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How The Dark Knight Went IMAX

slashfilm.com — I’ve said it before, and ’ll say it again - You haven’t seen The Dark Knight, unless you’ve seen it in IMAX. OVer 20 minutes of the film was shot with 70mm IMAX cameras, and the result is a cinematic experience like you’ve never seen before. But how did this all come together?

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  • skewl, on 07/14/2008, -13/+1Fichtner is the most kick-ass actor in Hollywood! I hope he’s not killed so that when they do audience-testing, he’ll be brought back for more scenes.
  • Jess2mix, on 07/14/2008, -1/+10Definitely seeing this in IMAX.
    • Tyrghast, on 07/15/2008, -1/+2I've only been to two IMAX theaters, one in DC and one here in Fort Worth, and the one in Fort Worth is shaped like an observatory and the screen is sorta on the ceiling. It's a unique experience, sitting back in to a seat aimed a few degrees off of the ground to watch a movie.
      • markperia, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3the imax theatres in DC wont be showing TDK though. The one in VA will.
      • exomni, on 07/15/2008, -6/+1And by "unique", he means "*****".

        IMAX is mostly overrated crap.
    • squarepegs, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1I'm definitely not-- at least this weekend. Thanks in part to digg's popularity in my area, my local IMAX theater is sold out all weekend.

      It's too bad because the article's format comparison makes me really eager to see the quality difference.
    • specialK16, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2So basically IMAX is movies in full screen instead of widescreen?

      (massive bury expected from jerks who are not willing to explain what IMAX is all about anyways)
      • rpgmaker, on 07/15/2008, -1/+1No. Buried for not looking it up in Wikipedia.
      • ViktorVaughn, on 07/15/2008, -0/+170mm (really 65mm, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/technical) has almost 4 times the resolution of 35mm, which makes for a crisper picture that can also be projected on a much bigger screen. Also, 35mm filmstock is actually closer to a full screen aspect ratio, they crop the top and bottom to achieve a letterbox aspect ratio.

        They used to do this with films in the 60s and 70s. Once you've seen Lawrence of Arabia or 2001 on the original 70mm film prints, you'll understand why this is such a cool thing.
      • mmortal03, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Chris Says:

        July 14th, 2008 at 4:30 pm

        I read in an article that the 35mm footage of TDK will open up VERTICALLY when the IMAX filmed sequences are seen on the IMAX screen.

        You won’t lose any information on the sides of the 35mm widescreen of the IMAX screen, instead what you will get is a much bigger canvas as the widescreen is lifted OFF and OPENS up the TOP and BOTTOM sections of the frame. if you understand Super35, it’s just like that.
    • rpgmaker, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1They can say whatever they want, if the movie is good it will be good in any theater.
  • pell, on 07/14/2008, -1/+24I'd love to see this in IMAX as well but it will have to wait as it is already sold out for a few days straight.
    • thickdrummer, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Yep! I booked tickets to see it at the IMAX in Bradford (UK) and just a couple hours later almost every showing was completely sold out!
  • S0L0, on 07/14/2008, -3/+13Interesting discussion on IMAX camera usage.
  • btschul, on 07/14/2008, -4/+4I wish there was a midnight showing at the IMAX near me. Oh, well , I guess I'l just have to see TDK twice.
    • dagamer34, on 07/15/2008, -5/+3You guess? Great movies have earned the respect for you to pay twice. You should feel honored!
  • MavRevMatt, on 07/14/2008, -1/+2I now have to see the Dark Knight in IMAX. Damn that's gonna be tough to wait for there to be a non sold out showing..
  • damian7, on 07/15/2008, -1/+4I'm probably going to end up watching this movie at least 10 times so I'm bound to go to an IMAX screening
    • KaiUno, on 07/15/2008, -1/+3I was like that when I was 10. Now my max is about once every 3 or 4 years if it's really good.

