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The IMAX® Experience

Imagine being completely surrounded by a 79 foot domed screen. The sound is amazing. The sound is like nothing you’ve ever heard. IMAX® theaters’ images are larger than life, the colors more vivid, and the sound crisper. In an IMAX® theater, you can explore outer space, the Grand Canyon, or the plunge into the depths of the ocean without leaving your seat.

The IMAX® experience is based on the largest film frame in motion picture history, giant screens, superb six-channel digital sound, incredible projectors, and specially-designed theaters. The IMAX® sound system is scientifically measured and balanced so that each seat receives the highest fidelity sound reproduction. There are currently over 300 IMAX® theaters operating or under construction around the world.

Theater Features

The TI Founders IMAX® Theater, able to accommodate up to 323 patrons, opened on June 15, 1996 and is a collection of architectural as well as cinematic marvels. The entrance to the theater is flanked by two "floating staircases" rising above a black terrazzo rendering of the solar system displayed throughout the theater lobby. The rendering of the solar system includes eleven constellations that are beautifully depicted with flecks of mother-of-pearl and other colorful gemstones.

Another distinctive feature of the terrazzo flooring is a representation of Halley's Comet, which includes a 12-foot tail, and an asteroid named for Cecil Green, one of the four TI Founders of the theater' s name. Other TI Founders are J. Erik Jonsson, Pat Haggerty, and Eugene McDermott.

Available for private parties, the facility seats 550 in the atrium or 1,000 in a buffet setting. The Science Building exhibit hall area also can be rented, and adds space for an additional 2,500 guests. Call (214) 428-5555, ext. 1310 for details.

Another feature of the IMAX® theater area is the expansion of classroom space. For reservations for IMAX® features and classes call (214) 428-5555, ext. 8 for details.

Not your typical movie experience…

Watching an IMAX® film is certainly a stimulating experience. However, approaching it understanding just what has to go on behind the scenes to bring it from the camera to our massive domed screen adds a new sense of appreciation for this technological marvel.

IMAX® Film Facts

• IMAX® films are printed horizontally on 70mm film stock to produce the largest image ever from a motion picture projector.
• Each individual IMAX® frame is 3 times larger than a standard 70mm frame, and 10 times larger than a 35mm frame that is used in conventional movie theaters.
• 24 individual images are projected per second and each one is projected twice.
• A 40 minute IMAX® film is 13,464 feet long and weighs over 125lbs.
• IMAX® film moves through the projector at 336.6 feet per minute or 5.61 feet per second.
• In order to increase the image on the film, the soundtrack resides in a separate medium such as a 35mm 6-track magnetic film reel, or a PC based digital source such that transfers an uncompressed 20 bit digital soundtrack to the hard drive and is synchronized to the film electronically.

IMAX® Projector

As the film passes through the projector, the patented IMAX® rolling loop system advances the film by creating a loop or wave of film that lays on the rear element of the lens assembly as each loop or wave passes by the aperture (or light opening) in the projector. The film is held in place by registration pins and further secured to the back of the lens by a vacuum. The projection system also utilizes compressed air that forms a cushion as the film moves through the projector at almost six feet per second. This proprietary technology along with IMAX® cameras that use similar exclusive technology that are used in capturing the massive images on film earned IMAX® an Academy Award in 1997 for scientific and technical achievement.

The Light Source

“The IMAX® uses… what?”

The light source used to project an IMAX® film is a 15,000-watt lamp –and that’s bound to get hot! The enclosure of the $6,000 lamp is made of quartz and it is filled with highly compressed xenon gas. Due to this extreme generated during lamp operation, chilled water is circulated through the lamp to prevent damage from overheating. Water is also circulated through the two reflector mirrors used to position the output of the light through the lens.

The IMAX® Screen

The semi-circular IMAX® dome screen is used to produce huge images that swoop and soar above, beside, and behind you to fully immerse you in the IMAX® experience. Although the dome appears to be solid, each section has thousands of tiny holes that allow the sound to travel through the screen and give the illusion that the sound is coming from the images on the screen surrounding the viewer with high quality sound to further enhance the experience.

The IMAX® Sound

The IMAX® digital sound system is quite special in depth and clarity. Our six channel sound system consists of a source that is fully uncompressed digital audio. The main component of the IMAX® sound system is the DDPII, a PC based system that copies the soundtrack for the film from a DVD to an internal hard disc drive. By reading a time code generated from the projector, the DDPII synchronizes the sound to the picture by “chasing” the time code and is accurate up to 1/24th of a second.

The magnetic film dubber, a large reel-to-reel unit, uses a high quality 35mm magnetic film as a playback source for the film soundtrack. It also reads the time code and can follow it from a dead stop to full speed in perfect synchronization.

The IMAX® amplifiers and loudspeaker system are custom-designed and configured for the stringent IMAX® specifications required to deliver the dynamic range needed to faithfully reproduce any sound. From the fluttering of an insect’s wings to the launch of a space shuttle, every sound is accurately reproduced to further immerse you into the IMAX® experience.

Questions and Answers

Q: What are those big tubes coming out of the back of the projector?

A: Those are the “life lines” to the IMAX® projector. They serve many functions such as providing an exhaust fan that moves 800 cubic feet of hot air away from the lamp every minute. They also house the circulation lines for the chilled water to the lamp to cool it and prevent it from overheating. The electrical wires to the lamp are also contained in these tubes. There are a number of other cables and wires that transmit important data to the IMAX® control unit that monitors a number of readings continually throughout the presentation.

 

Q: Why doesn’t the museum show current Hollywood blockbusters in the IMAX® Theater?

A: IMAX® has definitely increased in popularity in recent years and it’s truly exciting to see this remarkable technology become assimilated into mainstream culture. The Museum of Nature & Science endeavors to continue its mission to inspire minds through nature and science by providing our guests with entertaining educational films in the areas of nature and science. We want to ensure that your experience at the museum will involve immersion in these areas from a variety of angles.

 

Q: Where can I find out more about the IMAX® experience?

The official IMAX® website contains additional information on current films as well as IMAX history and additional interesting facts.

Sponsors and Benefactors

The TI Founders IMAX® Theater was named by Texas Instruments Foundation in honor of four company pioneers: Cecil Green, Eugene McDermott, Patrick E. Haggerty, and J. Erik Jonsson.

Prior to the 2006 merger of the Science Place and the Dallas Museum of Natural History (now the Museum of Nature & Science), the IMAX® was part of The Science Place's $13 million capital expansion that included a $12 million gift to the City of Dallas. Constructed with mostly private funds, the building was given to the City upon completion of construction in 1996.

Major donors to the project included: Texas Instruments Foundation, City of Dallas (1986 Bond), Anonymous donors, EDS, Hoblitzelle Foundation, Meadows Foundation, Exxon, Hillcrest Foundation, OxyChem, NationsBank, Enserch, Mr. Louis Beecherl, Jr., Cecil & Ida Green Foundation, Constantin Foundation, Dallas Foundation, The Dallas Morning News - WFAA Foundation, Dresser Industries, Haggerty Foundation, King Foundation, State Fair of Texas, E-Systems, Fund H, Communities Foundation of Texas, Jonsson Foundation, McDermott Foundation, Regional Health Supply, Inc., Stemmons Foundation, Northern Telecom, Texas Commerce Bank, Bank One, Texas, Mrs. Allen M. Early, Mr. Jan Collmer, Communities Foundation of Texas, Thomas O. Hicks, Rosewood Properties, Simmons Foundation, The Science Place Guild, Halliburton Foundation, Corgan and Associates, and other individuals.