It’s no secret that Christopher Nolan ” Oppenheimer ” seen on the big display. But not all big screens are created equal.
That’s one of the reasons Universal Pictures made Oppenheimer. Tickets available early for over a thousand “premium large format” screens (or PLF), with options such as IMAX 70mm, 70mm, IMAX Digital, 35mm, Dolby Cinema and more.
Knowing that even those words can be overwhelming and technical, Nolan took it a step further: In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, he shared a guide to his favorite formats, why they’re important, and even where he likes to sit , so the audience doesn’t see it They don’t feel like they need a degree from film school (or one in theoretical physics) before they decide to go to theatre.
“You rarely get a chance to speak directly to moviegoers about why you love a particular format and why it’s great when they can find an IMAX screen to see the film on,” Nolan said. “We put a lot of effort into shooting the film so that we could show it on these large screens. It really is a great way to give people an experience that they can’t do at home.”
In a film about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who oversaw the development of the first atomic bomb in World War II, this will be particularly relevant when considering the Trinity test, the first detonation of a nuclear weapon. Nolan and his effects teams recreated the explosion in all its dazzling brilliance.
“We knew this had to be the showstopper,” Nolan said. “We’re now able to do things with images that we previously could only really do with sound, in terms of having an outsized impact on the audience — an almost physical impact. Feeling of reaction to the film.”
“Oppenheimer” starring Cillian Murphyhits theaters on July 21st.
THE BIG PICTURE
“Oppenheimer” was shot using some of the highest definition film cameras out there. How ” Dunkirk ” And ” principleOppenheimer was shot entirely on large format film, a combination of IMAX 65mm and Panavision 65mm (think David Lean/Lawrence of Arabia) which was then projected in 70mm.
“The sharpness, clarity and depth of the image is unprecedented,” said Nolan. “The headline for me is, when you shoot IMAX 70mm film, you really make the screen disappear. You get a feeling of 3D without glasses. They have a huge screen and fill the perimeter of the audience. They immerse them in the world of film.”
Nolan has been shooting with IMAX cameras since The Dark Knight. Audiences gasped regularly when they saw the first shot projected in IMAX 70mm. Although it’s “just a helicopter shot” of some buildings in Chicago, it explains the indescribable power of the format.
On a technical level, the resolution of an IMAX film is almost ten times that of a 35mm projector and each image has a resolution of around 18,000 pixels compared to an HD home screen of 1,920 pixels.
Why is it shooting at 65mm and projecting at 70mm?
The 5mm difference dates back to the time when that extra space on the film had to be reserved for the soundtrack. With digital sound, that’s unnecessary and it’s “purely a visual upgrade,” Nolan explained.
Do the different formats affect how the film is shot?
“We have to plan very carefully because there’s a lot of information that you capture when you shoot an IMAX film,” he said. “Your film translates very well into all formats because you get the ultimate amount of visual information. However, there are different shapes of the screen – so-called aspect ratios. What you have to plan for is how you then frame your images so that they can be shown in different theaters with equal success.”
Beginning with The Dark Knight, they developed a system they call Center Punching the Action so nothing gets lost.
Cameraman Hoyte van Hoytema is also always aware of the “framing lines for the different cinemas” when looking through the camera.
For the largest presentations, IMAX 1.43:1 (the giant square screen), the screen essentially disappears to the audience. For other formats such as 35mm, the top and bottom are cropped.
But, according to Nolan, “From a creative standpoint, we’ve found over the years that there’s no compromise when it comes to composition.”
WHY NOT MAKE A WHOLE MOVIE IN IMAX?
The IMAX cameras are just too loud for dialogue-heavy scenes, but Nolan is optimistic about the development of the new cameras.
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE BLACK AND WHITE SEQUENCES?
Part of “Oppenheimer” is presented in black and white for a very specific reason for the story.
“I knew we had two schedules in the movie,” Nolan said. “One is in colour, and that is Oppenheimer’s subjective experience. That’s the bulk of the film. Then the other is a black and white timeline. It’s a more objective take on his story from another character’s point of view.”
Nolan’s desire for the black and white portions to have the same image quality as the rest of the film led to the development of the first ever black and white IMAX film stock, manufactured by Kodak and developed by Fotokem.
“We photographed many of our hair and makeup tests in black and white. And then we went to the IMAX film projector in CityWalk and projected it there,” he said. “I’ve just never seen anything like it. Seeing such a massive black and white film frame? It’s just a wonderful thing.
NOLAN’S FAVORITE THEATER FORMATS
For Nolan, the IMAX 70mm screenings are the “best possible experience” for seeing Oppenheimer in the cinema. These are also among the rarest and are currently planned for 25 locations across North America, including AMC Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles, AMC Lincoln Square in New York, Cinemark Dallas, Regal King of Prussia near Philadelphia and the AutoNation IMAX in Fort Lauderdale.
The prints span over 11 miles of footage, weigh approximately 600 pounds, and run horizontally through film projectors.
Also, over a hundred 70mm prints (“an amazing presentation,” Nolan said) will be sent to cinemas around the world, with over 77 (and more to come) for sale in North America at major chains and many independent locations like The Music are Box in Chicago and the AFI Silver in Washington DC
“The two formats are kind of different and I love them both,” he said.
The sequences projected in IMAX 70mm really ‘come to life’ on these screens and vice versa for the 70mm sequences on these special projectors. For example, in IMAX theaters, things captured by IMAX film cameras are expanded vertically to fill the entire screen.
IMAX DIGITAL, LASER and EXHIBITOR PLF OPTIONS
The vast majority of North American moviegoers will have easier access to digital presentations. These include IMAX Digital, which can sometimes mean a laser projected image, sometimes a retroformatted screen, and the so-called “exhibitor PLF”, which are large format screen and projection systems used by individual theater chains (such as Regal RPX, Cinemark XD, etc .) Cineplex UltraAVX). When in doubt, look for an “X” in the name.
But don’t worry: it’ll still look great, according to Nolan, whose team spent six months digitizing the original film for other formats to ensure the best experience on every screen.
“That’s the exciting thing about shooting an IMAX film: when you scan it for digital format you’re working with the absolute best possible image you can get and that translates beautifully to the new projector formats like laser projectors. ” he said.
Nolan said the “IMAX influence” over the past 20 to 30 years has meant more theaters are paying more attention to presentation, from projection to sound, which is “great for filmmakers.”
WHERE ARE THE BEST SEATS?
Well, that depends on personal preference, but this is where Nolan likes to sit.
“When I’m in a cinemascope-ratio theater, I like to be up front, in the middle of the third row,” he said. “When I’m in a stadium, IMAX 1.43:1, I actually like to be a little behind the halfway line, right up in the middle. So a little further back.”
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