The Stephen Low Company is pleased to help celebrate Mario Andretti’s 50 years of racing via the contribution of a race vehicle for the exhibition Mario Andretti: Racing Royalty mounted by the World of Speed Motorsports Museum (Wilsonville, OR).
The Exhibition. The World of Speed, a Wilsonville, Oregon-based nonprofit motorsports museum, has opened a new exhibit honoring Mario Andretti, the most successful American race car driver of all time. Andretti conquered every style of racing he tried, going head-to-head with the best drivers the world had to offer and coming out victorious. The exhibition celebrates the breadth of this career and features cars driven by Andretti during five decades of racing; included is the Indy car driven by Mario Andretti for the filming of the IMAX Experience Super Speedway.
Above: from the exhibit Mario Andretti: Racing Royalty (photos: World of Speed Collection)
“Mario Andretti isn’t just a race legend, he is a household name,” said World of Speed Curator Ron Huegli. “How many times have you heard someone say ‘Who do you think you are, Mario Andretti?’ He is a part of America’s lexicon and an ambassador for the world of racing. His list of accomplishments is unrivaled, and he successfully competed in 11 different types of racing.”
Super Speedway. The Stephen Low Company released Super Speedway in 1997–an IMAX Experience focused on the world of Indy Car racing. Directed by giant screen filmmaker Stephen Low and filmed with authentic 15perf. / 70mm film for IMAX theaters, the project was a unique collaboration with the race organizer CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams) and the Newman Haas Racing team that would see an IMAX-equipped Indy car on a variety of tracks to capture giant screen racing action for the first time. Recently retired from CART racing, Mario Andretti took on the task of driving the camera car for the production.
The Camera Car. The camera car was an authentic Indy car modified with anchor points to to accommodate several different camera mount positions for the heavy IMAX film camera. The car had been driven in a previous racing season by Emerson Fitipaldi. The existing speed-limiting pop-off valve on the vehicle was disabled to enable Mario to let loose with extra power to chase action on the track with the IMAX camera.
The Film. The Super Speedway film would cover the field of drivers and teams represented in the championship, but ultimately focus on Michael Andretti driving for Newman Haas and his father, Mario Andretti. Super Speedway became a huge success in giant screen exhibition, at that time pre-leased to more theaters than ever before. The film has been exhibited in museums and science centres, multiplexes and stand-alone IMAX theaters around the world and remains an authentic and unsurpassed experience of the racing world.
More about the Exhibit. Mario Andretti: Racing Royalty opened Saturday, March 23 and will run through November 2. World of Speed is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday and Sunday, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
About World of Speed. World of Speed is an educational motorsports museum, where historic race cars, boats, and motorcycles tell the story of America’s iconic car culture and its leadership role in the world of racing. It encompasses many aspects and types of motorsports, from drag racing and land speed racing to open-wheel racing, NASCAR, and more. Through interactive exhibits, extensive education, family programs, and hands-on activities, World of Speed offers an exciting behind-the-scenes look at the racing world. Find out more about the exhibition at www.worldofspeed.org
The Trolley will have its U.S. Premiere at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, WA June 22, 2018 and will exhibit at the science centre for the summer. The Trolley propels giant screen audiences through the great cities of the globe to tell the story of one of civilization’s most remarkable inventions. Step aboard the talented electric trolley for a ride across the eras and through thirty-nine cities and sixteen countries…
The Trolley IMAX Experience received a tremendous reception at its World Premiere from a capacity audience at Toronto’s Ontario Place Cinesphere IMAX. Exhibited as a special presentation at the Hot Docs Toronto International Documentary Film Festival on Saturday May 5th, the event attracted an enthusiastic audience of more than six hundred.
The screening included an introduction by Alex Rogalski (Hot Docs senior Canadian programmer), a videotaped address by filmmaker Stephen Low (filming at sea for a new IMAX production) and a post-screening Q&A session by producers Pietro Serapiglia and Alexander Low.
Toronto Launch. Following the World Premiere and widespread media coverage (over 51 pieces of coverage and an estimated reach and readership of 227 million), a public run of the The Trolley at Ontario Place Cinesphere is now underway. The launch team for the film are gearing up for an exciting summer of The Trolley at the Cinesphere IMAX and are working to mobilize Torontonians and visitors to the city to share the ride and come down to Toronto’s lakeshore playground to experience this immersive globe-trotting true story of a remarkable invention and its worldwide impact.
