Very cool and informative video, John. Thanks for the comparisons. You really can't grasp the scope of the different formats till you see them side by side.
It should look fabulous if it does get the treatment Chris. All the best 4K discs are from large format films with only a couple of interlopers somewhere in the top 20 being shot on video and a couple shot 35mm. John.
The general rule of thumb is that the bigger the film gauge, the better the image quality Ian. There are other considerations such as the light levels and the film stock (some are finer grain than others etc.) but this is why the best 4K disc releases all hail from 70mm releases, either IMAX 15/70 or standard 70mm. John.
I recently looked at a bunch of 35mm trailer scans on youtube and there's something about the color even of things that were computer animated (and or a digital source) that was very natural and I suppose nostalgic. I haven't seen a 35mm print in a chain theater since probably early 2012, I can remember seeing the cue marks into 2011-2012.
There are still cinemas around with the capability of running film but the big downgrade in 2011 was too enticing for most theatres as it meant the expense of a projectionist could be lost. Who needs a skilled showman when someone else can push a button? It's sad the way things have gone but to be fair, the major studios have pretty much pulled out of theatrical presentation and no longer have their own premiere houses to showcase their latest product so the writing does appear to be on the wall. Why go to all the effort and expense of giving us the best when they (the studios) don't support cinema and would prefer to cut out the middle man and sell direct down the web? John.
Ok now they cut out the middle man the highly skilled projectionist and now they have someone pushing a button to show the film. What happens when something goes wrong with the equipment? Who do they call? It’s not like they can get a projectionist to fix it because they don’t have a job anymore. So sad really.
@@m3snusteve That's an even bigger problem for cinemas who sometimes still put a film on because although there are usually projectionists there, they don't always have the experience that used to come with the job and years of dealing with film, projectors and problems. John.
Some nice film stills in your cinema John!. Just put up Raiders and Aliens framed A2 cinema posters up in my cinema room. Cinema rooms need film memorabilia it's a must.
You can never have enough Lborg! I'm probably going to get a small light box for the IMAX film frames so that will be another thing to find wall space for. John.
Hi Movie Collector, I like the 8/16/33 mm look. But is there cheap alternative? Getting the footage developed and digitized is hardly affordable if you want to shoot a full length analog film (and dont want to use pseudo-analog digital filter.)
The only alternative is to shoot video as far as I know. There are tools to facilitate making a video look like a film by adding convincing film grain effects now and that does seem to be making a big difference when you consider how awful digital videos such at The Hobbit and Gemini Man looked. To be fair to those titles though they were primarily 3D fun rides rather than a serious film to sit and enjoy in a cinema in a conventional fashion and I bet they looked amazing that way. They just don't work flat. The latest version of Black Magic Davinci Resolve may have some of the tools to make a video look like film but if that doesn't have anything then it surely won't be long until it has. John.
Is there much scope in future for the IMAX machinery to be developed further/ reduce in cost to point it can become more affordable (& profitable) to have screenings? At moment I watch most things on 4K 55” Sony TV and it’s fine. Rarely venture to cinema unless it’s big name director or actor’s I follow. IMAX an hours drive away.
Apparently IMAX are currently developing a new 15/70 camera so there seems to be life in the old dog yet. Cinema seems to be in terminal decline at the moment and part of the reason for that is the poor quality on offer when you get there much of the time. You've summed it up by telling that you watch most things on a telly. That was rarely the case when cinema was at its heights in the 1990's because the quality of the general release prints was far better than anything home entertainment could offer with the closest being top Super 8 feature prints that cost several hundred pounds. Times are changing and big screen entertainment is not the involving adventure it once was... unless you get along to something special like INTERSTELLAR in the real McCoy, full Monty 15/70 genuine IMAX at the BFI IMAX tomorrow. Three more screenings have been announced for next weekend. I wonder if they'll sell out too. John.
Hi John thanks for the comparison of film gauges. I myself have two projectors, one chinnon super 8mm, also a bell and howell filmosound from circa 1962 with valve amp. One question though todays 4k projectors for the home cinema enthusiast. Can the resolution offered by these devices meet or exceed the resolution of 35mm films projected at the cinema? Obviously IMAX is like night and day and can beat them all nothing compares to it.
It's my understanding that notwithstanding the theoretical resolution of 35 mm, the projected resolution is going to be less, because of gate weave. So I would say that the actual projected resolution of 4k digital is better than projected 35 mm.
4K is estimated to be around half that of 35mm but there's more to it of course. Gate weave is rarely an issue Robert and it tends to be more noticeable from an electronic transfer of a 35mm than when running through a film projector which always seems rather odd. One of the big advantages of film projection and possibly the main reason why it looks so much more natural is because there is a film in between the lamp and the lens and this diffuses the light which is often too bright with video projection. My new Optoma video projector is too bright but does have the facility to reduce the output from the laser lamp so it can be sorted out if you can find the option to do it. The manual seems to be pretty useless for finding much out but I just play and play and play until I get things into a satisfactory manner. But, the best 4K discs can look better than most 35mm prints. There are reasons for this and the best way to explain it is the VistaVision effect. VistaVision was primarily used for producing superior quality 35mm reduction prints and it worked. The best 4K discs all come from large format film transfers and so take a look at TENET on 4K and see if you can find a 35mm print that ever looked as good. I don't think I have a 35mm print as good as that 4K disc in my collection but that's because TENET was shot IMAX 15/70 and standard 70mm. The best filming formats have resulted in the best possible video quality. The new video projector makes my home screen look like a miniature IMAX. It's not a patch on the 15/70 film print of course but none of us would expect it to be. The point is it's still brilliant. John.
Informative and frustrating, because it reminds me that films such as Ben Hur and Patton haven't been released in 4k. Both were film in 70mm. Patton in particular will likely never see the light of day in 4k, because it's now owned by the Mouse, a company that has NEVER been interested in being cutting edge on video.
Don't rule it out Robert because 4K is selling. It's still not the vast market that DVD once was but there are profits to be made and I've seen a few posts that suggest Disney might be coming back to the market. Now they own the Fox titles they do have some films that would actually sell so that's another incentive. John.
Excellent informative video as always John! What always amazes me is when I mention to friends about trekking to London to watch a film in 70mm IMAX they reply with I've seen it at the IMAX down the road not realising there is a huge difference in quality. I think IMAX have missed a marketing trick by not differentiating 70mm film theatres from laser only theatres to the general public?
I'm with you completely there Rob. Three more screenings of INTERSTELLAR have just been added so get your friends educated and get the National Express down - 28th, 29th April and 1st May. John.
Great video, John, very interesting to see the proportions of each format next to one another, and not quite what I expected actually (e.g. IMAX was bigger than I thought and super 8 smaller). Paul
I know what you mean Paul. I tend to think of IMAX as being three times the size of standard 70mm which is true, but it's the width of the frame that gives it that significant edge. Super 8 has a frame size of just 6mm across but that was 1mm more than the original 8mm format. It has never ceased to amaze me the quality that can be obtained from such tiny frames which does have to be seen to be believed at times. No wonder genuine IMAX is so completely incredible. John.
Hi John. I really enjoy your videos I find them fascinating. I love cinema but am still learning about all the different formats. Is the BFI in London the only place to watch true IMAX in the UK? I see that lots of smaller cinemas sell their screenings as IMAX but in another video you said they are not proper IMAX. Can you help me with some of your knowledge please? Interstellar is one of my favourite films and I would love to see it in it's best format one day. Thanks very much.
Afternoon Louis. IMAX has been around since the late 1960's and had it's first public screening in 1970 if I recall correctly. It is a 70mm film format as seen in this video. It's enormous and hence 'Image Maximized'. The aspect ratio of those enormous film frames is approximately 1.44:1 and many people get confused that all you have to do to claim 'IMAX' is project an image into that ratio. I never considered IMAX as a suitable format for feature films as the shape of the screen is wrong but it turns out I was wrong. To start with short sequences were included in feature films and that made them a little more exciting to go and see, providing you had an IMAX cinema you could get to. Then Christopher Nolan was apparently asked by Warner Bros. to make a third Batman film in 3D and he said he'd agree to make the film providing he could make it in IMAX - or something like that. INTERSTELLAR followed and the die was cast. It was only because I saw INTERSTELLAR at the BFI IMAX that I was finally able to appreciate the full advantage of shooting a feature film in the format. What has happened in more recent years is that IMAX have been trying to expand and/or stay in business. There are various downgrades of the great name with the lowest being a poor 2K video projection. There are various 4K downgrades of it but apparently the twin video projectors with the light source coming from lasers take the overall output to a little over 4K. 35mm is generally accepted to be capable of around 6K in computer video equivalent terms. People all over the world have been a little duped into thinking they're seeing IMAX when they're not. To see IMAX you have to see a film shot with 15/70 cameras and projector via a 15/70 projector. Therefore, I'll see you at the BFI IMAX for OPPENHEIMER. Although the Science Museum (Ronson Theatre) just along the road still projects IMAX 15/70 film and so does the IMAX in Manchester (Printworks I think it's called). There are a few other purpose built IMAX cinemas around Britain but not all of them still have the skill or the equipment to present anything other than video projection so you need to check before setting out to see a movie. The trouble is that the staff usually don't understand what you're asking as to them film and video are the same thing. It's a sad state of affairs when the industry doesn't understand. INTERSTELLAR was unbelievable at the BFI IMAX nine years ago and I expect it will be again on Sunday. John.
Will you be watching Oppenheimer at the BFI when it comes out? I hope to get tickets as soon as they’re available. I’ve signed up for the email listings, I hope I can catch some of the first listings!
I certainly plan to get there Swithin and as soon as I have tickets sorted I want to put a video out saying when I'll be there. There might be quite a group of us which would be fun because to watch something historic like this might be good to discuss with fellow enthusiasts afterwards. John.
I don't think I have Holm but I'd been doing it myself to get things straight in my own head and then I thought about using the light box to illustrate it all in a video. It did come out surprisingly well considering I just sort of put the camera in place and shot it all without much planning. John.
Hey I wanted to ask: from all the movies you have seen on Blu-rays and film, is there any movie Blu-ray out there that genuinely gives you the feel of film with no major changes to it ?
