The new upgraded 70mm IMAX cameras will be 30% quieter. (65mm IMAX frame with 15 … [+]
Universal Pictures has announced at X that Christopher Nolan’s next film is Odysseybased on the classic Greek mythic story and will be filmed with “new IMAX film technology”. What exactly this is hasn’t been officially confirmed, but most are speculating that it refers to the new film cameras that IMAX has publicly said it’s been working on for the past few years.
Details of these new cameras were first revealed as early as March 2024, in a live panel session at the NAB 2024 conference, which is available for free to watch on YouTube.
In the video, Bruce Markoe, head of post-production at IMAX, revealed that the cameras are essentially a 21str-Century update of eight IMAX film cameras, which are now 25 years old.
Easier and quieter
The main feature is that the cameras will be 30% quieter and will be lighter thanks to a carbon fiber construction. This is mostly good news on the shoulders of Hoyte van Hoytema, Nolan’s cinematographer since 2014 Interstellarwho is often seen balancing the largest IMAX camera on this back.
Lighter and quieter IMAX film cameras will enable filmmakers to increase the number of shots they can use them for. Last summer’s blockbuster Oppenheimer had about 75 minutes of its three-hour running time in full-frame 1.43:1 IMAX film format, almost identical to his previous film, Tenetso there is every possibility that Odyssey will see that it has grown.
The quieter operation may also help with widespread complaints from some that some scenes in Nolan’s films are inaudible. This has been explained to be due to the noise of the current IMAX cameras combined with Nolan’s reluctance to use automatic dialogue replacement (ADR).
Old fashioned interior with a modern exterior. A little like me.
Analog interior in a digital shell
Other camera improvements include a new high-resolution five-inch full-color display and brighter digital and optical viewfinders, and for the first time the ability to monitor output on location via Wi-Fi to external devices such as tablets .
Markoe also revealed that the camera screens will also display framelines for the native 1.43:1 IMAX film format and also IMAX 1.90:1 (used for all digital IMAX screens) and the standard 2.40:1. Of course other aspect ratios are available and the screen can be lined up for whatever ratio is preferred.
The new cameras promise even greater film exposure stability and greater reliability. Marko said that internally the film camera movement is unchanged from the original design. IMAX realized there was nothing they could improve on, which is impressive since they were created 25 years ago.
High demand for IMAX
In the video, Markoe also reveals the fascinating statistic that despite only 1.5% of theaters worldwide showing Interstellar in IMAX, it brought in 20% of the film’s revenue. This would only have increased after the very successful last 10th-anniversary of the reprint of Interstellar.
As you’ll know if you’ve tried to get a ticket to see the film in its IMAX 15/70 glory, the appetite for watching movies in the full 1.43:1 aspect ratio is huge. However, there are only 30 theaters worldwide that can show IMAX 1.43 (as these require an IMAX 15/70 film camera or an IMAX dual laser projection system combined with a 1.43:1 screen) and the IMAX presentation even boasts that people take flights just to be able to watch movies in that format. So while the new cameras are great news, it’s somewhat disappointing that there’s no indication that IMAX is looking to increase that number.
I also hold out hope that there will be more to this new technology than cameras. In the presentation, there are hints that Kodak could introduce a new kind of film in 2025. As large-format film photographer Tyler Sheilds says on the panel, the future of cinema should be “bold, bold and interesting.” IN Oppenheimer Nolan broke new ground by forcing Kodak to create black and white IMAX film for the first time, which had never been done before, so with OdysseyI would expect to see him push the technical boundaries once again.
