Here at Forbes, I regularly write articles discussing all the available formats for upcoming films and deciding what the best format to choose is. Things are a bit different for Sinners, however, as the film’s director, Ryan Coogler, has done my job for me, by doing exactly that for his own movie with an explanatory video on Kodak’s YouTube channel.
Speaking in current parlance — I have never been so “seen”. Despite being much cooler than I could hope to be, it’s a delight to see what a film format nerd he is – and we’re here for that.
He starts with a brief description of the different types of film stock used to shoot movies and then goes on to explain all the formats in which you can watch Sinners.
In the video, he demonstrates each type of film stock, from Super 8 to Super 16 (on which he shot his first feature-length film, Fruitvale Station, also starring Michael B. Jordan), before moving on to 35mm, 65mm, and finally IMAX 70mm, explaining the difference between them.
While describing film stock in one thing, it’s great to see it (it’s almost as if a picture is worth a thousand words).
As Coogler explains so engagingly, Sinners was shot on Ultra Panavision 70, (65mm film with anamorphic lenses, creating a super-wide aspect ratio 2.76.1 aspect ratio) and IMAX 70mm.
This marks the first time a movie has been released in both formats. The switch from ultra-wide 2.76:1 to super tall 1.43:1, (when viewed in a suitable theatre) is dramatic.
He also mentions the sound mix, which is important in a movie where music is intrinsic to the story, so it’s worth seeking out a theater with great sound if you can.
The “Specialty” Formats
Coogler then goes on to describe what he refers to as the “specialty formats”. First is 4DX, which involves seats that move and thump in sync with the action, blasts of air and flashing lights. Sinners is a rare example of a movie that should work well in both conventional formats and novelty formats such as 4DX. In this format, you often get splashed by water, but Coogler jokingly says that this time it might be a red liquid! I assume he’s joking…
Next up is a format called ICE, which, I must admit, is a format of which I was not previously aware, likely because it’s not available in the UK. It involves several panels running down the sides of the theatre that show extra images from the movie. Coogler describes it as immersive, so we’ll have to take his word for it.
ScreenX is similar in that it also shows images down the sides of the theatre, though these are two full walls that run halfway or so into the theatre, rather than separate panels. As the image is already super wide, I’d be curious to know where this extra footage comes from, but with Coogler involved it’s hopefully a worthwhile addition to the experience.
Deeper Colors—Especially Red
Coogler gets more enthused though when talking about Dolby Cinema. This uses dual lasers to create an extra bright image, allowing for a greater dynamic range than standard projected images. Coogler refers to it as high dynamic range, but it’s more accurate to think of it as extended dynamic range. (HDR by Barco is the only format to offer true HDR in cinemas but it doesn’t get a mention by Coogler, even though Sinners will have a very limited release in this format). As well as deep blacks and bright whites Dolby Cinema also includes Dolby Atmos audio, so it’s an excellent format to choose for Sinners.
The other format that doesn’t get mentioned is the “standard” digital premium large formats (PLFs), which are branded as Odeon iSense, Regal RPX, Cinemark XD, and others. These offer a large wall-to-wall screen, 4K projection, Dolby Atmos sound and upgraded seats.
IMAX Fo’ Real
The format that Coogler really wants you to see the movie in though is IMAX. Shot with IMAX film cameras, in IMAX screens with a 1.43:1 screen it will expand to fill the entire screen for select sequences of “intense action” – amounting to 28 minutes of the run time. There are only 10 theatres worldwide that will have the triumvirate of an IMAX film projector, a 1.43:1 screen and an IMAX 70mm film print of the movie.
If you’re lucky enough to be able to get to one, this is the ultimate way to see the movie. You can see Coogler getting emotional when he talks about it. “If you can afford it, then check it out in this format – it means a lot.”
If you aren’t close to an IMAX with a film projector there is still a chance to see it in 1.43:1. IMAX theaters with a dual-laser projector and a 1.43:1 screen can also show the expanded aspect ratio scenes in full 1.43:1 and there are 19 theatres worldwide that will be doing this.
In all other digital IMAX screens the film will switch between 2.76:1 and the native 1.90:1 screen shape.
The Rarest Format Of All
The final format that Coogler talks about are the theatres that will be getting a 70mm film print. While there will be no expanding aspect ratios Coogler says he took care to optimize for this, as this is how most people will see it. This is technically the rarest format, with a mere five theaters getting prints, all of which are in the US.
Ultimately, in whatever format you can get to, I’d recommend going to see the film, which is beautifully shot by its cinematographer Autumn Durant Akrapaw and is dramatic, scary, and thrilling.
Sinners was a brave choice for Coogler, as rather than going straight to directing another Marvel sequel, he’s made a bold and creative decision to create something new, which is a brave choice when cinema is struggling to get bums on seats.
I believe it has artistically paid off—we can only hope it does well enough at the box office for the studios to green-light more projects like it in the future.
