IAC DISCUSSION FORUMS

Just been to see James Bond in IMAX on the biggest screen in England at Waterloo. It may well be big, but the picture quality of Skyfall just isn't up to filling it.

The screen is curved as well and it shouldn't be in my opinion. The blacks were awful; it was like looking at a very early LCD display, all washed out and grey, diluted with H&S lights everywhere.

Worse, the film is shown in 1.5:1 tops, so it looks pretty much like 4:3. I asked in reception about this, but they couldn't tell me if it was letterboxed for cinema /disc release or whether we were watching a pillarboxed version. I suspect the former.

The sound was very good indeed, loud but undistorted. We l had the best seats (£16) where the diagonals cross in the theatre. I told them that l was disappointed and that I'd seen better quality IMAX pictures 18 years ago, so what was going on? The answer l suspect is that we were watching a 4k digital print whereas in Bradford all those years ago we were watching images shot lengthways on real 65mm film, each frame vacuum sucked onto the gate-plate no less.

Not good enough IMAX. You dilute the image at your peril.

tom.

I may be wrong, but I think it was shot on Red Epic and delivered at 4k.

Nothing like enough for IMAX. IMAX film runs something in excess of 8K

You'r right Dave.
And Tom... don't be such a pixel peeper !!

It's hard not to be a pixel-peeper when the image is so big. At least there weren't any scratches or reel changes.

Well that's good then !!

sounds like the film was as bad as making love to an ugly woman..... you want to be there but you wished you hadn't

Reminds me of my late father's comment on getting a pint that was below par.

"I'll be glad when I've had enough of this"

IMAX is being degraded by the commercial people trying to use it for purposes for which it was not originally intended. I remember some years ago seeing, at the same Waterloo cinema Tom was in, a fantastic IMAX film about Mount Everest which really presented an experience not obtained elsewhere. The film was shot on 70mm film, and especially post produced for IMAX. Presumably this would not be the case for the widely distributed Skyfall. I also recall seeing a film there on one of the Apollo space missions, equally impressive. Tom, what made you go there for a regular feature film? For IMAX to work the production has to be intended for IMAX from it's very inception surely?

Good question Michael, why did l go all that way when l could have gone to my local Odeon or bought the BD with change to spare. I really wanted to see how good feature films looked IMAX sized so it was a bit of investigative reporting really. And l can report here that it's not good enough. I'll know next time.

tom hardwick wrote:I really wanted to see how good feature films looked IMAX sized so it was a bit of investigative reporting really.

Which you have done and saved the rest of us the trouble and expense. Many thanks, Tom. I'll stand you a coffee next time you're in Staines

Nothing however is as bad as 3D. It may be alright for whiz bang special FX movies but for proper films it's a disaster in my view. Let us sincerely hope that it dies a death and that we will not be drawn in that one. Tom, don't you dare do a piece on 3D.

3D's been resurected more times than Count Dracula.

Can someone please put a stake though it quicky.

Oh, and another thing. Film runs at 24 fps for historical reasons mainly and when images are projected big and wide as they are at IMAX, the judder in pans and zooms has to be seen to be believed. I've got used to seeing the smoothness of my 50 fps video for too many years now, and this aspect of the 'film look' can be consigned to the recycle bin as far as I'm concerned.

tom.

look out for The Hobbit out in December running at 48fps in some theatres... it'll also be in 3D... i'll certainly be interested in seeing it. Early reviews of the change in FPS is no good sadly, which is why it's being limited to certain cinemas. Sadly only 3 cinemas in the UK will have it, which is frustrating.

Given that "The Hobbit" is also being shown in 24fps 2D it would seem to offer a good chance for comparison, but not is only 3 cinemas will show the full monty.

Pity, as 48fps and 3D might paradoxicaly be "right"