This is topic Gladiator in IMAX theatres in forum Large Format Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 11-21-2000, 05:25 AM:
A friend just posted this to me.DreamWorks Pictures' and Universal Pictures' 'Gladiator' Grows to IMAX
Proportions
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 20 -
On November 22, it will be Maximus on IMAX, as DreamWorks Pictures' and
Universal Pictures' "Gladiator" is re-released on IMAX screens in selected
cities nationwide. The release on IMAX screens comes one day after the
blockbuster hit also becomes available domestically on VHS for rental and
in a sell-through Special Edition DVD on November 21.
Thirty-five millimeter prints of "Gladiator" will begin showing on IMAX
screens on November 22 in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, San
Francisco, Toronto and other cities, with additional markets to be added as
available.
Does any one know anymore about this?
Why would Universal want this on IMAX screens? We run 35mm and 70mm features on these screens but I much prefer seeing them on a properly masked conventional screen.
Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 11-21-2000, 06:07 AM:
As long as the image is not so large that it is too dim, I can tolerate not having proper screen masking. I also hope that the speaker placement is correct, since theatrical features would not use the same speaker placement of an IMAX film. For those IMAX theatres playing theatrical features --- do you use separate speakers for theatrical features? How do you assign the sound channels? How are your surrounds positioned? Do you do a full A-chain alignment and reoptimize equalization? ------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 11-21-2000, 07:57 AM:
When we installed the equipment in the BFI London Imax Cinema we installed a completely separate sound system.Details belowDolby CP200
Dolby SRA5
Dolby DA20
DTS 6D
SDDS3000
Screen Speakers
5 x JBL 4675C
Sub bass
4 x JBL4645B
Surrounds 16 x JBL 8340
4 on each side wall
8 across back
QSC 1310 and QSC 900 amps
This gave us the possibility to reproduce
35mm
Optical Mono
A type
SR
SRD
SDDS 5.1 & 7.1
DTS
70mm
Non dolby /Todd
A type mono and split surround
SR
DTS
Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 11-21-2000, 11:17 AM:
We ran it for a month at Ontario place and then they pulled it from us.
Posted by Rory Burke (Member # 512) on 11-21-2000, 04:59 PM:
From what I understand on some of the IMAX screens where there are no conventional 35mm speaker/amp set up unlike Dick Vaughan's set up at BFI. The cinema sound processor is connected to the Sonic's sound rack thru a series of in line isolators taking the raw signal from the processor, (ie. CP-500) all six channels being fed into the Sonics processor. However from what I understand also...doesn't the Imax Center top speaker array take a summed LCR signal including the unfiltered LFE signal? If so, would it add an intersting dynamic to the overall sound quality. If in fact the center-top channel at an IMAX theater is summed LCR with LFE then how would a proper B-chain be done. Would one just turn off the Center top channel amps to stick more closely to a 5:1 setup? Anyone?
Plus thru the grapevine, it seems much to John P's dismay that they ****ARE*** trying to fill the entire IMAX screen width with the scope picture. Oy vey! Was this wise? Anyone?Rory
Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 11-21-2000, 05:46 PM:
At cinesphere this is how we did it
The outputs of L/C/R of the CP200 are fed to the sonics system.
Lc and Rc go to a pair of JBL crossovers that drive a pair of Bryston 4B's into the Altec A6's
The bass sum in the sonics is still used
P/Q is fed to the two sonics surrounds as well as to 5 Bryston 4B's that power an array of JBL surrounds on the side walls
The CP200 sub is fed to a pair of Cerwin Vega amps and 4 sennsuround earthquake subs
Posted by Michael West (Member # 428) on 11-21-2000, 09:47 PM:
we have never used our victoria 8, 35 and 70mm projector yet - we would still have to use a conventional lens that of course would never fill the imax screen - the test runs we did were horrible, although our sound (cp200) running through our sonics rack, was fantastic. Would the public really want to see a 35mm film “forced” on the imax screen? or does the public really care what it is? The quality of this Victoria 8 pales in comparison to our SR Imax projectors - but then our crowds for the Imax features certainly do not exactly sell out either.
Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 11-22-2000, 08:35 AM:
Gladiator showed up today at the Columbus Marcus Imax, running one show a day at 9:30. I saw 35mm in there about a year ago, and it didn't look very good.I'll try and get over there and check it out.
