In the carefully controlled humidity of the projection room at the Science Museum, Matthew stretches out two pieces of film over a light box.
The room can’t be too dry or the film might curl or flake.
He wants to show me the scale of the IMAX 70mm, compared to the 35mm film typically used “back in the day” in most multiplex cinemas.
“There’s no audio on the IMAX frame,” he says, “they use the full image area for just the picture. The sound is separate on a hard drive.”
By the time it is beamed onto an IMAX 1.43:1 screen – a rare, nearly square aspect ratio – audiences get a full frame immersion.
Matthew holds an old strip of IMAX 70mm up to his shoulder, the other end touching the floor.
“This is approximately one second of film – just under six feet (1.8m) long,” he says.
