I had a chance to talk with IMAX's Senior VP of Film Production, Hugh Murray, about the IMAX version of the upcoming film Skyfall, the 23rd James Bond movie in a series that spans fifty years of cinema. The discussion was quite interesting...
1. How difficult were the logistics with [cinematographer] Roger Deakins
having to shoot with, presumably, two camera rigs, the usual HD cameras
and simultaneously with the IMAX cameras?
Skyfall was not shot with IMAX cameras or with HD cameras. Roger Deakins used the Arri Alexa digital cinema camera in RAW image mode to provide the highest possible resolution and dynamic range (the number of exposure stops the camera can reproduce). Just over a year ago we began testing the footage in IMAX theatres in London so that Roger could see how it was going to translate to the most demanding format available.
The Alexa shoots a taller image than the Cinemascope format that most features, including Skyfall, are released in and so we suggested that Director Sam Mendes might want to take advantage of that to offer a taller, more immersive, format for the IMAX release. Chris Nolan, Brad Bird, Ridley Scott and Marc Webb have all done variations of this in the IMAX versions of their most recent films.
The IMAX presentation of SKYFALL will be specially formatted to feature a larger aspect ratio than the conventional release for the entirety of the film. This aspect ratio, which is optimized to take advantage of the IMAX screen, will allow audiences to see up to 26% more of the image and result in a full panorama of the action - further immersing them into the vast scale and scope of the film.
2. IMAX makes things very big, including physical imperfections, facial quirks, set design mistakes, slightly off-camera (but not for IMAX) activity, etc. Were there any scenes in Skyfall that needed to be reimagined or reshot after the IMAX dailies were viewed?
Not in the case of Skyfall. Roger Deakins is a very exacting Cinematographer, and requested camera tests to be screened in IMAX over a year ago, as described above, so that he would be armed with this knowledge while shooting and then working with the digital frames.
3. As a filmgoer, I'm confused by the moniker "IMAX" associated with a film because of the different size screens. I think of IMAX as a massive curved screen and a specialized theater configuration, but now there are "IMAX lite" theaters that have a higher-def but flat screen. What defines the IMAX experience? Are you aware that film ticketing services like Fandango don't differentiate from "IMAX equipped theater" and a proper IMAX screen experience?
There isn't one thing that makes IMAX the most immersive movie experience in the world; it's a combination of many proprietary technologies and architecture - almost all of them inventions that are unique to IMAX. This is called the IMAX Experience® and is the culmination of the following elements:
When integrated together, our comprehensive suite of proprietary IMAX technologies and architecture delivers the optimal sensory experience in both 2D and 3D.
We develop and customize the equipment and theatre design specifically for each theatre - whether it is purpose-built, standalone or a retro-fitted multiplex.
There's no denying there is something special about watching a movie in an enormous auditorium. And, at IMAX, we're immensely proud of the ones we've built and continue to build. On the other hand, there are many more multiplexes than large, purpose-built, standalone IMAX theatres - so there are many more opportunities, in many more cities and towns, at many more times in the course of a film's run, for more moviegoers to see major movies in IMAX.
4. What's the impact of 4K digital projection systems on IMAX? Some of the recent 4K remasters (I'm thinking particularly of "Lawrence of Arabia", which is now gorgeous) are stunning and very high-def.
Both 4K and laser technology will be game-changers but neither is ready - in any format - today. Laser projection is still in its infancy, with much refinement required. And the studios, though excited by 4K technology, have not made the full transition to capturing with it - leaving the 4K projectors that exist today with little content to show. The overall image quality of presentation with IMAX's Dual-2K projection (shown below) is also currently better than standard 4K, given the other variables involved.
That said, we are hard at work on developing our next generation IMAX laser
digital projection system -- benefiting from IMAX's intellectual property
in image quality and the digital laser intellectual property IMAX
licensed from Eastman Kodak. This state-of-the-art benchmark solution
will solve the major limitation of current 4K projection technology by
providing a brightness and clarity not currently attainable as well as
blacker blacks and a wider color gamut.
Our new dual 4K laser projection system will optimize image quality and repeatability show after show through the use of a laser light source and IMAX's proprietary image enhancement technology. The experience will be brighter, razor sharp, in subtle lifelike colors and with brilliant contrasts. It promises to be the most advanced projection system available - and one that we expect to stay the most advanced for many years to come.
