North of Superior

Last updated
North of Superior
North of Superior title screen.png
Title screen
Directed by Graeme Ferguson
Produced byGraeme Ferguson
CinematographyGraeme Ferguson
Edited byToni Trow
Music by Zal Yanovsky
Release date
  • January 1, 1971 (1971-01-01)(Canada)
Running time
18 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Budget CA$270,000

North of Superior is a 1971 Canadian IMAX film directed by Graeme Ferguson. It is a travelogue of the area of Ontario, north of Lake Superior. It was commissioned for the then-new Ontario Place and was one of the first IMAX films made.

Contents

Designed to show off the large-size screen and detail of IMAX images, the film continues to be shown in IMAX festivals, and has been exhibited internationally. [1] It used extensive flying scenes that provide an in-flight effect that would become widely imitated in future IMAX films. [2] [3]

Plot

North of Superior is 18 minutes long, the length of time a single IMAX reel could hold at the time. [2] The film begins with aerial shots of Lake Superior and Ouimet Canyon. [1] It then depicts a canoe capsizing, the Canada Steamship Lines ship Simcoe, people tubing on snow, workers removing snow from rail tracks, mining activity at a snowy terrace, and children playing ice hockey. After several people reforest trees, a moose hunting is depicting, then a wedding by the lake. This is followed by a montage of a village community enjoying their lives and going to church. At night, a fire occurs at a forest, and extinguishing begins by dawn. It succeeds after difficulty, and people begin reforesting again.

Production

The film was commissioned for the new Cinesphere, the new and first IMAX theatre that opened at Ontario Place in 1971. [4] [5] The film, the first official IMAX film, [2] cost CDN$270,000 to produce. [2] It was produced and directed by the founders of IMAX Corporation, then known as Multiscreen Corporation: Roman Kroitor, Graeme Ferguson, Robert Kerr, and Bill Shaw. [6] As it was one of the first IMAX films, production equipment was invented for the production. One of the cameras used was held together by duct tape. Mounting equipment for the helicopters used in the film had to be custom-made. [1]

In its initial run during the Ontario Place season of 1971, over 1.1 million people viewed the film. [7] The film repeatedly returned to Cinesphere and was one of the last films shown (on the original IMAX projector) at Cinesphere in December 2011, after which Cinesphere and Ontario Place closed for a future redevelopment. [8] As part of the Infuture art festival held at Ontario Place in September 2016, the film was shown again at the Cinesphere. It is considered the most widely seen Canadian IMAX film. [9] [10] As part of the Toronto International Film Festival[ when? ], a pristine 70mm IMAX print of the film was presented yet again at Cinesphere on a newly installed screen. Graeme Ferguson was present for the screening, as was the film's editor, Toni Trow. [11]

The aerial shot, along with the large IMAX screen, induced the "Kinesthetic effect" which meant that viewers would experience the flying sensation due to eye perception over-ruling the inner ear balance. [12] Viewers were warned to close their eyes if they experienced any discomfort.

Music

Singer/songwriter Bill Houston composed the original song Ojibway Country for the film. [13] The score is credited to Zal Yanovsky. [14]

Thunder Bay native Paul Shaffer, later a well known performer, appears briefly in one scene playing an organ at an outdoor wedding. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">70 mm film</span> Wide high-resolution film gauge

70 mm film is a wide high-resolution film gauge for motion picture photography, with a negative area nearly 3.5 times as large as the standard 35 mm motion picture film format. As used in cameras, the film is 65 mm (2.6 in) wide. For projection, the original 65 mm film is printed on 70 mm (2.8 in) film. The additional 5 mm contains the four magnetic stripes, holding six tracks of stereophonic sound. Although later 70 mm prints use digital sound encoding, the vast majority of existing and surviving 70 mm prints pre-date this technology.

<i>To Fly!</i> 1976 IMAX film by MacGillivray Freeman Films

To Fly! is a 1976 American short docudrama film directed by Greg MacGillivray and Jim Freeman of MacGillivray Freeman Films, who wrote the story with Francis Thompson, Robert M. Young, and Arthur Zegart. It premiered at the giant-screen IMAX theater of the National Air and Space Museum, which opened to celebrate the United States Bicentennial. The film chronicles the history of aviation in the US, with a narration written by Thomas McGrath. Thematically, it explores the search for national identity through the country's westward expansion as well as humanity's relationship with aviation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movie theater</span> Venue for viewing films

A movie theater, cinema, or cinema hall, also known as a movie house, picture house, picture theater or simply theater, is a business that contains auditoria for viewing movies for public entertainment. Most are commercial operations catering to the general public, who attend by purchasing tickets.

IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio and steep stadium seating, with the 1.43:1 ratio format being available only in few selected locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Sudbury</span> City in Ontario, Canada

Sudbury, officially the City of Greater Sudbury, is the largest city in Northern Ontario by population, with a population of 166,004 at the 2021 Canadian Census. By land area, it is the largest in Ontario and the fifth largest in Canada. It is administratively a single-tier municipality and thus is not part of any district, county, or regional municipality. The City of Greater Sudbury is separate from, but entirely surrounded by the Sudbury District. The city is also referred to as "Ville du Grand Sudbury" among Francophones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinesphere</span> IMAX cinema in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Cinesphere is the world's first permanent IMAX movie theatre, located on the grounds of Ontario Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Constructed in 1971, it is the largest IMAX theatre in Ontario. The theatre has both IMAX 70mm and IMAX with Laser projection systems. The theatre is considered a building of heritage value and shows movies each weekend. It is owned by the Government of Ontario, which owns the entire Ontario Place site.

