Over 100 students from the National Film and Television School (NFTS) this week were given the opportunity to watch a clip from the Academy Award-winning Oppenheimer at five different cinemas across London’s West End, experiencing first-hand the varying nature of theatrical presentation.

This tour, the third such exercise that has been arranged by the UK Cinema Association for the NFTS 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 tour at the ODEON Luxe in Leicester Square where they were given a headline introduction to the world of cinema technology by 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, explained 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.

Having seen the clip from Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer in Dolby Vision at ODEON Leicester Square, the students then visited the Prince Charles Cinema, where they were shown the excerpt first on standard 2K DCP and then on 35mm film, both using Xenon projection.

Next stop was the Curzon Soho, where students watched the clip on Christie RGB laser projection technology, followed by Vue West End, where the scene played on Sony dual projectors.  The tour was rounded off at the impressive Cineworld Leicester Square, where students saw Cillian Murphy on the jaw-dropping IMAX screen.

To close, the students enjoyed a brief Q&A with Mike Bradbury, Phil Clapp and Jon Wardle, Director of the NFTS, where Phil made clear the importance the Association attached to maintaining an open dialogue between future filmmakers and the constantly developing technological advancements in cinema.

The Association wishes to thank colleagues at Universal Pictures – and in particular their Head of Technical Demir Yavuz – for their support in providing access to Oppenheimer, and of course to all of the venues that hosted the students during the tour.