5. In Balboa Park (Los Angeles) they have a 360 IMAX. Is this a strategic direction for IMAX or just a gimmicky sort of thing, like the fully immersive video projection system in use at EPCOT Center in Florida?
IMAX Dome theatres are a proud and longstanding tradition at IMAX. In fact, we installed our first IMAX dome theatre in 1973. Because of the space and resources required to build a dome theatre, these are often "purpose-built," found in museums and science centers and play our documentary films.
Our next-generation laser digital system will also be designed for use in our existing dome theatres.
6. And let's close with a technical question: what are the steps involved between a director shooting with IMAX cameras and the final film being projected onto an IMAX screen? How much do IMAX cameras cost, and how much does it cost to either build or equip a theater with a full, modern IMAX projection system?
For scenes that are pure photography and films that are destined for IMAX film theatres, the key is to continue working with IMAX negative through the post-production chain. When bringing footage shot with IMAX film cameras into the digital world for post-production and special effects, it must be scanned at very high resolutions, usually at 8K. This helps ensure that the captured IMAX quality is maintained throughout the post-production chain.
On average, we sell our full systems for approximately $1.2 to $1.3 million. It is becoming more common, however, that we are entering revenue share arrangements with our exhibitor partners where we invest in the installation and get a share of box office.
Great stuff, thanks for the insight, Hugh. I know I'm excited to see Skyfall in the local IMAX for the full IMAX Bond experience. Or should I say "Max, IMAX"?
1. How difficult were the logistics with [cinematographer] Roger Deakins
having to shoot with, presumably, two camera rigs, the usual HD cameras
and simultaneously with the IMAX cameras?
Skyfall was not shot with IMAX cameras or with HD cameras. Roger Deakins used the Arri Alexa digital cinema camera in RAW image mode to provide the highest possible resolution and dynamic range (the number of exposure stops the camera can reproduce). Just over a year ago we began testing the footage in IMAX theatres in London so that Roger could see how it was going to translate to the most demanding format available.
The Alexa shoots a taller image than the Cinemascope format that most features, including Skyfall, are released in and so we suggested that Director Sam Mendes might want to take advantage of that to offer a taller, more immersive, format for the IMAX release. Chris Nolan, Brad Bird, Ridley Scott and Marc Webb have all done variations of this in the IMAX versions of their most recent films.
The IMAX presentation of SKYFALL will be specially formatted to feature a larger aspect ratio than the conventional release for the entirety of the film. This aspect ratio, which is optimized to take advantage of the IMAX screen, will allow audiences to see up to 26% more of the image and result in a full panorama of the action - further immersing them into the vast scale and scope of the film.
2. IMAX makes things very big, including physical imperfections, facial quirks, set design mistakes, slightly off-camera (but not for IMAX) activity, etc. Were there any scenes in Skyfall that needed to be reimagined or reshot after the IMAX dailies were viewed?
Not in the case of Skyfall. Roger Deakins is a very exacting Cinematographer, and requested camera tests to be screened in IMAX over a year ago, as described above, so that he would be armed with this knowledge while shooting and then working with the digital frames.
3. As a filmgoer, I'm confused by the moniker "IMAX" associated with a film because of the different size screens. I think of IMAX as a massive curved screen and a specialized theater configuration, but now there are "IMAX lite" theaters that have a higher-def but flat screen. What defines the IMAX experience? Are you aware that film ticketing services like Fandango don't differentiate from "IMAX equipped theater" and a proper IMAX screen experience?
There isn't one thing that makes IMAX the most immersive movie experience in the world; it's a combination of many proprietary technologies and architecture - almost all of them inventions that are unique to IMAX. This is called the IMAX Experience® and is the culmination of the following elements:
- IMAX manufactures the highest resolution cameras in the world and provides them to the most ambitious and accomplished filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan, Brad Bird and J.J. Abrams
- IMAX's revolutionary projection technology, which delivers crystal-clear images
- IMAX's powerful audio system, which delivers laser-aligned sound
- IMAX's customized theatre geometry, which maximizes the audiences field of view
When integrated together, our comprehensive suite of proprietary IMAX technologies and architecture delivers the optimal sensory experience in both 2D and 3D.