About the film. As communities across North America and around the world continue to fight traffic gridlock and debate their transportation needs, a new IMAX documentary shares a story about getting the world on track. The Trolley propels audiences on a journey through some 34 cities and 15 countries to relate the story of a most remarkable invention. The film tackles global warming and urban transportation head-on with an incisive look at a breakthrough electric technology of the 19th century that still beats the pants off transportation technologies of today. Find out more about The Trolley here: The Trolley
Additional markets. In addition to Ontario Place Cinesphere, The Trolley will also launch at: Pacific Science Centre, Seattle; the Canadian Museum of Civilization (Gatineau); Telus World of Science, Edmonton and; IMAX Victoria at the Royal BC Museum among other locations.
About the Cinesphere, Ontario Place. Recently refurbished with state-of-the-art IMAX-with-Laser projection and proprietary 12-channel sound system, the historic Cinesphere (the first permanent IMAX theatre in the World) is now once again one of the top cinema experiences on the planet. The Cinesphere is located at Ontario Place, Toronto’s recently refurbished and re-launched waterfront playground that includes the Budweiser performance stage, re-designed and re-forested biking and walking paths, beach volleyball and restaurant. To buy tickets and find out more about Ontario Place Cinesphere: Ontario Place – Cinesphere
About Hot Docs. Hot Docs celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. The event has grown into one of the largest and most popular documentary festivals in the world. Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is North America’s largest documentary festival, conference and market. Each year, the Festival presents a selection of approximately 200 cutting-edge documentaries from Canada and around the globe. The Trolley is the first IMAX film ever presented at the Hot Docs festival. Find out more about Hot Docs here: hotdocs.ca
Clippings
Media
Clippings
Interview with filmmaker Stephen Low about The Trolley
[FEATURE/INTERVIEW] – audio clip CBC RadioHere and Now, Toronto
Broadcast on: May 23, 2018
It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of our long time friend and production collaborator, Bill Reeve. A cinematographer, stereographer Bill passed away on Tuesday May 22nd after a battle with cancer.
Bill brought together a fascination with things engineered and the photographic arts to become a master of the IMAX camera. Bill’s contributions to the industry were many and included work on several Stephen Low films: Titanica, Mark Twain’s America (3D), Super Speedway, Volcanoes of the Deep Sea, Fighter Pilot, and Legends of Flight (3D). We will miss you Bill.
Streetcars Get the IMAX Treatment at Hot Docs 2018
The Trolley, a creation of award-winning IMAX filmmaker Stephen Low,
showcases the beauty, history, and impact of one of the greatest innovations in transportation.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018 (Toronto, ON) – Filmmaker Stephen Low, who has spent three decades producing and perfecting large-format cinema experiences, will have his newest project, The Trolley, debut as a Special Presentation at Hot Docs 2018. The Trolley propels audiences on a journey around the world to explore the power and potential of the trolley, tram or streetcar—a once nearly forgotten masterpiece of 19th century innovation. The film’s stunning aesthetic and ‘how-things-work’ approach turn a streetcar ride into something extraordinary. Following the trolley’s rollercoaster existence from 19th century invention to near extinction in the 1960s, the film focuses on Toronto as one of the only cities in North America to have retained an extensive streetcar network. The Trolley will have its World Premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival on Saturday, May 5 at the Cinesphere, Ontario Place at 3PM EST.
“The Trolley stares down the automobile. In climate change, humanity faces a global crisis that is in scale and complexity unlike anything we have encountered before, yet we already have the solutions. And one of them is staring us in the face,” explains filmmaker Stephen Low. “I had to make this film to give streetcars their due. The film may prove especially poignant and nostalgic for Torontonians, given that streetcars (trolleys) have been these charming fixtures in the city since before we can remember. I hope we are able to give people a look at how and why they evolved – and I hope that the film helps humanize the transit system that is so vital to our lives and future.”
Can the trolley triumph? This film is sure to stimulate passions in its viewers. Showcasing surging urban machines from across of the eras, The Trolley evokes nostalgia, romance and adventure, but also underlines the dramatic transportation dilemma faced by humankind in an era of enduring auto-mania and impending climate catastrophe. In its visuals, its storytelling, its soundtrack, and its overall enchantment, the film is accessible and informative, elucidating the true and enduring magic of streetcars, including the red rockets that have been seen as both a point of pride and contention for so many Torontonians.
The Trolley has one Special Presentations screening at Hot Docs Canadian International Festival, in IMAX: Saturday, May 5 at 3PM EST, Cinesphere, Ontario Place
Links
Find out more about The Trolley here: The Trolley
Find out more about Hot Docs here: hotdocs.ca
The Science Museum of Minnesota. Photo: Diane Carlson.
Rocky Mountain Express will run at the William L. McKnight – 3M Omnitheater at the Science Museum of Minnesota in St-Paul, MN from October 13th, 2017 through March 18th, 2018.
