Documentary/Biopic Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer

[Drizzle]

That one crazy sob with all the regret in the world:

Funny enough, I made the mistake of watching Transformers 2 in IMAX in the front row with my friends without knowing it would sell out that weekend. Even though my mind was scrambled from the Bay action scenes up close, seeing Megan Fox as the 50 Foot Woman was a sight to see.

I too saw Revenge of the Fallen in IMAX, not that close up but this was also a sight to see on a giant screen:

 

[Kane52630]

I definitely Dafoe'd when that happened.

 

[BatLobster]

According to IMDB

Oppenheimer (2023) - Technical specifications - IMDb

• Aspect ratio
  • 1.43 : 1(IMAX 70 mm: some scenes)
  • 1.90 : 1(Digital IMAX: some scenes)
  • 2.20 : 1(70 mm and Digital)
  • 2.39 : 1(35 mm)

@Boom
According to a recent ABC News article:

“Oppenheimer” was filmed entirely on large format film stock, meaning a combination of IMAX 65mm and Panavision 65mm (think David Lean/"Lawrence of Arabia"), that’s then projected in 70mm.

If that's true this will be the first Nolan film to be entirely large format with no aspect ratio switching.

 

[Kane52630]

I hope so just for the 70mm screenings.

 

[Dr.]

...If that's true this will be the first Nolan film to be entirely large format with no aspect ratio switching.

But if it’s a combination of (square) IMAX and (widescreen) Panavision 70mm, then there would be format switching… no?

 

[BatLobster]

But if it’s a combination of (square) IMAX and (widescreen) Panavision 70mm, then there would be format switching… no?

I'm not 100% sure, but I THINK the thing here is that because there is more resolution with the Panavision 65mm stuff than regular 35mm, they have a lot more room to blow it up/crop it without compomising image quality if they wanted it to take up more of the full IMAX screen. Either way, you're going to get more consistent sharpnesss/clarity in the image vs switching between IMAX and 35mm. And I think Nolan's trajectory with IMAX has been that each film has a higher and higher percentage of large format/full IMAX footage than the last. At least I'm pretty sure that's the case.

I also asked ChatGPT if the 65mm scenes in Dunkirk took up the full IMAX frame, and here's what it said (TL;dr- yes). We'll see how accurate this is soon enough!

Yes, in Christopher Nolan's film Dunkirk, some scenes were indeed shot using Panavision 65mm film cameras, specifically with the IMAX format in mind. Nolan is known for his preference for large format filmmaking and has frequently utilized IMAX cameras in his films.

In the case of Dunkirk, Nolan wanted to capture certain sequences with the highest possible image quality and immersive experience. As a result, he used IMAX 65mm and 65mm Panavision cameras to shoot select portions of the film.

During post-production, the footage shot with the Panavision 65mm cameras was formatted and processed to match the IMAX aspect ratio. This involved resizing and cropping the footage to fit the 1.43:1 aspect ratio of IMAX screens, ensuring that those scenes could be presented in full IMAX aspect ratio.

The combination of IMAX and Panavision 65mm footage allowed Nolan to deliver a visually stunning and immersive experience for Dunkirk, utilizing the advantages of both formats to capture the epic scope and intensity of the story.

 

[Kane52630]

It's gonna be similar to Dunkirk where the majority of the film is gonna be 1.43:1 with a few scenes being in 1.90 : 1 (probably the black and white scenes).

 

[BatLobster]

It's gonna be similar to Dunkirk where the majority of the film is gonna be 1.43:1 with a few scenes being in 1.90 : 1 (probably the black and white scenes).

Hmm I don't think so, since they've been heavily promoting the first-time ever black and white IMAX footage, which was made custom for this film. And pretty sure the b&w white shots were full screen IMAX in the teaser I saw with Nope.

But if the Dunkirk scenes were 1.9:1 (good call, I couldn't remember) then that's likely the switching this will have, which would be more of a subtle shift.

Kane- 1, ChatGPT- 0. Humans ftw!

 

[Dr.]

It's gonna be similar to Dunkirk where the majority of the film is gonna be 1.43:1 with a few scenes being in 1.90 : 1 (probably the black and white scenes).

Yeah, I think Dunkirk used IMAX and 70mm exclusively (no 35mm at all). And as I recall, the shifting aspect ratios were pretty subtle — hardly noticeable.

 

[BatLobster]

 

[The Chris]

Yeah, I think Dunkirk used IMAX and 70mm exclusively (no 35mm at all). And as I recall, the shifting aspect ratios were pretty subtle — hardly noticeable.

Honestly for me I think switching to 65mm/70mm for the non-imax scenes has really helped the Blu-ray and digital transfers too. I think Dunkirk and Tenet were both helped by having the non-imax scenes not stick out like a sore thumb compared to the last two Dark Knight movies and even Interstellar’s 35mm/IMAX combo. But more to your point Nolan has been using the 2:20.1 aspect ratio for non-imax scenes since Dunkirk, and yeah I think that fits with the IMAX ratio a little better than the 2:39.1 did.

 

[Iceman]

 

[Kane52630]

Well maybe he should have moved the movie earlier because there's no way Nolan is gonna push away from his date.

 

[Blade Hoarder]

Honestly for me I think switching to 65mm/70mm for the non-imax scenes has really helped the Blu-ray and digital transfers too. I think Dunkirk and Tenet were both helped by having the non-imax scenes not stick out like a sore thumb compared to the last two Dark Knight movies and even Interstellar’s 35mm/IMAX combo. But more to your point Nolan has been using the 2:20.1 aspect ratio for non-imax scenes since Dunkirk, and yeah I think that fits with the IMAX ratio a little better than the 2:39.1 did.

Interstellar has many instances of out of focus shots which are very noticeable on TV. You can tell Hoyte Van was struggling with the IMAX cameras and their shallower focus.

Dunkirk and Tenet were almost flawless though.

 

[:eek:]

Experience Oppenheimer in IMAX 70mm Film at Select Locations for a Limited Time | IMAX

 

[BatLobster]

There really should be more true IMAX screens. I find it bonkers that all this innovation and effort goes into making a film the best possible IMAX experience, and then the amount of places and people that can realistically see it that way is so limited.

It's also annoying for me personally as someone who frequents the NYC IMAX that it's the last one left in the tri-state area. There used to be a couple of other options that have since closed, which means you've got one IMAX theater for an extremely densely populated area. Makes getting tickets really annoying. I was able to snag some for Oppenheimer, but not great seats.

 

[Gothamsknight]

Experience Oppenheimer in IMAX 70mm Film at Select Locations for a Limited Time | IMAX

Great to see my local Imax on there

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Iceman]

 

[Kane52630]

 

[Iceman]

Clash of the Titans!

 

[samsnee]

Barbie will ultimately make more. Shorter runtime and not R rated

 

[Arachnerd]

That was always obvious even before this movie was announced to be R-Rated. That, plus the length, still makes me believe all the more that it will probably underperform at the box office.

 

[Iceman]

Barbie will ultimately make more. Shorter runtime and not R rated

Yep. Also, more serious and respectable source material.

 

[samsnee]

That was always obvious even before this movie was announced to be R-Rated. That, plus the length, still makes me believe all the more that it will probably underperform at the box office.

I’m definitely waiting for reviews before I buy a ticket. 3 hours is too long for a so-so movie