We develop and customize the equipment and theatre design specifically for each theatre - whether it is purpose-built, standalone or a retro-fitted multiplex.
There's no denying there is something special about watching a movie in an enormous auditorium. And, at IMAX, we're immensely proud of the ones we've built and continue to build. On the other hand, there are many more multiplexes than large, purpose-built, standalone IMAX theatres - so there are many more opportunities, in many more cities and towns, at many more times in the course of a film's run, for more moviegoers to see major movies in IMAX.
4. What's the impact of 4K digital projection systems on IMAX? Some of the recent 4K remasters (I'm thinking particularly of "Lawrence of Arabia", which is now gorgeous) are stunning and very high-def.
Both 4K and laser technology will be game-changers but neither is ready - in any format - today. Laser projection is still in its infancy, with much refinement required. And the studios, though excited by 4K technology, have not made the full transition to capturing with it - leaving the 4K projectors that exist today with little content to show. The overall image quality of presentation with IMAX's Dual-2K projection (shown below) is also currently better than standard 4K, given the other variables involved.
That said, we are hard at work on developing our next generation IMAX laser
digital projection system -- benefiting from IMAX's intellectual property
in image quality and the digital laser intellectual property IMAX
licensed from Eastman Kodak. This state-of-the-art benchmark solution
will solve the major limitation of current 4K projection technology by
providing a brightness and clarity not currently attainable as well as
blacker blacks and a wider color gamut.
Our new dual 4K laser projection system will optimize image quality and repeatability show after show through the use of a laser light source and IMAX's proprietary image enhancement technology. The experience will be brighter, razor sharp, in subtle lifelike colors and with brilliant contrasts. It promises to be the most advanced projection system available - and one that we expect to stay the most advanced for many years to come.
5. In Balboa Park (Los Angeles) they have a 360 IMAX. Is this a strategic direction for IMAX or just a gimmicky sort of thing, like the fully immersive video projection system in use at EPCOT Center in Florida?
IMAX Dome theatres are a proud and longstanding tradition at IMAX. In fact, we installed our first IMAX dome theatre in 1973. Because of the space and resources required to build a dome theatre, these are often "purpose-built," found in museums and science centers and play our documentary films.
Our next-generation laser digital system will also be designed for use in our existing dome theatres.
6. And let's close with a technical question: what are the steps involved between a director shooting with IMAX cameras and the final film being projected onto an IMAX screen? How much do IMAX cameras cost, and how much does it cost to either build or equip a theater with a full, modern IMAX projection system?
For scenes that are pure photography and films that are destined for IMAX film theatres, the key is to continue working with IMAX negative through the post-production chain. When bringing footage shot with IMAX film cameras into the digital world for post-production and special effects, it must be scanned at very high resolutions, usually at 8K. This helps ensure that the captured IMAX quality is maintained throughout the post-production chain.
On average, we sell our full systems for approximately $1.2 to $1.3 million. It is becoming more common, however, that we are entering revenue share arrangements with our exhibitor partners where we invest in the installation and get a share of box office.
Great stuff, thanks for the insight, Hugh. I know I'm excited to see Skyfall in the local IMAX for the full IMAX Bond experience. Or should I say "Max, IMAX"?
interesting read, but Balboa Park is in San Diego, not Los Angeles
Just saw SKYFALL tonight in Sydney's Darling Harbour IMAX theatre. the biggest IMAX screen in the world I believe.
Certainly an immersive Bond Experience. IMHO the best Bond film in a long time. The visuals and stunts were mind blowing anf the CG components were very transparent. The script and plot were among the most mature and sophisticated in the genre, and Daniel Craig has certainly reinvented the 007 persona. Less gadgetry, more realism. Although I had the good fortune of seeing the projection room way back in 2001 when researching a project, tonight it was hard to tell from the projection portal if it was Digital Projection or conventional release print, and sadly few of the usherette staff were knowledgeable enough to answer my query.
This article while interesting and informative to a point, also fails to conclusively differentiate between total Digital aquisition path to distribution formats, if in fact prints are struck in regular 1570 film format for certain sites?