Avatar - filmed in Imax 3D or "Digital 3D"?

[slackerinabox]

I'm guessing digital 3d, the same that's used for all those 3D cartoons, and reformatted for Imax Screens. Am I right? I'm going to order my tickets now and wonder if the premium for IMAX would be worthwhile, or if a standard theater with 3D projection would be the ideal way to see it.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Theaters worldwide distributed featuring Dolby 3D, RealD 3D, and IMAX 3D.

 

[slackerinabox]

Theaters worldwide distributed featuring Dolby 3D, RealD 3D, and IMAX 3D.

Thanks, but do you know if it was natively filmed in say Dolby 3d and remastered for Imax, or is the "native" experience going to be imax?

 

[destrekor]

Thanks, but do you know if it was natively filmed in say Dolby 3d and remastered for Imax, or is the "native" experience going to be imax?

It was filmed with a brand-new 3D camera, if that is what you are asking.
It wasn't filmed with, well, film, but rather digital. So in essence, it is digital 3D, but not using the current cameras or equipment, IIRC.

The big question is resolution. IMAX is notable simply because it has a larger film area, the negatives are huge compared to 35mm film stock. Thus, in a digital world, it offers greater resolution and, in the film world, an overall better image due to increased film detail and whatnot (my attempt to simplify this, no need to explain why the 70mm film is worlds better than 35mm film). Film doesn't have a resolution, per se, so I won't go into that topic either.

Suffice it to say, I expect the native resolution of the cameras used for Avatar will awesomely translate to all viewing experiences.

 

[FoBoT]

it was shot digitally, not with IMAX film

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_cinematography_cameras

Fusion Camera System
James Cameron and Vince Pace developed the Fusion Camera System aka Reality Camera System 1 as way to shoot features in stereoscopic 3-D.[2] The digital high definition camera was used on Cameron's documentaries Aliens of the Deep and Ghosts of the Abyss. Robert Rodriguez also used the camera to shoot Spy Kids 3-D and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D.
There is a video [2] about the Fusion system presented at NAB 2007 as the "Sony Fusion 3D Camera System". This is also referred to as the Pace-Fusion and Pace-Cameron system (they do credit collaboration with James Cameron). It uses two Sony HDC-F950 HD cameras, which are presumably variants of the Sony CineAlta range. Cameron used a modified version of the Fusion camera for his 2009 film Avatar.[3]

 

[darkxshade]

Admittedly I have no idea what I'm about to say but I don't think the movie is filmed in either formats. The actual 3d(where you use glasses -digital 3d/imax3d/etc) to see is not the same as the original film. That's processed in afterwards.

In any case if you're only asking so you know which version to watch this will help:

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/globenewswire/180264.htm

"Our goal with Avatar is to revolutionize live-action 3D moviemaking, and it looks and sounds incredible in IMAX 3D," said director James Cameron.