Twelve New Large Format Films Showcase The Visual Effects Work Of IMAGICA USA INC.

Roster Includes High Profile Releases ""Cirque Du Soleil: Journey Of Man"" And ""Ultimate Gs: Flying To The Extreme,"" And IMAX ExperienceÆ Films ""Siegfried & Roy: The Magic Box"", ""Michael Jordan To The Max""Industry Screenings At LFCA Large For

16-May-00

The 65/70mm visual effects work of IMAGICA USA INC. (IUS) is showcased in twelve new large format films that will be screened as part of the annual Large Format Film Festival of the Large Format Cinema Association (LFCA), an industry meeting held May 17-20 in Los Angeles, California. The titles are all current releases and include films in 2D and 3D. IUS is the premiere visual effects house for giant screen 65/70mm cinema, providing optical effects and fully integrated digital processing - including digital scanning, film recording and digital effects. IUS possesses the highly rated, proprietary ""Bigfoot"" digital 65mm film scanner. The company is also the primary source for cross-platforming of large format films, offering format conversions between 70mm/15-perforation (15/70), 70mm/8-perforation (8/70) and 70mm/5-perf (5/70). ""Our digital image processing has gone beyond '911' repairs to creation of quality greenscreen composites and more complex effects. The results are there to see in the latest giant-screen film releases,"" says IUS President Christopher Reyna. ""As large format cinema continues to gain acceptance as a mainstream medium, the bar is being raised on production values. We supply the tools and services essential to creating, improving and distributing our industry's core product: the films.""The emergence of stereoscopic 3D has helped large format move quickly into new commercial markets and differentiate it from mainstream cinema. IUS provided services on four recent 3D giant screen releases: ""Siegfried & Roy: The Magic Box,"" ""Cirque Du Soleil: Journey Of Man,"" ""Ultimate Gs: Flying To The Extreme"" and ""3D Mania: Encounter In The Third Dimension."" Filmmakers make use of the company's 65/70mm digital and optical services to perfect, correct, assemble and manipulate their shots. Some also employ DDD's innovative, patented DeepSee technology, to digitally convert shots from 2D to 3D. IUS was instrumental in developing this technology, which it provides on an exclusive basis to the large format industry. ""Realizing the filmmaker's vision has become more dependent on what happens in post production,"" Reyna remarks. ""We're providing increasingly sophisticated images for an increasingly sophisticated public. As more and different kinds of large format films are conceived and produced, the stories and images become more complex, and the appetite for special effects grows. We have met this need with quality 65/70mm optical and digital services, and we thank our clients for their continuing business and reliance on IUS.""The twelve current films for which IUS provided services, that will be shown at the LFCA Large Format Film Festival, are as follows:1. ""Siegfried & Roy: The Magic Box"" (3D 15/70), distributed by Imax Ltd. IUS provided all digital scanning and film recording, optical effects, DDD 2D-to-3D stereo conversion shots, and opening and closing credits.2. ""Cirque Du Soleil: Journey Of Man"" (3D 15/70), distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. IUS provided all digital scanning and film recording, all optical effects, digital wire removal and split-screen composite shots, and opening and closing credits.3. ""Ultimate Gs: Flying To The Extreme"" (3D 15/70), distributed by nWave Pictures, First E Production and SkyEast. IUS provided all optical and digital effects, all digital scanning and film recording, all digital greenscreen composites, main title composite and background design, digital stabilization shots, digital wire removal shots, and opening and closing credits.4. ""Loch Lomond: Legend Of The Loch"" (2D 15/70), produced by Principal Large Format. IUS provided all digital scanning and film recording, optical effects, opening and closing credits and internegative for distribution in 8/70.5. ""Amazing Journeys"" (2D 15/70), distributed by Houston Museum of Natural Science. IUS provided all digital scanning and film recording, optical effects, opening and closing credits, and internegatives for distribution in 8/70, 10/70 and 35mm.6. ""Rheged: The Lost Kingdom"" (2D 8/70), produced by Westmorland Film Ltd. IUS provided all digital scanning and film recording, all optical effects, digital composite shots, and opening and closing credits.7. ""Gold Fever"" (2D 15/70), distributed by SK Films. IUS provided all digital scanning and film recording, all optical effects, and credits.8. ""Dolphins"" (2D 15/70), distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films Distribution. IUS provided digital scanning and film recording, optical effects, and credits.9. ""3D Mania: Encounter In The Third Dimension"" (3D 15/70), distributed by nWave Pictures and Iwerks Entertainment. IUS provided digital scanning and film recording, 3D optical effects and internegative for distribution in 8/70. 10. ""Michael Jordan To The Max"" (2D 15/70), distributed by Giant Screen Sports. IUS provided optical blow-ups and internegative for distribution in 8/70.11. ""Adventures In Wild California"" (2D 15/70), distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films Distribution. IUS provided optical effects, and opening and closing credits.12. ""Great North"" (2D 15/70), distributed by Motion International. IUS provided digital scanning and film recording.The term ""large format"" refers to a film exhibition medium using a giant screen and a 70mm film print, in 2D or 3D. Flat screens in large format theatres range from about 60 feet x 80 feet to 90 feet x 120 feet. Hemispherical dome screens can have diameters between 70 feet and 90 feet. Individual 70mm formats are defined by the number of perforations (""perfs"") per frame - five, eight, 10 or 15 - commonly termed as 5/70, 8/70, 10/70 and 15/70. Most large format theatres are either 15/70 or 8/70. Aspect ratios are compatible, and films may be cross-printed from one format to another. Many people associate large format cinema with IMAXÆ. Imax Ltd is the most prominent brand in the industry and the leading provider of 15/70 theatre presentation hardware, as well as a major film distributor. Some large format films are branded ""An IMAX ExperienceÆ."" The leader in 8/70 theatre systems is Iwerks Entertainment, which carries the IwerksÆ Extreme Screenô brand, and also distributes films. Founded in 1993, IMAGICA USA INC. is celebrating its seventh anniversary in business. The company is a major sponsor and founding supporter of the Large Format Cinema Association, of which Christopher Reyna is charter President.

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