The IMAX format allows you to have the most spectacular movie experience. Instead of watching a movie, IMAX seeks to make us feel inside and experience something unforgettable. How does it work? What’s its story? Where can it be seen? Is it really worth it?
IMAX (short for “Maximum Image”) is a cinematic projection system characterized by surround sound and very high resolution images that surpass conventional movies. Thanks to the enormous size of the curved screen, the audience gets the feeling that they are inside the movie, surrounded by the action.
All of this is achieved through the use of special projectors, different from traditional projectors, sound equipment installed throughout the room, and screens that can sometimes even be extended in the form of a dome in some specialized IMAX theaters.
Also, as we’ll see, IMAX is not just about projection technology, but about filmmaking and filming equipment. Some directors, such as Christopher Nolan in his Dunkirk, have used it to spectacular effect.
Who invented IMAX and what is its origin?
Graham Ferguson, Roman Kreuthor, Robert Kerr and William S. Shaw were four Canadian filmmakers who founded the IMAX Corporation in 1967. Their goal was to develop a giant screen film format that would be the most immersive experience.
For the Montreal World’s Fair 67, they created a giant multi-screen mode, synchronizing up to 9 projectors and reaching milestones.
Since then, the IMAX format has evolved with technology, improving cameras and sound systems, increasing screen sizes and room layouts, and even sometimes adding 3D.
While it’s not the only technology that aims to make the theater even better, it’s the most famous. The company continues to dominate the field it created, with movies in this format being shown in more than 1,100 theaters in 69 countries.
How is it different from traditional cinema?
The main difference to the naked eye is the screen and theater configuration. In IMAX these screens are much larger and curved to allow a higher resolution film to be projected.
For example, the world’s largest IMAX screen is in the Traumapalast Multiplex building in Leonberg, Germany, and measures 21.03 meters high and 38.16 meters wide. If we consider a floor height of about 3 meters, we are talking about it reaching 6 floors .
Another big difference is usually the sound system, which usually wraps around so that you perceive even the smallest sound details from the direction in which they occur during the action, contributing to that feeling of being inside it.
Nolan Rodando in IMAX
On the more technical side, the differences are even more palpable. Projectors are very different from traditional cinema. Technologies such as 4K laser projection have been tested since 2012 and can handle rolls of film weighing more than 200 kilograms if the projection duration exceeds two hours.
Similarly, IMAX movie theaters look more like sports stadiums than cinemas. This Traumaplast multiplex we talked about can hold more than 500 spectators, and some of the rooms are very different from a traditional movie theater. For example, there are domed ones like the Tijuana or the Hemispheric City of Sciences in Valencia.
Shooting IMAX movies
As we mentioned earlier, IMAX isn’t just projection technology – it’s movie-making technology.
While there are IMAX cameras in a variety of formats (15mm for example), it’s standard for 70mm cameras – twice the size of traditional 35mm cameras in the old world. In addition, sound is also planned and recorded in a different, more sophisticated way.
Christopher Nolan, for example, is a fan of this kind of shooting. In addition to Dunkerke , Interstellar or Legend Reborn (the third part of his Batman), he has already shot several images of the Dark Knight in IMAX.
Interstellar
In addition to him, other directors such as J.J. Abrams or Michael Bay have shot in this format, at least some of his films, but not all. The technology is expensive, so shooting certain scenes in IMAX alternates with traditional format so you don’t have to limit your budget.
It’s not just movies that use IMAX. Singers such as Adele and Rihanna or NASA astronauts used IMAX cameras on their missions.
Why is it possible to watch non-IMAX movies in IMAX?
As you can see, IMAX is a set of technologies, not something in isolation. Dome documentaries and films adapted for this viewing experience have three-dimensional spherical projection, in some cases they give you headphones for the experience …
Among these technologies also IMAX DMR (Digital Media Remastering), which consists of using different processes to convert a film shot the traditional way, into a film in IMAX format .
Apollo XIII was the first traditional film remastered in IMAX with this system, which takes great care to analyze each scene and use algorithms to help optimize it as best as possible.
The truth is that in many cases it hits the mark. Even Spielberg himself admitted to being impressed with the transformation of some of his films. For this reason, you can watch traditionally made movies in your IMAX room.
What are the disadvantages of the format
All we’ve seen so far are benefits that enhance our movie experience, but IMAX also has its disadvantages.
The first is the price of admission, obviously. IMAX cinema is much more expensive to shoot, convert and project because you have to create special rooms for it.
Another disadvantage is the limited number of IMAX movies. While the big studios are always trying to re-release some of their hits in this format ( MarvelEvents , or The Last Bond are recent examples ), it is too expensive for most films, and you can hardly choose.
Should you use IMAX?
If the movie you’re really looking forward to is coming out in this format, and you can walk up to a theater of this type, it’s one of those things you should experience at least once in your life.
The main limitation, however, is that there are almost no theaters or movies out there and there is a bit of a vicious circle. Since there aren’t many movies in IMAX, it’s not very profitable to build many theaters, and since there aren’t many theaters, it’s not very profitable to make or remaster in IMAX.