Film technology

This blog post will explore the developments in film technology and explain how they are used by companies and enjoyed by audiences.

CGI - Computer Generated Imagery

·       At the most basic level, Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) is the creation of still or animated visual content with computer software. CGI most commonly refers to the 3D computer graphics used to create characters, scenes and special effects in films, television and games. The technology is also used in everything from advertising, architecture, engineering, virtual reality and even art.

 

·       CGI is used extensively these days because it is often cheaper than physical methods which rely on creating elaborate miniatures, hiring extras for crowd scenes, and most commonly for when it's simply not safe or humanly possible to create the visuals.

 

 

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CGI is created using a range of different methods. The use of algorithms can produce complex fractal patterns. 2D pixel-based image editors can create vector shapes. 3D graphics software can create everything for simple primitive shapes to complex forms made from flat triangles and quadrangles. 3D software can even simulate the way light reacts to a surface and generate particle effects.

 

·       The first movie to use computer-generated imagery (CGI) was Westworld released in 1973, which had received great reviews from audiences and critics. Disney Pixar is a company that focuses entirely on CGI and it is an essential part of their films and its success the first film to be released entirely using CGI was Toy Story which was a landmark moment for cinema and hugely successful.

 

 

 

70mm Film

 

·       70mm film is used to project onto bigger cinema screens so that the audience feels they are part of an experience. It is used as it can capture more imagery into one shot and is helpful for capturing smaller details ahead of visuals effects being added to the film.

 

·       To make the most of 70mm film, an anamorphic lens captures extremely wide aspect ratios to be used while still preserving quality. This was used with incredible success in the 1959 film Ben-Hur and the 2015 film The Hateful Eight, both of which were filmed with the Ultra Panavision 70/MGM Camera 65 process at an aspect ratio of 2.76:1. It required the use of a 1.25x anamorphic lens to horizontally compress the image, and a corresponding lens on the projector to uncompressed it. For the audience this allowed them to capture the epic landscapes used in the films.

 

·       Both 65 and 75 mm film are not used that regularly however limited use of 65 mm film was revived in the late 1970s for some of the visual effect’s sequences in films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, mainly because the larger negative did a better job than 35 mm negative of minimizing visible film grain during optical compositing.

 

 

IMAX

·       IMAX is filmed using high end digital cameras which allow for extreme detail and colour enhancement. The films are screened in special IMAX theatres where the screen is 4500 times bigger than the average tv screen. Seeing a film in IMAX feels and event for audience members because the experience feels immersive.

Here are some interesting facts about IMAX:

 

·       The film is strong enough to pull a truck.

• A 2D IMAX camera weighs approximately 36kg. That means if wildlife shows up, you can’t grab a camera and follow it as you can with video or 16mm. The 3D IMAX camera is the size of a hotel mini-bar refrigerator and weighs 120kg.
• Light from the 15,000-watt lamp in an IMAX projector is so bright that if it were on the moon, we could see it from earth with the naked eye.
• If a large log were held in front of the light beam from the projector, it would spontaneously combust.
• The l5/70 film frame used by the IMAX projection system is 10 times the size of a conventional 35mm frame.
• The Sonics Proportional Point Source (PPS) loudspeaker system was specifically designed for IMAX theatres. The system typically uses 44 laser focused speaker drivers located throughout the theatre to fully envelope the audience.
• IMAX is filmed and screened on massive film stock, cameras, and projectors. The cameras are heavy and noisy but provide a 12k resolution and the film is run horizontally instead of vertically when screened on a projector.

 

    Advances in Distribution Technology

 

·       The introduction of Netflix and other SVOD (streaming video on demand) platforms has disrupted the way that films are delivered to audiences.

 

·       The platforms provide quicker access to an entire library of films which gives audiences members far more choice than traditional terrestrial channels.

 

·       During 2020 and the pandemic cinema distribution was halted. This led to the release of big films on digital platforms to ensure that film releases didn’t stop entirely. As a result of this the delay between a film being in cinema and then being released to a digital platform will now become much shorter. This means that audience members have increased choices around how the access films, in the past if someone wanted to watch a film, they would have to go see it at the cinema knowing that it might take months before they could buy it. Audiences now have the choice to wait for a digital release and watch at home now that the waiting times are much shorter.