Thursday, December 31, 2015

Movies Shot on 70 mm Film - Ultra Panavision 70

Recent Quentin Tarantino movie "The Hateful Eight" has been shot on a film format that has not been used for decades. Since almost 50 years this is the first cinema theatre movie to be released in Ultra Panavision 70.

This is a ultra wide panoramic format with an aspect ratio of 2.76:1. Given the fact that respective film recording equipment as well as film projection setups were expensive this iconic format was not further used after the release of a few movies in the 1960's.

Now with the release of "The Hateful Eight" there is a roadshow across the US showing the movie in original projection format: http://screencrush.com/the-hateful-eight-70mm-roadshow-theaters-list/

To show this movie in theatres can be complicated. It involves gathering the old material for projection, making changes to screen and cinemas in order to match the ultra wide format:
http://www.npr.org/2015/12/25/461005635/old-school-projectionists-appreciate-hateful-eight-in-70-millimeter

Films shot in Ultra Panavision 70 are - according to Wikipedia:
  • How the West Was Won (1962) – selected scenes only in Ultra Panavision.
  • Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) – credited as Ultra Panavision.
  • It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) – filmed in Ultra Panavision. Also projected using the single-projector Cinerama system.
  • The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) – credited as Ultra Panavision.
  • The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) – filmed in Ultra Panavision. Also originally projected using the single-projector Cinerama system.
  • The Hallelujah Trail (1965) – filmed in Ultra Panavision. Also originally projected using the single-projector Cinerama system.
  • Battle of the Bulge (1965) – filmed in Ultra Panavision. Also originally projected using the single-projector Cinerama system.
  • Khartoum (1966) – filmed in Ultra Panavision. Also originally projected using the single-projector Cinerama system.
  • The Hateful Eight (2015) – Directed by Quentin Tarantino, first film shot in this process since Khartoum. Filmed in Ultra Panavision 70 and projected with the single-projector Cinerama system in selected cheaters.

Despite the digital dominance of todays visual entertainment industry there is still a number of cinematographic productions being shot on film. As mentioned above this is not Ultra Panavision 70 film, but for example on Kodak 35 mm film: http://motion.kodak.com/motion/customers/productions/default.htm

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