When the 70mm roadshow version of Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight rolled out in December, the experience was sold on the aesthetic superiority – the scope, the clarity, the subconscious effect of flickering frames of film. At a time when Screening Room may soon allow filmgoers to watch the latest wide releases on their couch, the roadshow offered an unreplicable spectacle.

But for me the joy of road-tripping to Chicago to catch The Hateful Eight at the Music Box Theatre during its opening week had nothing to do with film gauge size or grain structure. The bliss came from something that is even more rare in a theatrical setting these days than film projection: the communal bond of watching the work of a master filmmaker amongst a sold-out crowd of cinephiles.

More than any other filmgoing experience I had last year – including the latest Star Wars saga – The Hateful Eight at Music Box Theatre made a trip to the cinema feel like something special again.

During my visit, Music Box’s technical director Julian Antos took a few minutes between screenings to talk about the logistics of putting together an extended 70mm run. With The Hateful Eight now available for home consumption, I wanted to share that interview.