IMAX Screen

We here at the IMAX at Glasgow Science Centre are very proud to have Scotland's largest cinema screen. It's 82 feet wide and 62 feet high, which is taller than four double decker buses stacked on top of each other. The screen is covered in a special silver paint that reflects twice as much light as a regular movie screen, making the images we project on it bright and crystal clear. The screen also curves in at the edges filling your peripheral vision and creating the world's most immersive cinema experience. Why do we need such a big screen you ask? The edges of the screen act as the boundary for the 3D effect, so the larger the screen, the better the 3D!

IMAX Film

To get a big enough image onto our giant screen you need to 'blow up' the image from the film you put through the projector, however, as the image gets bigger it loses quality. If we were to use standard 35mm film and a standard film projector and 'blow up' the image to fill our screen the picture quality would be awful. Which is why IMAX projectors use 70mm film which is the largest and  highest resolution film format in the world. It's 10 times larger than standard 35mm film. This is why only IMAX can project crystal clear images on the world's largest screens.

IMAX Projector

The IMAX projector is the most advanced, powerful and precise projection system in the world. The film travels at 24 frames a second through our projector at a rate of 334 feet per minute! However when we show films in 3D we actually project two separate films at the same time, making it 48 frames per second and 668 feet of film per minute! It uses a rolling loop system to gently place each frame into the aperture which is then held against a piece of glass called a field flattener using a vacuum. This keeps the film perfectly still whilst it is being projected, further enhancing the illusion you are in the movie.

IMAX Lamps

To get the brightest and best possible picture on screen we only use the highest quality Ushio lamps. A normal cinema uses either a 2,000 or 4,000 watt lamp, whereas in our IMAX projector we use two 15,000 watt xenon bulbs. We use a type of bulb called a discharge lamp which has two tungsten electrodes set only 8mm apart, which is smaller than the width of your little finger. In this tiny space between the electrodes a plasma ball forms as the huge amount of electricity is passed between them, here temperatures can reach 12,000 °C (21,600 °F) which is over twice as hot as the surface of the sun (at around 5,500 °C). The huge heat generated by the lamps requires a dedicated cooling system which pumps thousands of gallons of water every minute through the projector to keep it cool.

IMAX Sound System

In IMAX theatres sound is just as important as vision in creating the ultimate IMAX Experience. This is why we have a 14,000 watt, 6.1 channel digital surround sound system with 72 individual speakers placed around the auditorium, each laser aligned to deliver the very best surround sound experience to every seat. For every new film that is shown in our theatre, IMAX throws away the completed sound mix that standard cinemas use. The soundtrack is then remixed from scratch to suit our dynamic and powerful sound system, and give you the very best quality surround sound experience. 

IMAX Theatre Geometry

Every aspect of our IMAX cinema has been specially designed and purpose built for your ultimate 3D experience. The size, shape and position of the screen all help to immerse you, whilst the large seats set out in a stadium style ensure comfort and a great view for every customer, no matter where you are sitting.

IMAX Cameras

IMAX film cameras are the highest resolution cameras in the world. They have been filming everywhere from the International Space Station to the bottom of the ocean to the top of Mount Everest and many other places in between. The cameras are huge and can weigh up to 200 pounds (90kg); they shoot on 70mm film and because of this they can only hold 3 minutes of film at a time, and then they take around 30 minutes to reload! Although traditionally they have been used to film IMAX educational films, in recent years they have been used in such Hollywood blockbusters as The Dark Knight and Tron: Legacy.