Wowed by the terracotta warriors

A screen shot of the IMAX documentary Mysteries of China to go along with the exhibit. The director of the film, Keith Melton, joined the audience in Seattle for a talk and screening of the film on June 20. Provided to China Daily

Keith Melton's documentary Mysteries of China provides thrills on big screen

Keith Melton decided to make his documentary Mysteries of China after he saw the Terracotta Warriors up close. "The first time I saw the real Terracotta Warriors, I thought they were incredible. I read about them and saw pictures of them. Then you go there, it is like wow!" he said.

"That was the moment I wanted to do the film. I want people to have the wow moment for sure," Melton, the film's writer, director and producer, told China Daily.

On June 20, Melton joined an audience for a screening of the film at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, where coincidentally the Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor exhibit was on display.

The movie tells the story of the first emperor of China and his army of Terracotta Warriors. After the 40-minute documentary, Melton shared behind-thescenes stories, talking about the challenge of the big screen as well as the unprecedented access he had to the warrior archeological site.

Early in February, the Advanced Imaging Society and The VR Society bestowed 28 honors for "distinguished achievement" at The Lumiere Awards, presented by AMD and Stereo D, at Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood. The documentary was honored with Best 3D Documentary Short.

Melton started filming about four years ago.