The Weinstein Company, Quentin Tarantino for Hateful Eight and Paul Thomas Anderson for The Master
The release of Oscar nominee Hateful Eight resurrected the joys of large-format celluloid. Triumphantly presented in 70mm, Quentin Tarantino took it upon himself to educate the public on the values of the higher resolution format – twice the size of the standard 35mm print. The virtues are clear in every shot of Hateful Eight – brighter colors, more detail, and enhanced intricacies of surround sound.
70mm has been around since the dawn of motion pictures, but as populations and the number of movie theaters increased, the size of the screens shrunk. Because of the decreased screen size and the great weight and subsequent expense of 70mm, the Academy standard was reset to half the size and weight, to 35mm (before the rise of digital).
Some of today's most prominent and successful filmmakers forgo the standard digital and 35mm formats, instead advocating for using 70mm film. One such filmmaker, Christopher Nolan, cautions against continuing the devaluing of the movie going experience by projecting digital and even Blue Ray in theaters over the superior quality of 70mm.
Advocates of 70mm include some of my favorite filmmakers. Below is a guide through some of stunning work they've created in this format:
PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON shot full movie, The Master, on 70mm (Before The Master, the last major film to get a large-format release was Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet in 1996)
QUENTIN TARANTINO shot full movie, Hateful 8, on 70mm
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN shots parts of The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar on 70mm
JJ ABRAMS shots parts of Star Wars on 70mm including the desert scenes (reminiscent of the 70mm classic, Lawrence of Arabia)
WES ANDERSON shots parts of Grand Budapest Hotel on 70mm
The Weinstein Company, Quentin Tarantino for Hateful Eight and Paul Thomas Anderson for The Master