The Dark Knight How is this IMAX thing going to work?

[The Postman]

So the whole movie isnt in imax, ok got it. Does that mean the screen is going to change from big to small every now and then during the movie?

 

[explode7]

I think its going to backfire.

 

[StillTheKing]

No I think they will just convert the movie thats not in an Imax format to a format that will fit the screen. Like they do with other movies.

 

[Batman137]

No. he is talking about for IMAX only some scenes or shot in it. What does the rest of the film going to look like? will it jump big to small. i think thats what he means

 

[StillTheKing]

Well I thought I once read that movies that arent in IMAX format that are in IMAX theaters get converted to a format that will make it fit on the screen.

I could be wrong though

 

[batman11]

I think its going to backfire.

Big f'n surprise there.

And to answer the original poster's question, I believe it was stated in an article that there would be no aspect ratio change. Basically, think of the IMAX camera footage as the HD of IMAX, compared to the rest of the film. According to the article, the change would only be noticeable for the better, and not for the worse.

 

[Scarecrow360]

You guys seen the movie "The Haunting'?

There's a scene in the movie (where the bedroom transforms and looks all pissed I think) where it goes from full screen to widescreen.

The really odd note is the switch starts and ends in different ways, when it goes to widecreen it actually does it slowly, and then when it switches back it does instantly through a jump cut. (I might have that backwards though, vice versa).

Now if this is how TDK is going to switch I don't know, I just remember that it took me a long, long time for me to actually catch that happening in the film; I had seen it several times before and was paying so much attention to what was happening on-screen that I didn't notice it.

 

[Caped Crusader]

I think its going to backfire.

 

[explode7]

Why so dry?

 

[The Mighty Wind]

The screen does change in size for the IMAX sequences. I'll be seeing it first in the regular theatre and then in IMAX for my second viewing to make sure that I can just watch it as a normal film the first time.

 

[Anita18]

From the panel today at Cine Gear Expo with Wally Pfister:

• When viewing the film in IMAX, the scenes shot in 35-mm will keep the original aspect ratio, but the size of the image will expand when it switches to IMAX.
• When viewing the film in a regular theater, the "extra room" will be cropped. Chris Nolan and editor Lee Smith did all of the crop lines themselves, to make sure it won't look awkward. You do have to frame things differently in IMAX because the screen is so tall, so you can't just crop out the same areas throughout the film willy-nilly.
• Wally recommends everyone see this film in IMAX. If you must see TDK in a regular theater, he DOES NOT endorse digital projections. He and Chris hate them. In underexposed shots, the color gets all muddy and it's just ew. They don't even do digital intermediates.

 

[Commodore Schmidlapp]

I think its going to backfire.

How do you continually not get in trouble for trolling, ****ing troll.

 

[rory_bat]

From the panel today at Cine Gear Expo with Wally Pfister:

• When viewing the film in IMAX, the scenes shot in 35-mm will keep the original aspect ratio, but the size of the image will expand when it switches to IMAX.
• When viewing the film in a regular theater, the "extra room" will be cropped. Chris Nolan and editor Lee Smith did all of the crop lines themselves, to make sure it won't look awkward. You do have to frame things differently in IMAX because the screen is so tall, so you can't just crop out the same areas throughout the film willy-nilly.
• Wally recommends everyone see this film in IMAX. If you must see TDK in a regular theater, he DOES NOT endorse digital projections. He and Chris hate them. In underexposed shots, the color gets all muddy and it's just ew. They don't even do digital intermediates.

Thanks Anita. Very interesting and good to know. I will be seeing TDK MANY times and the majority of those will be IMAX viewings. I will have to see it in regular 35mm format though to see how the cropping that Nolan and Smith did looks against the rest of the film.

And anybody who has no faith in TDK being pulled off in IMAX is just an idiot. They clearly don't underdstand Nolan and Pfister's intentions nor do they understand the mechanics of film and IMAX.

 

[xwolverine2]

thats horrible... so when the dvd comes out.. we will never be able to see the uncropped areas.


crap.. i gotta see it in imax then

 

[S.D. Plissken]

From the panel today at Cine Gear Expo with Wally Pfister:

• When viewing the film in IMAX, the scenes shot in 35-mm will keep the original aspect ratio, but the size of the image will expand when it switches to IMAX.
• When viewing the film in a regular theater, the "extra room" will be cropped. Chris Nolan and editor Lee Smith did all of the crop lines themselves, to make sure it won't look awkward. You do have to frame things differently in IMAX because the screen is so tall, so you can't just crop out the same areas throughout the film willy-nilly.
• Wally recommends everyone see this film in IMAX. If you must see TDK in a regular theater, he DOES NOT endorse digital projections. He and Chris hate them. In underexposed shots, the color gets all muddy and it's just ew. They don't even do digital intermediates.

pretty much, yeah.

 

[Andrex]

Why so dry?

 

[Caped Crusader]

It will be fine. Trust me

 

[xwolverine2]

It will be fine. Trust me

not in normal theaters or dvd apparently...lol

 

[Caped Crusader]

not in normal theaters or dvd apparently...lol

Yes, it will

I have an IMAX dvd and it plays like my regular dvds lol

 

[xwolverine2]

they have imax dvds

 

[Caped Crusader]

they have imax dvds

 

[Anita18]

thats horrible... so when the dvd comes out.. we will never be able to see the uncropped areas.


crap.. i gotta see it in imax then

They probably haven't planned it out that far, but I suspect that if you have a non-widescreen TV, it'll be the same as viewing it in IMAX, since they both have a 4:3 aspect ratio.

If you have a widescreen TV, I think they'll have to do the cropping. Or...something. Pfister didn't talk about it. The stuff that's cropped isn't important to the movie, but Nolan and Pfister just wanted to make the theater-going experience more awesome.

Yes, see it in IMAX. It's big, and it's going to be loud - the way Nolan intended it.

 

[Caped Crusader]

The first time i went to an IMAX showing, i was 4 yrs old

I was scared for my life

But anyways.. IMAX is BIG. LOUD & Beautiful

 

[xwolverine2]

They probably haven't planned it out that far, but I suspect that if you have a non-widescreen TV, it'll be the same as viewing it in IMAX, since they both have a 4:3 aspect ratio.

If you have a widescreen TV, I think they'll have to do the cropping. Or...something. Pfister didn't talk about it. The stuff that's cropped isn't important to the movie, but Nolan and Pfister just wanted to make the theater-going experience more awesome.

Yes, see it in IMAX. It's big, and it's going to be loud - the way Nolan intended it.

that would be nasty if it switches from fullscreen to cropped every time theres an action scene...

most likely they will just leave the imax shots cropped for the dvd...

 

[Anita18]

that would be nasty if it switches from fullscreen to cropped every time theres an action scene...

most likely they will just leave the imax shots cropped for the dvd...

If you were gonna see it on a widescreen TV, you wouldn't notice the switch, since the aspect ratio will be the same. If you never saw it in IMAX, you would have no clue that stuff was missing.

On a 4:3 TV, the black bars would disappear once it switched into IMAX. If they decide not to crop it, that is. I have no idea what they plan to do.