Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Star Trek getting IMAX treatment

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Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 12-16-2008, 05:10 PM:

J.J. Abrams Star Trek is getting the IMAX treatment. The trailer is playing with Day the Earth Stood Still.

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 12-16-2008, 06:07 PM:

link

quote:
Paramount Pictures' Star Trek to be Released as IMAX(R) Movie MAY 8, 2009

J.J. Abrams' Vision of the Greatest Space Adventure of All Time to Run in Select IMAX Theatres

Paramount Pictures and IMAX Corporation (NASDAQ: IMAX; TSX: IMX) today announced that Star Trek, directed by J.J. Abrams ("Mission: Impossible III", "Lost" and "Alias"), will be simultaneously released to both IMAX(R) and conventional theatres worldwide on May 8, 2009. Star Trek, which chronicles the early days of James T. Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members, will be digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience(R) with proprietary IMAX DMR(R) (Digital Re-mastering) technology. Paramount Pictures will be the exclusive distributor of the film to IMAX theatres worldwide.

Star Trek is one of the world's most successful science fiction entertainment series and media franchises. Created by Gene Roddenberry, the Star Trek phenomenon has lead to six television series, ten feature films, dozens of computer and video games, hundreds of novels and fan stories, as well as a themed attraction in Las Vegas. Star Trek has also inspired a following of millions of "Trekkies" of all ages that span across the globe.

"We're excited to share the enhanced IMAX version of this film with the millions of dedicated fans who have been anticipating this release since production began," said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman, Paramount Pictures. "The IMAX Experience adds that extra level of excitement to an already action-packed film, giving moviegoers a premium 'event' at the multiplex."

Added J.J. Abrams, "I'm thrilled that audiences will be able to experience this new, epic world of Star Trek - with an incredible cast and mind-blowing visual effects - on what is, obviously, the most remarkable film format in the world."

"Star Trek combines top Hollywood story-telling talent with space exploration, and each is very conducive to The IMAX Experience," said IMAX Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler. "Expanding our relationship with Paramount Pictures to include this film strengthens our 2009 slate, and with the continuing rollout of digital IMAX theatre systems, we will be able to offer the fan-base more locations to experience the epic first journey of the USS Enterprise in the most immersive way."

"Both Star Trek and IMAX have taken audiences to far away places they would normally not be able to go, and in this case, it's space - the final frontier," added Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "J.J. Abrams has created a powerful movie that has fans worldwide feverishly anticipating its release. We are thrilled to partner with Paramount Pictures to bring J.J.'s exciting vision of this incredible space adventure to IMAX screens."

From director J.J. Abrams and screenwriters Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci ("Transformers," "MI: III") comes a new vision of the greatest space adventure of all time, "Star Trek," featuring a young, new crew venturing boldly where no man has gone before. Star Trek explores the early Starfleet careers of future Enterprise officers Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Amanda Grayson (Winona Ryder), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), McCoy (Karl Urban), Sulu (John Cho), and Chekhov (Anton Yelchin). A Romulan, Nero (Eric Bana), and a much older Spock (Leonard Nimoy) are influences, as well as Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood), the first captain of the USS Enterprise.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 12-16-2008, 09:28 PM:

Allow me to intervene and save someone else the trouble of reminding us all (as if we've forgotten already) that it won't be real IMAX and therefore it's automatically worthless. Also that Star Trek is boring and this thread is boring and anyone who likes Trek is a loser. [sleep]

Sorry.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 12-16-2008, 10:39 PM:

"Digitally re-mastered" to IMAX sounds more cool than saying "blown up" to IMAX -even though the latter is pretty much all that's happening. It's the giant screen version of "upconversion."

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 12-17-2008, 11:27 AM:

quote: Lt. Saavik
Humor: It is a difficult concept.

Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 12-17-2008, 03:27 PM:

quote: Bobby Henderson
"Digitally re-mastered" to IMAX sounds more cool than saying "blown up" to IMAX -even though the latter is pretty much all that's happening.

I would probably have disagreed except DTESS was the least impressive title I have seen in IMAX. It almost, in fact, just looked like a blow up from the 35mm. Certainly not the visual treats that the WB films have been. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was beautiful and the Batman, Spiderman and Harry Potter films I have seen all were razor sharp compared to this latest experiment. Perhaps they are not - shall we say - "optimizing" as much since the IMAX Digital screens are only incrementally larger than a standard cineplex screen?

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 12-17-2008, 07:19 PM:

I've seen a few of these IMAX blow ups. Some have been better than others. Superman Returns was easily the worst of the bunch. The Matrix Reloaded had some odd issues with edge enhancement that gave the image some of the same feel I see when I use the high pass filter in Photoshop. Pretty strange.

Obviously, The Dark Knight was the best of any Hollywood movie I've seen blown up to IMAX. The 35mm anamorphic footage didn't look bad at all. The native IMAX footage and inserts of VistaVision footage made a big difference in the bigger scenes. Producing native in the large format simply delivers much better results than blowing up to it.

The new Star Trek movie was probably already way too far into production when The Dark Knight was released for Paramount to even bother at all with any idea of shooting any parts of that movie in IMAX. The Transformers sequel will at least have some scenes shot in IMAX.

It's obvious shooting in the IMAX format is a big challenge. But it isn't so much of an ordeal to shoot in 5-perf 65mm. VistaVision (8-perf 35mm) may be even easier and it still yields much better results than the usual Super35 and HDTV video camera stuff. At least viewers in an IMAX theater would see a perceivable difference in native VV footage blown up to IMAX versus watching the same movie in a 2K d-cinema theater.