What is Large Format?

Giant Movies (or Large format films as they are technically known) were invented over 30 years ago by IMAX. IMAX is a brand, like 'Dyson' or 'Hoover'. At Rheged we decided to use Mega systems, founded in April 1998. The Mega systems 8/70 projector projects film which is 70 mm wide and eight perforations high, compared to 4/35 used in the average cinema.
Mega systems 8/70 projectors project probably the finest motion picture available in large format. Custom-built and weighing over 1,000 lbs the projector requires 1,000 cubic feet of air per minute to cool its 7 kilowatt lamp. It was flown to the UK from St Augustine, Florida.
When Rheged opened in August 2000, it became the fifth large format cinema auditorium in the UK and now boasts the third best equipped projection room in the country thanks to the recent installation of a state of the art digital projector and a 35mm / Widescreen projector.

We felt that large format film would be the most powerful way to show the drama and beauty of the mountains of the North of England. With no large format films of Cumbria in existence, we formed our own film company, Westmorland Film and set about producing the first 2D large format film in Britain; a process that involved importing a specialist camera from America, hiring helicopters and hundreds of people as extras. Rheged: the Lost Kingdom is the story of one man's search for his ancestors and his dramatic journey through time to discover myths, legends and spectacular scenery.
The giant screen at Rheged is 20.4 metres wide (68 ft) wide and 14.4 metres high (48 ft), making it as big as six double decker buses and one of the largest in Britain. A six-channel, 12 speaker, dynamic digital system delivers crystal clear sound and surround effects and, thanks to the installation of a brand new state of the art digital projector with amazing definition and superb picture stability, Rheged now has one of the best equipped projection rooms in the country; the experience is simply awesome.