Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Precursors IMAX

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Operations » Large Format Forum » Precursors IMAX

Author

Topic: Precursors IMAX

Ilse Deroose
Film Handler

Posts: 4
From: Genk, Hasselt, Belgium
Registered: Apr 2013

posted 04-17-2013 05:06 PM

Does anyone know what the precursors of IMAX are?
Are there any others besides cinerama?

| IP: Logged

Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 04-17-2013 05:38 PM

Yes. It was a process called Polivision that Abel Gance used in his film NAPOLEON in 1927

-Claude

| IP: Logged

Ilse Deroose
Film Handler

Posts: 4
From: Genk, Hasselt, Belgium
Registered: Apr 2013

posted 04-18-2013 06:24 AM

Thanks Claude!
Do you know imax magic carpet? And what precursor this system has?

| IP: Logged

Mitchell Dvoskin
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1869
From: West Milford, NJ, USA
Registered: Jan 2001

posted 04-18-2013 09:29 AM

The answer depends upon what you consider a "precursor".

70mm?

The first documented 70mm projected motion picture was demonstrated in New York City in 1895.

Fox Grandeur commercially re-introduced 70mm in 1929.

Horizontal Film

Paramount's VistaVision was introduced in 1954.

Multiple Projectors

Abel Gance's Polyvision (as Claude posted)

Widescreen

CinemaScope from 1953.
RKO's NaturalVision
Ultra-Panavision
MGM Camera 65

However...

None of these is really a precursor to IMAX. Probably the only true precursor to IMAX is MAGNASCOPE, which just 70mm on a huge screen, much like IMAX.

There is a very good article online by film historian Bob Furmanek on the history of wide screen movies located here.

| IP: Logged

Jeffry L. Johnson
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 809
From: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 04-18-2013 01:09 PM

Explore the following Web sites.

http://www.in70mm.com/

http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imax

quote:
During Expo 67 in Montreal, Kroitor's In the Labyrinth and Ferguson's Man and the Polar Regions both used multi-projector, multi-screen systems. Each encountered technical difficulties that led them to found a company, initially called "Multiscreen", with a primary goal of designing and developing a simpler approach. The single-projector/single-camera system they eventually settled upon was designed and built by Shaw, based upon a novel "Rolling Loop" film-transport technology purchased from Australian inventor Ronald Jones[disambiguation needed]. Later,[when?] when it became clear that a single, large-screen image had far more impact than multiple smaller ones, Multiscreen changed its name to IMAX.

| IP: Logged

Mark J. Marshall
Film God

Posts: 3188
From: New Castle, DE, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 04-20-2013 10:20 AM

For history on Widescreen in 35mm, look HERE.

| IP: Logged

Ilse Deroose
Film Handler

Posts: 4
From: Genk, Hasselt, Belgium
Registered: Apr 2013

posted 04-21-2013 04:56 AM

Okay that helps a lot.
The imax magic carpet system.. existed that also out of those evolutions?

| IP: Logged

Dave Macaulay
Film God

Posts: 2321
From: Toronto, Canada
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 04-21-2013 09:58 AM

Magic Carpet was introduced at Expo 90 in Osaka. I don't think there was any precursor... Imax introduced 3D Dome ("Solido") there as well, there was also a standard 2D Imax and a 3D Imax (Expo 90 was the 20th anniversary of the first appearance of "Imax" (called Multiscreen Corp then)15/70 at Expo 70 in Osaka). Imax wanted to make a major impact there, and the Magic Carpet idea was sold to Sanwa Midori. There's a normal Imax screen in a semi-normal auditorium. There's also a screen below the seating with a glass floor between the seat rows. The system was installed at Parc Fururoscope in France after the Expo. I believe there were only two films made, the expo one and another about butterflies. During filming of the Expo move the only camera rig (and one camera)was severely damaged when a helicopter pilot understimated the clearance to a hilltop. Thus that movie doesn't have much "sync" action where the normal screen matches the lower screen.

| IP: Logged

Ilse Deroose
Film Handler

Posts: 4
From: Genk, Hasselt, Belgium
Registered: Apr 2013

posted 04-22-2013 10:35 AM

I see .. so the magic carpet came out of nothing ? Or can we maybe see it as an evolution of multiscreening?

| IP: Logged

Jean-Marc Toussaint
Film Handler

Posts: 60
From: Paris, France
Registered: May 2008

posted 04-23-2013 01:56 AM

Don't forget "Panrama", the French system from 1958. There were only a handful of installations (I worked for a couple of weeks at the theatre in Paris that had one back in 1984). It was using horizontal 35mm/8perf film.
Panrama

| IP: Logged

Richard Hamilton
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1341
From: Evansville, Indiana
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 04-23-2013 01:57 PM

Dave

quote: Dave Macaulay
Parc Fururoscope in France

Reminds me of the install I did in Changchun Movie wonderland . Same layout and attractions.

Rick

| IP: Logged

Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 04-23-2013 05:58 PM

quote: Richard Hamilton
Reminds me of the install I did in Changchun Movie wonderland . Same layout and attractions.

It's really amazing they couldn't come up with some kind of original idea for a movie park... Plagiarism isn't something to be proud of.

| IP: Logged

Louis Bornwasser
Film God

Posts: 4441
From: prospect ky usa
Registered: Mar 2005

posted 04-23-2013 07:40 PM

When I first saw IMAX, I asked: "Where are the other two screens?" I grew up on Cinerama, approx 30 x 110 ft. Louis

| IP: Logged

Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 04-23-2013 08:11 PM

Mitchell, Camera 65 and Ultra Panavision are the same process. When MGM used It for RAINTREE COUNTY and BEN-HUR it was billed as Camera 65. when it was used for pictures like THE GREATEST STORY EVERY TOLD and MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY as well as many others, it was credited as Ultra Panavision.

-Claude

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.