      Hm... might end up watching it 10 times as well then before I die.
      • sovietninja, on 07/15/2008, -2/+1when you were ten matinee tickets were 3.75. If your 23 years old right now that is lol.
      • joegibes, on 07/15/2008, -3/+1your != you are
      • sovietninja, on 07/15/2008, -1/+1@joegibes

        actualaiityly (you're = you are)

        bye da waye your a reetaardd...

        have phun correcting dat
    • SuperJimmyJimbo, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1wow, you've already decided to see it 10 times...and its not even out yet? the fanboys have already made up their (collective) mind.. this film is going to be the best thing ever, even if it sucks.
      • damian7, on 07/15/2008, -0/+0Coming from the person has iPhone Diggs as his favorites
  • Drogoganor, on 07/15/2008, -7/+2Thanks for the ad.
  • UpperUpsilon, on 07/15/2008, -10/+4You haven't seen any movie unless it is IMAX. They're amazing.
    • hagfish70, on 07/15/2008, -3/+5Oh really? So I haven't seen hundreds of critically acclaimed or celebrated films in non imax format? *****, must of been all dreams.
    • mlvassallo, on 07/15/2008, -1/+8So that means you only watch documentaries, band films and the occasional major release... right?
    • goodbyegalaxy, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2You realize that when you see a normal movie in an IMAX theater it is still usually shot in 35mm, right? This article is talking about how The Dark Knight had some scenes actually shot in IMAX and how much better THAT is.
  • Ruqsaq, on 07/15/2008, -7/+1"the result is a cinematic experience like you’ve never seen before"... you mean with a headache? The 60 minute IMAX movies give me headaches, I can't imagine a two hour movie.
    • Liniment, on 07/15/2008, -2/+2Only 20 minutes of the movie are actually in IMAX.
      • sovietninja, on 07/15/2008, -2/+2Then you get up and see the other 140 minutes on a different screen? NO! he is referring to the size of the screen dude.
      • arobar, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Whoosh! You can't fill the entire IMAX screen unless the video is shot in IMAX. The rest is shown on a standard sized screen at the front of the theater. Since you've obviously never been to one based on your comment, you shouldn't make fun of people for not understanding.
      • sovietninja, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1not if its cropped....
  • RaulMuadDib, on 07/15/2008, -19/+5Spoiler: Heath Ledger dies at the end. You haven't seen it unless you seen it IMAX!
    • SimonTB, on 07/15/2008, -2/+3***** win. People, take a pill. Sure, he was a good actor, but why the hell should that exclude him from jokes? This one is hilarious.
  • mrhedges, on 07/15/2008, -7/+16God Bless Canada.
    • squarepegs, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1It looks like our neighbors to the north have just a bit more screens per person showing the movie than here in the US, so you might have better luck up there.

