Shoot IMAX with Digital Camera?

June 10, 2009

You opinion on which digital motion picture camera could be up to the task of shooting a film good enough for eventual IMAX distribution?

What resolution do you feel is necessary for a final transfer to film? 8K, more?

And finally, who can film out a 70mm print from such high resolution files?

Many thanks,

Kal

P.S. Would the camera you reccommend be up to the task of shooting at -15 degrees celsius?

Delorme Jean-Marie · June 10, 2009

i'v been digging in this direction for a while

i did several side to side projection digitaly for domes

so far don't think HD, 2K is light

the best is phase one 65 but it's not for motion film.

feel free to mail me for further questions

Delorme Jean-Marie · June 10, 2009

you can film out a print easely with DKP production CA, they have the "big foot" wich is a 15/70" kind of arrilazer

you can contact them with CFI or Arane lab in Paris

Delorme Jean-Marie · June 10, 2009

are you filming for domes or flat screen

for ext day i would strongly recomand an 8/70 camera scan and lazer print no less

now if you talk about the small imax for theatre release maybe an F35 could do the trick, it's to try !

do you need a dop?

K Borowski · June 10, 2009

What was the name of that 4K camera they had out a year to a year and a half ago? The Phantom?

As it used medium format still lenses, I'd imagine it'd be optimal for this sort of work.

Surprised we haven't heard more about it. Typical, cinematographers fall for the companies with the most buzz when the real innovation, like this camera was supposed to be, falls off the map.

One thing to remember is that the size of the lens is a limiting factor on resolution. You can have all the MP/Ks you want behind the lens, but a Vistavision lens I hear, can only resolve 24MP (8K). So, a 3-perf. lens, by deduction, can resolve 12, which is 9 when you are only using 3/4 of the area.

Using bigger pieces of glass eliminate the largest limiting factor in the equation, which is the resolving limitations of the glass, not the sensor.

Personally, I think film is a better option if you can afford it. Although IMAX is scanned at 8K (48MP), it probably resolves closer to 10 with something like '01.

4K should hold up just fine, but it won't look like nature documentaries or the IMAX segments of "Dark Knight."

Then again, it should look somewhat better than spherical 35mm, although it'd be interesting to see what 4-perf. academy shot on slow stock would look like with a straight optical blowup to IMAX.

Thomas James · June 11, 2009

According to John Galt of Panavision when you factor in grey levels IMAX barely holds up to 4K resolution. All 8K scanning does is blow up film grain or smooth out the jaggies a little bit. The Red camera is 4K but the actual resolution is closer to 3K.

K Borowski · June 11, 2009

Haha! Good one!

If you are trolling to get me angry, sorry, you have to be more subtle.

Delorme Jean-Marie · June 11, 2009

hi

i think that befor the filming format we need to know the projection format :

imax dmr

imax flat

imax dome

35mm hollywood films were blown up in dmr, what was the quality, for those of you who have seen such a projection?

K Borowski · June 11, 2009

35mm hollywood films were blown up in dmr, what was the quality, for those of you who have seen such a projection?

DMR looks decent, but it obviously isn't the same as watching a real IMAX film.

So, if the intention is to get a DMR on top of a regular theatrical release, anything goes. They've blown up 2K, think it was the second Star Wars film to IMAX with, from what I hear, good success.

However, if this is to be an IMAX-only release I'd say he'd have to shoot at least 4K. Slow film would probably handle a blow-up better.

I would jump at the chance to do a project like this with academy, as it is a roughly 1.2:1 ratio.

K Borowski · June 11, 2009

BTW, I got in a big argument a few weeks back where someone, not into cinematography, was trying to tell me that IMAX and OMNIMAX were different formats because you *had* to shoot OMNIMAX with a special lens. We look the "special lens" up and it is just your standard issue fish-eye.

"You don't have to shoot OMNIMAX with a fisheye though," I argued, "and you can shoot regular IMAX with a fisheye."

While I don't agree that IMAX and OMNIMAX are different formats, it obviously does help if you stick to looser compositions and shoot wider lenses with an intended OMNIMAX distribution. It'd almost be like the approach they took with "Around the World in 80 Days" if you were to shoot a dramatic film for this format.

This calls into question how good a job you can do, though, if you are trying to compose for both screen sizes/shapes, even perhaps trying to minimize the damage some bozo on A&E can do stretching the image out or "tilt & jilting" it. I don't know if you can compose an image that will be pleasing at 16:9, 1.2:1 (pretty close to 4:3) and Omnimax dimensions. Not sure if tight compositions are advisable unless you really have a sense of adventure.

Thomas James · June 11, 2009

The Omnimax Dome format is actually a bloated triangle which is 180 degrees wide and 120 degrees tall. What I like about Omnimax is that it combines widescreen and tall screen viewing so that when you are filming trees you don't chop off their tops.