Modernized Digital Cinerama: Barco Escape

The Hollywood Reporter recently ran a story on how Belgian D-Cinema manufacturer Barco is introducing a new "triple screen" system for theaters that basically wraps the screen around the audience. You get a screen in front of you and screens on the far left and the far right:



The new system is called Escape, and it's already been installed in four or five theaters, including the Promenade theaters at the Howard Hughes Parkway. Other Cinemark theaters with Escape screens will include the Paradise 24 & XD in Davie, Fla.; the Legacy Theatre & XD in Plano, Texas; Seven Bridges and Imax in Woodridge, Illinois; and Redwood Downtown & XD in Redwood City, California.

It's an interesting idea, but the trick is that -- like Cinerama -- movies will have to be actually shot in this format in order for it to work. The first film coming out to be exhibited in Escape will be Maze Runner, coming out in a couple of weeks. Fox has reportedly shot extra footage that "extends" the horizon of the scenes, but it's unclear as to whether it'll really take advantage of all that screen real estate.

I'm mixed on whether this is really a good idea or not. I'm all for giving people more impact and more immersive pictures, especially if it can do it in such a way that it doesn't compromise on picture quality (which 3D presently does). But I'm not sure Escape is the right idea. Maybe this is just a cash grab, an excuse to raise ticket prices another couple of bucks. Theater owners are desperate to try all kinds of new gimmicks to try to draw more crowds, and I know they're concerned that ticket sales this summer were way down over past years. Maybe giant screens, big sound, comfy seats, and high-res pictures will help... but we all know that the real answer is better movies. (I'd also like them to clean that sticky crap off the floor, and use real butter in the popcorn, but that's me.)

More info:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/how-maze-runner-barcos-new-728641
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/future-film-bigger-screens-yep-728426?utm_source=twitter

 

Me neither.

Bingo.

Bingo.

Bingo again - you win!

Some questions/observations. From the pic, it looks like there is no audience seating in the area between the left and right screens - is that right? If so, then if you're seated further back you'd be looking at a distorted view on the left and right (due to perspective) compared with the straight ahead. I guess you could fix that with reverse transformation, but it wouldn't work for everyone due to differences in seating distance and lateral position.

And if there is seating inside the side screens, well, they would be pretty much wasted as, at best, you would see something indistinct in your peripheral vision.

Yup, smells like a gimmick to me.

 

It looks kind of goofy, but Barco has done some interesting things in the theatrical cinema world lately. They came out with Auro 11.1, which is the biggest challenger against Dolby Atmos for multi-channel theater sound; they have an excellent 4K digital projector (with a 3D option), and it's among the best projectors in the world; and now they have this three-screen idea. Clearly they want to make digital motion pictures a big experience for audiences... and that I'm for. But only if it doesn't suck.

 

Yes, Barco is well known for their expertise on visual systems, such as high end color calibration equipment and monitors, projectors, etc, but I don't think this will fly. There may be some interest, kind of like the early days of the latest 3D revival fad, but to implement this system would be way more costly for operators, which means a tripling of the price of movie popcorn!

Also, I don't think it would work too well in all cases. For example, how would you display a closeup of person using a computer monitor - would the monitor wrap around all three screens or how about a person's face? There may be visual distortions not readily seen in panoramic images like the one in the pic.

 

I thought Cinerama was a fascinating concept and it's a shame it didn't really catch on at the time.
Since there are already some Cinerama films available on Blu-ray, I think it would make sense to screen these in Escape theaters.

 

Mr. Lutthans, our resident expert on all things Cinerama, has not yet weighed in with his opinion, but since the Barco system is squarish and not a continuous curved screen, I don't think Cinerama would work on it.

 

That's a good point, but it shouldn't be a problem in this case because...

Source: http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/How-the-West-Was-Won-Blu-ray/742/#Review

 

I am getting headache just looking at the still picture
If I saw the entire run wouldn't make through.

 

With today's current projectors, getting sufficient light on the screen won't be an issue. Cross reflections can be effectively dampened by utilising a matte grey surface. Stewart Filmscreen developed a grey matte surface for Disney decades ago for their 360 degrees circle vision theatre to solve this exact problem. The grey surface assists with absorbing cross lighting and the low gain of the surface (0.7, a matte grey Lambertian surface) ensures image uniformity is maintained across multiple projected images, either as independent images such as the case here or in multi-projector blended images. This surface is typically employed in the simulation and visualisation space and for flat screens with blended images on them where there is a degree of ambient light present. There is currently a travelling DreamWorks Animation exhibition on in Melbourne at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and the show piece of the exhibition is an immersive 3m high screen with a nearly 180 degrees field of view over an arc length of just under 18m. There are four projectors forming a blended image on the GrayMatte surface.

Product is going to be a conundrum for this system as not only does it require a lot more to be done during production but also consideration needs to be given to how any title created in this format would be adapted for conventional television/streaming/blu-ray/DVD use. From the brief amount I have read, the side screens will be primarily be used for peripheral scenery rather than the main content so it might simply be a matter of eliminating the side screens for non-cinematic viewing. Mind you, cinemas will use this as a selling point: "See the entire film...." "Be enveloped.......only at cinemas".

This would be horrendous as not only would the projectors for each of the side screens be projecting at shortish distances compared to the centre screen increasing hot spotting, the exceptionally narrow half gain angles of high gain silver surfaces would make the side screens nearly impossible to see from a viewing position perpendicular to the centre screen. The only saving grace would be that so much light is lost with passive 3D projection that the fall off in image uniformity would not be overly concerning to the average punter. For those who know what they're looking at though.......aaaargh!!!!

 

Love the idea. 180* would be nice.

 

I'll watch anything once on a Big screen, we shall see how this all works to our enjoyment factor, and/or Cinema filling up seats with more patrons!

 

I wonder how badly the effect would be diminished if you sit off to the side..

 

I'm curious as to whether an emcee wearing a bow tie could introduce features presented on this system with a straight face.

 

I go with the hype theory myself, too. I think it's bizarre, especially when you realize they're talking about extending existing movies out left and right for basically no reason at all. Not once does the article explain why seeing more area on the sides -- for a movie not shot this way -- somehow adds to the experience.

To me, it's just an excuse to charge another $3 per ticket. But it does show the possibility that maybe Cinerama could be "rediscovered" under another form of technology to create a wide, wraparound screen using a camera actually intended for that purpose.

 

Life is all around me. I want my movies in front of me not to the sides. Simple choice.

 

Yeah, there have been several attempts to revive CircleVision in the world of digital. Arri just unveiled the first big 65mm digital camera this week, and I bet it could have applications towards "event"-type theatrical exhibition like the Barco widescreen idea.

 

I like the idea, but I don't want to see any seam splits at the place where each 1/3 comes together. Those corners need to be rounded with no line showing you that it is (just) a screen. That is why Disney World / Land does it so well, with the circlevision screens, no break lines to distract you.

Regardless of the projection system, one needs to get lost in the viewing, not reminded that this is three screens stuck together.

 

from the first link posted:

In the case of The Maze Runner, the film was shot in a traditional way, before the decision to use Escape was made. The center screen will display the live-action film, and imagery on the side screens will be extensions of the scenes — i.e., a larger maze — created using visual effects.​

 

Just saw Maze Runner, albeit in XD Extreme Digital.

Quite a decent movie.

A very good movie with mostly all younger actors, but none of the typical cliche storylines associated with young people movies.
((Romance, pop songs from today, A larger than life hero etc))
A Solid science fiction story!!