Plenty of 4K discs replicate the filmic look. Not all of them but it's probably most of them. Blu-rays are sometimes exceptional too and one I mentioned in a video recently was the Indicator release of 'Missing' with Jack Lemon and Sissy Spacek. Who needs 4K when a Blu-ray looks that good? John.
I've assembled most of those frames and the new IMAX strip of three from DUNE PART TWO into a dedicated little lightbox now so I expect to find an excuse to show that in a future video and perhaps explain it all again in a more convoluted form. Glad you found it useful. By the way, the Dune sequel isn't a genuine IMAX but there have been a dozen 15/70 IMAX prints struck from the lowly 4K video master file. I've yet to see it myself but I still intend to as one of the 12 prints is at the BFI IMAX. John.
Hey I love your videos on 70mm film and interstellar frames. I was wondering what kind of connections you have with the BFI because I’m extremely curious about IMAX technology and film projection. Thanks!
I don't really have a connection at all other than the Chief contacted me a couple of years ago when they were having a special screening of TENET but I couldn't make it. He let me know when they had it again recently so I went in to shoot the video of the film running before seeing the film. I'm hoping to do something similar for OPPENHEIMER but it may not be permissible. Getting to see the IMAX frames is possible in the lobby at the BFI IMAX because that pillar at the bar is wrapped in a couple of leaders. But if we do meet up for OPPENHEIMER I'll try to remember to bring the IMAX film frames from this video along so you can have a closer look John.
I haven't seen anything on the telly to do with film that's been worth watching for years Clark. Then again, I gave up on television in 2010 and haven't looked back. To be fair, I don't suppose there's an audience for a film related programme any longer. John.
Hi John, Absolutely fascinating content, there's a handful of films filmed in Vistavision on blu ray that I've been watching and the quality is always astounding. The 1950s Hitchcock films, White Christmas, The Searchers.
VistaVision is sensational enough but genuine IMAX is in a league of its own. Have a look at the 4K of The Ten Commandments because apart from some obvious blue screen effects shots, that disc is wonderful. And the 1.5x squeezed version known as Super Technirama 70 (because prints were blown up to 70mm film for release) means Spartacus is another of the best 4K discs. All the large format films result in the best 4K discs with few exceptions. Probably the recent Top Gun sequel is the best of the movies shot on video but Le Mans '66 might be up there with it. John.
I'm not far from you there now Tom and because London is no longer viable for visiting by car, I use National Express. Usually for about £20 I get a return to London to visit the IMAX. The trick is to be able to do it in a day but surely that's going to be possible for OPPENHEIMER as there will be multiple screenings in a day. It will be worth looking into because none of us can know how much longer (hopefully forever!) we'll have the opportunity to see the best film presentation format known to man. John.
I've just read that printworks Manchester are using the 70mm projector for oppenheimer, I thought they got rid of it when Vue cinema took over from odeon. Any chance you could ask anyone that may know if it's true? I'm soo happy if it is.
Others have told me the genuine IMAX projector is back in position so I'm pretty sure you'll be okay and you won't need to get the train or coach to London. It seems like they haven't used it since Dunkirk because they weren't given one of the eight worldwide prints of TENET. I'm not sure if that's true but that's what comments on here have told me. Enjoy OPPENHEIMER. The BFI IMAX have now released tickets so it's all systems go for the ultimate movie experience for as many of us who can get to see it in the real McCoy as possible. John.
@@moviecollector5920 thank you for the reply, I too have read this same information so hopefully the UK still 3 working 70mm projectors showing it. I hope people in the UK hear about it and try it out!
@@moviecollector5920 Hi, channel is called: bored_tech and that’s the video: 70mm IMAX Projector Lacing: Science Museum, London ruclips.net/video/BG-ZB-FY88E/видео.html
Morning Kim. A friend emailed me a link to a new IMAX video at the Science Museum and just as well he did because it didn't occur to me you were Bored_tech. I have only got through the first few minutes so far and it's excellent. If I get a chance I'll point people to it. Well done as usual. Just finished watching... BRILLIANT! Spotted your gal a couple of times too. Let's aim to get together at the BFI for OPPENHEIMER in the best movie presentation format known to man. John.
Thank you Reece. I recently put the IMAX frames and a few others into their own little lightbox which looks rather nice. I'll show it sometime in a future video. John.
I enjoyed this; very informative! I couldn't help but notice the film canister of 48 Hrs. I was 15 when I went to see it twice in a movie theater. This was also the film that initially launched Eddie Murphy's trek to stardom. Man, I sure wish that I had a Delorean to take me back to those days: Glory Days (1984, Bruce Springsteen).
That's actually an earlier film with the same title Eric but it caught my eye when I was there. I first saw it on a telly broadcast and my brother and I laughed so hard after the fight scene where Nick Nolte gets back into the car and gives Eddie Murphy one more smack in the mouth. A commercial break came on immediately which somehow made it even funnier and we laughed all the way through that break. Today, youngsters seem to think the film is racialist and some can't bear to watch it. It's completely the opposite. As for Bruce Springsteen - Greens Pub in Chelsea with the video jukebox had 'Dancing In The Dark' on every single time I was in there and as a result I bought the album which then went onto sell in huge numbers quite a lot later. I still spin it occasionally and have just purchased a Blu-ray of a concert he did in Hyde Park a while ago. Looks like a lot of fun. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Yes, that was a funny and memorable scene. Another thing I distinctly remember about 48 Hrs. is hearing steel drums play sporadically throughout the entire movie. They could also be heard in the sequel. It took a few years for that one to finally release. I had just gotten out of the military and saw it at the same movie theater where I saw the first one. Dancing in the Dark is an awesome song. It was one of many videos I loved seeing over and over again on MTV. At the time I had no idea who Courtney Cox was; I don't think anyone else did either.
@@ericlozen9631 I have Another 48 Hours on LaserDisc. Not as good as the first film but better than it is given credit for. It's time I watched it again. I didn't know that was Courtney Cox in the Springsteen video. John.
Wow. I knew 70mm was big, but didn't realize it was THAT much bigger when compared to 35mm. It's no wonder it's become a boutique format given the source and machinery needed, along with the involved print processing. I remember seeing a few 70mm films back in the day and it was a sight to behold. The problem with IMAX is that it's become "consumerized" to where you now have these faux-IMAX screens popping-up everywhere. I did see the first Hobbit film on a true IMAX screen at HFR and man, was it a weird experience.
This is a perfect indication of how the IMAX name has been devalued Fred because the Hobbit wasn't an IMAX film. It may have been adapted to fit genuine screens but as far as I'm concerned IMAX is what has been around since 1970 and anything else should have a variation of the name such as IMAX LITE. Here are the Technical Details of The Hobbit as they appear on IMDB: Cinematographic Process Digital Intermediate(2K, master format)Dolby VisionRedcode RAW(5K, dual-strip 3-D, source format) Printed Film Format 35 mm(anamorphic, Kodak Vision 2383)70 mm(horizontal, IMAX DMR blow-up, also dual-strip 3-D, Kodak Vision 2383)D-Cinema(also 3-D version) It seems from the above that this video was printed onto film for some cinemas and had an aspect ratio of 2.00:1. It would therefore not have fitted genuine IMAX screens and therefore will have looked like that masked IMAX strip I show in this video. In other words, it's a bit of a con but it worked. Took over a billion dollars worldwide. John.
@@moviecollector5920 That's true. At the time I just assumed at least parts of it were shot in IMAX, but it was apparently filmed using a bunch of Red cameras. I should've known it wasn't a genuine IMAX presentation since there were no aspect ratio changes during the entire runtime, but I was completely distracted by the 3-D HFR. The theatre itself is a true IMAX one (the Regal Cinema at Pointe Orlando), but they play all of the first-run stuff on the main screen, 99.9% of which are just "standard" movies. I don't think they even heavily advertise when a real IMAX movie is being shown, but that could simply be due to the relative rarity of the format and no one there knowing any better. The other true IMAX screens that comes to mind around here are the two at the Visitor's Complex at Kennedy Space Center, but again, whether or not the films they show were actually shot via IMAX cameras is heavily dependent on the film's context. IOW, I seriously doubt NASA could've lugged IMAX hardware onboard the space shuttle, but ground and perhaps some aerial shots could've been genuine. The machinery involved for IMAX presentations looks gargantuan. I wonder if 70mm films need similar daunting equipment. The last 70mm-capable theatre here that I know about was turned into an LA Fitness. We also no longer have any drive-ins, but that's another depressing subject.
@@fredleggett923 NASA did actually take IMAX 70mm cameras up into space and the resultant IMAX documentaries were fabulous. Or at least, this was so long ago at a time when conning the public by passing off something as IMAX when it wasn't would have been quite a scandal and bad publicity would have resulted so those unrivalled images from space had to have been shot in the real deal by suitably trained astronauts. A lot of the problem today is that staff are not trained properly and don't know the difference between video and film let alone genuine IMAX and video. That was a bit of a problem at the BFI IMAX when Odeon took over for a while but fortunately they've gone now and rarely do I come across a member of staff there who doesn't know that 15/70 film is special and they all see to be on a bit of a high when one of these NOLAN films is on. That's three hours away right now so I'd better get down there! John.
You're actually right there Gary. I finally had some time this morning and got the razor out. Back to the grindstone again today though. Enjoy Midnight Run. We watched The Social Network 4K the other evening and I was pleasantly surprised by the film and the overall quality of it. John.
Thank you uncle Cliff. I don't suppose they have a genuine IMAX cinema where you are in Spain but the 4K reductions onto home movie 4K disc are still excellent if you ever fancy taking the plunge. John.
@@moviecollector5920 John, Can you tell me how close the picture quality of the Blu Ray of The Terminator is to the 35mm Print. Watch out as well for 4K collectors edition to all the Bruce Lee movies done by arrow videos. What a box set
@@gurdipvirdee7176 I haven't seen The Terminator Blu-ray Gurdip but I did see an HD extract somewhere and it looked impressive. It's a long time since I saw the film in the cinema - 1984 of course - and I don't remember the image quality, just that I thought it was a great film. I have the Super 8 feature and that looks pretty terrific so that's an indication that the image quality should be excellent on Blu-ray and if it ever gets the HDR treatment for a 4K disc release, it should be even better still. John.
I’d be interested to see T2 on 35mm to see why they had problems with the 4K. I know it was partly due to it having digital noise reduction due to the 3D but I’d like to see the true quality of the original.
