IMAX
By Matthew Palmer
Unlike most other located-based entertainments, there are IMAX movies
in
places around the world. It has been one of the first and largest
variations on the regular cinematic experience. The format began in
1971, and has since expanded to include three-dimensional movies as
well
as large-format ones. Quite simply, the larger screen enhances the
feeling that the audience is in the action. Another IMAX invention,
the
IMAX Dome, places viewers in the sphere, which about half of the surface
used to project on. IMAX theaters have also developed their own
specialized audio technologies.
The site does a good job of outlining these advances, as well as
describing the variety of movies shown in IMAX theaters. They range
from 3-D animation to an adventure up Mount Everest. The impact of
this
technology is more than just the screen size. The different experience
that IMAX provides lends itself to a different type of movie. The
adventure theme seems to be popular, because viewers like to feel
like
they, too, are on the adventure. The picturesque landscapes photograph
very well on the large-format film. IMAX has also explored some
educational uses of its technology, making films that students might
see
as part of a class.
Like any non-mainstream media experience, IMAX risks becoming simply
a
novelty. Different sized screens and 3-D have been tried before. While
some audiences enjoy them for a while, they soon grow tired of the
special effect. Because tickets for an IMAX film are more expensive
than for a normal film, some people are unwilling to pay the extra
money. IMAX, however, has the potential to set itself apart from other
fringe technologies. It has lasted 30 years in part by showing stories
that appeal to audiences - not just technology that does so. If it
can
continue to tell new stories as it creates new experiences, IMAX may
have a solid place in the future of the location-based entertainment
industry.