      85 US screens / 304 million people = about 0.28 screens per million
      10 Canada screens / 33 million people = about 0.30 screens per million
  • xrisnothing, on 07/15/2008, -10/+9Batman Begins came out on Blu-Ray last tuesday. It contains the prologue of TDK which was shot in IMAX format. After watching Batman Begins again, then realizing that the TDK prologue was on the disk and watching it, the first thing I noticed was the fact that the widescreen bars were gone. High definition never looked so good and it was awesome to finally use all of the television.
    • GSullivan, on 07/15/2008, -6/+2Uh... just a quick FYI: if your Blu-ray disks are displaying on your TV with bars on the top and bottom, your TV is almost certainly not high-def. One of the defining factors of HD is a 16:9 display.
      • Typhoon2009, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Some HD movies actually do carry the bars. It's a matter of "artistic direction" or some ***** (don't believe the ***** people say taht if you didn't have the bars, you'd lose some of the left and right of the image).
      • megaton, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3The HD format uses a 16:9 aspect ratio. However, several films use wider ratios, like 1.85:1 or 2.39:1, which would leave bars at the top and bottom of the screen.
    • xrisnothing, on 07/15/2008, -1/+4Just fyi, not all movies are 16:9
  • stucktildekey, on 07/15/2008, -7/+38I wonder if it'll make a difference on the CAM release...
    • theaverageidiot, on 07/15/2008, -0/+9Why are you getting dugg down? I lol'ed.
    • jordanlgta, on 07/15/2008, -2/+2Anyone that watches this movie on their computer screen...or even if they transfer it to their media player that plays it on a television or projection screen...if it is a CAM version, then you are an idiot. Watch the film in a theater. Show some respect for kickassery.
    • Ph03N1X418, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1yeah, im gonna go see this in the theater, but I'm also gonna download it as a cam, and as a dvdrip, then I'll rent it and copy it myself, and I'll probably get the soundtrack, and i'll watch it on TV the day it premieres on whichever station.
      I'm gonna watch the ***** outta this one :)
  • artfiend77, on 07/15/2008, -4/+9IMAX?? *****, if I have to watch this movie on a ***** 13 inch black and white tv I'm sure I'll still love it!
    • jordanlgta, on 07/15/2008, -1/+2I wouldn't. I'd feel disappointed.
  • Walker2323, on 07/15/2008, -1/+5It's funny that the screen shot comparison looks like the opposite of what HD has been showing off for the past few years, ie 4:3 vs. 16:9. I get it, but it still seems counter intuitive to what has been drilled into our heads
    • stucktildekey, on 07/15/2008, -2/+2Actually, the IMAX aspect ratio is closer to what is found theaters. 4:3 and 16:9 are broadcast standards.
      • megaton, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2Uhm, no. The IMAX aspect ratio is 1.43:1 versus film's 1.85:1 or 2.39:1. Compare that to the 4:3 ratio (1.33:1 vs 1.43:1)

        IMAX is EXTREMELY close to the old broadcast TV 4:3 ratio, and nowhere near the most common feature film ratios. (You might OCCASIONALLY see a film presented in 1.5:1, but that's very rare, and usually only seen in kitschy family movies.)
      • sark666, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1yes as megaton said, imax is very close to 4:3, so how do they display them? The old black borders or pan and scan?
  • acevoncash, on 07/15/2008, -2/+28yeah but what about the sequences shot on 35 milimeter blown up on that huge ass screen? I remember special effects shots from star wars episode two looking like ass on the imax.
    • PATSCRU, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2same thing i'm wondering...There is perhaps 2 hours of the film not shot in Imax, and i've heard that standard 35mm stuff shown on imax looks flat. Additionally, Nolan says that 70mm Imax reels downrezzed to standard 35mm looks amazing. Looks like a standard movie theatre for me.
    • iPastafarian, on 07/15/2008, -4/+4Don't worry, I've already seen it on IMAX and it looks amazing the whole way through. If there is a difference, it is barely noticeable.
  • Krystof82, on 07/15/2008, -1/+5Imax is great, but after seeing Beowulf 3d that's the future! And a realistic approach to bringing it to the living room of ordinary people.
    • jordanlgta, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1It's sad that so many didn't have a chance to see that in REAL D. It was great.
  • schnikies79, on 07/15/2008, -4/+1I saw batman begins at the IMAX. The fight scenes gave me motion sickness.. :(

    Dunno if was it was truly shot in IMAX format though.
  • imbob, on 07/15/2008, -1/+4METREON HERE I COME!!!!!!!
  • Trav3133, on 07/15/2008, -4/+2so seeing it in imax makes the story better right?
  • nellyspageli, on 07/15/2008, -3/+3its not that good of an article. this was only dugg because it about the dark knight. hey, im not saying its a bad movie, but you dont have to digg bad articles because its about the movie. i know im gonna get buried for this.
    • jrburkh, on 07/15/2008, -0/+0Agreed. I don't know if those people actually talk like that or if it was transcribed poorly, but the article sucks. BIg surprise, the movie has been shot in IMAX. Can't wait to see the movie - in IMAX - but this article sucked.
  • Maria0305, on 07/15/2008, -0/+5Bought my ticket weeks ago. Cannot ***** wait.
  • kalv, on 07/15/2008, -0/+13i hate watching mega blockbuster films on the first day it's way too packed.
    • SimonTB, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2I can't understand why people do it. You see the exact same thing later, and with less people, therefore less chance of douchebags ***** it up with cell phones, and you can get the seats you want.