@@jim_herd I saw the 70mm blow-up and it was excellent. A colleague recently sold his 35mm print but that print was very good and used as the master to produce a 16mm negative for the Super 8 release which was excellent too. In other words, there's nothing wrong with Terminator 2, for the recent video release it was mastered for 3D and that's what ruined it. John.
My local museum had the only IMAX theater in our city (mostly for educational films). It was insane that they needed an entire room to feed the film properly (luckily it was on full display)
An IMAX projector running is a work of art so quite right that your local had the sense to turn it into a museum exhibit while it's actually working. Now they have video projectors in most of the few remaining IMAX cinemas they could all video project the booth so the audience could see what is involved. At the least a video could be shown to give everyone an idea. The speed those projectors run out as phenomenal. I have many years of film experience and I found it awe-inspiring. It's an engineering marvel, no other way to explain it. John.
You know John, I say this from the heart. I could listen to you talk about this kind of stuff all day Sir. Absolutely, love it and thanks for the education. My home cinema has been refurbished over the past two weeks and I'm pondering what to watch this evening. I've recently picked up Dunkirk, Interstellar and The Taking Of Pelham 123 (Original and best) on 4K disc so it could be one of them. My system has been treated to a new subwoofer from SVS, the PB-3000, When I tested The Force Awakens on the system a few days ago it utterly blew my socks off. That said, to give the sub another run, Dunkirk is looking more likely for tonight's showing.. Or The Dark Knight Rises.... Or Jaws.... Or Runaway Train... Or... This is going to be a difficult choice 😂
DUNKIRK is one of the greatest soundtracks of all time. At the IMAX you could feel the bullets and explosions so I know how much of a difference your new subwoofer will have made in your own home cinema. I bet you had a great time last night. I'm due to be at the BFI IMAX in a couple of hours so I'd better get a move on. John.
@@LeShark75 Ho ho - nearly blew the roof off your house! I've just got back from the IMAX. INTERSTELLAR was everything I remembered and more. The most spectacular film I've ever seen in any cinema... but it has to be genuine IMAX to have that impact of course. John.
Very interesting John. Nice to see the side by side comparison of different frame sizes. Suspect it’ll be impossible to get tickets for Oppenheimer at BFI IMAX……
I think they will keep OPPENHEIMER on for a very long time if necessary George. INTERSTELLAR has sold out four shows so three more for next weekend have been announced. A nine year old film selling out a major venue over and over has to be unprecedented in recent times. There's hope for cinema yet. John.
Thanks for the mention John. No takers for the ticket that I spotted. I’m going to try and force myself to brave the marathon madness and get there tomorrow so hopefully see you there.
I'll be walking over there in a couple of hours. I hope they haven't closed the whole route off by then. I lived here in the centre of London most of my life and it never used to cause any issues so we should all be okay. Hope to see you there Jim. John.
@@jim_herd We somehow seemed to miss you at the Cuban restaurant at the end Jim. Sorry if you came out and couldn't find us. We were there for about ten minutes after I left you at the counter. Great to meet you and spend time together today. Hope your back and other things ease up and we'll meet again for OPPENHEIMER. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I did wonder what had happened. I’d left my jacket at the table too. I know someone turned up wanting the table but they could’ve waited. It was actually there though. It was good to see you too. Hopefully I’ll make Oppenheimer. BTW, obviously I didn’t get a chance to ask but I didn’t want to be filmed so please don’t put me in any videos. Maybe next time if I’ve had my hair done.
@@jim_herd We were outside for about ten minutes Jim and probably more and I came back inside to see what had happened. We had to get Anne to King's Cross but made it in good time so could have hung around longer. I didn't spot your jacket at the table before coming inside - sorry about that. Don't worry about the video, won't use any of you but we'll bring the hair and make-up girl next time. Good to know you're okay. John.
Thank you for this video - it's absolutely fascinating! I often hear terms like '8mm', 'super 8mm' and '35mm' and I have a vague idea of what they mean...but seeing the frames side-by-side really shows the difference. IMAX really is staggering!
I should have put the Super 8 frame next to the IMAX frame too really. Super 8 is called 'Super' because the original 8mm (most commonly known as 'standard 8' has a smaller image area and a bigger sprocket whereas Super 8 has a smaller sprocket to give a picture area that is 1mm larger. The basic measurements are that standard 8mm has an image area 5mm wide with the sprocket area and sides of the film taking up 3mm and Super 8 has an image area of 6mm and 2mm taking up the rest. I hope that fills in any gaps I left out in the video Eoghan. John.
Hi John! Good to see you and thanks for this video. Wow what a collection Noel has! Hope you have a great time at Interstellar this weekend and the conference next one! Clever idea from Trevor's gift. Trevor by comment helped me work wonders on my television calibration from a long distance away I can't thank you enough for introducing him. My picture for 4k films is way way better! To date no Nolan screenings at our IMAX here (YETlol) only Oppenheimer but I'm on the lookout and fingers crossed! Cheers for now D in BC!!
If I ever get this home cinema properly finished with holes in walls for the projectors then I want to get Trevor over here for this newer video projector to see what he thinks. I've reached a fairly happy compromise with the settings but almost every disc still has to have the brightness of the laser lamp adjusted to suit. That will probably mean any set calibration he can establish for me would be messed up so his input would be good. I'm very much looking forward to seeing that same print of INTERSTELLAR at the same cinema again after 9 years. Being sold out should make the screening seem even more exciting. Don't know if I'll shoot a video there this time though. John.
Every time I watch a video like this about true IMAX film it pisses me off that most people get LIEMAX instead with only 4k digital projectors. Its a scam if you ask me. I wish more film makers would take cues from Nolan. He clearly understands why its superior to digital.
It's also a lot more costly James and it requires skilled cameramen to be able to shoot with it successfully. 35mm still produces better results than most video but standard 70mm should surely be used more often. I suppose 70mm does depend on if there is a local lab that can process it because it was never that common. John.
@@moviecollector5920 for sure, just wish studios realized that they're killing the theaters by having everything digital and by releasing movies on streaming a month after theatrical release. Back before large HD TVs in the home, there was an advantage to seeing high res images in a theater. Now that most have access to it, they need to up their standards. 70MM would be a great way to offer what most cant get at home. I'd pay to see that. I'm not paying to see a movie in the theater when I usually get a better experience at home. I dont know how it is by you, but on the rare occasion I go see a movie at the local cinema, its nowhere near as packed as it once was 15 years ago. So many smaller cinema chains have already closed their doors.
@@innerlightfilms I don't go to a cinema unless I know there is a film print being run. Too many bad experiences with video projection in cinemas so I gave up. Film quality was being dumbed down from about the late 1990's so it's not been entirely a video only problem. Studios seem to want to cut out the middle man and keep all the money for themselves. Streaming facilitates that. I don't think they particularly care what happens to cinemas so it's possible the writing is on the wall. I suppose cinema has been in terminal decline for a long time now but there have been spurts of business that have caused people to want to go. Now the presentation is generally so awful it's difficult to entice older people out of their arm chairs so the main fodder for cinemas is comic book superhero flicks and I think even the youngest among us are a little tired of those now. It's not looking good and something is required to stem the tide. Superior presentation overall such as curtains across the screen would help and then projecting 70mm film wherever possible would remind a few how good cinema can be. There are good films being made it's just that hardly anyone hears about them now. Last Night In Soho is the prime example I keep mentioning. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I bought Last Night In Soho because of your review, lol. My girlfriend and I enjoyed it! I LOVE going out to the movies when its done right. The ooo's and the ahhh's from crowd reactions, the laughter, the smell of popcorn, the couples in love, the parents bringing their children. Its what is right with the world. Now I only go for highly anticipated summer blockbusters with the Dolby Theaters that AMC has. At least those projectors are nice, but I'll never forget the look of 35mm. Movie I remember the most was The Matrix 1999. I was so in love with that movie I watched it multiple times in the theater and when I got my DVD copy I just felt like something was off about the look and feel. That's probably where my obsession came from needing a large screen, surround sound, and light controlled room. The way a movie is presented can make or break the impact it has on us. 24 frames per second backlit celluloid is where its at in my opinion! I wish I had a larger platform and voice to change peoples minds, but maybe that vinyl is seeing a resurgence, film prints will too. I can only hope! Keep reminding your subscribers and hopefully more people will catch on.
@@innerlightfilms We're almost entirely on the same hymn sheet James but one thing I remember differently is how poor The Matrix looked. It probably didn't overall but some of the computer created effects were such low quality that it adversely affected the film. The green tint to much of it probably didn't help either but I was for once watching a general release print in a cinema and not a master print or 70mm blow-up. I'm doing what I can to inform people about the benefits of real film and judging by some of the comments I am having a small effect. I feel rather sorry for people who are movie lovers but too young to have seen the glory days. It is still possible to see the best at a few cinemas on occasion but going into the West End every Friday night to see a master print of a new release, well, those days are pretty much gone. Great days and some great times. Right, I'm off to get the bus to London. The IMAX beckons! John.
That would be a 70mm blow-up so nothing unusual there Robert. A bit of cropping at the sides to fit the 70mm 2.20:1 aspect ratio and hey presto, a 70mm presentation. These blow-up prints were struck from the original camera negative for premiere houses to ensure the best possible quality. It worked. John.
Another brilliant video. Thank you. I’ve learned so much from your channel about physical film, it’s really opened my eyes to my film collection. Love the cushions also! Best regards, Dave
Greetings Trev. I'm rather pleased with my line of HMV and FOPP cushions. Seems rather suitable for a home cinema where so much of what we watch has come from those stores. I'm just about to get on the bus to make my way to the IMAX for tomorrow's screening of INTERSTELLAR. They've just added three more screenings too and it will be interesting to see if they sell out as well. John.
@@moviecollector5920 you never know. Sue could start a business making cushions out of those kind of shopping bags 😉 I hope you enjoy Interstellar on the perfect viewing platform. It's great they added yet more screenings. Trevor
I might take a look at the second film Dave but I feel like I've already done the first one to death. It will be interesting to hear from anyone who has seen it who thinks it's at all different. I'm curious to know if they've used the interpositive for the opening two reels that had a faded appearance on the previous release. Might be wrong on that because the opening two reels always were a little odd. John.
