Ron Howard : Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience

Popular director Ron Howard has released his classic Apollo 13 in a fantastic new IMAX version. You haven't had a thrill until you've seen that five story Saturn 5 rocket hurl itself off the launchpad on a 6 story high screen! The standard 35 millimeter film is digitally remastered at very high resolution (no grain visible) to fit the huge IMAX 15/70 format. Apollo 13 is the first full-length feature film to be presented this way and it will be a pioneer for more to follow. Since two hours is the max the current IMAX format can take, Howard had to cut about twenty minutes from his film. It is rumored that IMAX is considering upsizing Attack of the Clones next! We spoke with Howard recently about his decision to partner with IMAX for this eye-popping entertainment experience. He was starving and wolfing down a cookie but we could still translate his comments.

TeenHollywood: How did this whole project come about?

Ron: We (at Ron's Imagine Films) talked about someday maybe producing an IMAX film. I've always wanted to direct one. I've seen a bunch of them. [Those giant cameras] have always been the big drawback. The great news about this software is you don't need those big cameras any more even for IMAX movies so I don't see why they would ever use them again. We learned that the IMAX folks had developed software they had secretly written and that they were looking to experiment on a live action movie. It's appropriate that Apollo 13 play at the Smithsonian and yet it's also compelling entertainment so you can use it in the theatrical outlets as well. So I think they looked at it as a movie that was consistent with the IMAX expectation. I know they would like to do all kinds of theatrical movies on IMAX. I'm very proud that our movie was chosen and I hope that it gets into that IMAX play cycle and is around for years and years playing at museums and planetariums and places like that.

TeenHollywood: It was interesting that they chose this film because a lot of it happens in controlled spaces, like inside the ship and control room. What went through your mind when they first approached you?

Ron: I was instantly excited about it. And then, literally a few moments later I kind of sagged because I thought 'I'll bet they're not ready with this technology and I'll bet they're hurrying this along and I'm gonna have to be the one that says 'I know it sounds great on paper but it's not right for our movie.' Because I knew I'd shot the movie with a lot of close-ups. I shot it as a human-interest story. It is contained. Of course the action in space would be more exciting and more involving but I just really worried that the movie would not adapt well. I was wrong. And I was thrilled to be wrong. The minute I saw Kathleen Quinlan and Tracy Reiner's two shot looking up at the launch playing Mrs. Jim Lovell and Mrs. Fred Haise, I'd always loved that shot and I'd always loved their performances but when I saw even more detail and sort of richer honest emotion being conveyed in that shot, I was completely convinced that it was going to work.

TeenHollywood: The launch was awesome and so were the scenes in Mission Control.

Ron: By their nature, seems like folks involved in the space program are reserved, understated and that's just the way they express themselves. The actors followed suit and therefore, the performances are understated and it still conveyed a lot of emotion and detail in the theatrical version but I was really blown away by how much more we seemed to be able to kind of look inside them with this format. I didn't expect that. I didn't expect it to be better human drama in this format. I expected it to be a better adventure movie and more of an action movie and it's those things as well but I never thought that watching Tom Hanks decide to give up the dream of the moon and turn and decide that the mission now was to get home, could be more vivid and compelling.

TeenHollywood: How did you know this would come out okay?

Ron: They showed us sections of four different scenes, launch, explosion in space, the moon reverie where Jim Lovell is imagining himself on the moon and re-entry so they went for all the spectacle but what convinced me again were the close ups. I sort of floated out of the IMAX theater after watching it. It was very moving and really exciting.

TeenHollywood: Can you talk about your editing choices? You had to cut quite a bit out.

Ron: Yeah, we had to cut about twelve to thirteen minutes of actual picture out of it. A few scenes we had to live without. We were able to trim scenes down from within in ways that gained us a lot of time. I think all-in-all, the movie flows better now in this version even though there are a few little pet moments and some humor and a few things that I miss from the theatrical version but I really stand behind this cut given the IMAX format.

