There’s nothing better than getting completely lost in a movie. There’s nothing like sitting in a dark room with a bunch of strangers and going on the same emotional journey. For those two hours, it doesn’t matter what’s going on in the real world. It only matters if you can make a connection and feel something. For me, the goal is always total immersion, and apparently IMAX feels the same way.
As part of our ongoing partnership with AMC Theatres, we sent a camera crew out to IMAX’s headquarters to talk about Venom: The Last Dance and working on that film. During our conversations with the premium format’s experts, we got to talk about what immersion means and how to create it, and for them, that process apparently starts with the theater design.
We spoke to Alex Crabbe, who is the Manager Of Theatre Design over at IMAX, and he told us it’s natural harmony and balance that help create it. Here’s a portion of his quote…
We have a formulated geometry that we apply to every theatre in order to make sure that all the components of an IMAX Theatre create a natural harmony and balance. It’s not just about the screen. When you walk into an IMAX Theatre, the designer really tries to immerse the viewer to ensure that when they’re watching a film, they’re not just observing the film, they’re a participant of the film.
For IMAX, it’s about using that harmony and balance inside the theatre to help the audience feel whatever the filmmaker is trying to make them feel as realistically and intensely as possible. Fans often think that means cranking up the volume, but according to Peter Ogborn, IMAX’s Director of Production DMR and Sound Mastering, that’s actually a “misnomer.” He told us they want the crowd to really feel the bass but only in those moments where the filmmaker wants that intensity.
It’s definitely a misnomer that IMAX is louder. IMAX prides ourselves on playing the film back the way that the filmmaker intended. Part of what makes IMAX IMAX is the bass. When something explodes, you’re able to literally feel it and feel like you’re a part of it.
IMAX’s Senior Manager of Digital Mastering Jeff Dunant echoed those same sentiments, as well. He told us that in VFX heavy movies, they, of course, want to show off all that amazing VFX work on the big screen with maximum clarity, but that’s only to achieve the ultimate goal of immersion. What the audience is looking for isn’t necessarily loudness or chaos. What they’re looking for is whatever is going on in the movie to feel as “realistic” as possible.
Especially with VFX heavy movies the filmmakers put a lot of work into making the visual effects look realistic. So, you want to see that on a screen with the biggest size and biggest clarity because it’s going to feel more realistic and more immersive.
Fans will be able to see what they’re talking about when Venom: The Last Dance hits IMAX at AMC Theatres on October 25th. The film definitely has exciting action sequences that you’ll really feel, but also, it contains more intimate moments where the production is dialed back to connect in a more human way. It’s a spectrum, and there’s nowhere it’ll look better than on an IMAX screen at AMC Theatres.