Another superb video. John have you ever considered writing a book about your home movie collecting over the years? You are so fascinating and very informative. Best wishes Lawrence
Thank you Lawrence. I don't think there's much of a market for a book on movie collecting. A few things have been done before but that was when books actually sold and even then the print runs appear to have been rather small. John.
Really interesting John loved seeing all the film processes in one go For sure if I'm in London again and there's a Nolan film showing at the BFI Imax I will not miss it next time around. Graham.
This may sound naive but I’ve wondered about 70mm. If they invented an anamorphic lens to achieve an widescreen aspect ratio with 35mm without cropping the image, could they do a similar thing with 70mm but a specialised lens that squeezes the image even wider and then de squeeze the image vertically into the IMAX frame? Could it work? Just a thought. Great Video John.
Just about anything can be done with lenses Jedd but every time another piece of glass is introduced a little bit of quality is lost. 35mm anamorphic blow-ups are perceptibly better than a 35mm master print equivalent and that is due to the size of the film gauge partially because more light can be punched through the bigger aperture. Not all 35mm blow-ups had cropping though because 1.85:1 prints also got the treatment and that meant black bars down the sides on the 70mm prints. As for enlarging something to the IMAX 1.44:1, well that doesn't make it IMAX, it's just filling the screen. IMAX is and always should be 70mm horizontal film with an image area 15 sprockets wide. Anything else should have an alternative name such as 'IMAX LITE' perhaps. John.
Ben Hur was done with a similar process to what you're talking about. It was filmed in 65 mm with anamorphic lenses. When the image was unsqueezed, the result was a super wide 2.76 ratio.
@@robertromero8692 That explains the extremely wide image on that one then Robert. Ironically, CineaVision produced a 50 minute mini feature on Super 8 that made the aspect ratio about 2.40:1. Usually Super 8 'Scope is 2.66:1 so that was a bit of a waste of time. It was a very good cut down though and far more repeatable than the full feature which was issued some years after the CineaVision versions. John.
I can't even imagine what it would be like to witness a true IMAX 70mm film projection, I'd have to travel halfway around the world in either direction to see it. Up until a few years ago, there was one, and only one such theatre in my whole country. I was living in that city, but until I realized it was already too late, they had converted into digital projection. The last movie they showed in this format was Interstellar. FML. I can only hope they bring It back again, or maybe open a new IMAX theatre in different city where I can go.
I hope that the coming release of OPPENHEIMER results in a bit of a miracle and the 15/70 projector is checked out, serviced and put back into action at your former IMAX cinema. There a bit of a difference between the finest moving picture image in human history and 4K video projection. The twin laser has apparently improved the image a little more than 4K but when you consider 35mm is often reported as capable of around 6K that rather says it all really. John.
There's nothing that quite gets the difference in scale across like running the different films through your hand on a rewind bench. After running nothing but 70mm for a while, 35mm felt positively tiny.
@@moviecollector5920 I can only imagine, but yes, "terrified" is probably a good guess. So many interlocked machines, just waiting for something to break...
@@SplicesAndCelluloid It's amazing it ever worked at all but IMAX is similar in that regard. Real IMAX that is not the faux video projection 2K and 4K versions (which should have a slightly different name as far as I'm concerned). John.
@@moviecollector5920 I seen Chris Nolan film shot on 65mm film have 35mm version how do they transfer 65mm onto 35mm some hoe they need to squeeze up the image
Optical reduction prints. The basic 'Scope aspect ratio so cropped top and bottom but the films are shot with that in mind so should not be noticeable. The quality of the reduction prints should be exceptional but I have had a report than Dunkirk wasn't as good as expected given the master material. John.
I be interesting to see when imax release there new imax cameras film makers will use these cameras over the digital imax cameras I bet Chris Nolan can't wait to get his hands on them
@@moviecollector5920 according to news on imax they have been developing new 15/70mm imax cameras with panavision help are supposedly to be smaller and quieter in operation just Google new imax cameras they due to be ready sometime this year
@@neiltaylor6645 I'll have a look when I get a chance. I expect Christopher Nolan and Hoyte van Hoytema have been encouraging them to do this re-engineering. Let's hope film makers around the world want to use the new products and genuine IMAX cinemas thrive as a result. Cinema needs 70mm in all its forms as a tool to encourage audiences back in. John.
John, thank you so much for this wonderful demonstration!! If I ever need to explain this concept to anyone, I will look no further. The scale difference between these types of film is colossal. It is time for the convention!! Dmitri
I'm going to be heading off to the BFI IMAX shortly Dmitri so must remember to take an action camera in case I can think of another way to feature a genuine IMAX show. I should have shown Super 8 next to the IMAX frames in this video though. It's amazing how good Super 8 really can look given its diminutive size but maybe a few people will get an idea of the quality that is possible at the BFCC next Saturday. I'm still having trouble with my 35mm projector though so have purchased a couple of new interconnects in the hope that will sort the sound out. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Do you know any repair specialist, who can help you to resolve this issue? Have you tried to google local specialists? Somebody might come up. It is hard to predict in advance. I wish you to resolve the issue and have a wonderful time at the BFCC! I never had a pleasure of seeing a projected Super 8 on a screen. Thanks to your video, I at least have an understanding of what these different formats look like and how they compare to each other. Of course, there is enough material to give a whole semester worth of lectures on history of their creation, on science behind them, on limitations and benefits. By the way, Keanu Reeves made a good documentary on the subject of cinematography, called "Side by Side". It would be great to hear your opinion on it some day. Obviously, since it has a run time of only 1.5hrs, it is only a short demonstration of the aforementioned course. How was the IMAX presentation? Dmitri
@@dmitripopov8570 I'll get back to playing with the 35mm in a couple of days. I ran out of time on Friday night but I did seem to be having some success working out how to get the motor to fire up each time so that was encouraging. Sound might not be resolved but I'll get around it. I have purchased a couple more 3.5mm to twin phono leads though so if that's the issue then I will surely find out with these two vastly different set of leads. INTERSTELLAR was possibly even more amazing than it was nine years ago. Hope to get a video together by the end of Tuesday about that. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Very much looking forward to the video! The best of success to you in fixing the projector. It is not an easy task. I wish I could be of some help. Well... I have pretty good searching skills. If you need some schematics or a manual, let me know. Also, there might be some useful suggestions on forums. I am sure someone in the world was talking about this issue on the internet. There might be some useful tips. Don't forget the helpful Google Search commands: "" and or - ...and others. Dmitri
@@dmitripopov8570 I think it just needs a replacement switch to reliably engage the motor really Dmitri. Looks like I've sussed out how to get the thing running though and I've also now made the sound as good as it can be so yesterday afternoon and early evening was time well spent. John.
I don't know what that is Jeff but I can tell you that Noel has all sorts of equipment and tools. An amazing man really because he's not as young as he looks. John.
I’m a amateur radio operator and yes it could be a hf set. I can’t see close enough to make it out but they look like fm vhf/uhf radio transmitters. Notice what looks like a swr/power meter box on top of the two radios.
It's usually a collector to collector thing but there are a few dealers around who still offer 35mm prints. Even 70mm on occasion. We did screen a faded 70mm reel of Lawrence of Arabia at a BFCC years ago. John.
@@inmate1614 Too expensive now. But the Super 8 features in particular are extremely valuable today so anyone who wants to buy and sell is possibly in a good position. John.
Very cool and informative video, John. Thanks for the comparisons. You really can't grasp the scope of the different formats till you see them side by side.
Glad it's helped Bill. Hopefully it will inform quite a few people. John.
Seeing the size of the 70 mm print really makes me wish Tron would get a 4K release, because that was shot on 65 mm and had 70 mm prints.
It should look fabulous if it does get the treatment Chris. All the best 4K discs are from large format films with only a couple of interlopers somewhere in the top 20 being shot on video and a couple shot 35mm. John.
Great video John. I am learning so much about how film works from your videos. Keep up the good work!
The general rule of thumb is that the bigger the film gauge, the better the image quality Ian. There are other considerations such as the light levels and the film stock (some are finer grain than others etc.) but this is why the best 4K disc releases all hail from 70mm releases, either IMAX 15/70 or standard 70mm. John.
I recently looked at a bunch of 35mm trailer scans on youtube and there's something about the color even of things that were computer animated (and or a digital source) that was very natural and I suppose nostalgic. I haven't seen a 35mm print in a chain theater since probably early 2012, I can remember seeing the cue marks into 2011-2012.
There are still cinemas around with the capability of running film but the big downgrade in 2011 was too enticing for most theatres as it meant the expense of a projectionist could be lost. Who needs a skilled showman when someone else can push a button? It's sad the way things have gone but to be fair, the major studios have pretty much pulled out of theatrical presentation and no longer have their own premiere houses to showcase their latest product so the writing does appear to be on the wall. Why go to all the effort and expense of giving us the best when they (the studios) don't support cinema and would prefer to cut out the middle man and sell direct down the web?
John.
Ok now they cut out the middle man the highly skilled projectionist and now they have someone pushing a button to show the film. What happens when something goes wrong with the equipment? Who do they call? It’s not like they can get a projectionist to fix it because they don’t have a job anymore. So sad really.
@@m3snusteve That's an even bigger problem for cinemas who sometimes still put a film on because although there are usually projectionists there, they don't always have the experience that used to come with the job and years of dealing with film, projectors and problems. John.
Some nice film stills in your cinema John!. Just put up Raiders and Aliens framed A2 cinema posters up in my cinema room. Cinema rooms need film memorabilia it's a must.
You can never have enough Lborg! I'm probably going to get a small light box for the IMAX film frames so that will be another thing to find wall space for. John.
Amazing film comparisons there John. Would love to see Ben Hur in 70mm again and own it on 4k.
Sod 4K, I want Ben-Hur on 70mm!!! I'll worry about the projector later. John.
@@moviecollector5920 😂😂
Hi Movie Collector, I like the 8/16/33 mm look. But is there cheap alternative? Getting the footage developed and digitized is hardly affordable if you want to shoot a full length analog film (and dont want to use pseudo-analog digital filter.)
