Associated Press
[Source: AP]
Christopher Nolan has been dreaming of IMAX since he was a kid.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker behind “Oppenheimer,” “Inception,” and the “Dark Knight” Batman films had a formative experience seeing nature documentaries at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago and always wondered what it would be like to make a major Hollywood movie in that way.
“The Odyssey” is the culmination of that dream: It’s the first feature shot entirely on IMAX film.
Nolan has been inching toward this landmark for many years, but the cameras were simply too noisy to use for dialogue heavy scenes.
After “Oppenheimer,” the timing was right to push for development of a camera muffler that they call “the blimp.” The new IMAX camera was named The Keighley, after longtime IMAX executives Patricia and David Keighley.
The film is dedicated to David, who died three weeks after finishing his work on “The Odyssey.”
The new system was not without its challenges. Encased in the blimp, the camera weighed 300 pounds. The film also needed to be reloaded every two-and-a-half to three minutes.
And they had to establish a mirror system to allow the actors to see one another around the large camera while shooting a scene.
It was all done with the same goal: Giving moviegoers “something special,” Nolan said. “They’re looking for something new and exciting, and that’s what we’re trying to offer.”
For audiences, there are more than a few options to see the film in movie theaters starting Friday. But it can get a little overwhelming trying to parse through all the premium large formats out there, including IMAX 70 mm, 70 mm, IMAX digital, 35 mm, Dolby Cinema and more.
