Cinematographer Reed Smoot lives in Provo, but lately he's been a real man of the world, courtesy of IMAX, the big-screen movie process that makes audiences feel as if they are actually in the film.
Smoot recently traveled all over Western America to film the new IMAX show "The Great American West," which is now playing at Zion National Park (and in other large-format theaters around the country). And lately, he's been in the Middle East, scouting locations for an upcoming IMAX picture.Of course, the phrases "big screen" and "large format" don't really begin to explain IMAX. We're talking big screen, large format, as in bigger than huge, larger than large, or maybe just this side of monstrous.
It's a slightly altered, blown-up version of 70mm, which uses a camera system invented by IMAX to make the movies, as well as a patented projection system for specially built theaters with raised seats, so that the image on the screen seems to surround audience-members.
Speciality films like "Yellowstone," "Grand Canyon: Hidden Secrets," "Alamo: The Price of Freedom" and others play in large-format theaters around the country - many of them in national parks.
Watching these movies is a singular experience, as scenes are specifically designed to take the audience's collective breath away. And that's certainly the case in "The Great American West," a spectacular, if abbreviated history of the Westward settlement of the United States.
Smoot has worked as a cinematographer or second-unit director on such Hollywood hits as "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey," "Dennis the Menace" and "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," but his first love remains the IMAX format.
"It's a completely different conceptual approach," Smoot explained. "With large-format films you try to be the audience, to allow the camera to be the audience, to experience an event as though you were the audience standing there.
"A narrative film is muchmore dependent on performances and a script that uses more conventional filmmaking techniques. Here, you shoot wider, sort of design the frame to include a lot of information, with primary and secondary areas of interest, while in conventional filmmaking there are cuts to pull the audience into it."
Much of "The Great American West" was filmed in southern Utah, and a brief look at the Mormon pioneer trek is included. Basically, the film provides an anecdotal overview, beginning with the Louisiana Purchase. And while historians may argue about some of the specifics, or complain that it's impossible to cram nearly 100 years of history into a 40-minute film, Smoot feels it works as a primer and may encourage young people to explore American history.
"The reaction has been generally very positive," Smoot says. "Of course, everybody is a historian, and they all have their own per-spec-tive."
"We've done a number of these films over the past decade, from `Grand Canyon' to `Zion,' but we hadn't done any that encompassed the entire (Western) experience. Many of the locations are interesting in their own right, and there's something to be gained from a composite of all of them. But we knew we could only give a taste, rather than an in-depth, comprehensive history lesson.
"What we've discovered is that most of the theaters are connected with museums and during the daylight hours our largest audiences are school groups. So, we wanted to design something that would help open the door for teachers and educators."
To get the look he was going for, Smoot filmed in as many locations as possible. "We went to about 25 different national parks and filmed in 14 different Western states. We were shooting in one location and prepping another at the same time. Probably 30 to 40 percent of the film was shot with a five-man crew, but there was a lot of preparation." The budget was a paltry $31/2 million (paltry by Hollywood standards, anyway), and the only "name" star involved is Jason Robards, whose distinctive voice narrates the film.
This is also the first time that Smoot, a veteran cinematographer, has received a "director" credit - but he pooh-poohs the title's implications, saying that "The Great American West" is very much a collaborative film. "I got pushed into executive directing, but Sterling Van Wagenen directed the pioneer trek sequence, and Bruce Neiber did the Napoleon sequence, and Scott Swofford and I co-directed some of it. I pulled the whole thing together and took the executive director position, but I'm very happy with cinematography - it's the part of the process I love the most."
As such, he says, there's nothing like IMAX for a cinematographer. "This is just the best format for a cameraman. It's the closest thing to sharing the real experience with the audience.
"The big hollywood features have never been my goal. Those I've worked on are the least fulfilling for me - though, admittedly, I haven't been a key player in most of those. I'm much more interested in stories and films that are driven by the material rather than by mega-stars or big budgets.
"I'm not really interested in personal recognition. We had on this film, if you include the orchestra and everybody in post-production, over 250 people who had a very important hand in making this film. Michael McDonough, the sound designer, had a critical role - as you watch, it's hard to believe that we re-recorded all the sound. There was no sound at the time of the original shoot. And (composer) Kurt Bestor and each of his musicians added a tremendous amount.
"The thing I'm excited about is the collective participation of all the people involved in making a successful film."