The only alternative is to shoot video as far as I know. There are tools to facilitate making a video look like a film by adding convincing film grain effects now and that does seem to be making a big difference when you consider how awful digital videos such at The Hobbit and Gemini Man looked. To be fair to those titles though they were primarily 3D fun rides rather than a serious film to sit and enjoy in a cinema in a conventional fashion and I bet they looked amazing that way. They just don't work flat. The latest version of Black Magic Davinci Resolve may have some of the tools to make a video look like film but if that doesn't have anything then it surely won't be long until it has.
John.
Of course your open matte is useful if you had any acadamy ratio silent 35mm films.
Particularly good for Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton's Brian.
Thanks for the comparison John. Imax film seems almost like watching 6x7 medium format slides at 24 frame per second! Amazing!
Just unbelievable Dan. No wonder it's so much better than anything else being exhibited commercially today. John.
Is there much scope in future for the IMAX machinery to be developed further/ reduce in cost to point it can become more affordable (& profitable) to have screenings?
At moment I watch most things on 4K 55” Sony TV and it’s fine. Rarely venture to cinema unless it’s big name director or actor’s I follow. IMAX an hours drive away.
Apparently IMAX are currently developing a new 15/70 camera so there seems to be life in the old dog yet. Cinema seems to be in terminal decline at the moment and part of the reason for that is the poor quality on offer when you get there much of the time. You've summed it up by telling that you watch most things on a telly. That was rarely the case when cinema was at its heights in the 1990's because the quality of the general release prints was far better than anything home entertainment could offer with the closest being top Super 8 feature prints that cost several hundred pounds. Times are changing and big screen entertainment is not the involving adventure it once was... unless you get along to something special like INTERSTELLAR in the real McCoy, full Monty 15/70 genuine IMAX at the BFI IMAX tomorrow. Three more screenings have been announced for next weekend. I wonder if they'll sell out too.
John.
Hi John thanks for the comparison of film gauges. I myself have two projectors, one chinnon super 8mm, also a bell and howell filmosound from circa 1962 with valve amp. One question though todays 4k projectors for the home cinema enthusiast. Can the resolution offered by these devices meet or exceed the resolution of 35mm films projected at the cinema? Obviously IMAX is like night and day and can beat them all nothing compares to it.
It's my understanding that notwithstanding the theoretical resolution of 35 mm, the projected resolution is going to be less, because of gate weave. So I would say that the actual projected resolution of 4k digital is better than projected 35 mm.
4K is estimated to be around half that of 35mm but there's more to it of course. Gate weave is rarely an issue Robert and it tends to be more noticeable from an electronic transfer of a 35mm than when running through a film projector which always seems rather odd. One of the big advantages of film projection and possibly the main reason why it looks so much more natural is because there is a film in between the lamp and the lens and this diffuses the light which is often too bright with video projection. My new Optoma video projector is too bright but does have the facility to reduce the output from the laser lamp so it can be sorted out if you can find the option to do it. The manual seems to be pretty useless for finding much out but I just play and play and play until I get things into a satisfactory manner. But, the best 4K discs can look better than most 35mm prints. There are reasons for this and the best way to explain it is the VistaVision effect. VistaVision was primarily used for producing superior quality 35mm reduction prints and it worked. The best 4K discs all come from large format film transfers and so take a look at TENET on 4K and see if you can find a 35mm print that ever looked as good. I don't think I have a 35mm print as good as that 4K disc in my collection but that's because TENET was shot IMAX 15/70 and standard 70mm. The best filming formats have resulted in the best possible video quality. The new video projector makes my home screen look like a miniature IMAX. It's not a patch on the 15/70 film print of course but none of us would expect it to be. The point is it's still brilliant.
John.
Informative and frustrating, because it reminds me that films such as Ben Hur and Patton haven't been released in 4k. Both were film in 70mm. Patton in particular will likely never see the light of day in 4k, because it's now owned by the Mouse, a company that has NEVER been interested in being cutting edge on video.
Don't rule it out Robert because 4K is selling. It's still not the vast market that DVD once was but there are profits to be made and I've seen a few posts that suggest Disney might be coming back to the market. Now they own the Fox titles they do have some films that would actually sell so that's another incentive.
John.
Excellent informative video as always John! What always amazes me is when I mention to friends about trekking to London to watch a film in 70mm IMAX they reply with I've seen it at the IMAX down the road not realising there is a huge difference in quality. I think IMAX have missed a marketing trick by not differentiating 70mm film theatres from laser only theatres to the general public?
I'm with you completely there Rob. Three more screenings of INTERSTELLAR have just been added so get your friends educated and get the National Express down - 28th, 29th April and 1st May. John.
Great video, John, very interesting to see the proportions of each format next to one another, and not quite what I expected actually (e.g. IMAX was bigger than I thought and super 8 smaller).
Paul
I know what you mean Paul. I tend to think of IMAX as being three times the size of standard 70mm which is true, but it's the width of the frame that gives it that significant edge. Super 8 has a frame size of just 6mm across but that was 1mm more than the original 8mm format. It has never ceased to amaze me the quality that can be obtained from such tiny frames which does have to be seen to be believed at times. No wonder genuine IMAX is so completely incredible. John.
Hi John. I really enjoy your videos I find them fascinating.
I love cinema but am still learning about all the different formats. Is the BFI in London the only place to watch true IMAX in the UK? I see that lots of smaller cinemas sell their screenings as IMAX but in another video you said they are not proper IMAX. Can you help me with some of your knowledge please? Interstellar is one of my favourite films and I would love to see it in it's best format one day. Thanks very much.
Afternoon Louis. IMAX has been around since the late 1960's and had it's first public screening in 1970 if I recall correctly. It is a 70mm film format as seen in this video. It's enormous and hence 'Image Maximized'. The aspect ratio of those enormous film frames is approximately 1.44:1 and many people get confused that all you have to do to claim 'IMAX' is project an image into that ratio. I never considered IMAX as a suitable format for feature films as the shape of the screen is wrong but it turns out I was wrong. To start with short sequences were included in feature films and that made them a little more exciting to go and see, providing you had an IMAX cinema you could get to. Then Christopher Nolan was apparently asked by Warner Bros. to make a third Batman film in 3D and he said he'd agree to make the film providing he could make it in IMAX - or something like that. INTERSTELLAR followed and the die was cast. It was only because I saw INTERSTELLAR at the BFI IMAX that I was finally able to appreciate the full advantage of shooting a feature film in the format.
What has happened in more recent years is that IMAX have been trying to expand and/or stay in business. There are various downgrades of the great name with the lowest being a poor 2K video projection. There are various 4K downgrades of it but apparently the twin video projectors with the light source coming from lasers take the overall output to a little over 4K. 35mm is generally accepted to be capable of around 6K in computer video equivalent terms. People all over the world have been a little duped into thinking they're seeing IMAX when they're not. To see IMAX you have to see a film shot with 15/70 cameras and projector via a 15/70 projector. Therefore, I'll see you at the BFI IMAX for OPPENHEIMER. Although the Science Museum (Ronson Theatre) just along the road still projects IMAX 15/70 film and so does the IMAX in Manchester (Printworks I think it's called). There are a few other purpose built IMAX cinemas around Britain but not all of them still have the skill or the equipment to present anything other than video projection so you need to check before setting out to see a movie. The trouble is that the staff usually don't understand what you're asking as to them film and video are the same thing. It's a sad state of affairs when the industry doesn't understand.
INTERSTELLAR was unbelievable at the BFI IMAX nine years ago and I expect it will be again on Sunday.
John.
That’s awesome John love your very Interesting video thanks 🙏 ❤
Thank you Raymond. Glad you liked it. John.
Will you be watching Oppenheimer at the BFI when it comes out? I hope to get tickets as soon as they’re available. I’ve signed up for the email listings, I hope I can catch some of the first listings!
I certainly plan to get there Swithin and as soon as I have tickets sorted I want to put a video out saying when I'll be there. There might be quite a group of us which would be fun because to watch something historic like this might be good to discuss with fellow enthusiasts afterwards. John.
Very neat to see the different film formats side-by-side like that. I don't think I've ever seen that done before!
I don't think I have Holm but I'd been doing it myself to get things straight in my own head and then I thought about using the light box to illustrate it all in a video. It did come out surprisingly well considering I just sort of put the camera in place and shot it all without much planning.
John.
Hey I wanted to ask: from all the movies you have seen on Blu-rays and film, is there any movie Blu-ray out there that genuinely gives you the feel of film with no major changes to it ?
Plenty of 4K discs replicate the filmic look. Not all of them but it's probably most of them. Blu-rays are sometimes exceptional too and one I mentioned in a video recently was the Indicator release of 'Missing' with Jack Lemon and Sissy Spacek. Who needs 4K when a Blu-ray looks that good?
John.
That was very interesting John, thank you very much!
Please you liked it Colin. John.
Where do you purchase movies on film?
Usually from fellow collectors around the world but there are some dealers who get them in too.
John.
Thanks for the lessons with different film sizes.
You're welcome Craig. John.
That was fun. Thanks for the experience.
You're welcome and thank you. John.
Very cool, man. Thanks.
You're welcome D. D. John.
A great and very interesting video. Never too late to watch and learn a lot of things about amazing technicals details.
Thank you very much.
Thank you for saying so Juanjo. John.
Finally, I truly learned the real difference of imax. Thank you for explaining using real frames and not just using digital sizes and drawings.
I've assembled most of those frames and the new IMAX strip of three from DUNE PART TWO into a dedicated little lightbox now so I expect to find an excuse to show that in a future video and perhaps explain it all again in a more convoluted form. Glad you found it useful. By the way, the Dune sequel isn't a genuine IMAX but there have been a dozen 15/70 IMAX prints struck from the lowly 4K video master file. I've yet to see it myself but I still intend to as one of the 12 prints is at the BFI IMAX.
John.
Hey I love your videos on 70mm film and interstellar frames. I was wondering what kind of connections you have with the BFI because I’m extremely curious about IMAX technology and film projection. Thanks!
I don't really have a connection at all other than the Chief contacted me a couple of years ago when they were having a special screening of TENET but I couldn't make it. He let me know when they had it again recently so I went in to shoot the video of the film running before seeing the film. I'm hoping to do something similar for OPPENHEIMER but it may not be permissible. Getting to see the IMAX frames is possible in the lobby at the BFI IMAX because that pillar at the bar is wrapped in a couple of leaders. But if we do meet up for OPPENHEIMER I'll try to remember to bring the IMAX film frames from this video along so you can have a closer look John.