Roman Kroitor was a Canadian filmmaker who was known as a pioneer of Cinéma vérité, as the co-founder of IMAX, and as the creator of the Sandde hand-drawn stereoscopic 3D animation system. He was also the original inspiration for The Force. His prodigious output garnered numerous awards, including two BAFTA Awards, three Cannes Film Festival awards, and two Oscar nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cineplex Entertainment</span> Canadian entertainment company and movie theater chain

Cineplex Inc. is a Canadian operator of movie theater and family entertainment centers, headquartered in Toronto. It is the largest cinema chain in Canada; as of 2019, it operated 165 locations, and accounted for 75% of the domestic box office.

IMAX Corporation is a Canadian production theatre company which designs and manufactures IMAX cameras and projection systems as well as performing film development, production, post-production and distribution to IMAX-affiliated theatres worldwide. Founded in Montreal in 1967, it has headquarters in the Toronto area, and operations in New York City and Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landmark Cinemas</span> Canadian cinema chain

Landmark Cinema of Canada Inc. is a Canadian cinema chain. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Landmark operates 36 theatres with 299 screens, primarily in Ontario and western Canada. Its holdings include much of the former Empire Theatres chain which it acquired in late 2013, and some Famous Players locations divested as part of that chain's purchase by Cineplex Entertainment. Landmark is the second-largest cinema chain in Canada after Cineplex. It was acquired by Belgian company Kinepolis in 2017 for $123 million.

Ivan Graeme Ferguson was a Canadian filmmaker and inventor who co-invented the IMAX film format. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1992.

<i>In the Labyrinth</i> (film) 1967 Canadian film

In the Labyrinth(French: Dans le labyrinthe) is a 1967 Canadian experimental film presented at the multi-screen section of the Labyrinth pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It used 35 mm and 70 mm film projected simultaneously on multiple screens and was the precursor of today's IMAX format.

The Film North – Huntsville International Film Festival (HIFF) is a film festival that takes place annually in Huntsville, Ontario, Canada. Held in September, the festival's mandate is to create a user-friendly environment for emerging Canadian and International Filmmakers. Film North 2014 tookplace at the Algonquin Theatre, Huntsville, Ontario from September 18 to 20. The program was announced in August. Film North is a charitable organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival</span> Annual film festival held in Toronto, Canada (1994-2012)

The Canadian Film Centre's Worldwide Short Film Festival (WSFF), founded by Brenda Sherwood in 1994, was an annual film festival held over several days in Toronto, Ontario in June, at The Annex-Yorkville area venues; including the Bloor Cinema, the University of Toronto, and the Isabel Bader Theatre, among others. As well as film screenings, the festival hosted parties and the CFC's annual picnic.

China Film Giant Screen (CFGS) is a Chinese premium large film format company. The company was previously known as DMAX, with the name also referring to the film technology. It has been described as a competitor to IMAX Corporation and its IMAX film format. The company is owned by China Film Group Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ontario Place</span> Entertainment venue and lakeside park in Toronto

Ontario Place is an entertainment venue, event venue, and park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The venue is located on three artificial landscaped islands just off-shore in Lake Ontario, south of Exhibition Place, and southwest of Downtown Toronto. It opened on May 22, 1971, and operated as a theme park centred around Ontario themes and family attractions until 2012 when the Government of Ontario announced that it would close for redevelopment. It has since reopened as a park without an admission fee but without several of the old attractions. The Government of Ontario is currently considering further redevelopment of the site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Toronto International Film Festival</span>

The 1st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place at Windsor Arms Hotel, Toronto, Ontario, Canada between October 18 and October 24, 1976. Initially its name was Festival of Festivals, which remained until 1994 after which it became the Toronto International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotiabank Theatre Toronto</span> Cinema in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Scotiabank Theatre Toronto is a major movie theatre at the RioCan Hall in the Entertainment District of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada at Richmond and John Street owned by Cineplex Entertainment for the building and the lands owned by RioCan. Opened in 1999, the venue screens theatrical films throughout the year, but is best known as one of the major venues for the annual Toronto International Film Festival alongside the nearby TIFF Bell Lightbox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Toronto International Film Festival</span> Film festival

The 42nd annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 7 to 17, 2017. There were fourteen programs, with the Vanguard and City to City programs both being retired from previous years, with the total number of films down by 20% from the 2016 edition. Borg/McEnroe directed by Janus Metz Pedersen opened the festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Toronto International Film Festival</span> 47th edition of the festival

The 47th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 8 to 18, 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Stradiotto, Laura. "Imax festival shines a light". Sudbury Star. Retrieved March 7, 2013.[ dead link ]
  2. 1 2 3 4 North of Superior. Canadian Film Encyclopedia.
  3. ↑ Wyse, Wyndham (2001). Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Film. University of Toronto Press. p. 154.
  4. ↑ Aitken, Ian, ed. (2011). The Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film. Routledge. p. 131.
  5. ↑ "Cinesphere - The worlds first permanent Imax film theatre". in70mm.com. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  6. ↑ "The Birth of IMAX". IEEE. Retrieved March 7, 2013.[ dead link ]
  7. ↑ "Imax projector, big screen break into North American market". Financial Post. February 10, 1973. p. 18.
  8. ↑ "Cinesphere to go 3D". Toronto Star. January 7, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Big Movie Zone -- North of Superior" . Retrieved March 7, 2013.[ dead link ]
  10. ↑ "North of Superior". IMAX. Retrieved March 7, 2013.[ dead link ]
  11. ↑ "Tiff - 404".[ dead link ]
  12. ↑ "The Man Who Invented IMAX: An Interview with Graeme Ferguson csc". Canadian society of cinematographers. Retrieved March 7, 2013.[ dead link ]
  13. ↑ CBC Bio [ dead link ]
  14. ↑ GiantScreenCinema.com [ dead link ]
  15. ↑ "I talked to Paul Shaffer today!". 17 May 2005.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.