Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: 'Slightly blurry' versions of films!

This is topic 'Slightly blurry' versions of films! in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 08-02-2003, 05:00 AM:

In the Widescreen Museum there is a link to http://www.bigmoviezone.com It seems to be a site written by somebody with a rather limited understanding of large format cinematography. I like the following gem from the 'Normal Films Shown on IMAX Screens' section:

"Still, as most genuine Big Movies are documentaries, and the companies running Big Movie theaters built in commercial multiplex locations in recent years crave dramatic films to satisfy their normal consumers, many commercial Big Movie theaters do show slightly blurry versions of normal, 35mm films on their giant Big Movie screens."

I wonder how they make those 'slightly blurry versions of normal, 35mm films'. Do they have a 'normal' camera and a 'slightly blurry' camera operating side by side on the set?

Do they shoot each scene twice, adding a 'slightly blurry' attachment to the lens for the large screen version?

Maybe they designed a special optical printer to produce a 'slightly blurry' interneg?

Does anyone have any of these special, 'slightly blurry versions', do they cost extra to rent, due to the extra production costs involved?

[ 08-02-2003, 07:11 AM: Message edited by: Stephen Furley ]

Posted by Christian Appelt (Member # 1067) on 08-03-2003, 10:01 AM:

The slightly blurry versions (SBVs) are made by the new IMAX RMD process. Just the DMR invented for blowing up 35mm to IMAX process used in reverse. Easy, isn`t it?

RMD has been tested for some years, maybe you saw the SBV prints of HARRY POTTER or GANGS OF NEW YORK without knowing? For the european markets, most of the SBVs seem to be done by Technicolor Rome... [Big Grin]

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 08-04-2003, 09:03 AM:

When it comes to film format, "Size DOES Matter". As good as modern color negative films are, when you have ten times the image area, you have ten times the information. Less magnification also means less graininess.

Although I will say that the IMAX DMR print of "Apollo 13" looked much better to me than material shot using HDCAM.