IMAX's 70mm Film Projection Process Revealed by Adam Savage
YouTuber Adam Savage toured IMAX's Los Angeles headquarters, revealing the complex logistics of projecting 70mm IMAX film. IMAX uses 15-perforation, 70mm film with 5mm for audio, resulting in a 65mm picture nearly 10 times larger than standard 35mm. A one-hour IMAX reel weighs about 300 pounds. The film must be winched 30 feet to the projector and runs at 337 feet per minute (vs. 90 fpm for 35mm). Directors like Christopher Nolan and Jordan Peele view dailies at the David Keighley Theater. Film processing is handled by FotoKem. During the tour, dailies for Nolan's The Odyssey (working title "Charlie's Tale") were being loaded. Nolan revealed the film used two million feet of IMAX film; at $1.50 per foot from Kodak, raw film cost about $3 million.
Key facts
- IMAX film is 15-perforation, 70mm with 5mm for audio, picture size 65mm.
- IMAX image is nearly 10 times larger than standard 35mm film.
- One hour of IMAX film weighs about 300 pounds.
- Film runs horizontally through the projector at 337 feet per minute.
- 35mm film runs at 90 feet per minute.
- Directors Christopher Nolan and Jordan Peele view dailies at IMAX LA's David Keighley Theater.
- IMAX uses FotoKem for film processing.
- Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey used two million feet of IMAX film, costing about $3 million at $1.50 per foot from Kodak.
Entities
Artists
- Adam Savage
- Christopher Nolan
- Jordan Peele
Institutions
- IMAX
- FotoKem
- Kodak
- David Keighley Theater
Locations
- Los Angeles
- United States