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Filmmakers have been experimenting with ways to enhance the moviegoing experience since movies became A Thing in the first place, and in the 1970s, the world was introduced to a fairly revolutionary format in the form of IMAX.
At the risk of getting overly technical, IMAX set itself apart from the pack by harnessing 70 mm film that’s run through the projector horizontally as opposed to vertically, which allows for a larger-than-normal end product made possible with the help of the massive screens inside the theaters fitted with the technology.
In the early days of IMAX, the format was almost exclusively used for documentary projects, but Hollywood started experimenting with it in the wake of the new millennium as a number of notable directors embraced the spectacle it was capable of producing.
There’s arguably no one who’s a bigger fan of IMAX than Christopher Nolan, who’s harnessed it in some capacity while filming every movie he’s made since Batman Begins (with the exception of The Prestige).
This week, anyone who was able to land a fairly coveted IMAX ticket for Oppenheimer will get the chance to see it projected from the massive 600 lb. reels containing a staggering 11 miles of film, which has essentially pushed the limit of what theaters are currently able to accommodate.
Prior to the release of Oppenheimer, the folks at IMAX showed off the custom film platters they needed to construct in order to facilitate screenings in a video that also features a pretty surprising easter egg in the form of the digital Palm Pilot interface that’s used to control the projection.
@imax Constantly pushing the boundaries of film 🎞️. #Oppenheimer #ChristopherNolan #IMAX
As Vice notes, physical Palm Pilot models (specifically the PalmOne m130) were used in theaters in the early 2000s, and while the company that produced them eventually went bankrupt, the open-source interface apparently did the job well enough to the point where IMAX didn’t feel the need to overhaul the approach to operating their equipment.
I guess there’s no point fixing something that ain’t broke.