The Return of 70mm |
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| Written by: John Bannon, Director of Genre Classics, London England | Date: October 19, 2003 | |||||
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transit cases for "Where Eagles Dare". Picture By John Bannon.A year ago I was visiting my hometown of Edgware when I discovered to my horror that the old Cinema I had frequented as a youth had been pulled down. I was devastated, this had given birth to my passion and interest in film and I began to become nostalgic for the old days. Although a psychotherapist by profession these days, and would be scriptwriter, twenty-five years ago I was a West End projectionist, showing 70mm on a regular basis. I worked at three sites, the Odeon Marble Arch, Columbia Theatre, and ABC Shaftsbury Ave. They were all busy professional outfits, running press shows, Royal shows and Premiers. It was a high-pressured job with no room for error and very little tolerance of it either. Everything was very precise and timed to perfection, mistakes were rare and we all prided ourselves on putting on a good show. On an average day you could be running rushes in the morning to the likes of Carl Foreman, and in the afternoon showing a 70mm feature to the paying public. Here started my love and appreciation of 70mm. I know that the purists feel that only films shot in this format are the true 70mm, but the blow-ups too were often of exceptional quality and far superior to the 35mm prints. Apart from the six track stereo sound, the most dramatic impact of 70mm was of course the definition. For me this brought the screen to life and even if you didn’t like the film you could still marvel at the detail and be blown away by the sheer quality of the image. |
Further
in 70mm reading: "Broadsword Calling Danny Boy!" Internet link: |
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Superior Product in 70mm |
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 Empire's
projectionist. Picture By John Bannon.Anyway, my nostalgia led me to want to return to the cinema, which I had long deserted in favour of my desire to work in production. As I live in Richmond I surprised family and friends and took a part-time job at the local Odeon. After three months I realised that modern methods of one person showing four films was not for me, but I did meet a kindred spirit in the form of projectionist, Brian White. Like me, Brian was old school, strong on presentation, and full of fond memories of 70mm. Over the months we realised that our hearts still yearned for the old days and we began the process of turning our dreams into reality. I wrote a proposal to the CEO of Odeon, now resigned, to argue the case for a return to 70mm. I argued that DVD and home cinema were now challenging exhibitors to raise their standards and that the time had come to return to large format big screen presentations. I argued that we already have a superior product in 70mm, so why not use it? After all, many cinemas still have their dual-purpose equipment and in many cases need only minor investment to bring them back on line. I also spoke to distributors who agreed that 70mm prints could be made available if enough venues existed to show them. |
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The Joy of Big Screen |
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The Long-term Aim |
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 Projectionist Brian
White. Picture By John Bannon.Our long-term aim is to acquire a site of our own so that the old classics and masters can be seen on a regular basis and at times other than early mornings or late at night. We have already acquired some of the 70mm equipment and intend to run certain films with carbon arcs as the light source. Naturally, the return of films being shot in 65mm is where the real return of 70mm will take place, it is hoped that the reappearance of 70mm in cinemas may inspire its comeback. We even have aspirations of our own in this direction with our project "Deep Sky" a biblical tale for a modern audience currently in development. On Saturday 25th October 8am Odeon Covent Garden, Mr Alex Thompson, BSC director of photography will be giving a screen talk before the showing of Kenneth Branagh’s "Hamlet", which as most people know was the last film to be shot in 65mm. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Joe Dunton of JDC for his support and encouragement of this venture. |
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Ingrid
Pit, John Bannon and Caroline Monroe. Picture By Brian White