Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: 'Beowulf' in IMAX 3-D (& Real D)

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Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 07-03-2007, 08:04 PM:

From The Hollywood Reporter, July 3-9, 2007:

quote:

'Beowulf' will battle day-date on Imax

Toronto — "Beowulf," Robert Zemeckis' adaptation of the ninth century English epic poem, will screen in Imax theaters as a digitally remastered 3-D movie beginning Nov. 16. Toronto-based Imax said Friday (6/29) that it will partner with Paramount Pictures, Shangri-La Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures to show a supersize version of the battle between the warrior Beowulf and the monster Grendel day-and-date with its theatrical release in conventional 35mm theaters. "Beowulf" also will screen in 3-D on about 1,000 Real D large-format screens, Real D chairman and CEO Michael Lewis said.

Posted by Brian Michael Weidemann (Member # 2243) on 08-23-2007, 03:26 PM:

And we're doing both of them!

I'm anticipating that we'll get a hefty proportion of our patrons not knowing what the heck is going on. We've had plenty of people come to see, say, Nightmare Before Christmas or Meet The Robinsons in Real D, but ask for IMAX. It's 3D, so it must be IMAX! Then they're disappointed, and think our piddly screen in auditorium 15 is our IMAX screen.

Or our beautiful IMAX presentation will be mistaken for digital, and customers will rave to all their friends to see it in digital. Oh, the humanity!

What's the difference between IMAX 3D and Digital 3D? Sure, most of us here know the difference and could articulate a meaningful answer to any patron who inquired; unfortunately, we won't have the convenience of informing our clientele that way. Or do we?

If a simple sign at each box office window were posted with a quick blurb pointing out, superficially at least, that there IS a difference ... would anyone read it? Or care?

I guess this is a concern for the floor staff, of which I'm not a part. My job is just to make sure that the IMAX presentation is more ass-kicking than the piddly digital in #15. [Razz]

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 08-23-2007, 03:36 PM:

quote: Brian Michael Weidemann
We've had plenty of people come to see, say, Nightmare Before Christmas or Meet The Robinsons in Real D, but ask for IMAX.

Wouldn't you tell them "Just so you know, that movie isn't in IMAX"?

Then you can explain about the differences if they seem confused.

edit: IMO, it's no different than the fact that if someone asks for coke you aren't supposed to just go ahead and give them pepsi instead (since coke is a trademarked name, even though in many regions "coke" is slang for any carbonated drink).

Posted by Brian Michael Weidemann (Member # 2243) on 08-23-2007, 04:12 PM:

I'm sure some transactions are handled that way. I witness more of the after-the-fact customers who approach customer service demanding money back because something was advertised in IMAX (even though it wasn't), and no amount of explanation will satisfy them for their mistaken expectations, because it's our fault we're making it confusing for them.

This situation is going to be further complicated, since we ARE advertising it in IMAX. Someone will ask for the 7:30 Beowulf 3D thinking it's IMAX, yet it's the 7:00 that's in IMAX, and then they'll wander into IMAX having missed some of the movie.

Oh, added complication ... both systems use different glasses. "Hey, my glasses aren't working, it looks funny." "Yes, that's because you're in the wrong auditorium." "But isn't it IMAX?" "Well, yes, but ..."

This will be fun. I'm glad I'm not customer service! We're going to have to make a lot of signage.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 08-24-2007, 01:43 PM:

quote:
"Beowulf" also will screen in 3-D on about 1,000 Real D large-format screens, Real D chairman and CEO Michael Lewis said.

That has to be a typo in that news article. Real-D is an interesting format. But it is NOT large format.

I'm wondering if Beowulf will be available in the 3D format Dolby is developing. The movie posters are proclaiming "In IMAX 3D and Digital 3D," with the latter being obviously vague and leaving the door open to other formats.

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 08-24-2007, 03:24 PM:

Someone here indicated before that both eyes are being rendered separately, instead of rendering one eye, and then faking the other, which is a nice change.

Does anyone know if they have cranked up the resolution on the rendering to accommodate the larger IMAX film?

Posted by Matt Kerekes (Member # 2777) on 08-24-2007, 11:35 PM:

I heard somewhere that the IMAX version of Beowulf would be NC-17, anyone else heard the same thing, and does anyone know for sure yet?

