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Topic: Cinerama on History Channel

Dick Vaughan
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1032
From: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 11-18-2004 02:48 AM

Just received the following from Dave Strohmaier and thought some of you may be interested.

quote:
The History Channel has produced an extraordinary episode of Modern Marvels that has a 10 minute segment on the Cinerama process. Modern Marvels is History Channel's top rated show and will be aired several times giving Cinerama some well deserved nationwide publicity. John Sittig of Cinerama Inc. and Dave Strohmaier were interviewed on camera along with Martin Hart of American Widescreen Museum and several others. Cinerama Adventure and Cinerama Inc. gave them permission to use several exclusive "Smilebox" Cinerama shots as well as some historic stills, and they also filmed the Cinerama process in action at the Dome in Hollywood at the Seattle Cinerama. The rest of the episode is about movie technology evolution through the years.

Airdate is Nov. 24, 8 PM on the History Channel; Modern Marvels.
In case something changes check your local listings.

As a) I don't live in the US and b) don't have satellite I don't know when / if I will get to see this . Perhaps we could convince HC to give us a tape to screen at next year's Widescreen Weekend

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 11-18-2004 03:16 AM

Ditto for Randy Gitsch's feature documentary on Cinerama which was shown at the 2003 AMIA conference. A theatrical release would be wonderful, but failing that I'd love to see it released on DVD.

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Will Kutler
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1506
From: Tucson, AZ, USA
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 11-18-2004 03:49 AM

Good news for those of you living outside the USA. Look at WWW.DISCOVERYCHANNEL.COM. All of their affiliates are listed under this site, and if you have problems then just look up WWW.THEHISTORYCHANNEL.COM.
I searched for this epispode, but it does not seem to be listed yet. This might be a new show premiering on the specified date? There is another one currently available about Stereo, featuring info about THX, and Dolby, among others.

Just about all the programs featured one Discovery Channel, Learning Channel, History Channel, etc are available on home video. Episodes are generally $25.00 US, and should be readily available.

Cheers

Kutler

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Dick Vaughan
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1032
From: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 11-18-2004 06:47 AM

I e-mailed History Channel in the UK and at present they do not have plans to show this in over here [Frown]

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Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 11-18-2004 06:49 AM

Randy Gitsch documentary = Dave Strohmaier documentary = Cinerama Adventure

And yes, it's great. When it ran in the Chicago International Film Festival a bit over a year ago I had them shift the press preview to my place, pro bono, from the fest's own small, non-digital sound review room so it could be seen at its best, and, of course, so I could see it myself.

Previously posted in P.34 of the Random Pictures thread in Yak (just north of Gracia's topless picture LOL):

Now you can all say you've seen it! [Big Grin]

The Modern Marvels installment will be about widescreen movies in general.

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 11-18-2004 07:55 AM

They're shipping it on Cinerama reels??? Or are those just 6000' reels in a Cinerama-like shipping container? Either way, it will be a problem when the print shows up at a venue that can't accommodate them. [Confused]

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Bill Gabel
Film God

Posts: 3873
From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 11-18-2004 08:00 AM

Those type cans are the old 70MM Goldberg style shipping cans.

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Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 11-18-2004 11:00 AM

Yes but this is one with a pedigree: It once held R1 of the original answer print of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

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Will Kutler
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1506
From: Tucson, AZ, USA
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 11-25-2004 12:33 AM

Wed 24 Nov 2004, The History Channel, Modern Marvels "Cinema Technology" just aired: here is a synoposis:

The transition of silent to sound.

Edison's inventions, including his attempt at syncing sound to film.

How Western Electric advanced Edison's origonal idea. Unfortunately, they did not show an actual Western Electric U-Base.

Briefly described optical sound.

Spoke about the early complications of camera noise affecting the soundstage/set and what was done to overcome this problem.

Described the early 3-strip Technicolor process and the subsequent Kodak advancement of color film.

Spoke about the development of wide screen presentations to counteract the impending threat of television.

Excellent review of Cinerama. Showed the origonal Cinerama camera, and described how the technology was origonally used for military gunnery training purposes, subsequently simplified and modified for cinema usage. Also described the complicated process of projecting Cinerama and even showed some screen installation footage.

