Showscan is a cinematic process developed by Douglas Trumbull. Similar to 70 mm wide-screen processes, it uses 65 mm film, but photographs and projects it at 60 frames per second – 2.5 times faster than standard movie film.[1] It renders a picture that is not only extremely high in definition, but is dramatically smoother and more realistic in its rendering of motion, similar to that seen in video.
Trumbull had first come to the public's attention for his work on the ground-breaking special effects in movies such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Andromeda Strain, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He also directed 1972's Silent Running, widely considered a classic of 1970s science fiction.
The Showscan Film process was developed in the late '70s and early '80s by Trumbull, when he became interested in increasing the fidelity or definition of movies. Similar to the quality issues addressed later by high-definition television, the then-state of the art of movies suffered from the limitations of the medium. When projected onto a large screen, the film grain of 35 mm film stock is often quite visible, which reduces the quality of the displayed image, a problem further exacerbated by the larger grain used in the fast film stock often used to capture high-speed action. Trumbull chose a 65 mm film stock for his new process to address this, providing a higher resolution image.
Trumbull also did research into frame rate, running a series of tests with 35 mm stock filmed and projected at various speeds, shown to audiences who were instrumented to biometrically test their responses. He found that as the frame rate increased, so did the viewer's emotional reaction.
Trumbull discovered that although viewers see smooth motion from film displayed at 24 frames per second (fps), the standard in motion pictures for decades, they are subconsciously still aware of the flicker. This awareness reduces the emotional impact of the film. As the speed of projection ramped up, so did the emotional response, peaking at 72 fps. After that speed, no further improvements were noted.
The 1983 feature film Brainstorm was intended to be the first Showscan film, but plans fell through.[1] Since then, Showscan has been used mostly for short ride films in conjunction with powered motion simulator seats.
In 1993, Trumbull, Geoffrey Williamson, Robert Auguste and Edmund DiGiulio were awarded a Scientific and Engineering Academy Award for the Showscan camera system.[2]
Showscan Film Corporation, which produced and marketed the equipment, underwent Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2002;[3] the process was then acquired by a new company, Showscan Entertainment.[3]
In March 2011, filmmaker James Cameron, without referencing Trumbull or Showscan, gave a presentation promoting the idea of moving motion picture technology to faster frame rates such as 48 or 60 frames per second, saying that in 2012 he would be shooting the sequel to his 2009 film Avatar at one of those two frame rates.[4]
Similarly, director Peter Jackson has also expressed his intention to film his upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit using RED One cameras shooting at 48fps.
A digital version of Showscan called Showscan Digital is currently in development.