Hang onto your seat

If you’re a film buff, you already know how fast things move in the world of movies. Twenty years since it opened, the IMAX Theatre at the Canadian Museum of Civilization has recently undergone a facelift. It has taken two months to be able to give you a cinematic adventure unlike any you’ve ever experienced.

The world isn’t flat
Did you know that we have to work harder to interpret a flat image? Our “normal” view of the world around us (objects, people) is tri-dimensional. But a typical image – like in drawings, photography, or film – is missing a dimension. That’s why we often say, “It lacks depth.”

And so for a long time, there have been efforts to recapture that depth – like with striking optical illusions in paintings, for instance. Then the era of high-tech piqued our interest in 3D filmmaking – making people leap off the screen, pulling the audience into the centre of the action.

To do this, “depth perception” gets recreated: if you stare at an image with your left eye, then with your right eye, it moves slightly. That’s because our eyes are about 65 mm apart. 3D technology uses cameras with two lenses to reproduce this distance; when the images are projected onto a screen by two separate machines, special glasses help our brain recreate the right distance and depth.

Just like being there
As if IMAX technology wasn’t already impressive – massive screen, dazzling picture quality, remarkable sound – we’ve taken our theatre to a whole new level of amazing: a new silver screen (the largest 3D screen in the Ottawa-Gatineau region), a 3D projection room, and a wrap-around digital sound system – the ultimate film-going experience.

And don’t worry, we haven’t skimped on programming. To kick things off, the educational program brings you “Sharks 3D”, Jean-Michel Cousteau’s film that takes you to the bottom of the ocean where schools of fish swirl all around and sharks swim close enough to give you goose bumps. As exciting as a real underwater adventure, but at a bargain price!

At night, “U2 3D” takes the stage. When a rock band this legendary draws tens of thousands of fans to their shows, never in your life will you get a chance to see them this close up. It’s hard to resist reaching up to grab Bono as he jumps off the screen to stretch a hand into the audience. And with everyone wildly waving their arms, don’t worry about getting carried into the mosh pit – it’s a virtual crowd! This film will leave you feeling like you were really ‘there’, that you saw, lived, and breathed that electrifying concert.

Of course, the IMAX 2D films and Dome haven’t been lost to obscurity. These new elements only mean more possibilities for Ottawa-Gatineau and Museum visitors – always an unforgettable cinematic experience at our IMAX Theatre.