Showscan
Encyclopedia
Showscan is a cinematic process developed by Douglas Trumbull
. Similar to 70 mm wide-screen processes, it uses 65 mm film, but photographs and projects it at 60 frames per second – 2.5 times faster than standard movie film. It renders a picture that is not only extremely high in definition, but is dramatically smoother and more realistic in its rendering of motion, similar to that seen in video
.
Trumbull had first come to the public's attention for his work on the ground-breaking special effects in movies such as 2001: A Space Odyssey
, The Andromeda Strain
, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind
. He also directed 1972's Silent Running
, widely considered a classic of 1970s science fiction.
The Showscan Film process was developed in the late '70s and early '80s by Trumbull, when he became interested in increasing the fidelity or definition of movies. Similar to the quality issues addressed later by high-definition television
, the then-state of the art of movies suffered from the limitations of the medium. When projected onto a large screen, the film grain
of 35 mm film stock
is often quite visible, which reduces the quality of the displayed image, a problem further exacerbated by the larger grain used in the fast film stock often used to capture high-speed action. Trumbull chose a 65 mm film stock for his new process to address this, providing a higher resolution image.
Trumbull also did research into frame rate
, running a series of tests with 35 mm stock filmed and projected at various speeds, shown to audiences who were instrumented to biometrically
test their responses. He found that as the frame rate increased, so did the viewer's emotional reaction.
Trumbull discovered that although viewers see smooth motion from film displayed at 24 frames per second (fps), the standard in motion pictures for decades, they are subconsciously still aware of the flicker. This awareness reduces the emotional impact of the film. As the speed of projection ramped up, so did the emotional response, peaking at 72 fps. After that speed, no further improvements were noted.
The 1983 feature film Brainstorm
was intended to be the first Showscan film, but plans fell through. Since then, Showscan has been used mostly for short ride films in conjunction with powered motion simulator seats.
In 1993, Trumbull, Geoffrey Williamson, Robert Auguste and Edmund DiGiulio were awarded a Scientific and Engineering Academy Award for the Showscan camera system.
Showscan Film Corporation, which produced and marketed the equipment, underwent Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2002; the process was then acquired by a new company, Showscan Entertainment.
In March 2011, filmmaker James Cameron
, without referencing Trumbull or Showscan, gave a presentation promoting the idea of moving motion picture technology to faster frame rates such as 48 or 60 frames per second, saying that in 2012 he would be shooting the sequel to his 2009 film Avatar at one of those two frame rates.
Similarly, director Peter Jackson
has also expressed his intention to film his upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit
using RED One cameras shooting at 48fps.
Douglas Trumbull
Douglas Huntley Trumbull is an American film director, special effects supervisor, and inventor. He contributed to, or was responsible for, the special photographic effects of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Blade Runner and The Tree of...
. Similar to 70 mm wide-screen processes, it uses 65 mm film, but photographs and projects it at 60 frames per second – 2.5 times faster than standard movie film. It renders a picture that is not only extremely high in definition, but is dramatically smoother and more realistic in its rendering of motion, similar to that seen in video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
.
Trumbull had first come to the public's attention for his work on the ground-breaking special effects in movies such as 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
, The Andromeda Strain
The Andromeda Strain
The Andromeda Strain , by Michael Crichton, is a techno-thriller novel documenting the efforts of a team of scientists investigating a deadly extraterrestrial microorganism that rapidly and fatally clots human blood, while in other people inducing insanity...
, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
. He also directed 1972's Silent Running
Silent Running
Silent Running is a 1972 environmentally themed science fiction film starring Bruce Dern and directed by Douglas Trumbull, who had previously worked as a special effects supervisor on such science fiction films as 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Andromeda Strain.-Plot summary:Silent Running depicts a...
, widely considered a classic of 1970s science fiction.
The Showscan Film process was developed in the late '70s and early '80s by Trumbull, when he became interested in increasing the fidelity or definition of movies. Similar to the quality issues addressed later by high-definition television
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
, the then-state of the art of movies suffered from the limitations of the medium. When projected onto a large screen, the film grain
Film grain
Film grain or granularity is the random optical texture of processed photographic film due to the presence of small particles of a metallic silver, or dye clouds, developed from silver halide that have received enough photons. While film grain is a function of such particles it is not the same...
of 35 mm film stock
Film stock
Film stock is photographic film on which filmmaking of motion pictures are shot and reproduced. The equivalent in television production is video tape.-1889–1899:...
is often quite visible, which reduces the quality of the displayed image, a problem further exacerbated by the larger grain used in the fast film stock often used to capture high-speed action. Trumbull chose a 65 mm film stock for his new process to address this, providing a higher resolution image.
Trumbull also did research into frame rate
Frame rate
Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems...
, running a series of tests with 35 mm stock filmed and projected at various speeds, shown to audiences who were instrumented to biometrically
Biometrics
Biometrics As Jain & Ross point out, "the term biometric authentication is perhaps more appropriate than biometrics since the latter has been historically used in the field of statistics to refer to the analysis of biological data [36]" . consists of methods...
test their responses. He found that as the frame rate increased, so did the viewer's emotional reaction.
Trumbull discovered that although viewers see smooth motion from film displayed at 24 frames per second (fps), the standard in motion pictures for decades, they are subconsciously still aware of the flicker. This awareness reduces the emotional impact of the film. As the speed of projection ramped up, so did the emotional response, peaking at 72 fps. After that speed, no further improvements were noted.
The 1983 feature film Brainstorm
Brainstorm (1983 film)
Brainstorm is a 1983 science fiction film directed by Douglas Trumbull and starring Christopher Walken and Natalie Wood...
was intended to be the first Showscan film, but plans fell through. Since then, Showscan has been used mostly for short ride films in conjunction with powered motion simulator seats.
In 1993, Trumbull, Geoffrey Williamson, Robert Auguste and Edmund DiGiulio were awarded a Scientific and Engineering Academy Award for the Showscan camera system.
Showscan Film Corporation, which produced and marketed the equipment, underwent Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2002; the process was then acquired by a new company, Showscan Entertainment.
In March 2011, filmmaker James Cameron
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
, without referencing Trumbull or Showscan, gave a presentation promoting the idea of moving motion picture technology to faster frame rates such as 48 or 60 frames per second, saying that in 2012 he would be shooting the sequel to his 2009 film Avatar at one of those two frame rates.
Similarly, director Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
has also expressed his intention to film his upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit
The Hobbit (film)
The Hobbit is a 1977 animated musical television special created by Rankin/Bass, a studio known for their holiday specials, and animated by Topcraft, a precursor to Studio Ghibli, using lyrics adapted from the book. The film is an adaptation of the 1937 book of the same name by J. R. R...
using RED One cameras shooting at 48fps.