Posted by Charles Phillips (Member # 2594) on 08-25-2007, 02:05 PM:

I would hope not. I don't think a NC-17 rating would be good for group sales.

Posted by Brian Michael Weidemann (Member # 2243) on 08-25-2007, 05:23 PM:

I'm pretty sure that the IMAX 3D Polar Express had both eyes rendered separately. The 3D in that looked pretty good, and it seemed to be higher resolution than just a conversion job would have left it. Since these are the same people, I'm figuring that yes, they'll be rendering each eye for this one, too.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 08-26-2007, 01:46 AM:

With an all-CGI film that is meant to be in 3D from the outset, why wouldn't the 2nd eye be rendered separately?

Call me a jerk for saying it, but any bean counting producer out there who would try to have Beowulf faked into 3D using that blurry hit/miss process (as seen on Superman Returns and the latest Harry Potter installment) instead of rendering a discrete 2nd eye pass should be viciously slapped across the face. And then he should be tied into a large burlap sack with a few ball pean hammers and thrown down a really steep cliff. Thankfully, such a travesty seems very unlikely.

Basically, an all-CGI animated movie has everything in place needed to do a 2nd eye rendering for convincing looking 3D. There's no need to go through the trouble to post-process a faked 3D thing. That would just be a shame. The 2nd eye rendering does require roughly double the compute cycles from the rendering farm and double the storage space. But you would probably end up with similar or worse problems in trying to generate a faked 3D movie.

My bet is Beowulf has long been planned and budgeted for native 3D stereo-optical rendering. I would be really very shocked if it wasn't.

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 08-26-2007, 01:52 PM:

We are also playing it in IMAX and real-d. In the entrance to each auditorium a sign will inform customers to make sure they have the correct glasses. For us especially, it will be difficult to communicate the differences as our IMAX screen is not tremendously bigger than our digital screen. Adding to that is the price differences:

10.50 standard 35mm
12.50 Real-D
13.50 IMAX 3D

The advantages of IMAX are the sound and resolution, however I must say that Real-D has the win on feature length 3D. Spiral polarization has a level of comfort not present in linear polarization. Guests can lean on their armrests, allowing their head to tilt while still retaining full separation on both eyes. Linear has a very limited range of movement, and the guest must keep his head upright for the duration of the feature.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 08-26-2007, 03:25 PM:

Another thing you'll have to be sure about is customers not walking off with your IMAX 3D glasses. They get to keep the RealD glasses, but must return the IMAX glasses.

Posted by Brian Michael Weidemann (Member # 2243) on 08-27-2007, 05:40 AM:

Our IMAX customers are perfectly welcome to take their glasses home. We have bins out with signs saying to deposit the glasses, which we do wash and hand out again, but they're effectively as disposable as the Real-D pairs. And we won't stop anyone from holding on to them as they leave through an exit without a bin.

Posted by Mark Campbell (Member # 4411) on 12-28-2007, 01:03 AM:

This might be a bone-headed thing for me to ask, but can those Real D projectors be moved from auditorium to auditorium (as business sluffs off) or are they "locked in place"?

I saw Beowulf in Digital 3-D at the AMC Century City 15 in a pretty big auditorium later in its run with only a handful of people attending.

Posted by Ray Faultless (Member # 903) on 12-28-2007, 06:41 AM:

Brian could I ask you how you wash those glasses. Do you use plain water or some kind of cleaning solution? I really would not like to be given glasses that had been used before.

Posted by Kamil Jackson-Chaka (Member # 4316) on 12-29-2007, 02:14 AM:

Mark, Real D is actually just a polarizer set in front of the lens of your digital projector. The polarizer can be removed and placed on another digi projector easy enough, but I'm sure most theatre's would just have a polarizer on each one.

Posted by David Zylstra (Member # 4230) on 12-29-2007, 09:42 AM:

RealD is not moved that simply - there is also a controller box for the polarizer, and eventually there will be a "ghost busting" box when the single inventory release file is realized.

And don't forget - if you do move the equipment you also need a silver screen on the next auditorium.

Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 12-29-2007, 10:36 AM:

quote: Ray Faultless
could I ask you how you wash those glasses. Do you use plain water or some kind of cleaning solution? I really would not like to be given glasses that had been used before.

IMAX glasses are normally washed in a modified commercial dishwasher using fairly standard dishwashing and rinse agents.