RED as the new IMAX Camera!!?

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Nik Manning

Well-known member
I was just looking at a video format chart in the Creative Cow Magazine that listed 4k. 4K is HUGE! I started thinking why would I ever need that when most movie theaters cannot even show the difference between 720p and 1080p 10 rows back. 2k is more than enough for theatrical release so why would I need 4k? That is when it hit me that Imax Theaters are huge compared to standard theaters. If you shot in 4k and showed it in Imax it might be a great fit. Then I said why not contact the Imax people about the possibility of using red as an Imax camera. The resolution is obviously there and the price is there. This would open up a whole new category of movie production. Alot of the stuff made for imax is documentaries. If you ever shot a great HD documentary get the RED cam shoot 4k edit 2k and sell to Imax.
Or RED could contact Imax directly make the sales pitch and sign Imax up 30 RED 4K decked out Packages at 100k a pop (I can pitch it if you need me too:)). Then Imax would contact filmmakers to make ........wait for it..... REDMAX branded movies. Then film producers will say well if it is good enough for Imax then it is good enough for me. Major movies will start to shoot RED so they can appeal more to the Imax crowd. This will start the slow rise in attendance at movie theaters because you cannot get REDMAX at home and will cause the rapid decline of film transfers for film. Imax will start to outfit all their theaters with 4k projectors as to bypass film conversion and other theaters will outfit their theaters with 2k projectors so they can get second run REDMAX movies. Even if Imax doesn't bite, REDMAX can be the name you use for describing shooting with RED to its maximum potential.
Man thats nice! I need to get my marketing thing going.
 
the only problem is: RED only shoots digital, and digital is not film and film is better...(oops, did i just say that outloud?). hehe...let the thread arguments begin!

no, i see it as a good possibility, and it could easily happen. i hope it doesn't deep down inside though, since i still really like the look and feel of organic film. sorry guys.
 
holymexicobatman said:
the only problem is: RED only shoots digital, and digital is not film and film is better...(oops, did i just say that outloud?). hehe...let the thread arguments begin!

no, i see it as a good possibility, and it could easily happen. i hope it doesn't deep down inside though, since i still really like the look and feel of organic film. sorry guys.
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Oh man I can't believe you said that:huh:. Did you see Superman? End of argument. That was fast. No really alot of people still drive classic cars so I understand you taking that film camera out of the museum it will be in in 5 years and shooting with it. Childhood dreams are strange things.:) HD What! What!
 
Spoke to Harry Lynch, who shot an IMAX (15 perf 65mm, that's film going SIDEWAYS to get more film area per frame). They had to do a few digital shots, got the 11K scans done at the only place in the US that could do it (probably only in the world then?). Vacuum back system, improperly calibrated, had to do it 3 or more times...and it still wasn't as sharp as the source he said. With 4K Bayer, that is ROUGHLY (PLEASE no flame wars) 3K if you did discrete samples of R, G & B the way film scanning is done. So we're a long way from IMAX. Have you seen a PROPER Imax film lately? Shot in the IMAX format? There would be wide vista shots with a tiny horseback rider in frame...and you could make out his ethnicity. Truly amazing stuff.

So while you COULD shoot an IMAX film on Red (hey, I saw something shot on DVX100A projected in IMAX theater the other night), it isn't necessarily the best choice for that projection format.
 
yes Mike.. good point, that woulda been a great discussion to be in.

we are at 35mm here.. its kinda like comparing a 35mm to large format stills.. you have alot of fudging to do to get it up to that size.

to shoot Imax Digitally you would need aprox. a 32 megapixel sensor.
 
I just don't think there is more than one person watching an Imax movie vs 4k that could tell the difference. 4K is huge! I understand what you are saying Imax is better than 4k but brand it differently (REDMAX). Imax is more than just the picture if you have a picture that is close Imax can make more movies and red can sell more cameras. If 1080p is being used on superman then 4k should be doable on Imax without a fight. Just giving Red an even higher target than taking out 35mm. Mike and Jarred you guys rule!!! I'm in LA Jarred if you have any jobs. :)
 
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