Cine 160

Last updated April 21, 2019

Cine 160 is a 35 mm film projection process proposed by Allan Silliphant whereby a single frame of film would occupy a length of six film perforations. This could then be used for either of two currently proposed applications: 3-D film projection from two images each occupying 3 perforations (thus attaining a 1.85 aspect ratio already in common use), or making anamorphically squeezed prints of 1.85 ratio films, which would use a greater amount of image area. The system is named Cine 160 because the six-perf frame uses 1.60 times the area of a conventional print. This system has not yet received any mainstream application, however, and it is unknown how receptive theater owners will be to the prospect, which will require significant expenses to re-fit projectors to the format.

35 mm film (millimeter) is the film gauge most commonly used for motion pictures and chemical still photography. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 34.98 ±0.03 mm (1.377 ±0.001 inches) wide. The standard negative pulldown for movies is four perforations per frame along both edges, which results in 16 frames per foot of film. For still photography, the standard frame has eight perforations on each side.

Film perforations, also known as perfs and sprocket holes, are the holes placed in the film stock during manufacturing and used for transporting and steadying the film. Films may have different types of perforations depending on film gauge, film format, and intended usage. Perforations are also used as a standard measuring reference within certain camera systems to refer to the size of the frame.

The aspect ratio of an image describes the proportional relationship between its width and its height. It is commonly expressed as two numbers separated by a colon, as in 16:9. For an x:y aspect ratio, no matter how big or small the image is, if the width is divided into x units of equal length and the height is measured using this same length unit, the height will be measured to be y units.

Claimed benefits

Larger frame area can facilitate better and brighter 3D projection, or offer a low cost means to approach 70 mm film image brightness and clarity using 35 mm film and an anamorphic lens.
Allows more brightness and detail to reach the screen than conventional 35mm prints, much greater detail in camera image.
Permits better brightness when divided into above and below split frames for 3D, or if used non-stereo with anamorphic lens.
Very easy conversion of projector, and can be set up for "quick-change" in theaters.
Will look much better, brighter, than 2K digital at 1/10 of the conversion cost. Full 1.60 better than even anamorphic 35.
Will permit running of 35mm IMAX reduction prints in small theaters in remote locations.
Allows most existing cameras to be modified to shoot in the format, or projectors to be easily modified.
Can act as a "value added" marketing attraction, due to promotion of trade name, like 70mm did in the past.
There is no waste when fitting image onto an existing 1.85 theater screen, just more brightness, gamma range, and detail.
Digital conversion will be a hard sell in the poorer parts of world. This will allow 3D and "faked 70mm" everywhere soon.
Easy to shoot in digital, then make a "DI" (digital intermediate) to release on "near 4K quality".

70 mm film is a wide high-resolution film gauge for motion picture photography, with negative area nearly 3.5 times larger than 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 are for four magnetic strips 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 predate this technology. Each frame is five perforations tall, with an aspect ratio of 2.2:1. With regards to exhibition, 70 mm film was always considered a specialty format reserved for epics and spectacle films shot on 65mm and blockbuster films that were released both in 35 mm and as 70 mm blow-ups. While few venues were equipped to screen this special format, at the height of its popularity most major markets and cites had a theater that could screen it. Some venues continue to screen 70 mm to this day or have even had 70 mm projectors permanently or temporarily installed for more recent 70 mm releases.

IMAX is a 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. Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, Robert Kerr, and William C. Shaw were the co-founders of what would be named the IMAX Corporation, and they developed the first IMAX cinema projection standards in the late 1960s and early 1970s in Canada. Unlike conventional projectors, the film runs horizontally so that the image width is greater than the width of the film. When IMAX was introduced, it was a radical change in the movie-going experience. Viewers were treated to the scene of a gently curved giant screen more than seven stories tall and steep stadium seating that made for a visually immersive experience, along with a sound system that was far superior to the audio at typical theaters in the years prior to the advent of THX. Some IMAX theaters have a dome screen geometry which can give the viewer an even more immersive feel. Over the decades since its introduction, IMAX evolved to include "3D" stereoscopic films, introduced in January 1998, and then began to proliferate with a transition away from analog film into the digital era. Beginning in May of 1991, a visceral dimension of the movie experience was added by having the audience's seats mounted on a full-motion platform as an amusement park ride in IMAX ride film theaters. Switching to digital projection, introduced in July 2008, came at a steep cost in image quality, with 2K projectors having roughly an order of magnitude less resolution. Maintaining the same 7-story giant screen size would only make this loss more noticeable, and so many new theaters were being built with significantly smaller screen sizes, yet being marketed with the same brand name of "IMAX". These newer theaters with the much lower resolution and much smaller screens were soon being referred to by the derogatory name "LieMAX", particularly because the company did not make this major distinction clear to the public, going so far as to build the smallest "IMAX" screen having 10 times less area than the largest while persisting with the exact same brand name. Since 2002, some feature films have been converted into IMAX format for displaying in IMAX theatres, and some have also been (partially) shot in IMAX. By late 2017, 1,302 IMAX theatre systems were installed in 1,203 commercial multiplexes, 13 commercial destinations, and 86 institutional settings in 75 countries, with less than a quarter of these having the capability to show 70mm film at the resolution of the large format as originally conceived.

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