Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to see a trailer for The Creator, Gareth Edwards’ new film. As the director of films like Godzilla and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, many were intrigued to see what he would come up with. .
The film was followed through a Q&A with the man himself organised by the film’s presenter Edith Bowguy, and the most sensible thing about that, after the film, I had the opportunity to meet and chat briefly with Gareth Edwards.
If you’re a fan of sci-fi, The Creator ticks all the boxes. In 2070, the United States is battling AI-powered robot simulators that have launched a nuclear missile at Los Angeles. In search of the “creator” of the complex AI he controls Due to the forces of robots, things go awry for John David Washington’s Joshua. He is then tasked with locating the enemy’s ultimate weapon, while searching for his spouse. The ultimate weapon turns out to be a young boy, which leads him down a radically different path. than I expected.
Edwards talks ahead of time about his influences and the film’s history, look and feel, including older films like Terminator 2, Bladerunner, Avatar and Apocalypse Now in general. “I think you can see very obviously that it borrows from a lot of other amazing movies that have encouraged me,” he said in the Q&A. “It’s a kind of love letter to cinema that I’ve been missing a bit lately. “
This preference for returning to old films is reflected in the selection of cameras and lenses used in the film by Edwards and his two cinematographers, Greg Frasier (known for The Batman) and newcomer Oren Soffer.
To the dismay of many filmmakers, the main camera used in the film is the Sony FX3, a low-end “prosumer” style of Sony’s cinema line, whose frame can be purchased for only about $4,000.
However, it is still capable of generating symbols that meet the criteria to be considered an “IMAX” movie. However, there will have to be some context. The film is labeled “Experience it in IMAX” advertised, meaning it was not captured with an IMAX certified camera (either on film or digital) and the symbol does not open at any time to offer an enlarged IMAX aspect ratio. Instead, Array means that the film has gone through the IMAX Digital Media Mastering (DMR) formula procedure to make it look flawless on IMAX screens, which are usually much larger than traditional screens.
However, while IMAX screens opt for extra frame height, this film favors width. The Creator was shot on the Sony FX3 along with an Atlas Scope anamorphic lens, to deliver a 2. 76:1 facet ratio – the widest facet ratio imaginable for film. – used throughout Ben Hur in 1960. It was almost ironic then to be watching this on the BFI’s 1. 43:1 screen, which is high enough that the film has almost been double-stacked on the screen (at least in theory Technically, the virtual laser projector alone cannot fill the entire screen).
As expected, the film was placed in the middle of the screen with the top and bottom area posing no challenge and I was absolutely drawn in by the futuristic global construction visuals presented. I was also impressed with the 12-channel IMAX sound, which was powerful, transparent and immersive.
After the film, however, I had the opportunity to briefly ask director Gareth Edwards about this aspect ratio choice, revealing everything I didn’t expect. He said that the camera actually captured symbols in a staggering 3. 5:1 ratio and that they had to trim the edges of the symbol to achieve the already very wide 2. 76:1. And commenting that he shouldn’t say it literally in an IMAX room, he revealed that “we lost a lot of attractive details, but if you see it on ScreenX you’ll be able to see some of the additional symbols. “
For those who don’t know, ScreenX is a format that provides additional symbols on the side walls of the auditorium (yes, really), expanding the symbol to the sides, as well as top and bottom. this symbol like IMAX does.
I admit that I was skeptical of ScreenX in the past, after first seeing it a few years ago. However, I recently went to see Gran Turismo at the cinema and, since I missed it in IMAX, I took the opportunity to watch it on ScreenX. To my surprise, I was surprised at how smart he was. It took a while for the film to succeed in a side scene, but it was worth the wait: the format was perfectly suited to a racing film with landscapes that shift like car windows. The sound was also excellent.
After watching The Creator in IMAX, I can attest that the length of the IMAX symbol fits well with the global scale that Edwards created, while the audio is also a winner.
Dolby Cinema is another premium option, with its exceptional brightness, black levels, and Dolby Atmos sound, not to mention its ultra-comfortable seats. The projectors are also fully 4K, matching the virtual midstream created for the film. While the maximum Dolby presentations are 1. 85:1, there will be significant black bars at the top and bottom to accommodate the ultra-wide 2. 76:1 symbol, and the black dot means you might not notice them, the symbol will be a little smaller. – Maybe some other notch for a large IMAX screen.
Classic premium giant formats like AMC BigD in the US or Superscreen at Cineworld in the UK will give you an extra giant screen, with 4K projection and, in rare cases, Dolthrough Atmos audio. However, in the UK, other films are taking up the Superscreen slots of late, so this is not an option. As such, IMAX, ScreenX, and Dolthrough Cinema are your premium options. If you’re not sure which one, I’ll default to IMAX, but ScreenX is the format that makes me need to revisit the film to get that extra width, especially if the director himself has given it the green light.
The Creator hits theaters on August 29.
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