* of our screens.. some kind of costcutting exercise. it doesnt really matter but when 1.85:1 ratio films are shown on our largest screens it really doesn't look too good. both Monsters Inc. and A.I. had some serious visible curvature on the corners of the picture showing.
ah well.
Owen

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Ken Lackner
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1907
From: Atlanta, GA, USA
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 02-20-2002 12:16 PM

I'm confused. What is the difference between IMAX and "other Giant Screen theaters"??? And what is (or should I say "was"?) Ultrascreen?

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Ian Price
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1714
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 99

posted 02-20-2002 01:14 PM

Imax is the registered trademark of the Imax corporation. You can simulate Imax by having a room about the same shape and running large format film either in the 15/70mm format sideways or the 8/70mm format verticaly. But if you haven't licenced the name and the equipment from Imax, you have to call it something else.

I know, let's call it Ultrascreen!

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 02-20-2002 01:19 PM

Mark said: "I love Kodak films but things would be even better if they shot with Fiju Velvia."

VELVIA is a reversal film that is NOT well suited to the negative-positive duplicating system used to make movies, except when a unique "look" is desired.

Kodak does have a camera original reversal film specifically designed for filmmakers desiring that contrasty, high color saturation "look":
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/products/reversal/5285.shtml

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 585-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 585-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 02-20-2002 05:55 PM

"Hey John, Aren't U guys running the Maverick? Hows it going? Would U consider it a Crowning Achievement?"

Yuk, yuk! No, they are not out of business, but they have fallen on hard times. But they still are supporting us, including regular preventive maintaince - not just mailing us parts! Someone in the another posting said the projector had a " 'stand back' kind of rattleness" which is very true. There's a big blast of air for each frame. Imagine the sound and loudness of a 22cal gun going off. Now imagine that at 24 fps.

We're running the 15/70 Beauty/Beast at two locations, and doing very well with both the projector and the business. There was, ah.... some concerns at first, but no problems so far! It is cool to go right up to the screen (or really, down into the pit!) and not see any grain.

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Darren Briggs
Master Film Handler

Posts: 371
From: York, UK
Registered: Dec 2001

posted 02-20-2002 06:12 PM

In Bradford at the Imax there, they run 35 and 70 on the Imax screen but only in sensible size pictures.
I saw 'Lawrence of arabia' ther in the 80's and it look great.
The Imax has been upgraded to 3D with twin SR projectors, and now watching a 2D film, the brightness does fall away at the sides, i think this is due to the silvered screen now, gives the effect of a badly focus 35mm projector xenon.
The best 3D imax i've seen is Imax SOLIDO, the dome screen version of 3D. Maybe because of the dome, the brightness fallof at the edges isn't noticable?

If the process of blowing up 35mm to imax size takes oof, it could create a come back for 70mm film in regualar cinemas??
We can all Hope!!
Darren

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Phil Hill
I love my cootie bug

Posts: 7595
From: Hollywood, CA USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 02-20-2002 06:51 PM

"Ultrascreen" was the name of a now defunct 1570 3D theater in Ontario, California. The theater owner, San Bernardino County, owns the trademark.

>>>Phil

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Mark Lensenmayer
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1605
From: Upper Arlington, OH
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 02-20-2002 07:18 PM

Phil Hill said, ""Ultrascreen" was the name of a now defunct 1570 3D theater in Ontario, California. The theater owner, San Bernardino County, owns the trademark."

UltraScreen (note location of capital letters) is also used by Marcus Cinemas at a couple of sites for large screen (about 75', I believe) 35mm auditoriums. One is WesTown Cinemas in Waukesha WI, and also a couple of more. Some of the Marcus folks around here can tell us for sure.

BTW, Marcus has dropped the 9:00 show of BATB at both of their Imax theatres, and is showing standard 35mm features (Brotherhood of the Wolf at Addison, I am Sam (until this weekend, then Rollerball) in Columbus.

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Phil Hill
I love my cootie bug

Posts: 7595
From: Hollywood, CA USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 02-20-2002 07:35 PM

Marcus bought the rights to the trademark this past August.

>>> Phil

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 02-21-2002 09:47 AM

John said
"Yuk, yuk! No, they are not out of business, but they have fallen on hard times. But they still are supporting us, including regular preventive maintaince - not just mailing us parts!"

I think this is just another example of the hard times in general that all of the LF industry has been going through. Lets face it, except for an ultra high traffic plex situation a 15/70 system could never turn a profit that would justify its great expense.
Mark @ Old GTS

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 02-21-2002 10:40 AM

Most museums and institutions rely on the income generated by there large format theatres as a major revune base. In fact most of the institutions are not hurting compared to the plexs with large format add ons
Also Mark the movie Alaska was on Fuji Stock (as they were one of the backers of the film)
Also all non 3d IMAX theatres are matte screens
And the definition and detail in an 8 perf will never be as great as 15 perf on the same sized screen. Grain will also appear larger
Sorry as they say Size does matter

An interesting test I saw once was a split screen side by side and the 1570 beat the 870 handsdown

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 02-22-2002 10:19 PM

Again the film size isn't what draws the audience, its the screen size and film content.
Mark @ Home

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 02-23-2002 02:47 PM

Sorry Mark the experience draws the audience in the large format world and there are more 1570 films right now than there are theatres to show them

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