How The West Was Won in Smilebox
lcin...@cox.net
with his permission. I cannot speak about Bradford Cinerama since I
have never seen it. Although the are tremendous efforts, neither
Seattle or the Dome are completely accurate presentations of what
Cinerama was truly like during the 1950's..I know, I was there and
feel that the Smilebox version of HTWWW is the best that you will ever
see on you television. Remember that the tag line for Cinerama was:
Will NEVER be shown on television.
Larry
HOW SMILEBOX CURVED SCREEN CAME ABOUT
By Dave Strohmaier, director of Cinerama Adventure
Cinerama was not the gimmick many people think it was, gimmicks or
fads don't last 20 years and also have several titles in the number on
box office category. The whole town of Hollywood helped me make this
historic documentary, from major studio to the smallest of film
libraries as well as several high end LA post production and effects
houses. They all did this for free, imagine in Hollywood, free.
One of the results of doing thes project was that the original
Cinerama 3 panel process was installed in two American cities, Seattle
and in Hollywood. Oh and yes when it is shown on occasion at either
of these two cities. I and 3 other historial projection volunteers are
in the booth running it. People often have tears in their eyes
afterwards when the come to the projection booth to visit us after the
show to shake our hands. I guess that you could say that I and my
projectionists pals have seen 3 panel and 70mm Cinerama more often
than anyone other than perhaps the few remaining retired Cinerama
projectionist who ran it everyday in the old days.
One of the major things we wanted to do in the documentary was to show
people how different/special the Cinerama experience was as one would
have to be about 45+ years old to have seen it. Many young people
would simply laugh at a letterboxed image of the three panels on the
screen saying "what's so special about this, where is the cirve you
keep talking about?" and I would not blame them. So we had award
winning 3D graphics experts, digital engineers, Oscar winning
cinematographers, film historians, you name it, get involved with
creating a "look" that we could use for the Cinerama shots in our 16 x
9 HD documentary. We wanted this effect/treatment to be what people
saw back then, although admittedly not from the first 10 rows, as most
people didn't see it from those rows anyway, those were the $5.00+
seats. After about two months of testing, and trying several things
including projecting the original 3 panel focus charts on the the
Seattle Cinerama 146 degree screen checking for vertical and
horizontal distortions, we came up with the SmileBox process for the
documentary. We needed to take full advantage of the standard HD 16 x
9 frame and fill it edge to edge and yet have a 146 degree effect that
would approximate what people saw in Cinerama theaters. Yes, it has
limitations to be sure, but within these limitations we do feel we
have succeeded. Next we shjowed it to several film historians and to
the Cinerama Corporation itself. Cinerama still exists as a relatively
inactive division of Pacific Theaters here in California. When we
showed the first test on the "flat" screen at Arclight Cinemas in
Hollywood everyone was amazed at how effective the SmileBox process
was in creating a Cinerama like effect on a flat screen. Most of our
documentary is archival footage, old news reels, interviews, etc and
they are all in4 x 3 inside of 16 x 9 so when Cinerama shots appear
they both wide and cirved. We are most fortunate that every review
the documentary has gotten has been a glowing one and most of them
mention the effectiveness of the SmileBox process as giving "audiences
the look and feel of Cinerama". One funny incident happened as the
Palm Springs film festival where a few women had to cover their eyes
when the rollercoaster scene appeared in SmileBox. They told me after
the screening they were getting very dizzy. Funny, this often happens
at the actual 3 panel Cinerama screenings at the Cinerama Dome in
Hollywood.
This brings me to HOW THE WEST WAS WON and the use of SmileBox in the
September Blue Ray release that witll include Cinerama Adventure. The
Blue Ray package witll include the letterboxed version and the
SmileBox version of HTWWW and both will be fully restored and will
look fantastic. I saw some scenes at Warner's the other day both
letterbox & SmileBox and it knocked my socks off. Warner's thought it
would be a good idea to have HTWWW i SmileBox as an extra version for
those who want to recreate the Cinerama look on their flat screens. I
feel the bigger the screen the better it works. They are going the
extra mile in a effort to please the film lover and hope it will.
Sure SmileBox may not be for everyong but due to the response we have
gotten for Cinerama Adventure many people will enjoy it. Due to the
fact that SmileBox was developed for free at a major effects house in
Hollywood we are likewise making it available to Warner's release for
free. I hope this gives you a little background on how SmileBox came
about and that it was painstakingly developed with lots of expert
input. I consider myself a bit of a perfectionist and believe me I
have seen Cinerama from every seat in the house - (front, side and
back row) at all 3 exixting Cinerama theaters, Seattle, Bradford Media
Museum, UK and the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood and SmileBox will
approximate a Cinerama effect on flat 16 x 9 screens..
Dave Strohmaier
Producer, Director, Editor Cinerama Adventure
www.cineramaadventure.com