Spoke about the subsequent simplification of wide screen presentations via 70mm and 35mm Scope. Also mentioned the IMAX format.

Described mag sound, and how Disney's Fantasia was the first major attempt at stereo.

Spoke about Dolby, his difficulty in selling his technology to the major studios, and finally broke thru with Lucas and Star Wars.

Brief mention of DLP.

Tribute to Loew's 100th anniversary.

Did not mention anything about Simplex, Century, Motiograph, Strong, DTS, Sony etc, etc.

No mention of Drive-ins, or how platters and automation led to the development of multi-plexes.

Did not get into detail of how projectors work, or the duties of Projectionists.

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Paul Linfesty
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1383
From: Bakersfield, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 11-25-2004 12:53 AM

quote: Will Kutler
Described mag sound, and how Disney's Fantasia was the first major attempt at stereo.

Except that they actually claimed that FANTASIA was recorded and shown with mag stereo originally. FALSE! It was recorded (and shown) on OPTICAL film.

quote: Will Kutler
Spoke about the development of wide screen presentations to counteract the impending threat of television.

And (sorta) claimed the scope lens was "invented" in 1952. In actuality it was made in the 20's. Interestingly, they showed a "squeezed" 35mm image from Ben-Hur to demonstrate a film SHOT in scope and spread out in projection. While Ben-Hur was photographed with a 1.25 squeeze, it used a wide 65mm negative to capture the film.

quote: Will Kutler
Described the early 3-strip Technicolor process

But indicated that 3-strip began use in 1930. Actually, 2-strip was still being used then. 3-strip didnt start until 1934 or so.

quote: Will Kutler
Did not mention anything about Simplex, Century, Motiograph, Strong, DTS, Sony etc, etc.

Interestingly, while they were talking about SRD, they showed a close-up of an SDDS processor, with clearly labeled signal labels for L, LC, C, etc.

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Aaron Sisemore
Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day!

Posts: 3061
From: Rockwall TX USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 11-25-2004 01:05 AM

I also just saw this, and it left a LOT of topics uncovered...

-The pro-Dolby slant made sense seeing that all the manufacturer interviews were of Dolby personnel, conducted at the Dolby screening room facility in San Francisco.

-They misspelled [Dolby president] Ioan Allen's first name as 'Loan'... [Roll Eyes]

-They briefly mention 70mm releases in the 50's (assuming 5/70)but then show loads of IMAX equipment in operation.

-The thing did almost appear as being a paid adversitement for Loews Theatres and Dolby at times.

-They briefly mention DLP and show the guts of a DLP projector, and gave the usual spiel we have been hearing every year for almost the past ten years: 'In about five years DLP should be replacing 35mm film as the primary exhibition medium' YEAH, RIGHT! [Big Grin]

-A few nice shots of the Kinotons running at the Dolby screening room and of a later-model Century C on a RCA soundhead in a museum display.

and the most glaring omission of all:

NO INTERVIEWS WITH BRAD MILLER!!!

-Aaron

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 11-25-2004 01:40 AM

I like how the one guy was talking about the film going thru the gate all while he was pointing at the top sprocket and pad roller assembly.

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Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 11-25-2004 01:57 AM

!! I missed the show. And I was HOME, too, for once, on a Wednesday! Damn! Well, sounds like I probably would've been underwhelmed.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 11-25-2004 09:08 AM

quote: Will Kutler
and the subsequent Kodak advancement of color film

It should have also mentioned the substantial lack of color it had.... comparatively.......

Mark

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Jon Miller
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 973
From: San Diego, CA, USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 11-25-2004 09:28 AM

quote: Aaron Sisemore
... and of a later-model Century C on a RCA soundhead in a museum display.

...and that dinky Cinemeccanica 500-watt xenon that looked so out of place. [Roll Eyes]

I feel the production company could have tracked down a still-functioning carbon-arc changeover booth to give a better explanation of how projection was done until the early/mid-1970s, and made use of the projection booth they used for the Dave Strohmaier interviews to show how things are done nowadays.

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