It really pains me to see the 70mm rollers on the projector, and then sit there and watch 35mm get threaded up.
Mark L.
------------------
"As a moral to young men who come down to the city, don't go round breaking people's tambourines."
Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 11-22-2000, 08:53 AM:
Wouldn't it be cool if they would blow up the print to IMAX?Okay, the IMAX platters don't hold that much film. I know. BUT... what if you had a 3D booth? Would it be possible to make a changeover? You DO have 2 projectors and 2 platter sets. You've got all the parts. Now, is it possible to put them all together and make it fly?
Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 11-22-2000, 09:43 AM:
Changeovers in Imax was how some of the SR theatres ran Fantasia 2000
Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 11-22-2000, 10:37 AM:
So, was it a pain in the butt? or was it automated?I can only imagine how it would be done.
Posted by Dave Cutler (Member # 515) on 11-22-2000, 12:26 PM:
Haven't ever tried but I think I could run manual changeovers on my system (iWerks 1570 3D), but I am not sure how smooth they would look. I know we couldn't automate it without a software upgrade, but it would be cool to do it, once. 
Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 11-22-2000, 01:40 PM:
Well, if it was Fantasia 2000 then the whole movie is made up of segments. One for each musical number. The changeover could be between segnemts and it would be somewhat easier, I suppose.If I remember, the 35mm reel changes were all between segments, weren't they?
Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 11-22-2000, 03:41 PM:
Changeovers on the IMAX SR (2-projector) booth are automated. For Fantasia 2K, the changeover actually occurs in the middle of the Steadfast Soldier segment: After the soldier gets eaten by the fish, the jack-in-the-box hands the ballerina a bouquet of flowers, she pushed them back at him, >>changeover<< and then he has a shocked look on his face.
IMAX designed a platter conversion for IMAX Classic (1-projector) booths for F2K that allowed for the use of larger platters for the longer movie with no changeover needed.
Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 11-22-2000, 03:50 PM:
Oh, and speaking of F2K, if you saw it in large format, you probably noticed how grainy the Sorcerer's Apprentice segment was. That is what happens when 35mm is blown up to 15/70 format - you can see the grain and blemishes from the original (smaller) negative.A similar phenomenon occurs when trying to fill up a large format screen with a film originating on 35mm. It is blown up so much that the film grain is visible and it is practically impossible to get good focus.
But it does sound pretty good with a Dolby CP500 going into the Sonics processor! Back to the days of Sensurround with the vibrating seats!
Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 11-22-2000, 04:20 PM:
Sounds cool! What's used to cue the automation? Is it on the film? or is it somehow coded into the soundtrack or something like that?
Posted by Ben Wales (Member # 92) on 11-22-2000, 06:13 PM:
The BFI Imax in London UK is also equiped to show 35mm & 70mm, they have a pair of Century's.I have been told that they have been screening some old 70mm films on the Imax screen, not sure they are to screen "Gladiator" in this theatre.
Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 11-22-2000, 06:30 PM:
Imax's automation is called Pspice and is based on a programmed clock functions
Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 11-22-2000, 09:48 PM:
You mean that you start the automation and the changeover happens when a timer runs out? Isn't that awfully chancy? I imagine you wouldn't be able to put any cues on the film but there's got to be something. Wouldn't a subaudible cue in the soundtrack be better? (Or maybe a "superaudible" one?) You could even filter it out to keep it from being heard in the speakers. If you used a dual tone you could filter for the beat freq. couldn't you?
Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 11-23-2000, 09:24 AM:
Automation in IMAX systems is based on SMPTE time code generated by the projector.The film is threaded to exactly the same place every time (the "picture start" frame) and the system "frame count" is reset to zero. Then the projector starts counting frames! The frame number is converted to time code and is fed to the sound system and other components to keep everything synced up together.
Automation cues (like dowser open/close and changeover and lighting cues) are based on what frame number it needs to occur at.
A simplified explanation, but hopefully you get the jist of it.
Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 11-23-2000, 11:04 AM:
Now, THAT makes sense. As long as your film doesn't break or something you CAN'T get out of time. And if you DO have something go wrong to throw you off time then you have a REAL problem.I wouldn't go so far as to say "goof proof" but maybe you can say "goof resistant"?
Posted by David Baum (Member # 568) on 11-23-2000, 07:46 PM:
DickI suppose you use the QSC 900 bridged to feed the 4645B ?
Time to go with DCA now
regards
David