“Almost like a real web site”
 

IN7OMM.COM
Search | Contact
News | e-News |
Rumour Mill | Stories
Foreign Language
in70mm.com auf Deutsch

WHAT'S ON IN 7OMM?

7OMM FESTIVAL
Todd-AO Festival
KRRR! 7OMM Seminar
GIFF 70, Gentofte
Oslo 7OMM Festival
Widescreen Weekend

TODD-AO
Premiere | Films
People | Equipment
Library | Cinemas
Todd-AO Projector
Distortion Correcting

PANAVISION
Ultra Panavision 70
Super Panavision 70
 

VISION, SCOPE & RAMA
1926 Natural Vision
1929 Grandeur
1930 Magnifilm
1930 Realife
1930 Vitascope
1952 Cinerama
1953 CinemaScope
1955 Todd-AO
1955 Circle Vision 360
1956 CinemaScope 55
1957 Ultra Panavision 70
1958 Cinemiracle
1958 Kinopanorama
1959 Super Panavision 70
1959 Super Technirama 70
1960 Smell-O-Vision
1961 Sovscope 70
1962
Cinerama 360
1962 MCS-70
1963 70mm Blow Up
1963 Circarama
1963 Circlorama
1966 Dimension 150
1966
Stereo-70
1967 DEFA 70
1967 Pik-A-Movie
1970 IMAX / Omnimax
1974 Cinema 180
1974 SENSURROUND
1976 Dolby Stereo
1984 Showscan
1984 Swissorama
1986 iWERKS
1989 ARRI 765
1990 CDS
1994 DTS / Datasat
2001 Super Dimension 70
2018 Magellan 65

Various Large format | 70mm to 3-strip | 3-strip to 70mm | Specialty Large Format | Special Effects in 65mm | ARC-120 | Super Dimension 70Early Large Format
7OMM Premiere in Chronological Order

7OMM FILM & CINEMA

Australia | Brazil
Canada | Denmark
England | France
Germany | Iran
Mexico | Norway
Sweden | Turkey
USA

LIBRARY
7OMM Projectors
People | Eulogy
65mm/70mm Workshop
The 7OMM Newsletter
Back issue | PDF
Academy of the WSW

7OMM NEWS
• 2026 | 2025 | 2024
2023 | 2022 | 2021
2020 | 2019 | 2018
2017 | 2016 | 2015
2014 | 2013 | 2012
2011 | 2010 | 2009
2008 | 2007 | 2006
2005 | 2004 | 2003
2002 | 2001 | 2000
1999 | 1998 | 1997
1996 | 1995 | 1994
 

in70mm.com Mission:
• To record the history of the large format movies and the 70mm cinemas as remembered by the people who worked with the films. Both during making and during running the films in projection rooms and as the audience, looking at the curved screen.
in70mm.com, a unique internet based magazine, with articles about 70mm cinemas, 70mm people, 70mm films, 70mm sound, 70mm film credits, 70mm history and 70mm technology. Readers and fans of 70mm are always welcome to contribute.

Disclaimer | Updates
Support us
Testimonials
Table of Content
 

 
 
Extracts and longer parts of in70mm.com may be reprinted with the written permission from the editor.
Copyright © 1800 - 2070. All rights reserved.

Visit biografmuseet.dk about Danish cinemas

 

Fifty Years and Counting - An Epilogue
Todd-AO 70mm Festival 7 - 9 October 2005
Schauburg Cinerama,
Karlsruhe, Germany

Read more at
in70mm.com
The 70mm Newsletter
Written by: Walter Siegmund, 5 October 2005 24 October 2005
Walter Siegmund in Karlsruhe, 2008. Image by Thomas Hauerslev

Celebrations of past experiences are always a stark reminder of the rapid passage of time. Most of us who were privileged to work on Todd-AO were in our 20's and 30's back in 1952 when it all began. I was only 27 years old.

The main exception was Dr. Brian O'Brien who was the primary inventor of Todd-AO who was 54 or 55 at the time.

And what a time it was! Those of you, who have spent a professional lifetime in motion pictures, would be amused at us in 1952 – 1955, starting out with almost no experience in motion picture technology, and having the bravado to try to revolutionize that technology!

Fortunately, we met and worked with a few professionals along the way, and they kept us from making too many mistakes. I think of names like Skip Sandford (cinematography), Fred Hynes (master of the sound of Todd-AO), Art Miller (Printing and processing – he formerly headed up Consolidated Film Laboratories), John Mitchell, who made the Todd-AO cameras, Dr. Robert Hopkins who designed the famous “Bug Eye” lens (Named by Mike Todd himself, I believe).

And finally there was the masterful design and manufacture of the DP70 by Jan Kotte and the N.V. Philips of Eindhoven.

But the special feature of Todd-AO, the “Correcting Printing Process” which made it possible to reproduce “Cinerama” from “one hole”, as Mike Todd ordered, was left to us amateurs at American Optical Company.

This was a wonderful concept and a development challenge, which came very close to a successful process, but was compromised by a badly scratched “Oklahoma!” master negative (worth 7 million dollars!) and a few glitches in the printer.

Despite the problems, this period of intense development proved to be the most exciting in our professional careers. I speak here for Henry Cole, Brian O'Brien Jr. as well as myself. I think in some ways we all envy those who made their careers in motion pictures; the excitement, the stars, the glamour, the opening nights, the Oscars. But we can at least say, we once had our day and perhaps we did leave our mark on the revival of motion pictures, from the onslaught of television back then, - fifty years ago.
 
Further in 70mm reading:

Todd-AO Festival Home
1st Todd-AO Festival
• Wilkommen | Welcome
• Intro | Festival Images
2005 Festival Flyer (PDF)
70mm is Back by Popular Demand

Festival Archives
Festival Through the Years
Festival Schedule and Archive

More Schauburg Cinerama

Festivals in Pictures
Schauburg Cinerama
Best of Todd-AO Festival
Guests | Billboards | Posters

Todd-AO

Walter Siegmund

DP70 / Universal 70-35 / Norelco AAII - The Todd-AO Projector

The Todd-AO Saga

Internet link:
Schauburg.de

 
 
Go: back - top - back issues - news index
Updated 21-01-24