Posted by Bill Pelzmann on February 21, 2009 at 1:23 AM
My wife and I attended a delightful new Grand Canyon IMAX release and lecture this evening at the Natural History Museum.
The emphasis is on water conservation issues in the southwest. The photography and production quality is among the best that I have seen from IMAX. I highly recommend it for everyone and their families. My only complaint is that the 50 minutes was far too short, and it had very little coverage of the side canyons, other than Havasupai.
The 47 member expedition made the trip in small rafts, dories and kayaks. That provides a much more "intimate" view of the river than you get from the big commercial rafts.
Wade Davis and his daughter, two of the main characters in the film, provided an introducton this evening. Here are a few tidbits answered by them in the followup questions:
* The "flash flood" was simulated, in a slot canyon outside of the park! It was a single take and cost about $250,000 to "engineer". As I was watching it, I was thinking about the fantastic luck in having an IMAX camera all set up to capture this event!! Also, the incredible bravery of the crew holding their ground with this unpredictable wall of water rushing toward them!!
* They filmed with 3 IMAX cameras, including one 3D camera.
* The cost, just for film and processing, is $6,000 for 3 minutes. Double that cost for 3 minutes of 3D.
It would be interesting to know how much film they actually shot to get the 50 minute final cut.
* The 3D camera weighs 350 lbs. The crew hauled it up the cliffs to the Nankoweep graneries!!
I'll never complain about the weight of my camera pack again!!
* They intentionally sacrificed a $26,000 lens to get one of the shots in the rapids!!
Dang, that's 10 new Canon 17mm TS-E lenses.
* The "Mexican village" in the Gulf of California was also simulated, because it would have cost too much to move the crew and equipment across the border.
* The 47 member crew was the largest single party ever permitted to run the river.
It will also be the last such permit.
Posted by Stan Rose on February 21, 2009 at 11:28 AM
Thanks for the info Bill--i saw the original 34 minute film last week for the first time, and was very impressed! (although i cursed the omnipresent lens flare ) Im still trying to figure out how they filmed people falling into class 4-5 rapids!
Posted by Mel Ladewig on February 21, 2009 at 12:44 PM
That sounds like it would be worth the trip to the IMAX!
Posted by Adam Schallau on February 22, 2009 at 12:43 PM
Thanks for the info. I'll definitely have to check out the movie when I have a chance.
Discussion
3 repliesThe emphasis is on water conservation issues in the southwest. The photography and production quality is among the best that I have seen from IMAX. I highly recommend it for everyone and their families. My only complaint is that the 50 minutes was far too short, and it had very little coverage of the side canyons, other than Havasupai.
The 47 member expedition made the trip in small rafts, dories and kayaks. That provides a much more "intimate" view of the river than you get from the big commercial rafts.
Wade Davis and his daughter, two of the main characters in the film, provided an introducton this evening. Here are a few tidbits answered by them in the followup questions:
* The "flash flood" was simulated, in a slot canyon outside of the park! It was a single take and cost about $250,000 to "engineer". As I was watching it, I was thinking about the fantastic luck in having an IMAX camera all set up to capture this event!! Also, the incredible bravery of the crew holding their ground with this unpredictable wall of water rushing toward them!!
* They filmed with 3 IMAX cameras, including one 3D camera.
* The cost, just for film and processing, is $6,000 for 3 minutes. Double that cost for 3 minutes of 3D.
It would be interesting to know how much film they actually shot to get the 50 minute final cut.
* The 3D camera weighs 350 lbs. The crew hauled it up the cliffs to the Nankoweep graneries!!
I'll never complain about the weight of my camera pack again!!
* They intentionally sacrificed a $26,000 lens to get one of the shots in the rapids!!
Dang, that's 10 new Canon 17mm TS-E lenses.
* The "Mexican village" in the Gulf of California was also simulated, because it would have cost too much to move the crew and equipment across the border.
* The 47 member crew was the largest single party ever permitted to run the river.
It will also be the last such permit.