      • Shugii, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1That's like winning the lottery and saying you'll spend it later. You want to watch it as soon as it comes out because you've been waiting for like months for it to release and it is so good (hopefully). But then again who would watch it on the first day. I'll wait at least 3 max, it's going to be good. I'm not sure how it is in the states but we can reserve seats here for like less than a buck, good seats, good movie, don't give a ***** about people around me, how can you go wrong?
  • tjmb9, on 07/15/2008, -0/+4I remember seeing the matrix 1 and 2 at an imax theatre, and it was incredible. The fact that 20 minutes are actually shot with an imax camera is going to make it look so damn good.
  • appleseed1234, on 07/15/2008, -5/+2Oh thank God. I thought it was going to look worse on the IMAX.

    Buried for uselessness.
    • WillBraden, on 07/15/2008, -1/+1really? come on man...plenty of chances for you to play the jerk card on digg. don't do it in association with this film...

      this article was informative and well done, it was not just some stupid "imax is awesome!" post.
  • sonicularulus, on 07/15/2008, -0/+9you havent seen dark knight at all if it hasnt come out yet.
    • WillBraden, on 07/15/2008, -2/+1some people, who are members of the (wait for it) PRESS are treated to (again, wait for it) ADVANCED SCREENINGS...

      you are treated to ice cream sundaes when your helmet club gets to leave the campus.
  • dd240sx, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2to bad the whole movie was not shot in 70mm IMAX format
  • antdude, on 07/15/2008, -2/+1Over 20 minutes only??? How much did Spider-Man 3 movie use?
    • shauncullen, on 07/15/2008, -1/+4IRRRRRRRRELAVANT! Spider-man 3 was the ***** movie this side of the Schumacher Batmans.
    • sark666, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3None. This is a first. No traditional flim has ever shot imax sequences. Your previous imax experiences was just traditonal film 'digitally remastered' to imax format.

      • antdude, on 07/19/2008, -0/+1Oh wow. I hope I can notice the 20 minutes scenes then!
  • youareivan, on 07/15/2008, -2/+1how long is the imax version? a friend of mine went to one of the star wars films at the imax theater near me (world golf center in florida) and it was shorter than the regular theatrical release. i checked the wgc web site but it didn't list the length. anyone know?
  • exomni, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2I, for one, hate IMAX for most films. Films should not be presented that way: you can't see the whole screen, so the aesthetic effect of traditional cinematics (like the kind used in The Dark Knight), is completely trashed.

    I will be seeing The Dark Knight in the giant THX theatre at my local multiplex on midnight, I may see it in the IMAX (also located in the same local multiplex) later.
    • skunks, on 07/15/2008, -1/+1I'm with you. The IMAX aspect ratio is like TV, so if you want to pay IMAX prices to go see a pan-and-scan version of TDK, well, have fun with that.
      • exomni, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Okay, let's clarify: I am NOT WITH SKUNKS ON THIS ONE. skunks is obviously entirely ignorant of IMAX aspect ratio, and how they never pan and scan, but instead simply put black bars at the top and bottom of their screens during 35mm scenes. Please ignore him.
      • skunks, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Ok, fair point. I should clarify. During scenes shot in IMAX, the aspect ratio is different from 35 mm. You can see for yourself in the comparison of the frames in the article. This is because, like TV, IMAX is 4:3. Widescreen is 1.85:1. And there IS a difference.
  • Gimjee, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1I'm pretty mad because there aren't any Imax theaters in my state. >:[
  • MScrip, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1So... they shoot it in square IMAX format then chop off the top and bottom for the regular widescreen theaters? That's what it looks like in the article examples. Then the IMAX scenes will look good in an IMAX theater... but the regular widescreen scenes will look bad in IMAX, but good in a normal theater and at home. Where is this film supposed to be seen?
  • Capta1nA, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Already have tickets at a regular theater (though it maybe have digital projectors?), oh well.
  • jordanlgta, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3The IMAX theater in Memphis, Tennessee sucks. It is located inside a museum that only shows educational films. Pink Palace Museum...go rot in a corner and die please. I hate you. I'm not driving three hours to Nashville to see the film on an IMAX screen. Man I hate the Pink Palace Museum.

