OSPE - The Voice - September 2017 - 32

careerS

IMAX looks for engineering
candidates with

"a sparkle in
their eYe"
A

s the world's leading entertainment technology company, IMAX has revolutionized
the way people experience movies. Originating in the 1960s, the Canadian
company developed a 70mm motion picture file format and cinema projection
standards that could record and display images of far greater size and resolution than
other conventional film projection systems.
Since then, IMAX has continued to be the leading innovator in film and entertainment.
They were the first company to adopt the use of high-resolution DVDs to transmit
audio to theatres when the rest of the industry continued to use antiquated methods.
They were also early innovators in 3D and digital, and most recently launched a nextgeneration digital laser projection and sound system to re-imagine the cinematic
experience. IMAX's developments are why top filmmakers and studios continue to
utilize IMAX technology to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways.
Today, IMAX has taken a giant step forward in creating a virtual reality (VR)
experience in location-based, state-of-the-art experience centres. The IMAX VR
Experience transports users into new virtual worlds that are more realistic than
anything previously imaginable, incorporating 360-degree sound and sophisticated
room tracking.
Given their innovative nature, it's no surprise that IMAX employs engineers and
engineering graduates to guide the company's creative pursuits. Brian Bonnick, P.Eng.,
has been the company's Chief Technology Officer since September 2011, leading the
technology, manufacturing and client support efforts for IMAX projection systems,
sound systems and filmmaking. He is also currently heading up the development of
the cinema-grade VR camera through IMAX's partnership with Google.
Bonnick has seen the industry go through incredible change, like when IMAX
converted from film projection systems to digital projection eight years ago. "The digital
world changes so much quicker than the analog - as soon as you launch a product, it's
already out of date," Bonnick said.
"In our industry, and every industry really, engineers have to embrace new technology
without knowing whether it will make it or not. Because some of the things we're doing
have never been done before, we experience a lot of failures. We experiment, learn as
we go, and apply a bit of technical know-how along the way. But sometimes after we
have paper-designed something, we realize that to be truly disruptive and competitive,
we need to radically redesign the system from the ground up."
Bonnick maintains that at IMAX, both management and staff, particularly those with
engineering backgrounds, understand that in order to innovate, you have to fail. "The
answers aren't always black and white. We have to get creative and engineer a solution,"
he said. "Because of this process, IMAX is able to continue to lead the industry in terms
32

The VOICe

September 2017

of innovation in film. Even though it's a
very competitive world out there, we're
always looking to come up with the best
product that is also financially viable."
The enGIneerInG Team aT ImaX

At IMAX, the engineering design process
doesn't just involve engineers and
engineering graduates. Engineering teams
encompass vendors, manufacturing and
service people to ensure products can be
manufactured effectively and serviced
easily once they are in use in theatres.
"We have a very open and collaborative
work environment at IMAX," said
Derek Campbell, engineering graduate
and Mechanical Engineering Manager.
"We try to set up our teams for success
with everything we do by providing
thorough requirements for conceptlevel and detailed design work. All of
our mechanical designers and engineers
work closely with software and optical
personnel - there's always a lot of crossfunctional review."
IMAX's engineering teams consider
themselves self-supporting entities for the
theatre business. They continually work
on making IMAX cameras and projection
systems better so IMAX is able to provide
the most immersive cinematic experience
available to audiences that they will not
get in other standard theatres.
"There's a sense of pride knowing
what you do is visible to others," said
Matt Broga, engineering graduate and
Electrical Engineering Manager at IMAX.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of OSPE - The Voice - September 2017