textField=	IMAX will redefine the movie-going experience through IMAX DMR, a patent pending revolutionary technology that allows live-action films to be transformed into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience.
	IMAX DMR (Digital Re-Mastering) starts by converting a 35mm frame into digital form at very high resolution, capturing all the detail from the original.  The proprietary software mathematically analyzes and extracts the important image elements in each frame from the original grainy structure to create a pristine form of the original photography.  This is the most complex step in IMAX DMR.  The image on a 35mm film frame is comprised of a fine grain structure like that of all photographic images.  This grain, when projected onto the IMAX screen, looks like a TV channel that isnt quite tuned to the station.  Removing this grain while preserving the quality of the underlying image is the basis of IMAX DMR.
	To create the brightness and clarity that audiences have come to expect from The IMAX Experience, IMAX uses a proprietary computer program to make the images sharper than they were originally, while colors are adjusted for the unique technically superior characteristics of the IMAX screen.  The completed re-mastered film is then transferred onto the worlds largest film format, 15-perforations 70mm.  Sonically, IMAX has always delivered incredible six-channel multi-speaker sound that helps put audiences in the picture.  IMAX recreates this immersive experience for IMAX DMR by recreating the films original soundtrack, adding another dimension to upgrade it to IMAX standards.
	Ron Howard, director of <i>Apollo 13</i>, appreciated the results: "Seeing the process of <i>Apollo 13</i> being transformed into The IMAX Experience was truly exciting," he said. "The IMAX difference  the size, the sound and the clarity  is unbelievable and adds a whole new aspect to the story-telling.  For the first time, this story will be told in a totally unique format, which completely involves the audience in the mission of Apollo 13."
	For around five years, IMAX has been trying to marry the best of what Hollywood has to offer with IMAX quality images and sound, said Bradley J. Wechsler, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of IMAX Corporation.  "With <i>Apollo 13</i>, we accomplish that goal.  Its the perfect film for us for a number of reasons.  Its visually stunning, historically relevant and accurate, and emotionally inspirational.  In short, its the type of film that will not only play beautifully in the best IMAX commercial theatres around the world, it will also play in the best museums and science centers where a number of our theatres are as well.
	When we first saw <i>Apollo 13</i> transformed using this technology, we were speechless, agreed IMAX Corporation Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer Richard L. Gelfond.  Star fields which were three points of light in 35mm become full galaxies in IMAX.
	When IMAX approached us about having <i>Apollo 13</i> as the first live-action film to be converted for IMAX theatres, said Brian Grazer, we were really excited by the opportunity to be pioneers with them.  As a filmmaker who is always exploring innovative ideas, I was completely captivated by this revolutionary technology.
	Ive always been a fan of the IMAX 15/70 format, and for the last 10 or 12 years have often thought of trying to make an IMAX movie, added Ron Howard.  Lo and behold, when I saw the first tests on the conversion of <i>Apollo 13</i>, I realized that I had already made an IMAX movie. Seeing <i>Apollo 13</i> presented like this, with its clarity of image and staggering dimension, it occurred to me that this is how I had always hoped the film could be seen.  I just never imagined that it would become possible less than a decade after we first released it.  I give my real appreciation to IMAX not only as a director, but as an audience member.  IMAX has truly redefined the experience of movie-going.
	Howard and Grazer were joined by Apollo 13 star Tom Hanks in their enthusiasm for what the new process could bring to their film.  When the test sequences were shown to me, all I could think was when can I see more?  To watch a film this way completely immerses an audience and engages all the senses  its not the same as any movie-going experience before it, and in a different universe entirely than watching a film at home.  Not to mention, its not just a little terrifying to see yourself eight stories tall.
	However, the creators of <i>Apollo 13</i> were also delighted that the IMAX process enhanced the drama of the film as well as the spectacle.  I dont think the test is so much how cool the star field looks or how well the special effects play, noted Hanks.  I think the great test is in the intensity of the close-ups, the performances and the words that were written by Bill Broyles and Al Reinert.  And I think we all agree that in the format used by IMAX, these moments play even more powerfully than they did in the standard version. 
	I had always hoped that <i>Apollo 13</i> would be one of those movie experiences where the audience is transported, added Ron Howard, and gets some sense of what it feels like to be in those characters shoes and experience what theyre experiencing.  I think that the IMAX 15/70 format delivers on that possibility and exceeds what we were able to do with the standard theatrical release.  Now its even more of a personal experience for the audience.
	And I think that one of the surprises for people seeing <i>Apollo 13</i> The IMAX Experience, continued Howard, who have already seen the movie in its original theatrical release, on television or on video or DVD, is that the heart of the film is human interest.  Yes, theres spectacle, but what the IMAX DMR version does is draw you even more deeply into a kind of shared experience that youre having with these characters.
	Ron and I both felt that the IMAX 15/70 format would magnify the emotional experience, agreed Howards long-time partner Brian Grazer. It becomes a deeper, richer experience in IMAX.  You live inside the characters.
	For the purposes of <i>Apollo 13</i> The IMAX Experience, Howard has achieved a re-edit of the theatrical release more appropriate for the format.  Because I want as many people to rediscover the movie in the IMAX DMR version as possible, it became a process of re-exploring the movie and keeping in mind the virtues and values of The IMAX Experience.  Fortunately, Dan Hanley, who won an Academy Award as one of the editors of Apollo 13, was available and could devote the time necessary for the IMAX DMR version.  We explored variations and possibilities, and in some instances came up with what I thought were better edits of scenes.
	The educational possibilities of releasing <i>Apollo 13</i> in the IMAX 15/70 format also necessitated the alteration of the films running time.  Alternative versions of films are quite common for airlines and network television, but in this specific instance, the need for editing <i>Apollo 13</i> was unprecedented.  At this point in time, due to the enormous size of the IMAX film reels, films cannot play beyond 120 minutes (IMAX films generally run from 30 to 45 minutes in length) without an intermission.  Given the fact that educators regularly take their students to IMAX theatres as part of their curriculum, IMAX Corporation, Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment felt it appropriate to ensure that <i>Apollo 13</i> The IMAX Experience become a staple of daytime educational school programming.  The slightly shorter length facilitates this type of programming, while staying true to the accuracy and humanity of the original film.  
	(IMAX is currently working to upgrade platters for future and longer IMAX DMR releases.  Meanwhile, the original version of <i>Apollo 13</i> remains intact and is available for all in formats such as DVD and VHS.)
	The feedback we received from educators after the film was released is one of our private little joys, noted Howard.  Its one of the reasons why the IMAX people came to us about the possibility of re-releasing the film, and even though I was kind of skeptical at first, I certainly had my fingers crossed.  It wasnt because I wanted to see the launch scene eight stories high.  It was the possibility that the movie could be presented on an ongoing basis as a point of discussion, and hopefully a source of inspiration, for students and teachers for years to come.
	Captain Jim Lovell offered his own feedback.  Seeing <i>Apollo 13</i> in an IMAX theatre will be like experiencing the mission all over again, Lovell observed.  This is the closest the audience will feel to actually being part of the Apollo 13 mission. 
	I have heard that previous IMAX space films have inspired children to become todays astronauts.  I am excited that millions of school children will be able to experience the history of the space program through <i>Apollo 13</i> The IMAX Experience. 



