Transformers: The Last Knight director Michael Bay is incorporating revolutionary IMAX 3D technology in this summer’s blockbuster to help preserve the theatergoing experience. Though television and streaming services like Netflix have become home to some high-quality programming over the last few years, nothing can truly compare to seeing a big-budget feature film on the largest of screens. To try to stay ahead of the competition, multiplexes have incorporated premium formats like IMAX, which provide audiences with something that’s impossible to replicate in a living room.
It’s become commonplace for filmmakers to shoot portions of their latest works with special IMAX cameras, and Disney recently struck a deal that would allow some of their upcoming Star Wars and Marvel installments to take advantage of the technology. Always one with eye for grand spectacle, Bay isn’t going to shortchange his fans with the visuals - especially when it comes to a major franchise like Transformers. In fact, he’s pioneering a brand new approach that will hopefully make the action more immersive.
Paramount Pictures has released a new featurette that specifically tackles The Last Knight’s usage of IMAX 3D, highlighting Bay’s techniques to take things to the next level. Per the director, the latest Transformers film is the first project to shoot natively in IMAX 3D, as opposed to the typical post-conversion process that many tentpoles use. You can watch the video above.
In the short clip, Bay details his camera setup, placing two cameras on top of one another to provide high resolution. He compares the method to a person’s eyes, making reference to the natural depth that we see in real-life every day. Using a brief segment from a Last Knight set piece, Bay illustrates how shooting natively streamlines the process. He says some shots would be “virtually impossible” to post-convert due to all the elements in them, and filming IMAX 3D cameras eliminates the need to capture the plethora of particles and move them to a different space. Bay is breaking new ground here, so it will be interesting to see if these practices become frequently used over the next handful of years.
That Bay went the extra mile to make The Last Knight visually stunning is no surprise, but many fans are hoping that he tells a better story than some of the previous series entries. Transformers has always been criticized for being style over substance, and many would like to see a movie that blends the two seamlessly. Paramount is confident in the direction the franchise is headed, as their writers room has no less than 14 spinoffs to work on. Perhaps this will be the beginning of a new era for the robots in disguise - in more ways than one.
Source: Paramount
