I M A X

David Elliott

Behind the scenes of an IMAX projector

It is fascinating to watch this in action - this one is at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec. The film loads from these huge flat spools and is threaded through various guides until it takes the long trip across the room to the actual light and lens unit. At the end of a film the unit, trailing huge black ventilation hoses, descends from its working position like some great tentacled monster from a B-horror movie. In the lowered position the projection unit allows the operator to thread the film while standing on the floor.

I saw KILIMANJARO: TO THE ROOF OF AFRICA at this IMAX and it totally blew me away. This particular IMAX screen was hemispherical with an incredibly immersive wide field of view compared with the IMAXs that are part of many movie multiplexes now.

For more information on IMAX technology check out their official site.

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