Christopher Nolan, director of Oppenheimer and Inception, has finally achieved his dream of shooting a feature film entirely on IMAX film with The Odyssey. The film, which will be released in the UK on Friday, marks a significant milestone in Nolan's career and is a testament to his passion for the IMAX format.
Nolan has been fascinated with IMAX since his childhood, having seen nature documentaries at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. He has been working towards making a major Hollywood movie in this format for many years, but the cameras were too noisy for dialogue-heavy scenes. However, after Oppenheimer, the timing was right to push for development of a camera muffler, which allowed Nolan to shoot The Odyssey entirely on IMAX film.
The new IMAX camera, named The Keighley after longtime IMAX executives Patricia and David Keighley, weighed 300 pounds and required a mirror system to allow actors to see each other while shooting a scene. Despite the challenges, Nolan was determined to give moviegoers 'something special' and offered a unique experience that they cannot get in the home.
Nolan prefers to shoot his films on large format film stock, which includes IMAX 65mm and Panavision 65mm. He believes that this format offers unparalleled sharpness, clarity, and depth of the image, making it an ideal choice for his films. The Odyssey will be screened in various premium large formats, including IMAX 70mm and Dolby Cinema.
Nolan's passion for IMAX is evident in his words: 'The sharpness and the clarity and the depth of the image is unparalleled. The headline, for me, is by shooting on IMAX 70mm film, you're really letting the screen disappear. You're getting a feeling of 3D without the glasses.'