About

LF Examiner was the independent print newsletter of the Large-Format (LF) motion picture industry from 1997 to 2021. Each issue of LF Examiner reported the latest news from the world of giant-screen film production, distribution, and exhibition. It ceased publication in October 2021.

Editor/Publisher James Hyder 

LF Examiner was edited and published by James Hyder. Mr. Hyder worked in the giant-screen industry from 1984 to his retirement in 2021, and had experience in all phases of the industry: production, distribution, and exhibition.

In the 1970s, Hyder worked hands-on in audio and video production. In 1984 he started working at the Langley IMAX Theater at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. As manager of the most popular IMAX theater in the world, he learned the concerns of exhibitors. 

While at NASM he assisted in the development and production of several IMAX films, including Cosmic Voyage, although he modestly declines to accept any direct credit for its Oscar nomination. 

In his last position at the Smithsonian, Hyder researched the LF distribution business and reported on establishing a film distribution office for the Smithsonian.

In 1997 Hyder founded MaxImage!, the first independent publication dedicated exclusively to the LF industry. He was its editor and publisher through its renaming to LF Examiner in late 2000 to 2021. 

Associate Editor William Hyder worked for 34 years at the Baltimore Sunday Sunpapers as a columnist and editor. In 1997 he published a collection of essays on Sherlock Holmes entitled From Baltimore to Baker Street.

LF Examiner also features the work of guest writers, including: