We’re still like eight weeks away, and yet the movie everyone is talking about this summer is Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
I mean, it’s Nolan adapting Homer shot completely on IMAX, that’s the dream.
In a recent deep-dive with TIME, Nolan and his team revealed the technical and creative hurdles they’ve leaped to bring the ancient poem to the 21st century.
There were 400-pound cameras, exotic locations, and sinking horses.
Let’s dive in.
– YouTubewww.youtube.com
1. The First “True” All-IMAX Feature
We’ve seen movies that were IMAX-enhanced and movies with selected sequences shot in large format, but The Odyssey is the first feature-length film shot entirely on 15/70mm IMAX film.
And look, I am so happy to have an awesome shot like this one, but I cannot imagine the immense pressure and difficulties trying to map a shoot out with a custom 400-pound IMAX camera system.
On top of that, you know you’re getting all the sound ADR’s because of how loud the cameras get.
So, how do you get here?
Well, you have to thank Oppenheimer, which made almost a billion at the box office and proved Nolan was a brand unto himself.
He told TIME, “That gave me options,” says Nolan. “And what had never really been done is a cinematic telling of The Odyssey with all of the capacity of a large-scale Hollywood studio production. It’s an odd gap in movie history.”
2. Practical Effects and the Trojan Horse
Everyone wants to do everything on a volume stage or with CGI, but Nolan is out there making sure we really feel the tactile world. It’s why I will always see his movies in theaters.
For example, when it came to taking Troy, Nolan wanted to be able to shoot in any direction. So, cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema rigged hundreds of portable LEDs, precisely tuned to firelight’s Kelvin rating to ensure seamless practical lighting across the entire 360-degree set.
Now, to break into Troy, everyone knows the famous legend of the Trojan Horse.
According to Matt Damon, the production famously avoided green screens. To achieve the “David Lean” scale, the crew actually filmed on location, putting actors in real water and on real ships.
Damon also noted that being physically uncomfortable in some scenes, like being strapped to a real mast on a boat as Odysseus travels, brought an authenticity to the character that a soundstage simply can’t replicate.
It made the movie feel real.
3. Subverting the Epic Formula
Nolan described The Odyssey as a “character study” and an “existential crisis.” This is probably the direct opposite of what many epics have been labeled.
This is not the only subversion Nolan is chasing for this movie.
Take the Sirens, for example. Instead of just being monsters that lure sailors to their deaths, Nolan’s Sirens “psychoanalyze” Odysseus through song. They’re picking apart who he is as a person and the choices he’s made to really make him feel vulnerable.
This is compounding on the other choices Nolan made to be different. Like scoring the movie without an orchestra.
Composer Ludwig Göransson had this hard task, and he rose to the occasion.
“It’s not like the orchestra existed back then,” says Göransson. “It was a challenge and also an opening to try to make something unique.”
So how do you fix this problem?
Göransson rented 35 bronze gongs and recorded them with synths. He was making what felt like ancient music to tie it all together.
In another fun twist. Nolan also cast rapper Travis Scott as the movie’s bard.
Nolan said, “I cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap.”
Again, this is a director thinking outside the box and challenging himself.
Summing It All Up
The Odyssey is shaping up to be a masterclass in how to fuse technical ambition with human intimacy. It’s Christopher Nolan being aggressive in his tactics and making something sweeping and grand.
The movie is slated to come out on July 17th. I’ll be trying to see it in IMAX right away.
Are you excited for Nolan’s take on Homer?
Let us know in the comments.
