Authors — Caleb Hammond
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Striking Film Prints in a Digital World: Laser Printing, CRT Screens and a One-Stop Film Recorder from Norway
In 2006, Rune Bjerkestrand was on the Universal lot in Hollywood, far away from his home country of Norway. His brand-new invention, the Cinevator, could create a film negative from a digital file in real time—a vast improvement over other recorders that could take 10 days or more to craft a negative for a 90-minute film. But was the quality there? Technicolor set up a blind test to find out. “We didn’t really have a clue about film, about film technology, about the film industry, about film machines—nothing,” Bjerkestrand says. After the split-screen test footage ran, everyone in the theater […]
by Caleb Hammond on Dec 16, 2024 -
“We’re Not Going to be Subtle When You’re in the Tornado”: 4DX SVP Paul Kim on Twisters
A 4DX screening offers a host of bells and whistles engineered to make the moviegoing experience less passive. Three motors in every seat work in tandem to shake a participant around violently during big action setpieces or vibrate lightly during quieter moments. There’s a back kicker for imitating punches or kicks thrown during fights. Lightning effects and fog fill the theater at large, while sprays of water interact with each audience member. The premium format received a massive visibility bump this summer when viral clips of audience members watching Lee Isaac Chung’s Twisters lit up TikTok and X. On this […]
by Caleb Hammond on Aug 26, 2024 -
Cine Gear Expo 2024: 17 Cameras, LED (and Traditional) Lights, Lenses and Remote Camera Controls We Loved
Every start of summer, the Cine Gear Expo comes to Los Angeles. Initially held on the Paramount lot, the Expo had a short stint at the LA Convention Center for two pandemic years before landing this yearat the Warner Brothers lot in Burbank. The movie lot aspect assists greatly with vibes: While its chief competitor, NAB Show—held a few months earlier in the Las Vegas Convention Center—feels like a traditional trade show, at Cine Gear you can peruse the latest lenses as the iconic Animaniacs water tower looms in the distance, just visible behind a camera crane which swings around […]
by Caleb Hammond on Jun 21, 2024