@@moviecollector5920 fantastic, I have one 15:70 frame from interstellar. It’s stunning to say the least!
Immaculate content, John. Such great learning! I’m convinced the BBC should bring back Barry Norman - except it’s called The John Show.
I haven't seen anything on the telly to do with film that's been worth watching for years Clark. Then again, I gave up on television in 2010 and haven't looked back. To be fair, I don't suppose there's an audience for a film related programme any longer. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Well - I’d tune in if you were on tv!
Hi John, Absolutely fascinating content, there's a handful of films filmed in Vistavision on blu ray that I've been watching and the quality is always astounding.
The 1950s Hitchcock films, White Christmas, The Searchers.
VistaVision is sensational enough but genuine IMAX is in a league of its own. Have a look at the 4K of The Ten Commandments because apart from some obvious blue screen effects shots, that disc is wonderful. And the 1.5x squeezed version known as Super Technirama 70 (because prints were blown up to 70mm film for release) means Spartacus is another of the best 4K discs. All the large format films result in the best 4K discs with few exceptions. Probably the recent Top Gun sequel is the best of the movies shot on video but Le Mans '66 might be up there with it.
John.
Thanks for sharing this video John I found it very informative.
Thank you Paul. Drive-It Day today I think so get out there and shoot some classic car photos!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Your Welcome John.
I wish Bristol had an IMAX cinema
I'm not far from you there now Tom and because London is no longer viable for visiting by car, I use National Express. Usually for about £20 I get a return to London to visit the IMAX. The trick is to be able to do it in a day but surely that's going to be possible for OPPENHEIMER as there will be multiple screenings in a day. It will be worth looking into because none of us can know how much longer (hopefully forever!) we'll have the opportunity to see the best film presentation format known to man. John.
I've just read that printworks Manchester are using the 70mm projector for oppenheimer, I thought they got rid of it when Vue cinema took over from odeon.
Any chance you could ask anyone that may know if it's true? I'm soo happy if it is.
Others have told me the genuine IMAX projector is back in position so I'm pretty sure you'll be okay and you won't need to get the train or coach to London. It seems like they haven't used it since Dunkirk because they weren't given one of the eight worldwide prints of TENET. I'm not sure if that's true but that's what comments on here have told me.
Enjoy OPPENHEIMER. The BFI IMAX have now released tickets so it's all systems go for the ultimate movie experience for as many of us who can get to see it in the real McCoy as possible.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 thank you for the reply, I too have read this same information so hopefully the UK still 3 working 70mm projectors showing it. I hope people in the UK hear about it and try it out!
salut voila une vidèo super cool et belle vidèo comme toujour
Merci Alain. J'espère que vous vous portez bien. John.
Another Incredible Video
Thank you Sky. John.
Great video as always!
I have finally released my video of 70mm projector lacing at Science Museum IMAX.
Let me know what you think.
I just had a look at your channel Kim and can't see it. Do you have a second channel or is it hiding away somewhere?
@@moviecollector5920 Hi, channel is called: bored_tech and that’s the video:
70mm IMAX Projector Lacing: Science Museum, London
ruclips.net/video/BG-ZB-FY88E/видео.html
Morning Kim. A friend emailed me a link to a new IMAX video at the Science Museum and just as well he did because it didn't occur to me you were Bored_tech. I have only got through the first few minutes so far and it's excellent. If I get a chance I'll point people to it. Well done as usual.
Just finished watching... BRILLIANT! Spotted your gal a couple of times too. Let's aim to get together at the BFI for OPPENHEIMER in the best movie presentation format known to man.
John.
Brilliant video and well explained!
Thank you Reece. I recently put the IMAX frames and a few others into their own little lightbox which looks rather nice. I'll show it sometime in a future video. John.
I enjoyed this; very informative! I couldn't help but notice the film canister of 48 Hrs. I was 15 when I went to see it twice in a movie theater. This was also the film that initially launched Eddie Murphy's trek to stardom. Man, I sure wish that I had a Delorean to take me back to those days: Glory Days (1984, Bruce Springsteen).
That's actually an earlier film with the same title Eric but it caught my eye when I was there. I first saw it on a telly broadcast and my brother and I laughed so hard after the fight scene where Nick Nolte gets back into the car and gives Eddie Murphy one more smack in the mouth. A commercial break came on immediately which somehow made it even funnier and we laughed all the way through that break. Today, youngsters seem to think the film is racialist and some can't bear to watch it. It's completely the opposite. As for Bruce Springsteen - Greens Pub in Chelsea with the video jukebox had 'Dancing In The Dark' on every single time I was in there and as a result I bought the album which then went onto sell in huge numbers quite a lot later. I still spin it occasionally and have just purchased a Blu-ray of a concert he did in Hyde Park a while ago. Looks like a lot of fun.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Yes, that was a funny and memorable scene. Another thing I distinctly remember about 48 Hrs. is hearing steel drums play sporadically throughout the entire movie. They could also be heard in the sequel. It took a few years for that one to finally release. I had just gotten out of the military and saw it at the same movie theater where I saw the first one. Dancing in the Dark is an awesome song. It was one of many videos I loved seeing over and over again on MTV. At the time I had no idea who Courtney Cox was; I don't think anyone else did either.
@@ericlozen9631 I have Another 48 Hours on LaserDisc. Not as good as the first film but better than it is given credit for. It's time I watched it again.
I didn't know that was Courtney Cox in the Springsteen video.
John.
Wow. I knew 70mm was big, but didn't realize it was THAT much bigger when compared to 35mm. It's no wonder it's become a boutique format given the source and machinery needed, along with the involved print processing.
I remember seeing a few 70mm films back in the day and it was a sight to behold. The problem with IMAX is that it's become "consumerized" to where you now have these faux-IMAX screens popping-up everywhere. I did see the first Hobbit film on a true IMAX screen at HFR and man, was it a weird experience.
This is a perfect indication of how the IMAX name has been devalued Fred because the Hobbit wasn't an IMAX film. It may have been adapted to fit genuine screens but as far as I'm concerned IMAX is what has been around since 1970 and anything else should have a variation of the name such as IMAX LITE. Here are the Technical Details of The Hobbit as they appear on IMDB:
Cinematographic Process
Digital Intermediate(2K, master format)Dolby VisionRedcode RAW(5K, dual-strip 3-D, source format)
Printed Film Format
35 mm(anamorphic, Kodak Vision 2383)70 mm(horizontal, IMAX DMR blow-up, also dual-strip 3-D, Kodak Vision 2383)D-Cinema(also 3-D version)
It seems from the above that this video was printed onto film for some cinemas and had an aspect ratio of 2.00:1. It would therefore not have fitted genuine IMAX screens and therefore will have looked like that masked IMAX strip I show in this video. In other words, it's a bit of a con but it worked. Took over a billion dollars worldwide.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 That's true. At the time I just assumed at least parts of it were shot in IMAX, but it was apparently filmed using a bunch of Red cameras. I should've known it wasn't a genuine IMAX presentation since there were no aspect ratio changes during the entire runtime, but I was completely distracted by the 3-D HFR.
The theatre itself is a true IMAX one (the Regal Cinema at Pointe Orlando), but they play all of the first-run stuff on the main screen, 99.9% of which are just "standard" movies. I don't think they even heavily advertise when a real IMAX movie is being shown, but that could simply be due to the relative rarity of the format and no one there knowing any better.
The other true IMAX screens that comes to mind around here are the two at the Visitor's Complex at Kennedy Space Center, but again, whether or not the films they show were actually shot via IMAX cameras is heavily dependent on the film's context. IOW, I seriously doubt NASA could've lugged IMAX hardware onboard the space shuttle, but ground and perhaps some aerial shots could've been genuine.
The machinery involved for IMAX presentations looks gargantuan. I wonder if 70mm films need similar daunting equipment. The last 70mm-capable theatre here that I know about was turned into an LA Fitness. We also no longer have any drive-ins, but that's another depressing subject.
@@fredleggett923 NASA did actually take IMAX 70mm cameras up into space and the resultant IMAX documentaries were fabulous. Or at least, this was so long ago at a time when conning the public by passing off something as IMAX when it wasn't would have been quite a scandal and bad publicity would have resulted so those unrivalled images from space had to have been shot in the real deal by suitably trained astronauts.
A lot of the problem today is that staff are not trained properly and don't know the difference between video and film let alone genuine IMAX and video. That was a bit of a problem at the BFI IMAX when Odeon took over for a while but fortunately they've gone now and rarely do I come across a member of staff there who doesn't know that 15/70 film is special and they all see to be on a bit of a high when one of these NOLAN films is on. That's three hours away right now so I'd better get down there!
John.
So busy, no time to shave, kidding aside ,nice job. Cool hand Luke was great, next watch Midnight Run.
You're actually right there Gary. I finally had some time this morning and got the razor out. Back to the grindstone again today though. Enjoy Midnight Run. We watched The Social Network 4K the other evening and I was pleasantly surprised by the film and the overall quality of it. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Finally found Murder on the Orient Express 4K at a good price, $12. Looking forward to the picture quality.
@@garyharper2943 Cor, that's a bargain!
As usual excellent session John.
Thank you uncle Cliff. I don't suppose they have a genuine IMAX cinema where you are in Spain but the 4K reductions onto home movie 4K disc are still excellent if you ever fancy taking the plunge. John.
Does Noel have a 35mm Print to The Terminator?
No, but Simon does! I'm trying to talk him into bringing a reel along to the BFCC but I expect next year is the best hope there. John.
@@moviecollector5920 John, Can you tell me how close the picture quality of the Blu Ray of The Terminator is to the 35mm Print. Watch out as well for 4K collectors edition to all the Bruce Lee movies done by arrow videos. What a box set
@@gurdipvirdee7176 I haven't seen The Terminator Blu-ray Gurdip but I did see an HD extract somewhere and it looked impressive. It's a long time since I saw the film in the cinema - 1984 of course - and I don't remember the image quality, just that I thought it was a great film. I have the Super 8 feature and that looks pretty terrific so that's an indication that the image quality should be excellent on Blu-ray and if it ever gets the HDR treatment for a 4K disc release, it should be even better still. John.
I’d be interested to see T2 on 35mm to see why they had problems with the 4K. I know it was partly due to it having digital noise reduction due to the 3D but I’d like to see the true quality of the original.
