You’ve no doubt seen movies in IMAX before, and if you haven’t, get moving and join us in the 21st century won’t you? Big budget Hollywood films in IMAX is nothing new, but unlike the standard documentaries usually shown on IMAX screens, those films have never before been shot in the IMAX format. Instead they’re stretched and modified to fit the screen, and while they’re still pretty impressive that way… they could be even better.

USA Today says Christopher Nolan will be the first director to take full advantage of the IMAX format. Though the process is more expensive and difficult, Nolan plans to shoot four scenes from his Batman Begins sequel The Dark Knight using the IMAX process. That instantly makes Dark Knight a movie worth driving a little farther and paying a little more to see on IMAX screens.

It was only a matter of time till someone in Hollywood caught on and did this. IMAX runs of Hollywood films have been making bigger and bigger bucks in recent years. Some of that’s because of the 3D gimmick studios have been running out in IMAX theaters, but it’s also simply because the IMAX presentation THX’s the pants off the kind of experience you’ll get in any normal theater. There’s just nothing like seeing a movie on the biggest screen, with the biggest sound available. You can’t beat it.

Included with USA Today’s piece on the IMAXification of Batman were a couple of brand new images from the film. They exciting thing in them though isn’t that they show off the IMAX format, but that they show off the IMAX format being used to shoot The Joker and his minions. I’ve posted both images below. In the first, Christopher Nolan shoots Ledger as Joker using an IMAX camera. You can see The Joker’s blurry image reflected in the mirror. In the second, we get a close up of one of Joker’s clown-faced minions, with his grinning boss blurred in the background. Thanks to Blender "Dan" for sending them in. Scroll!