GETTING IT ON FILM #1 - INTRODUCTION

Jan 97 - Gord Harris


Part of the fun of our rapidly-growing 15/70 film industry is seeing the creative, inventive ways filmmakers adapt to this medium. As the IMAX® theatre network continues its expansion, there has been a corresponding growth of ideas, projects and technologies for making films you will play in your theatres. This year at ISTC, there were 13 new IMAX film premieres and one new IMAX 3D® film - L5: First City in Space. But there were 23 films in progress, including four 3D films, far enough along to show some footage -- and an even more staggering 41"Works in Progress", including (17) IMAX 3D® films at the early conceptual or pre-production stage.

This is the first of a regular column on behind-the-scenes developments in 15/70 large-format filmmaking, to update theatre owners, filmmakers, consultants, sponsors and others who are interested in the large-format IMAX theatre industry. Our department provides technical support services, advice and equipment to filmmakers before and during the production of IMAX-format motion pictures. We've looked after mounting cameras and filming in submersibles for Titanica, designing accessories for 3D micro or macro photography, digital image processing and film recording for films like L5: First City In Space and engineering lightweight cameras for the ascent of Everest by MacGillivray Freeman's team.

We hope to share some insights that will entertain and educate and help you on a real film production need, whether that is doing a computer graphics logo or trailer for your new theatre, or simply deciding what is or is not possible to do with IMAX cameras and accessories. We love challenges at Sheridan Park, and like to think that almost anything is possible. If you have questions you would like to pose, please email us at film@imax.com and we'll do our best to respond. Or simply pass on an idea or two that could also be useful to steer our film technology research - we welcome your input.

Please click here to read the next article, GIOF2.

(Reprinted from The IMAX Experience January 1997 Volume 1 Issue 1 with permission from IMAX Corporation)


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