When the rise of tv threatened film attendance within the Fifties, Hollywood responded by introducing a number of new exhibition codecs designed to convey individuals again to theaters with the promise of widescreen photographs and stereophonic sound. CinemaScope, Cinerama, and VistaVision have been just some of those processes, which dazzled audiences and yielded movies like “The Gown,” “The Bridge on the River Kwai,” and “Across the World in 80 Days,” attracting clients in droves.
Now, as exhibitors wrestle with the rise of streaming and declining theater attendance, one in all America’s best dwelling filmmakers has revived one of many best of all widescreen codecs, giving right now’s audiences the identical motive to get off their couches that Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Curtiz, and different premier administrators of their period gave within the Fifties. The fantastic return of VistaVision started final 12 months when Brady Corbet shot “The Brutalist” within the format and exhibited the movie in a number of venues in 70mm, a gauge that approximates VistaVision’s excessive decision — however that was solely the start.
Now, director Paul Thomas Anderson has not solely filmed however is releasing “One Battle After One other” in VistaVision, with a handful of venues projecting the film in a format that hasn’t been seen by audiences of a brand new launch movie since Marlon Brando’s “One-Eyed Jacks” in 1961. (Fortunate viewers at this 12 months’s TCM Movie Pageant did get to see revivals of “We’re No Angels” and “Gunfight on the O.Okay. Corral” in true VistaVision.)
Why is that vital? And what does it imply for audiences, filmmakers, and projectionists? Let’s break it down.
What made VistaVision particular in comparison with rival codecs like CinemaScope was its bigger detrimental — round twice the scale of a typical 35mm movie body, because the movie was run via the digital camera horizontally quite than vertically. As Margaret Bodde, who works with Martin Scorsese’s Movie Basis, advised IndieWire, “With CinemaScope, you’ve a four-perf detrimental. VistaVision is eight-perf, so that you’re doubling the scale of the picture. It simply has a superior picture high quality.”
Regardless of that superior high quality, VistaVision in the end turned kind of out of date for characteristic movie manufacturing, although it continued for use extensively for particular results work on blockbusters like the unique “Star Wars,” “Again to the Future,” and “Jurassic Park.” “One Battle After One other” was shot utilizing a mix of VistaVision and Tremendous 35, and will likely be launched in no fewer than seven codecs. This has led to intense pleasure amongst cinephiles — and no small quantity of misinformation.
In a single instance, a fan-created graphic just lately took off on social media and led to widespread confusion over side ratios of the varied exhibition codecs. (Amongst different issues, it incorrectly acknowledged that the film can be launched in a 2.20:1 side ratio in 70mm.) To make clear what codecs “One Battle After One other” will likely be offered in, their technical specs, and the place to see them, IndieWire reached out to the supply: Paul Thomas Anderson.
Anderson referred us to a few members of his post-production group: editor Andy Jurgensen, post-production supervisor Erica Frauman, and affiliate editor Jay Trautman, all of whom handled the complexities of VistaVision and the film’s diversified launch prints all through the post-production course of. Collectively, they addressed a number of vital questions associated to the other ways you’ll be able to watch “One Battle After One other” when it opens in theaters on September 26.
The under interview condenses and combines responses from Jurgensen, Frauman, and Trautman on the specifics of codecs for seeing “One Battle After One other.”
What Are the Launch Codecs for “One Battle After One other,” Their Side Ratios, and Sound Specs?
What Side Ratio Was the Film Initially Shot in?
The movie was shot utilizing a mix of VistaVision (8-perf) and Tremendous 35 (4-perf) codecs. (“Perf” referring to the perforations that run alongside or — relying on the format — above and under the picture in order that the celluloid will be pulled via the projector.) Each provide a tall sufficient detrimental to accommodate the complete IMAX 1.43:1 side ratio, although the picture will be cropped prime and backside to suit the 1.90:1 IMAX or normal 1.85:1 side ratios. Digicam operator Colin Anderson used floor glass marked with framelines for each 1.85:1 and 1.43:1 compositions to make sure flexibility in framing.
When the chance for particular VistaVision screenings arose, Paul Thomas Anderson selected to current the movie within the full 1.50:1 VistaVision body, a side ratio very near IMAX’s 1.43:1. The 5-perf 70mm model is offered in 1.85:1, pillarboxed inside a 2.20:1 body, whereas normal DCPs are additionally formatted in 1.85:1.
How Do the Totally different Launch Codecs Complicate the Submit Course of?
We regularly say that every launch format gives its personal distinctive expertise of the movie. Within the photochemical world, it’s inconceivable to make all codecs look precisely the identical!
As a result of the movie was shot with each VistaVision and Tremendous 35mm cameras, we needed to navigate not solely a number of launch codecs but in addition a number of seize codecs. If we have been utilizing the digital intermediate course of that almost each trendy movie makes use of, we’d simply scan all the detrimental and resize it in a pc. Nevertheless, we lower and splice the digital camera detrimental and print photochemically. Because of this we had to determine methods to create the VistaVision detrimental from our Tremendous 35mm photographs and our digital visible results. We began testing these processes over two years in the past. In the long run, FotoKem configured each an optical printer and a digital movie recorder particularly for VistaVision, permitting us to create all the required parts to assemble a whole VistaVision detrimental and produce a VistaVision launch print.