@@jim_herd I saw the 70mm blow-up and it was excellent. A colleague recently sold his 35mm print but that print was very good and used as the master to produce a 16mm negative for the Super 8 release which was excellent too. In other words, there's nothing wrong with Terminator 2, for the recent video release it was mastered for 3D and that's what ruined it.
John.
My local museum had the only IMAX theater in our city (mostly for educational films). It was insane that they needed an entire room to feed the film properly (luckily it was on full display)
An IMAX projector running is a work of art so quite right that your local had the sense to turn it into a museum exhibit while it's actually working. Now they have video projectors in most of the few remaining IMAX cinemas they could all video project the booth so the audience could see what is involved. At the least a video could be shown to give everyone an idea. The speed those projectors run out as phenomenal. I have many years of film experience and I found it awe-inspiring. It's an engineering marvel, no other way to explain it. John.
You know John, I say this from the heart. I could listen to you talk about this kind of stuff all day Sir. Absolutely, love it and thanks for the education. My home cinema has been refurbished over the past two weeks and I'm pondering what to watch this evening. I've recently picked up Dunkirk, Interstellar and The Taking Of Pelham 123 (Original and best) on 4K disc so it could be one of them. My system has been treated to a new subwoofer from SVS, the PB-3000, When I tested The Force Awakens on the system a few days ago it utterly blew my socks off. That said, to give the sub another run, Dunkirk is looking more likely for tonight's showing.. Or The Dark Knight Rises.... Or Jaws.... Or Runaway Train... Or... This is going to be a difficult choice 😂
Hardest choice for a movie lover. "Hmmm what do I wanna watch?" lol
Went with Dunkirk, plaster is still on the walls... Just Lol.
DUNKIRK is one of the greatest soundtracks of all time. At the IMAX you could feel the bullets and explosions so I know how much of a difference your new subwoofer will have made in your own home cinema. I bet you had a great time last night. I'm due to be at the BFI IMAX in a couple of hours so I'd better get a move on. John.
John believe me I felt it Lol.. I was worried about my slates for a short while.
@@LeShark75 Ho ho - nearly blew the roof off your house! I've just got back from the IMAX. INTERSTELLAR was everything I remembered and more. The most spectacular film I've ever seen in any cinema... but it has to be genuine IMAX to have that impact of course. John.
Very interesting John. Nice to see the side by side comparison of different frame sizes. Suspect it’ll be impossible to get tickets for Oppenheimer at BFI IMAX……
I think they will keep OPPENHEIMER on for a very long time if necessary George. INTERSTELLAR has sold out four shows so three more for next weekend have been announced. A nine year old film selling out a major venue over and over has to be unprecedented in recent times. There's hope for cinema yet. John.
Thanks for the mention John. No takers for the ticket that I spotted. I’m going to try and force myself to brave the marathon madness and get there tomorrow so hopefully see you there.
I'll be walking over there in a couple of hours. I hope they haven't closed the whole route off by then. I lived here in the centre of London most of my life and it never used to cause any issues so we should all be okay. Hope to see you there Jim. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Just up. Should be ok. I’ve got an easy way to get there on the Jubilee Line apart from the walk. See you there.
@@jim_herd We somehow seemed to miss you at the Cuban restaurant at the end Jim. Sorry if you came out and couldn't find us. We were there for about ten minutes after I left you at the counter. Great to meet you and spend time together today. Hope your back and other things ease up and we'll meet again for OPPENHEIMER. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I did wonder what had happened. I’d left my jacket at the table too. I know someone turned up wanting the table but they could’ve waited. It was actually there though.
It was good to see you too. Hopefully I’ll make Oppenheimer.
BTW, obviously I didn’t get a chance to ask but I didn’t want to be filmed so please don’t put me in any videos. Maybe next time if I’ve had my hair done.
@@jim_herd We were outside for about ten minutes Jim and probably more and I came back inside to see what had happened. We had to get Anne to King's Cross but made it in good time so could have hung around longer. I didn't spot your jacket at the table before coming inside - sorry about that. Don't worry about the video, won't use any of you but we'll bring the hair and make-up girl next time. Good to know you're okay. John.
Thank you for this video - it's absolutely fascinating! I often hear terms like '8mm', 'super 8mm' and '35mm' and I have a vague idea of what they mean...but seeing the frames side-by-side really shows the difference. IMAX really is staggering!
I should have put the Super 8 frame next to the IMAX frame too really. Super 8 is called 'Super' because the original 8mm (most commonly known as 'standard 8' has a smaller image area and a bigger sprocket whereas Super 8 has a smaller sprocket to give a picture area that is 1mm larger. The basic measurements are that standard 8mm has an image area 5mm wide with the sprocket area and sides of the film taking up 3mm and Super 8 has an image area of 6mm and 2mm taking up the rest.
I hope that fills in any gaps I left out in the video Eoghan.
John.
Very interesting. Lookin ' forward for that interstellar Imax vídeo.
I don't know if I'll be doing one for that yet Kevin. But I probably will. I'll take a 4K action camera with me again. John.
Hi John! Good to see you and thanks for this video. Wow what a collection Noel has! Hope you have a great time at Interstellar this weekend and the conference next one! Clever idea from Trevor's gift. Trevor by comment helped me work wonders on my television calibration from a long distance away I can't thank you enough for introducing him. My picture for 4k films is way way better! To date no Nolan screenings at our IMAX here (YETlol) only Oppenheimer but I'm on the lookout and fingers crossed! Cheers for now D in BC!!
If I ever get this home cinema properly finished with holes in walls for the projectors then I want to get Trevor over here for this newer video projector to see what he thinks. I've reached a fairly happy compromise with the settings but almost every disc still has to have the brightness of the laser lamp adjusted to suit. That will probably mean any set calibration he can establish for me would be messed up so his input would be good.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing that same print of INTERSTELLAR at the same cinema again after 9 years. Being sold out should make the screening seem even more exciting. Don't know if I'll shoot a video there this time though.
John.
Every time I watch a video like this about true IMAX film it pisses me off that most people get LIEMAX instead with only 4k digital projectors. Its a scam if you ask me. I wish more film makers would take cues from Nolan. He clearly understands why its superior to digital.
It's also a lot more costly James and it requires skilled cameramen to be able to shoot with it successfully. 35mm still produces better results than most video but standard 70mm should surely be used more often. I suppose 70mm does depend on if there is a local lab that can process it because it was never that common. John.
@@moviecollector5920 for sure, just wish studios realized that they're killing the theaters by having everything digital and by releasing movies on streaming a month after theatrical release. Back before large HD TVs in the home, there was an advantage to seeing high res images in a theater. Now that most have access to it, they need to up their standards. 70MM would be a great way to offer what most cant get at home. I'd pay to see that. I'm not paying to see a movie in the theater when I usually get a better experience at home. I dont know how it is by you, but on the rare occasion I go see a movie at the local cinema, its nowhere near as packed as it once was 15 years ago. So many smaller cinema chains have already closed their doors.
@@innerlightfilms I don't go to a cinema unless I know there is a film print being run. Too many bad experiences with video projection in cinemas so I gave up. Film quality was being dumbed down from about the late 1990's so it's not been entirely a video only problem. Studios seem to want to cut out the middle man and keep all the money for themselves. Streaming facilitates that. I don't think they particularly care what happens to cinemas so it's possible the writing is on the wall. I suppose cinema has been in terminal decline for a long time now but there have been spurts of business that have caused people to want to go. Now the presentation is generally so awful it's difficult to entice older people out of their arm chairs so the main fodder for cinemas is comic book superhero flicks and I think even the youngest among us are a little tired of those now. It's not looking good and something is required to stem the tide. Superior presentation overall such as curtains across the screen would help and then projecting 70mm film wherever possible would remind a few how good cinema can be. There are good films being made it's just that hardly anyone hears about them now. Last Night In Soho is the prime example I keep mentioning. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I bought Last Night In Soho because of your review, lol. My girlfriend and I enjoyed it! I LOVE going out to the movies when its done right. The ooo's and the ahhh's from crowd reactions, the laughter, the smell of popcorn, the couples in love, the parents bringing their children. Its what is right with the world. Now I only go for highly anticipated summer blockbusters with the Dolby Theaters that AMC has. At least those projectors are nice, but I'll never forget the look of 35mm. Movie I remember the most was The Matrix 1999. I was so in love with that movie I watched it multiple times in the theater and when I got my DVD copy I just felt like something was off about the look and feel. That's probably where my obsession came from needing a large screen, surround sound, and light controlled room. The way a movie is presented can make or break the impact it has on us. 24 frames per second backlit celluloid is where its at in my opinion! I wish I had a larger platform and voice to change peoples minds, but maybe that vinyl is seeing a resurgence, film prints will too. I can only hope! Keep reminding your subscribers and hopefully more people will catch on.
@@innerlightfilms We're almost entirely on the same hymn sheet James but one thing I remember differently is how poor The Matrix looked. It probably didn't overall but some of the computer created effects were such low quality that it adversely affected the film. The green tint to much of it probably didn't help either but I was for once watching a general release print in a cinema and not a master print or 70mm blow-up. I'm doing what I can to inform people about the benefits of real film and judging by some of the comments I am having a small effect. I feel rather sorry for people who are movie lovers but too young to have seen the glory days. It is still possible to see the best at a few cinemas on occasion but going into the West End every Friday night to see a master print of a new release, well, those days are pretty much gone. Great days and some great times.
Right, I'm off to get the bus to London. The IMAX beckons!
John.
Still awaiting the Imax Sydney Australia offering after getting an upgrade/revamp. Should be completed by the end of 2023! Can't wait...!
I hope they've got it right. A new IMAX GT projector should be the centrepiece so that the best possible quality can be offered once more. John.
❤👍👍👍👍
Thank you. John.
Great informative video. Would super 35 mm anamorphic project as a 70mm image?
That would be a 70mm blow-up so nothing unusual there Robert. A bit of cropping at the sides to fit the 70mm 2.20:1 aspect ratio and hey presto, a 70mm presentation. These blow-up prints were struck from the original camera negative for premiere houses to ensure the best possible quality. It worked. John.
