Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Precursors IMAX

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Posted by Ilse Deroose (Member # 7590) on 04-17-2013, 05:06 PM:

Does anyone know what the precursors of IMAX are?
Are there any others besides cinerama?

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 04-17-2013, 05:38 PM:

Yes. It was a process called Polivision that Abel Gance used in his film NAPOLEON in 1927

-Claude

Posted by Ilse Deroose (Member # 7590) on 04-18-2013, 06:24 AM:

Thanks Claude!
Do you know imax magic carpet? And what precursor this system has?

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 04-18-2013, 09:29 AM:

The answer depends upon what you consider a "precursor".

70mm?

The first documented 70mm projected motion picture was demonstrated in New York City in 1895.

Fox Grandeur commercially re-introduced 70mm in 1929.

Horizontal Film

Paramount's VistaVision was introduced in 1954.

Multiple Projectors

Abel Gance's Polyvision (as Claude posted)

Widescreen

CinemaScope from 1953.
RKO's NaturalVision
Ultra-Panavision
MGM Camera 65

However...

None of these is really a precursor to IMAX. Probably the only true precursor to IMAX is MAGNASCOPE, which just 70mm on a huge screen, much like IMAX.

There is a very good article online by film historian Bob Furmanek on the history of wide screen movies located here.

Posted by Jeffry L. Johnson (Member # 453) on 04-18-2013, 01:09 PM:

Explore the following Web sites.

http://www.in70mm.com/

http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imax

quote:
During Expo 67 in Montreal, Kroitor's In the Labyrinth and Ferguson's Man and the Polar Regions both used multi-projector, multi-screen systems. Each encountered technical difficulties that led them to found a company, initially called "Multiscreen", with a primary goal of designing and developing a simpler approach. The single-projector/single-camera system they eventually settled upon was designed and built by Shaw, based upon a novel "Rolling Loop" film-transport technology purchased from Australian inventor Ronald Jones[disambiguation needed]. Later,[when?] when it became clear that a single, large-screen image had far more impact than multiple smaller ones, Multiscreen changed its name to IMAX.

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 04-20-2013, 10:20 AM:

For history on Widescreen in 35mm, look HERE.

Posted by Ilse Deroose (Member # 7590) on 04-21-2013, 04:56 AM:

Okay that helps a lot.
The imax magic carpet system.. existed that also out of those evolutions?

Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 04-21-2013, 09:58 AM:

Magic Carpet was introduced at Expo 90 in Osaka. I don't think there was any precursor... Imax introduced 3D Dome ("Solido") there as well, there was also a standard 2D Imax and a 3D Imax (Expo 90 was the 20th anniversary of the first appearance of "Imax" (called Multiscreen Corp then)15/70 at Expo 70 in Osaka). Imax wanted to make a major impact there, and the Magic Carpet idea was sold to Sanwa Midori. There's a normal Imax screen in a semi-normal auditorium. There's also a screen below the seating with a glass floor between the seat rows. The system was installed at Parc Fururoscope in France after the Expo. I believe there were only two films made, the expo one and another about butterflies. During filming of the Expo move the only camera rig (and one camera)was severely damaged when a helicopter pilot understimated the clearance to a hilltop. Thus that movie doesn't have much "sync" action where the normal screen matches the lower screen.

Posted by Ilse Deroose (Member # 7590) on 04-22-2013, 10:35 AM:

I see .. so the magic carpet came out of nothing ? Or can we maybe see it as an evolution of multiscreening?

Posted by Jean-Marc Toussaint (Member # 4784) on 04-23-2013, 01:56 AM:

Don't forget "Panrama", the French system from 1958. There were only a handful of installations (I worked for a couple of weeks at the theatre in Paris that had one back in 1984). It was using horizontal 35mm/8perf film.
Panrama

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 04-23-2013, 01:57 PM:

Dave

quote: Dave Macaulay
Parc Fururoscope in France

Reminds me of the install I did in Changchun Movie wonderland . Same layout and attractions.

Rick

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 04-23-2013, 05:58 PM:

quote: Richard Hamilton
Reminds me of the install I did in Changchun Movie wonderland . Same layout and attractions.

It's really amazing they couldn't come up with some kind of original idea for a movie park... Plagiarism isn't something to be proud of.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 04-23-2013, 07:40 PM:

When I first saw IMAX, I asked: "Where are the other two screens?" I grew up on Cinerama, approx 30 x 110 ft. Louis

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 04-23-2013, 08:11 PM:

Mitchell, Camera 65 and Ultra Panavision are the same process. When MGM used It for RAINTREE COUNTY and BEN-HUR it was billed as Camera 65. when it was used for pictures like THE GREATEST STORY EVERY TOLD and MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY as well as many others, it was credited as Ultra Panavision.

-Claude