About in70mm.com
Essential 70MM Reading. How to get ahead and advance your knowledge about large format.

In70mm.com is the finest resource on the web for information on Cinerama and 70mm. It is a website of amazing depth and testimonies from many people who have worked in the widescreen sector. A truly great achievement by Thomas. For anyone interested in widescreen it is a must.

Bill Lawrence, Halifax, UK

The site known now as “in70mm.com” began to coalesce in the late 1980s, when a number of events and interested parties began to realize that some aspects of wide-screen and 70mm technology were going away (e.g., photographing film on 65mm film stock), and other aspects were disappearing, and the mechanical equipment to show such works – specifically, 3-strip Cinerama – might soon be completely gone.

Who were some of these early latter-day pioneers? I’m thinking of John Harvey, of Dayton, Ohio, for one. John had preserved a set of 3 Cinerama projectors and the necessary sound and synchronizing equipment (and some of the films) – and set it up in his home! Certain select cognoscenti interested in the field would find out about his installation via an informal grapevine (this was in the pre-internet days), and … he rose to be a degree of inspiration and was a critical link in saving Cinerama as a presentation format.

On the European side of the pond, we had Willem Bouwmeester in the NL and Keith Swadkins in the UK. Both, in their own ways, had hands-on experience with the equipment and film prints, and Willem in particular was, as they saying goes, in the right place at the right time: he, through a multi-faceted process of persuasion and nudging, managed to convince the powers that be in Bradford, UK, to convert a languishing stage-play venue into a full Cinerama Theatre. That’s the place now known as Pictureville. This was taking place in about 1992.

Keith, also horrified at the wilful physical destruction which had been decreed for the remaining Cinerama equipment (when Cinerama ceased operations and was liquidated (May, 1978), took it upon himself to salvage as much as he could find, and documented most all of the rest. He created the “International Cinerama Society”, and published an occasional newsletter which circulated among knowing fans of the process.

On the 70mm side of things, as the ‘90s dawned, it was also becoming apparent that the massive distribution print runs of 70mm shows that had prevailed during 80s were also disappearing. The principal reason was the extra cost, of course, but 70mm had held on for a while because of the superior 6-channel full-range magnetic sound. But digital sound was approaching, and since that digital audio was incorporated directly in the 35mm prints, the writing was on the wall that 70mm prints were apparently to be going the way of the dinosaurs.

Still, 70mm fans again – and again pre-internet – formed loose affiliations to let each other know of special shows, events, and “developments”, be they good news or bad news. Johan Wolthuis in NL began publishing an occasional journal, “The 70mm Newsletter”, which collated some information in the 1990s. Johan joined with me (Thomas Hauerslev of “in70mm.com”) to jointly raise the profile of his 70mm newsletter, and see about getting better awareness of things by trying out this thing called the “internet”.

I (Thomas) had been a projectionist for some years, as well as developing skills in word and picture usage, and combined those to create a website, incorporating the interest in 70mm. At the start, it was essentially a continuation of the “70mm Newsletter”, but as time went by and I established additional connections around the world, the site began to evolve into something significant.
 

in70mm.com - How it all Began

Bill Lawrence and Thomas Hauerslev, Bradford, 2007

The basis of in70mm.com was founded during the 1990s. A decade where many of the original engineers and people behind many widescreen systems were still among us, and at the same time 70mm presentations were fading away. Two key people were instrumental in getting things rolling. One was Willem Bouwmeester (NL), and the second was Bill Lawrence (UK). Both of whom opened Thomas' eyes to a universe of enthusiasts, and lovers of large format film.

Thomas recalls the beginning:

The web site would probably not have happened without the encouragement of Willem Bouwmeester who was very enthusiastic about The 70mm Newsletter. In fact, Willem's enthusiasm for CINERAMA inspired the birth "The International 70mm Association" in 1988, which evolved into The 70mm Newsletter and finally to in70mm.com in 1999. Willem and I shared a mutual interest for the history of Large Format film, and thanks to his network and enthusiasm we met several key industry people including Bill Shaw, Walter Siegmund & Brian O'Brien, Jr. and Richard C. Babish. Together we toured the birthplaces of Todd-AO, and CINERAMA. Willem was always great company, and the wealth of historic film information he possessed was beyond impressive and hugely inspiring. He taught me how to contact and talk to people. His encouragement to do research and write original material has been instrumental since.

As the editor of The 70mm Newsletter I was invited to the 1996 Widescreen Weekend in Bradford (UK) where I met Bill Lawrence, who at that time was head of Film at the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television. Bill and I soon hit it off, and thanks to his confidence in me I became involved with Widescreen Weekend film festival planning for almost 10 years. Bill's trust taught me how to organize and curate a film festival with 70mm films, including schedule planning, and hosting the festival by making the guests feel welcome. The highlight was giving a 1-hour lecture about Todd-AO for the 50th anniversary in 2005. Bill has subsequently been working with in70mm.com, and publishes the eNews on an occasional basis.

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About in70mm.com

Essential in70mm.com Reading
How to get ahead and advance your knowledge about large format.