Another brilliant video. Thank you. I’ve learned so much from your channel about physical film, it’s really opened my eyes to my film collection. Love the cushions also! Best regards, Dave
Thank you Dave. Those cushions are actually nice and comfortable too so they don't just look rather good. John.
Cool Video John. It's a brilliant way to show the huge size difference in film formats.
The HMV cushion looked great. Well done Sue.
Trev
Greetings Trev. I'm rather pleased with my line of HMV and FOPP cushions. Seems rather suitable for a home cinema where so much of what we watch has come from those stores. I'm just about to get on the bus to make my way to the IMAX for tomorrow's screening of INTERSTELLAR. They've just added three more screenings too and it will be interesting to see if they sell out as well. John.
@@moviecollector5920 you never know. Sue could start a business making cushions out of those kind of shopping bags 😉
I hope you enjoy Interstellar on the perfect viewing platform.
It's great they added yet more screenings.
Trevor
🙏👌
Well said Federico! Thank you. John.
Very interesting John 👍👍... enjoyed that 😁
Thanks Roy. John.
Forgot, Excellent video and educational.❤
Thanks Gurdip.
Another interesting video are u going to cover the 4k versions of superman movies
I might take a look at the second film Dave but I feel like I've already done the first one to death. It will be interesting to hear from anyone who has seen it who thinks it's at all different. I'm curious to know if they've used the interpositive for the opening two reels that had a faded appearance on the previous release. Might be wrong on that because the opening two reels always were a little odd.
John.
Welcome back John.
Thank you Cheekster. I've been busy and with nothing worthy of review there wasn't really much point in trying to produce a RUclips video. John.
@@moviecollector5920 - Yes, I fully understand you are busy preparing for the upcoming BFCC.
@@cheekster777 That and trying to write magazine articles as they actually pay a bit. John.
Another superb video.
John have you ever considered writing a book about your home movie collecting over the years? You are so fascinating and very informative.
Best wishes
Lawrence
Thank you Lawrence. I don't think there's much of a market for a book on movie collecting. A few things have been done before but that was when books actually sold and even then the print runs appear to have been rather small.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 okay.
Really interesting John loved seeing all the film processes in one go
For sure if I'm in London again and there's a Nolan film showing at the BFI Imax I will not miss it next time around. Graham.
And if you are ever over for an IMAX 70mm in the future Graham, I'll have to try to meet you there. John.
@@moviecollector5920 that's great John we'll have to make it a date will look forward cheers
This may sound naive but I’ve wondered about 70mm. If they invented an anamorphic lens to achieve an widescreen aspect ratio with 35mm without cropping the image, could they do a similar thing with 70mm but a specialised lens that squeezes the image even wider and then de squeeze the image vertically into the IMAX frame? Could it work? Just a thought. Great Video John.
Just about anything can be done with lenses Jedd but every time another piece of glass is introduced a little bit of quality is lost. 35mm anamorphic blow-ups are perceptibly better than a 35mm master print equivalent and that is due to the size of the film gauge partially because more light can be punched through the bigger aperture. Not all 35mm blow-ups had cropping though because 1.85:1 prints also got the treatment and that meant black bars down the sides on the 70mm prints. As for enlarging something to the IMAX 1.44:1, well that doesn't make it IMAX, it's just filling the screen. IMAX is and always should be 70mm horizontal film with an image area 15 sprockets wide. Anything else should have an alternative name such as 'IMAX LITE' perhaps.
John.
Ben Hur was done with a similar process to what you're talking about. It was filmed in 65 mm with anamorphic lenses. When the image was unsqueezed, the result was a super wide 2.76 ratio.
@@robertromero8692 That explains the extremely wide image on that one then Robert. Ironically, CineaVision produced a 50 minute mini feature on Super 8 that made the aspect ratio about 2.40:1. Usually Super 8 'Scope is 2.66:1 so that was a bit of a waste of time. It was a very good cut down though and far more repeatable than the full feature which was issued some years after the CineaVision versions. John.
I can't even imagine what it would be like to witness a true IMAX 70mm film projection, I'd have to travel halfway around the world in either direction to see it. Up until a few years ago, there was one, and only one such theatre in my whole country. I was living in that city, but until I realized it was already too late, they had converted into digital projection. The last movie they showed in this format was Interstellar. FML. I can only hope they bring It back again, or maybe open a new IMAX theatre in different city where I can go.
The only one I remember being at is the Boston Museum of Science.
It's the clearest, most detailed projected image there is.
I hope that the coming release of OPPENHEIMER results in a bit of a miracle and the 15/70 projector is checked out, serviced and put back into action at your former IMAX cinema. There a bit of a difference between the finest moving picture image in human history and 4K video projection. The twin laser has apparently improved the image a little more than 4K but when you consider 35mm is often reported as capable of around 6K that rather says it all really. John.
There's nothing that quite gets the difference in scale across like running the different films through your hand on a rewind bench. After running nothing but 70mm for a while, 35mm felt positively tiny.
That's a good point. I wonder how three strip Cinerama projectionists felt when that was still a commercial venture. Terrified I expect. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I can only imagine, but yes, "terrified" is probably a good guess. So many interlocked machines, just waiting for something to break...
@@SplicesAndCelluloid It's amazing it ever worked at all but IMAX is similar in that regard. Real IMAX that is not the faux video projection 2K and 4K versions (which should have a slightly different name as far as I'm concerned). John.
Thanks for the video mate.
Thank you and you're welcome Kovalveli. John.
Question shooting on 35mm with an anamorphic lens gives you a slightly wider than shooting on 65mm so
70mm blow-ups of anamorphic 35mm results in a little cropping at the sides to give the 2.20:1 aspect ratio of standard 70mm. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I seen Chris Nolan film shot on 65mm film have 35mm version how do they transfer 65mm onto 35mm some hoe they need to squeeze up the image
Optical reduction prints. The basic 'Scope aspect ratio so cropped top and bottom but the films are shot with that in mind so should not be noticeable. The quality of the reduction prints should be exceptional but I have had a report than Dunkirk wasn't as good as expected given the master material. John.
No luck with the wall cutout yet?
Nope. I was hoping it was close but the garage build went on and on and we lost the 'window' - pardon the pun. John.
I be interesting to see when imax release there new imax cameras film makers will use these cameras over the digital imax cameras I bet Chris Nolan can't wait to get his hands on them
I didn't know anything about that Neil so please tell us more! John.
@@moviecollector5920 according to news on imax they have been developing new 15/70mm imax cameras with panavision help are supposedly to be smaller and quieter in operation just Google new imax cameras they due to be ready sometime this year
@@neiltaylor6645 I'll have a look when I get a chance. I expect Christopher Nolan and Hoyte van Hoytema have been encouraging them to do this re-engineering. Let's hope film makers around the world want to use the new products and genuine IMAX cinemas thrive as a result. Cinema needs 70mm in all its forms as a tool to encourage audiences back in. John.
John, thank you so much for this wonderful demonstration!! If I ever need to explain this concept to anyone, I will look no further.
The scale difference between these types of film is colossal.
It is time for the convention!!
Dmitri
I'm going to be heading off to the BFI IMAX shortly Dmitri so must remember to take an action camera in case I can think of another way to feature a genuine IMAX show. I should have shown Super 8 next to the IMAX frames in this video though. It's amazing how good Super 8 really can look given its diminutive size but maybe a few people will get an idea of the quality that is possible at the BFCC next Saturday. I'm still having trouble with my 35mm projector though so have purchased a couple of new interconnects in the hope that will sort the sound out.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Do you know any repair specialist, who can help you to resolve this issue? Have you tried to google local specialists? Somebody might come up. It is hard to predict in advance.
I wish you to resolve the issue and have a wonderful time at the BFCC!
I never had a pleasure of seeing a projected Super 8 on a screen. Thanks to your video, I at least have an understanding of what these different formats look like and how they compare to each other. Of course, there is enough material to give a whole semester worth of lectures on history of their creation, on science behind them, on limitations and benefits.
By the way, Keanu Reeves made a good documentary on the subject of cinematography, called "Side by Side". It would be great to hear your opinion on it some day. Obviously, since it has a run time of only 1.5hrs, it is only a short demonstration of the aforementioned course.
How was the IMAX presentation?
Dmitri
@@dmitripopov8570 I'll get back to playing with the 35mm in a couple of days. I ran out of time on Friday night but I did seem to be having some success working out how to get the motor to fire up each time so that was encouraging. Sound might not be resolved but I'll get around it. I have purchased a couple more 3.5mm to twin phono leads though so if that's the issue then I will surely find out with these two vastly different set of leads. INTERSTELLAR was possibly even more amazing than it was nine years ago. Hope to get a video together by the end of Tuesday about that. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Very much looking forward to the video!
The best of success to you in fixing the projector. It is not an easy task. I wish I could be of some help. Well... I have pretty good searching skills. If you need some schematics or a manual, let me know.
Also, there might be some useful suggestions on forums. I am sure someone in the world was talking about this issue on the internet. There might be some useful tips.
Don't forget the helpful Google Search commands: "" and or - ...and others.
Dmitri
@@dmitripopov8570 I think it just needs a replacement switch to reliably engage the motor really Dmitri. Looks like I've sussed out how to get the thing running though and I've also now made the sound as good as it can be so yesterday afternoon and early evening was time well spent.
John.
Great video.
Thank you Wayne. John.
10:17 HF Radio?
I don't know what that is Jeff but I can tell you that Noel has all sorts of equipment and tools. An amazing man really because he's not as young as he looks. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Yeah, I can't tell what model, but appears to be a ham radio.
@@jeffkardosjr.3825 It's bound to be Jeff because it's just the sort of thing Noel would have. John.
I’m a amateur radio operator and yes it could be a hf set. I can’t see close enough to make it out but they look like fm vhf/uhf radio transmitters. Notice what looks like a swr/power meter box on top of the two radios.
@@m3snusteve I'll try to remember to ask Noel when I next speak to him. John.
Can you (general population) buy films in 35mm reels or are there limitations?
It's usually a collector to collector thing but there are a few dealers around who still offer 35mm prints. Even 70mm on occasion. We did screen a faded 70mm reel of Lawrence of Arabia at a BFCC years ago.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 An expensive but very rewarding hobby I'm sure.
@@inmate1614 Too expensive now. But the Super 8 features in particular are extremely valuable today so anyone who wants to buy and sell is possibly in a good position. John.