Does Paul Thomas Anderson Have a Most popular Format?
Paul has famous that the VistaVision presentation is the closest to the movie’s meant look, because it’s struck straight from the VistaVision lower detrimental. There are solely 4 of those particular screening venues presently scheduled — in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and London.
That mentioned, we at all times knew there can be an IMAX launch, so from the start, the 1.43:1 and 1.90:1 IMAX shows (each movie and digital) have been meant to be probably the most immersive. That is the primary narrative characteristic movie to be offered fully in IMAX’s 1.43:1 side ratio (with no leaping between side ratios). The 70mm (5-perf) model is an optical blow-up from the VistaVision-cut detrimental. It has barely extra grain and distinction, and its 1.85:1 side ratio matches the non-IMAX DCP shows.
What Does It Actually Imply to Seize and Undertaking in True VistaVision?
Not like conventional 35mm movie, which runs vertically via the digital camera gate, VistaVision makes use of a horizontal feed. This enables the picture to be recorded on a body that’s twice the scale of a normal 4-perf 35mm body, leading to a finer-grained detrimental with improved picture high quality.
Identical to the cameras, VistaVision projectors should additionally run the movie horizontally. Only a few of those projectors nonetheless exist right now. Based on VistaVision skilled Charlotte Barker, “It’s been precisely 70 years since VistaVision projectors have been first put in for business use, debuting with Paramount’s ‘Strategic Air Command’ in 1955. Again then, seven U.S. theaters have been outfitted with VistaVision projectors, {custom} 2-foot-deep curvilinear screens, and particular aperture plates. ‘One Battle After One other’ will echo this historic rollout subsequent week at The Vista in Los Angeles, Regal Union Sq. 17 in New York, Coolidge Nook Theater in Boston, and Odeon Leicester Sq. in London.”
Warner Bros. refurbished two Ballantyne VistaVision projectors to be used in Los Angeles and New York; Barry Wright (Bell Theatre Companies) refreshed their VistaVision projector in London. Boston Gentle & Sound had beforehand refurbished two projectors provided by the George Eastman Museum for the TCM Pageant in April of 2025; these will likely be utilized in Boston. Every Ballantyne projector is supplied with DTS readers to synchronize audio and fitted with custom-built platters able to operating the complete two-hour, 40-minute movie on a single reel. The Boston location will make the most of two projectors and play reel-to-reel. Projectionists at every location are receiving specialised coaching to function the tools.
Projecting in VistaVision permits prints made straight from the unique lower detrimental to be proven to an viewers. This hasn’t been potential for over 60 years. Traditionally, footage shot on VistaVision needed to be transformed to a different format for exhibition. So far as we all know, that is the primary new launch characteristic movie to be projected from true VistaVision prints since “One-Eyed Jacks” in 1961.
The place Can We See the Film Projected on Movie?
See the under listings throughout choose cities when “One Battle After One other” opens beginning September 26.
VISTAVISION ENGAGEMENTS
Los Angeles, CA, USA — Vista Theater
New York, NY, USA — Regal Union Sq. 17
Boston, MA, USA — Coolidge Nook Theater
London, England, UK — Odeon Leicester Sq.
IMAX 70MM (15-PERF) ENGAGEMENTS
Dallas, TX, USA — Webb Chapel IMAX
Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA — AutoNation IMAX
Indianapolis, IN, USA — Indiana State Museum
Irvine, CA, USA — Regal Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21
London, England, UK — BFI IMAX
New York, NY, USA — AMC Lincoln Sq. 13
San Francisco, CA, USA — AMC Metreon 16
Tempe, AZ, USA — Harkins Arizona Mills 18
Common Metropolis, CA, USA — AMC Common Citywalk 19
Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada — Cineplex Vaughan IMAX
70MM (5-PERF) ENGAGEMENTS
Atlanta, GA, USA — Plaza
Austin, TX, USA — Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
Berlin, Germany — Delphi
Berlin, Germany — Zoo
Chicago, IL, USA — Music Field
Copenhagen, Denmark — Denmark Imperial
Dublin, Eire — Irish Movie Institute
Melbourne, Australia — Palace
Milwaukee, WI, USA — Oriental
New Orleans, LA, USA — Prytania
New York, NY, USA — Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn
New York, NY, USA — Angelika Cinema 1, 2, 3
New York, NY, USA — Angelika Village East 7
Oakland, CA, USA — Grand Lake
Portland, OR, USA — Hollywood
San Francisco, CA, USA — Alamo Drafthouse New Mission
Silver Spring, MD, USA — AFI Silver
Somerville, MA, USA — Somerville
Sydney, Australia — Ritz
Vancouver, BC, Canada — Park
Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After One other” opens in theaters on September 26. Particular because of Benjamin Tucker for his help with this text.