TeenHollywood: So there's nothing you would have changed if you knew it would one day be in this format?

Ron: No. Not really. That's kind of the good news. The transfer, for my money, works. I kind of feel like the movie always belonged on the IMAX screen. It's just almost too good to be true that it could have this third life in this format. I'm thrilled.

TeenHollywood: Do you think that awareness of the space program will go up again after more people see the film in this format?

Ron: Well, the international space station is cool. Kids know about it. The 3-D IMAX Space Station film is great. I really recommend that. It's incredible to look at. I hope this does a little something. I was for Lance Bass going into space...anything that stimulates people's imagination about the possibility for further exploration is a great thing. But I don't think tourism should be NASA's job. It's time for private enterprise to step in there and try to make it work. I read a great article all about going to Mars and making it like the Olympics and sell off the rights and make it a great big TV show and pay for the whole trip that way.

TeenHollywood: So is this your lucky charm movie that lives forever?

Ron: Movies are hard work but this one was sort of blessed right down the line. Given just the personalities of everyone involved, everyone's will to make the movie, the good luck we had making the movie, the lack of mishaps and really bad days, I almost like to think it's the karma of the Apollo 13 crew. You know, their story was sort of shoved under the carpet and, in fact, was such a noble triumph that wasn't really acknowledged much at the time and yet now the story just lives on and on and on. Now, there's this IMAX version which is going to introduce the story to a whole new generation and hopefully play for some years to come in that IMAX cycle.

TeenHollywood: The film ratio is larger so did they have to use special effects to "fill out" shots?

Ron: They used a little of the top and bottom, anything that was available got used because we had also cleared it for foreign use which is (larger). There was a little more top and bottom available in a lot of shots and we lost a little on the sides but it was well worth the swap.

TeenHollywood: Was anything re-done on the effects shots?

Ron: Because they'd been digitized, there were certain little things we could do, enhance certain reflections a little bit, but we were also working on a pretty tight budget so we ignored the impulse as much as possible to get in there and start fiddling with things. We tried to enhance the (real) television images as much as possible. Really, the transfer worked well. We did a little more work on the sound effects. Tweaked that a little bit. What's interesting is the first time we heard it we really just emulated the theatrical release and I watched the whole thing start to finish and I said, 'you know, I've been to a lot of IMAX movies and you sort of expect something that, in the theatrical release, you might find a little distracting or over the top, but in the IMAX version you expect total emersion so let's be more aggressive and more ambitious than that.' We went back and re-mixed a number of scenes and everybody liked the mix. James Horner's score is really powerful and really emotional and, without being corny, it's kind of patriotic and it's almost like going to a concert to see the movie in the IMAX theater.

TeenHollywood: Were you aware that this was a prototype for more IMAX versions of theatrical releases?

Ron: I was aware, but they are keenly aware of it. They are hoping. Brian (Grazer) and I have talk a little bit about it. I think you have to be selective because you don't want to create disappointment for people and you also don't want to overpower people. The early response has just been fantastic to it. We're going to learn a lot just by audience response.

TeenHollywood: What would be some of your choices of films to convert?

Ron: I'd probably like to see Lawrence of Arabia. Of the Imagine movies, The Grinch might be kind of fun come holiday time but it hasn't been discussed.

TeenHollywood: Have Jim Lovell or Fred Haise, the actual Apollo 13 astronauts had a chance to see it yet? (The third crewmember Jack Swigert died of cancer).

Ron: No they haven't. I think Jim is going to see it next week in New York but Fred couldn't make it to that. He'll catch it in Florida.

TeenHollywood: What is it about IMAX films that you like so much?

Ron: I like any movie that transports you and there's something very enveloping about the medium and I'm always been interested in the theatrical, dramatic versions and I like those sections. Like in the Grand Canyon movie they have a little section about what the tribes were like living on the rim. I always loved that section better than the helicopter shot along the canyon walls. I'd always dreamed of making an IMAX movie and when I saw the test I was kind of thinking to myself, 'who knew I'd already made one?'

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.