The world premiere of Aircraft Carrier 3D (43-min) was held at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, May 24th, 2017. Aircraft Carrier focuses on the world of naval power and the astounding activity and air operations aboard a giant Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan. The film presents authentically, the true scale and drama of carrier and fleet naval operations to giant screen audiences for the first time.
Gen. Jack Dailey, Director of the National Air and Space Museum and Acting Secretary of the Navy, The Honorable Sean J. Stackley welcomed attendees to the Premiere. The project was presented by Bob Kresser, CEO, K2 Communications, with an introduction by the film’s director, Stephen Low.
The film launches in theaters immediately. Filmed in 15/70 motion picture film and Ultra-high-definition digital 3D, Aircraft Carrier is available in both 43-min and 24-min versions, in IMAX® Laser / 12.0 and in all digital 2D and 3D formats.
Sam Roberts expresses appreciation of Rocky Mountain Express. Check out: “Sam Roberts, Part 1: Love Affair With Trains” on the VIA Rail blog. Thanks Sam! Did we mention that the most recent Sam Roberts Band album is called Terraform?
[image: Matt Williams]
[Updated: Oct 2, 2016 | Originally published: Jan 7, 2016.]
Blu-ray Release Update
As of July 12, 2016, Rocky Mountain Express is available in Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray editions from local and online retailers. Check out the reviews and where to buy below.
“This is one of the most gorgeous renderings of early man-made achievements and nature. This is an unforgettable visual experience and an absolute reference-quality presentation that every home theatre enthusiast should own.” 5/5 —Gary Reber. widescreenreview.com The review at: www.widescreenreview.com
“Wow.” “This 4K UHD / Blu-ray presentation crushes it in terms of visuals and audio presentation. You’ll want to see and just take this whole thing in.”—Brandon Peters, whysoblu.com The review at: whysoblu.com
“Filled with marvelous images of steam locomotives riding a treacherous track in the Canadian Rockies, this IMAX presentation ranks among the large format elite. Rocky Mountain Express is a vista-drenched tourist ride much as it is historical saga.” 4.3 stars.—Matt Paprocki, DoBlu The review at: doblu.com
“Breathtaking.” “Rocky Mountain Express is wonderful trip down memory lane with some of the most incredible landscape photography you’ll ever see.”—Bill Kelley III, High-def Watch producer The review at: hamptonroads.com
“It has only been four days since I watched Rocky Mountain Express, and I am already itching to revisit this lovely documentary.” “Shot in 15 perforation/70 mm film, its aerial footage captured from helicopters and gyro-stabilized camera mounts, Rocky Mountain Express works as both a compelling educational document and a dazzling picturesque journey across the Great White North’s countryside. Far from a dry history lesson, the film brings a visual lyricism to its images, complemented by an eclectic music score—blues, spare piano melodies—and stirring soundtrack cues.”—Dustin Putman, theblufile.com The review at: www.theblufile.com
“A beautiful and interesting documentary on the building of a railroad, this IMAX feature looks great in 4K UHD”—John Sinnott, DVD Talk The review at: www.dvdtalk.com
The Stephen Low Company is pleased to announce an agreement with media company Shout Factory that will see the Stephen Low film “Rocky Mountain Express” released on Blu-ray 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray HD disc later this year.
Shout Factory, a multi-platform media company, has just unveiled its first slate of new family-friendly movie releases in the 4K Ultra HD™ format with high dynamic range (HDR), that will deliver visually stunning picture clarity and immersive audio for the optimal home entertainment experience. The discs are expected to be released beginning in late spring/early summer 2016 with pricing to be announced.
The IMAX® Experience Rocky Mountain Express is filmed in full 15/70 negative—world’s largest film format-guaranteeing spectacular image fidelity in the 4K Ultra HD medium. Together with its authentic story and award-winning cinematography, the film promises to be a highlight of the new medium.
“As the Ultra HD devices and entertainment content begin to populate the consumer marketplace this year, we are announcing our commitment to the UHD format joining industry leaders and major consumer electronics companies,” stated Melissa Boag, Shout’s Senior Vice President of Kids & Family Entertainment. “We look forward to presenting these awe-inspiring movies to a broad audience in the UHD format around the same timeframe that the traditional Blu-ray™ edition hits national retail.” Shout Factory plans a strategic staggered launch of these movies in 4K Ultra HD with HDR through physical home entertainment releases and select digital entertainment distribution platforms in North America, beginning in late spring/early summer 2016. A specific date for the release of Rocky Mountain Express will be announced.
About Shout! Factory
For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com
