NFTS Students Experience Oppenheimer at Multiple West End Cinemas!

With the Autumn term in full swing, over 100 students from the National Film and Television School recently had the opportunity to visit a number of cinemas across London’s West End, thanks to the generous support of the UK Cinema Association (UKCA), a key partner of the School. In total, the students toured five venues, watching a short clip from the Academy Award-winning Oppenheimer (courtesy of Universal Pictures) on five different screens and cinema set-ups, experiencing first-hand the varying nature of theatrical presentation.

This tour, the third such exercise that has been arranged by the NFTS and UKCA, is crucial in helping to develop students’ ability to discern how varying cinema technologies can change the perception and delivery of a film. 

The students kicked off their whistle-stop tour of the West End at the ODEON Luxe in Leicester Square. A grand theatre, adorned with wood panelling and gold figure installations, the magic of cinema is probably at its greatest in this iconic venue. NFTS Director Jon Wardle started off with an introduction, highlighting to the students the importance of developing their understanding of how their own practice will be informed and affected by cinema technologies.

ODEON Luxe Leicester Square

Jon then welcomed the Chief Executive of the UKCA, Phil Clapp to the stage. Phil provided important insight into the modern cinema experience and its intricacies before handing over to Mike Bradbury, Head of Sound and Projection at ODEON Cinemas Group. 

With over 30 years of experience in the industry, Mike’s wealth of knowledge gave the students a firm foundation for comparison before beginning the cinema tour. Mike highlighted the advancement of laser projection, likening the Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos they were about to witness to being the “Formula 1 car of the projection world”. He also went on to explain how screen surfaces and sound technologies within cinemas have changed, and the adjustments that cinemas sometimes need to make to the geometry of each auditorium to maximise the audience experience.

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer was shot on IMAX cameras and recorded in 5.1 sound, with Mike advising students to “always judge the sound on the dialogue”. 

The Oppenheimer clip played out beautifully in the various cinemas visited, and it was interesting to see just how different the viewing experience was from venue to venue. The ODEON Luxe, Leicester Square Cinema uses Dolby Vision technology, in 2:2:1 ratio. The second stop, the Prince Charles Cinema, showed the excerpt first on standard 2K DCP and then on 35mm film, both using Xenon projection. 

Post screening, it was clear that film is still a beloved medium by many of the attendees. Richard Lingard, NFTS Head of Assistant Directing and Floor Management commented: “It was a real treat and softer and warmer than I was expecting.” 

Curzon Soho

Next stop was the Curzon Soho, where students watched the Oppenheimer clip on Christie RGB laser projection technology. The penultimate visit was the Vue West End, where the scene played on Sony dual projectors.  The tour was rounded off in the ever impressive Cineworld Leicester Square, where students saw Cillian Murphy as Christopher Nolan intended, on the jaw-dropping IMAX screen. 

To close, the students enjoyed a brief Q&A with Mike Bradbury, Phil Clapp and Jon Wardle, with Phil summarising the importance of keeping an ‘open dialogue’ between future filmmakers and the constantly developing technological advancements in cinema. 

Vue West End

Most importantly, the students' knowledge and understanding increased, with Claud Cunningham, a Producing MA student saying: “I didn’t realise how much was involved, and although I don’t understand it deeply because it’s very technical, it was really good to be here to have that overall understanding.”
 

The NFTS would like to thank Phil Clapp and the UK Cinema Association for their continued support of the School as a key partner sponsor, Mike Bradbury and ODEON Cinemas Group, the Prince Charles Cinema, Curzon Cinemas, Vue and Cineworld Cinemas. Our thanks in particular to Universal Pictures for permission to use the extract from Oppenheimer.