a beginner's guide to IMAX

IMAX was firstly developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s by a Canadian company called IMAX Corporation. The beginnings of IMAX can be traced to the Expo ’67 in Montreal, where multi-screen film projections fascinated audiences and enthusiast alike. Inspired by this, several filmmakers and engineers wanted to create a more immersive and expansive viewing experience that would exceed the limitations of the standard film formats of the time.

In 1970, IMAX made its public debut at Expo ’70 in Osaka, Japan, with the film “Tiger Child,” directed by Donald Brittain and produced by IMAX co-founder Graeme Ferguson. This debut showcased IMAX’s ability to produce much larger and clearer images, thanks to its unique 70mm film format, which ran horizontally through the projector, as opposed to the conventional 35mm film that ran vertically. This horizontal orientation allowed for a significantly larger image area, resulting in higher resolution and a much larger projected image.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, IMAX technology advanced significantly, with engineers and filmmakers refining projection systems, screen design, and film production processes. Custom-built IMAX theaters featured giant screens, typically measuring 22 meters wide by 16 meters high, offering a more immersive experience than standard cinema screens.

Initially, IMAX was primarily used for educational and documentary films in museums and science centers, with films like “To Fly!” (1976) and “Blue Planet” (1990). A major technological leap occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the introduction of IMAX DMR (Digital Media Remastering), allowing standard 35mm films to be converted into the IMAX format. This development brought mainstream Hollywood films into IMAX, starting with “Fantasia 2000” and followed by live-action hits like “Apollo 13” and “The Matrix Reloaded.”