Christopher Nolan may be the most vocal champion of IMAX the world has ever seen. The director has used IMAX cameras in most of his films, with each addition to his oeuvre more readily embracing the big-screen format. Nolan tells stories on an epic scale, so it only makes sense for him to pursue and perfect the most epic filmmaking techniques at his disposal.
Nolan’s last project, Oppenheimer, took his love for IMAX even further by shooting on film rather than digital. It’s a notoriously difficult process, as IMAX’s film cameras are loud and bulky. Because of the limits they pose to dialogue and more taxing action sequences, most filmmakers can only shoot a portion of their projects on film. But Nolan is determined to up the ante wherever possible, so his next film, The Odyssey, is striving to make IMAX history.
The Odyssey is set to adapt Homer’s epic Greek poem, which means Nolan needs sweeping visuals to back it up. According to IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond, Nolan intends to shoot the entirety of The Odyssey with IMAX film cameras, which would be a first for the company. While Avengers: Endgame was shot entirely on IMAX digital, no one has ever shot an entire film with IMAX’s 70mm cameras.
“Chris called me up and said, ‘If you can figure out how to solve the problems, I will make [Odyssey] 100 percent in IMAX.’ And that’s what we’re doing,” Gelfond said. “He forced us to rethink that side of our business, our film recorders, our film cameras.”
Nolan’s challenge has accelerated progress on a more efficient IMAX camera. Per Gelfond, the new film cameras are lighter and 30% quieter, making it easier to record dialogue. The company is renting them exclusively to Nolan for now, but once The Odyssey has wrapped production, IMAX will make them available to other directors.
There’s no telling how these new cameras will affect Nolan’s budget for The Odyssey, which is already his most expensive project to date. Given his penchant for traditional film and premium screening formats, though, it’s safe to assume the director (and producers at Universal) don’t mind paying the price. The Odyssey is shaping up to be a monumental film for both Nolan and the industry, one that could change how future filmmakers craft their epics.
