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Author
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Topic: Everest (IMAX)
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Tom Sauter
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 163
From: Buffalo, NY, USA
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 11-05-2000 11:56 AM
This movie had some absolutely breathtaking shots. 70mm camera work at the top of the world is every bit as amazing as it sounds. While the film was only 45 minutes long, it was packed with some of the best documentary footage I have ever seen. On my scale of what I paid to see the movie ($7.75 being that I got my money's worth): I'll say the sound was $7, the camera work $7.50, and the storyline $4. There were just too many recreations and goofy factoids.Since this was my first IMAX experience (at the Buffalo,NY Regal IMAX), I'll review that, too. I give the theatre a $3.75: The exit lights gave two corners of the screen a greenish hue, shutter flicker was evident (esp. with all those snow-covered mountains), the print was dirty with a few obvious splices, the picture was the tiniest bit unsteady, and there was a horrible hotspot in the lamp right at screen center. The images off to the sides were much more balanced and focused. Sound was top-notch. The plastic seatbacks in this steeply raked auditorium were quite reflective, which made me too aware of my surroundings. Now I remember why I avoid the Regals around here...
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John Wilson
Film God
Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 11-29-2000 04:37 PM
Is this theatre a 3D IMAX? That would explain the hot spot.Shutter flicker on 2D? You sure it wasn't a flickering lamp? I agree that Everest is the best IMAX film yet. It was tragic how the events unfolded, but as far as making a documentary...those events were incredibly timed. I liked the score a lot too. Not to listen to on its own on cd, though...but as in running the movie 5 times a day and having to listen to something other than the projector.
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Phil Connolly
Film Handler
Posts: 80
From: Derby, England
Registered: May 2000
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posted 12-22-2000 03:54 AM
>>Our Sydney screen which supposedly is the >>biggest IMAX screen in the world, looked >>FABULOUS when it was only 2D...now, it's >>only big with a hotspot. John, The Syney Imax, still has the best 3D installation, that I've seen. I saw Everest there - it looked great.
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John Wilson
Film God
Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 12-22-2000 04:53 AM
Thanks Phil.Have you seen 'Vertical Limit' yet? It has Ed Viesturs in it playing himself. He was the guy in Everest who went up to the summit without oxygen. Amazing. As Yoda would say though...Great climber he is...not an actor though is he.  On a tacky front, like I say, he plays himself and O'Donnel brings up the point of him (Viesturs) losing his best friend on the Everest expedition. A bit sad...
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Dave Macaulay
Film God
Posts: 2321
From: Toronto, Canada
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 07-14-2001 08:48 PM
Hot spot and shutter flicker...
The normal 2D matte white screen IMAX screen brightness is about 8fl, and the picture looks pretty decent. Because of the large image, approaching 16fl gives a lot of perceived flicker.
For 3D (I don't know if this house has the LC electronic glasses or the polarized type) the brightness is boosted as much as possible. If the operators don't turn down the lamp for 2D it is too bright, and with all the snow in Everest you will see flicker.
Even the LC shutter type usually gets a silver screen and polarizers are used in the projection optics. The LC shutters in the glasses are also linearly polarized and happen to be at 45 degrees. Since the 2 shutters are identical but flipped for L and R, it was discovered that polarizing the light would help blank the "closed" eye shutter quite a bit. This was just dumb luck, the LC polarization direction wasn't originally specified. This trick was first used at the Sony NYC IMAX theater for Wings of Courage.
Anyway, the hotspot is unavoidable with the silver screen. And its brightness gives a flicker problem as well.
The shutters are not adjustable, they are part of the projector rotor and cannot be out of time. They are also matched very closely. There is, as usual, a master shutter that hides the frame change, and a flicker shutter. Actually neither shutter blocks the entire image, they only cover about 60% of the frame. (actually, on a large rotor there are 16 shutters...)
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