Nolan Conquers IMAX's Loudest Problem for The Odyssey
The director's ambitious epic becomes Hollywood's first feature filmed entirely with IMAX cameras, solving the notorious 'blender' noise issue that plagued dialogue scenes for decades.
The director famous for blowing up real planes and creating mind-bending narratives just pulled off his most technically demanding project yet. The Odyssey breaks new ground as Hollywood's first major feature shot completely with IMAX film cameras, a feat many considered impossible due to equipment limitations.
Matt Damon, who plays the legendary Greek hero, witnessed the groundbreaking solutions firsthand. The actor described the experience during a recent podcast appearance, explaining how the production team solved filmmaking's most persistent technical headache.
Engineering Solutions for Cinema's Noisiest Cameras
IMAX cameras create a major problem for filmmakers. The equipment generates overwhelming noise during operation, making dialogue recording nearly impossible in close-up shots.
"IMAX cameras are really loud. It sounds like a blender, like a Cuisinart in your face when the camera's close to you," Damon explained on the New Heights podcast. "So, there's never been these dialogue [scenes in IMAX]. We couldn't have this conversation with a normal IMAX camera because you wouldn't be able to hear us."
The production team built custom housing around the cameras for dialogue scenes. They created a mirror system that maintained proper eye lines between actors while isolating the disruptive mechanical sounds.
"They built this giant thing around the IMAX for those dialogue scenes and a system of mirrors, so your eye line would be close to the camera, and you could talk to the other actor," Damon said. "The amount of work that went into figuring out how to do [that], because he wanted to do 100 percent IMAX and he did it!"
Industry Skepticism Meets Directorial Determination
IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond initially resisted the ambitious proposal. When approached about a year before production began, he cited multiple technical barriers that made full IMAX shooting impractical.
The challenges included lengthy film reloading processes, delayed dailies review, and the sound recording complications. These issues had prevented previous attempts at complete IMAX features.
"He called me and said he wanted to make a whole film with IMAX cameras," Gelfond recalled. The director's response was characteristically determined: "If you can figure out how to solve these problems, we will make [Odyssey] 100 percent in IMAX. And that's what we're doing."
Pushing Cinematic Boundaries Again
This latest achievement continues the filmmaker's pattern of technical innovation. Previous projects featured real aerial dogfights, actual aircraft explosions, and practical nuclear blast recreations that set new industry standards.
The Odyssey adapts Homer's ancient epic about the Greek warrior's dangerous journey home after Troy's fall. Poseidon pursues the hero throughout his travels, seeking revenge for the blinding of his cyclops son Polyphemus.
Production wrapped last August. The star-studded adaptation opens in theaters July 17, with IMAX tickets already available for purchase.