    ATTENTION IMAX EXECUTIVES: Memphis needs a real IMAX theater. You put the one and only IMAX theater for Memphis in a building called PINK PALACE. Are you kidding me? I feel like shoving needles through my eye sockets and throwing myself out a window into oncoming traffic with the cars having front bumpers with flaming spinning blades of fury.
    • ITinNYC, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Dugg comment for needles through my eye sockets.
    • frepnog, on 07/15/2008, -0/+0Geez dude, calm down. I am not fond of the pink palace either, and i agree its imax does suck (been there many times with the kids) but you hate the place because it is named the pink palace?

      find some real issues to get upset about.
  • MewTwo, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2Hopefully they spread the IMAX release so I can go to a closer one.
  • yohnstoppable, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2I don't get the hype over 15% of the movie being made for the imax. What about the other 85%?
  • okinau, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Too bad there aren't any IMAX theaters within 100 miles of me...
  • exomni, on 07/15/2008, -2/+1Gyah! What does cassette-tape manufacturer TDK株式会社 have to do with Batman? Please stop using that acronym!
  • juzz101, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Bought my IMAX tickets for opening day a few weeks ago. Just one more sleep, just one more sleep! :)
  • SuperJimmyJimbo, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2so do I go see the 35mm sized DLP projection with 20 minutes of downrezzed 70mm footage, or go see the IMAX version with 110 minutes of uprezzed 35mm print?
  • sark666, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1This is a unique situation as it's a first. People have gone gaga over traditional movies in imax when they weren't filmed in imax way. They were upsampled using their DMR process (digital remastering). Now this has 20 mintues in true imax. So, is it a glaring transition from imax to non-imax shots? If not, what does that say? That imax isn't that big a deal or that their dmr process does wonders? And if it's not that big a transition, they why shoot in imax in the first place?

    I happen to think imax is worth it. Btw, here's a comparison to traditional 35 mil and imax film

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Imaxcomparison. ...
    • DoTheFandango, on 07/15/2008, -0/+12001: A Space Odyssey was shot on 70mm film -- I can see what lies ahead.
      • sark666, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1"While traditional 70 mm film has an image area that is 48.5 mm wide and 22.1 mm tall (for Todd-AO), in IMAX the image is 69.6 mm wide and 48.5 mm tall."

        So imax is still much larger.

        Imax is measured length wise whereas I believe traditional 70 and 35 mil is measured diagonally.
      • DoTheFandango, on 07/16/2008, -0/+1either way, most movies are converted from 35mm to IMAX, this can be easier, and even bettter
  • neocitron, on 07/15/2008, -1/+1I believe IMAX has a resolution (if you were to translate film into pixels) of about 8k... or 8 megapixels.

    That's twice 35mm film and 4 times HD.


  • mrhedges, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Yeah, but the ten screens are only in seven of the ten provinces, so I'm assuming it'll be easier for the average person in the states to find an IMAX theater than it would be for a random person in Canada. Then again, most of the Canadian population is found within Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, so I don't know.
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