Transformers 4 to Shoot in IMAX Format

IMAX has announced at CinemaCon that they and Paramount have a five picture deal to shoot film sequences using IMAX cameras, including Transformers 4. Standard film is shot in 35mm while IMAX is 70mm. The last time Michael Bay filmed in true IMAX was for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It is suggested only on some sequences will be shot in real IMAX, not the entire film. While Transformers: Dark of the Moon was shown in IMAX theaters, it was not naively filmed that way. Transformers 4 is already planning on being shot with Real 3D cameras.

In the video interview (below) with Collider, Michael Bay spoke about returning to the IMAX format for "showcase scenes" as TF4 will be the first to use the next generation of smaller, better IMAX 3D digital cameras. He also said he would not being shooting in 48FPS (as used by The Hobbit).


The main way can tell difference if a film is true IMAX is while in the IMAX theater notice if it has the black bars along the top and bottom, much like when watch a movie on the TV. A true IMAX shot film does not have those bars, the image fills the entire screen space. So for example with Revenge, during the forest fight, the image would spread out the fill the space during the sequence and then shrink back after. Thanks to Wynton R. and Mackie U. for the links.