Best On The Net
- American Widescreen Museum
Martin Hart is the curator of the internet's most loving and exhaustive tribute to the big screen. He's also the possessor of a great sense of humour.
- in70mm.com
Home of the 70mm Newsletter (and the internet's other most loving exhaustive tribute to the big screen).
- Stefan Adler's Swedish Widescreen Centre
Who says it wasn't better in the old days? A must see site.
Aspect Ratios, Film Gauges and Sizes
The relationship between an image's height and width is called the 'aspect' ratio. Many ratios and film sizes have been experimented with over the course of cinema's history.
IMAX (Image Maximum)
Large Screen Venues
- 70mm In Los Angeles | 70mm In New York
A year-by-year, film-by-film history of 70-millimeter wide gauge exhibition in Los Angeles and New York City & their Vicinities.
- Arclight's Cinerama Dome
The historic Los Angeles theatre, restored and upgraded to a state of the art facility -- read about the technical details here. The folks at the 70mm Newsletter wrote A Cinerama Holiday after they paid the place a visit.
- British Film Institute London IMAX Cinema
The United Kingdom's biggest cinema screen. Take the virtual tour and see the architectural details of the facility that Graeme Ferguson, co-founder of the IMAX Corporation, calls the finest IMAX theatre in the world.
- Cinesphere
Site of the world's first permanent IMAX theatre at Ontario Place, Canada. Read here about the history of the theatre and the format.
- Draken
Opening in 1956 and restored in 1995, the Draken in Gothenburg, Sweden was one of only three in that country equipped to exhibit Cinerama (the Vinterpalatset was demolished in 1978, but the Royal in Malmoe still operates). Those Swedes sure do love their big screens!
- Film-Tech Warehouse
Great pictures -- both inside and out -- of large format theatres from across Canada and the United States.
- Odyssium
Home of Edmonton, Alberta's original IMAX theatre. The facility was re-named the Telus World of Science Edmonton in April, 2005.
- Omniversum
Site of the Omniversum in Den Haag, Netherlands. Click on the 'Technical Equipment' menu item for details of the Omnimax process.
- Pictureville Cinema , Bradford, UK
Managed by the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, the Pictureville is the only permanent, regularly programmed Cinerama installation in the world. They also have an IMAX theatre next door -- lucky folks! To read about the Pictureville's technical aspects, go to in70mm.com's behind-the-scenes look at this remarkable facility.
- Seattle Cinerama Experience
One of the three operational Cinerama theatres left in the world. Read about Cinerama's arrival in Seattle, the efforts to save the theatre and the
technology behind it. And be sure to check An Internet Tribute to Seattle's Martin Cinerama Theatre -- a personal account from the theatre's former employees.
- The Villa Theatre
The life, history and death of a Salt Lake City, Utah institution.
Large Format Web Sites
- Big Movie Zone
The net's most comprehensive "Big Movie" fan resource, featuring every IMAX and other giant screen film and theatre worldwide.
- Bright Lights Film Journal - Cinerama Adventure
See it without glasses.
- Cinerama
Roland Lataille's complete index of Cinerama titles.
- Cinerama Adventure
Official site for the documentary of the same name, and the home of a lot more about Cinerama.
- Cinerama Adventure
An interview with Cinerama Adventure writer/director David Strohmaier.
- Cinerama And Large-Frame Motion Picture Exhibition In Canada 1954-1974
in70mm.com has the titles, dates and places.
- Cinerama Format
Mark R. Baldock's Film Formats essay reprinted at University Of San Diego Film Notes site.
- Cinerama II: The Revival
Cinerama's Back! - reflections from the Ominous-Valve.
- Cinerama Information
Scott E. Norwood's tribute site, featuring a copy of the Cinerama Booklet handed out at the world premiere of Cinerama on September 30, 1952, souvenirs from his trip to the Pictureville Cinema in Bradford, and his serious home theatre set-up.
- Cinemiracle
Cinerama's most likely successor had only one title released in that format - "Windjammer." See also Salt Lake City's Villa Theatre's coverage of the film and film format.
- Destination Cinema
Official site of the giant screen theatre operator and film production company.
- Filmed In Panavision
The most prominent name in widescreen cinematography today, Panavision developed a variable-width lens that could be used on cameras and in any theatre in the world without costly modifications.
- Giant Screen Theater Association
The GSTA is a network of organisations and individuals that are involved with or interested in the large-format screen industry.
- How The West Was Won
This tribute site features a page about the improved Cinerama process used for the film, as well as an explanation of the film's sound system.
- Large Format Cinema Association
The Large Format Cinema Association is a non-profit corporation created to benefit the large format cinema community of film makers, distributors, equipment manufacturers, consultants, and exhibitors.
- LF Examiner
The ordering site for the independent print newsletter of the Large-Format (LF) motion picture industry. Issue contents aren't posted, but the newsletter's database is available online.
- Mega-Movies: The State of the Art of Large-Format Films
An article from Moviemaker Magazine.
- Ross Anthony's Hollywood Report Card
A listing of large format film reviews by Ross Anthony.
- Steve's Vacant Lot
Steve's got lots on his mind and lots of big screen stuff on his site -- everything from D150 screens to widescreen movie ads.
- This Is Cinerama
A history of the process by Bruce Handy, from Portland, Oregon's Hollywood Theatre site.
- The Todd-AO Projector
Site documenting the Oscar-winning projector used for widescreen films.
- Widescreen Cinema
A resource from the National Museum Of Photography, Film and Television of the UK. The site hosts numerous forums, and a list of downloadable files about a wide range of film topics.
The Society of Camera Operators Articles
Rick Mitchell has written a series of articles about the Widescreen Revolution in the Society's Operating Cameraman magazine, detailing the history and impact of widescreen films and filmmaking.
Filming 'Everest'
The New Neon Cinerama Revival in Dayton, Ohio
In 1996, the Neon Theatre converted their facility and ran a Cinerama revival. Listed below are recollections and tributes from some of the usual suspects.
The Best Seat In The House
Also Of Interest
Links To Other Large Format Sites
For more about the wide world of the big screen, visit the Links pages of some of our favourite sites.
Related Pages