Film focus: the fantastic technology behind the movies
The movie industry chats to TechRadar
Technology and moviemaking have gone hand in hand since the first films hit the big screen over a century ago.
But over the last few years, the movie industry has gone through some massive changes. The push from celluloid to digital has changed the way movies have been made, while special effects have improved at a stunning rate thanks to infinite improvements in software and computational power.
And things are still changing at a pace. The introduction of 4K has not only revolutionised what is happening on the big screen but has dripped into homes, too. Frankly, as this year's Oscars have shown with Gravity scooping up seven awards, there has never been a better time for technology in movies.
TechRadar has been lucky enough to track the changing face of movies and bring your features about the films that have push the boundaries of what film can do. We have met our heroes and talked to the unsung heroes of cinema who have created some of film's greatest-ever moments.
We may not have a red carpet to roll out and you may not be wearing your favourite dress but do check out the features below. We are sure they will tell you everything you need to know about the making of some fantastic movies and hopefully a little bit more...
TechRadar talks to the Oscar winners
- Him and Her: Spike Jonze reveals why the OS of the future is all talk
- The sound of silence: How Dolby Atmos brought gravitas to Gravity
- Secrets of space: the Oscar-winning effects of Gravity revealed
At the helm: those in the director's chair
- Gareth Edwards talks about the making of Godzilla
- James Cameron on 3D: the TechRadar interview
- Edgar Wright: mash up movies, don't pirate them
Sound advice: audio in movies
Notes from the movie industry
- Movie piracy in the UK: what's the film industry doing?
- BFI Player can do for film what iPlayer did for TV, says Greg Dyke
- Fox: 'We want Digital HD to be seen like Blu-ray'
Behind the scenes: the technology of film
- Instagramming the movies: high-tech lo-fi effects in The Double
- How Life of Pi made 3D work
- Meet the man who brought Pacific Rim's Kaiju and Jaegers to life
- Star Wars Blu-ray: behind the scenes
- Secrets of cinema: ultimate tips for the best movie experience
- Six marvels of the 4K revolution at Sony Pictures Studios in LA
Film opinion
- Not even Star Wars can save film from the digital dark side
- Quality control: why we should embrace 4K Blu-ray, not dismiss it
- Gravity proves there's life in 3D - let's not let Hollywood ruin the tech again
- May on 4K
The future of movies
- Virtual reality: Oscar-winning VFX house sees the future of filmmaking in Oculus Rift
- 10 amazing bits of future movie tech that already exist
- Fade Runner: The futuristic Hollywood tech that's already outdated
- Phoning it in: how the smartphone is disrupting Hollywood
- Netflix vs Blu-ray: is there a future for optical discs?
- Netflix: We're already thinking beyond 4K
Cartoon club: animation and film
- Inside DreamWorks: how animated movies are rendered
- Aardman: mirrorless cameras could be a future solution for film-making
- Pixar: We choose characters based on story, not technology
TV is the new film: TechRadar talks television
- Reborn Identity: Why Amazon Prime and Netflix are breathing life into dead shows
- The Netflix effect: how binge watching is changing television
- Netflix: We are challenging the boundaries of what TV is
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Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.