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set of elongated rollers that turned out to be wondering if it was all going to come together
70 mm for the Speco payout module. I and then, just a week before Christmas, it did.
remember the look on my colleague Simon’s Our lens and DTS reader arrived. Shortly after,
face the morning I gave him a big hug when many wondrous mustard coloured cans with
he put them down on the bench in front of me, mystical words printed on them arrived.
"Are these of any use"? We still needed to get
the longer intake fingers made, but having the So it's now a few days before New Years and
rest of the module ready was a huge plus. only two weeks before we're on screen. That
beautiful piece of glass fits neatly (after some
I'd been quietly keeping the cinema careful angle grinding of the lens mount on the
enthusiasts’ group CATHS (Cinema and projector) and our first test loops fit neatly
Theatre Historical Society of Australia) from edge to edge of screen; bright and sharp.
apprised of our progress, as many of their I honestly can't believe this is happening. Hell,
members are retired projectionists. I was I never thought I'd ever see anamorphic 70
hoping that they might turn up some useful bits projected, let alone be the guy beside the
and pieces, so was very happy to secure a full projector.
70 mm print for the testing of the platter.
70 mm junk just isn't out there. Even the pink I'd always rejected the notion that digital was
prints are back yard treasures these days, each the replacement for film; replacement? Being
a relic with a story harkening back to the glory digital makes it different, not necessarily The Sun Theatre Yarraville (Melbourne)
days of someone's time with 70 mm. superior. I love that every recorded media
format has its own unique qualities that Footnote:
The collars for the platter also had to be become a part of the stories that are captured The Hateful Eight screened in 70 mm at only six
super-sized. I had a friend at IMAX and had on them. To say one is the replacement for venues in Australia.
the idea that they might be able to help us after another has always bewildered me. And with
just recently decommissioning their 15/70 GT the breath taking grandeur of 70 mm Melbourne:
The Sun Theatre, Yarraville; The Astor St Kilda and
in favour of laser digital. They donated three photography followed through to projection,
The Rivoli, Camberwell
collars to the cause. there are still no rivals.
Sydney:
It was now late November and the dust had I always thought that if the equipment could Ritz Cinema, Randwick; Cremorne Orpheum
settled on just six screens in Australia who survive, in some way film would find its niche and Event Cinemas George Street City.
were kitting up. Three in Melbourne and three in the digital world, Thanks to film makers like
in Sydney. We were certainly the underdog, Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan and
being a small independent. Paul Thomas Anderson, that time may be here Technical Specs - The Hateful Eight
sooner rather than later. ê
So the 6 am rises continued, fitting in bio box Picture:
work before regular sessions. Still hoping, Images: Bert Murphy Filmed with a Panavision 65 HR camera
with Panavision APO Panatar Lenses onto
The job is finished: Three generations of projectionists enjoy a relaxing drink. (Left to right) Lewis 65mm wide film, with a 1.25:1 image
Thorne, Bert Murphy and Brian Davis (leaning on the 70 mm print of The Hateful Eight). squeeze. The projection print is on 70 mm
film (the extra 5mm is normally occupied by
the sound tracks). A 1.25:1 anamorphic lens
is used in the projector to correct the camera
squeeze, producing an aspect ratio of 2.76:1
(A normal 70 mm image is about 2.2:1).
Sound:
DTS Digital: 6 track digital sound. Films
released in the DTS 70 mm format do not
have the standard sound track. Instead, digital
audio data is recorded on CD-ROM discs
which are played in a DTS player. A special
DTS time code is printed on the 70mm film
(located outside the sprocket holes). The DTS
system reads the time code and synchronises
the sound discs so that the correct sound for
each frame of film projected.
Runtime:
70 mm: 187 minutes
Digital: 167 minutes

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