Rolling Stones at the IMAX vs. the Movie Screen vs. TV
I viewed the Marty Scorsese concert film on The Rolling Stones - "Shine a Light" a few weeks ago. I was so impressed with this film that I had to go see it again on the IMAX. It is possibly the finest filmed and edited concert film ever. It features amazing cinematography and editing that stands head and shoulders above normal concert footage. I hope that the talented team assembled to do this will consider filming other legendary musicians in concert. The concert footage required a new way of looking at the screen on the IMAX - it almost recreated the experience of actually being at the concert in the second row for the long shots as The Stones appeared to be "life size" from a certain distance with waving arms of the crowd sometimes appearing directly in front you in the foreground of the shot.
In relation to this class, the film featured some interesting juxtapositions of including vintage television interviews edited in between the current concert footage. The television images were blown up fully for the big screen and the even bigger 50 ft. high IMAX screen. The result was interesting on the movie screen and absolutely jarring and shocking on IMAX. Since the interview footage obviously was intended for television it was shot with a specific aspect ratio in mind (See Zeitl) When viewing on the IMAX screen it was actually impossible from my seat to focus on the tv footage. Only an eye, nose or mouth would be in one's field of focus, luckily for most viewers the vintage televion footage was used sparringly. Once the initial shock wore off, the TV footage enlarged on the IMAX medium was a strange and beuatiful pixelated landscape. On the regular movie screen the tv footage had an electronic ghost like appearance. I do wonder if Scorsese and his editors experimented with a smaller version of the television footage to represent and create an experience of viewing an actual TV. Something to ask Marty if I bump into him on the subway.