More film options coming for Saskatchewan Science Centre's IMAX theatre
Saskatchewan’s Science Centre was host to a giant delivery this week, promising to reinvigorate the province’s largest film screen.
A giant crane hoisted the 50 by 70 foot screen weighing 1,800 pounds off of its transport and into the IMAX Kramer Theatre through a window.
“The screen has to come in in one long crate. So its 52 feet long. It can’t be wrinkled, bent, anything. It comes in and slides into the top of the theatre,” Sandy Baumgartner, CEO of the centre told CTV News.
Trevor Ewan has been the chief projectionist at the IMAX for the last 25 years.
“New screen coming in, it’s exciting. Its nerve wracking as it was the last time the screen came in,” he said. “And it’s always weird to see something that expensive hanging in the middle of the air.”
It’s part of a $4 million conversion to digital projection at the Kramer IMAX.
“Up until now, our IMAX film projector has used Imax 15/70 millimeter film and that’s the only way that we’ve been able to show content in Imax format,” Ryan Holota, Chief Operating Officer at the Science Centre explained.
The new projection system is powered by 4,000 lasers and each is available for sponsorship as part of a fundraising campaign.
“The new laser projectors that we're installing will give us access to basically all the content that Imax is producing in digital formats, as well as other content not necessarily IMAX but in digital formats that we haven't been able to show,” Holota said.
“If you see on TV, and it says ‘now playing in IMAX,’ that's something that we might be able to show in our theatre.”
Updated equipment and more movie selection is something visitors have been anxious to see for years.
“That's probably been one of the number one requests that we've had,” Holota said. “The laser system will allow us to have more content, to change that content out more often, which will let people come back and enjoy those films a lot more often in the future.”
The entire facility is being revamped including the lobby, all the seats and the five storey tall screen.
But that’s not all, according to Holota.
“We have some permanent exhibits in the Science Centre that are going to be coming online also early in July, including an updated Richardson Agri-Land exhibit, which we're really excited about.”
The renovations to the centre will allow it to expand its services and help the non-profit achieve its goal.
“Our mission is to ignite scientific curiosity in Saskatchewan. We’re a tourism destination for southern Saskatchewan and the City of Regina and we know that we bring people in from all over North America and certainly all over Canada,” Holota said.
“A science centre is both an entertainment facility but it's also an educational facility. So, we sort of hit all these different targets and it’s very important for communities to have vibrant science centres.”
The new Kramer IMAX Theatre is set to have its first screening in early summer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Flights divert around western Iran as one report says explosions heard near Isfahan
Commercial flights began diverting their routes early Friday morning over western Iran without explanation as one semiofficial news agency in the Islamic Republic claimed there had been 'explosions' heard over the city of Isfahan. State television acknowledged 'loud noise.'
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn't over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.