Christopher Nolan And IMAX Made Film History With Oppenheimer's Black-And-White Footage
Christopher Nolan has been making his mark in the realm of cinema for over two decades. The revolutionary filmmaker behind such beloved pictures as "The Dark Knight," "Inception," "Interstellar," and "Dunkirk," Nolan is known for taking big swings with his movies, even if they don't always necessarily work out.
Still, Nolan may be making his biggest film yet with "Oppenheimer." Based on the life of scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who created the atomic bomb and changed the trajectory of technology and warfare as the world knows it forever, the biographical picture is sure to impress with its estimated $100 million budget and a stacked cast that includes Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, and Matt Damon, among others (via IMDb).
However, it seems those aren't the only reasons to be excited about "Oppenheimer," as Nolan has detailed some of the behind-the-scenes details that went into the making of the film. Never one to rest on his laurels, it would seem that the auteur is making cinematic history yet again with his latest film.
Oppenheimer has been shot in black and white for IMAX
While "Oppenheimer" has already attracted some pretty incredible buzz for recreating the Trinity nuclear weapons test without the use of CGI, it seems that the new Christopher Nolan film is also making history in another way. According to Variety, Nolan and his cinematographer tasked Kodak with making a new type of film stock for them just for the movie.
"We challenged the people at Kodak photochem to make this work for us, and they stepped up," Nolan said. "For the first time ever, we were able to shoot IMAX film in black-and-white. And the results were thrilling and extraordinary. As soon as [cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema] and I saw the first tests come in, we just knew that this was a format that we were immediately in love with," the filmmaker concluded.
Well, if the new black and white IMAX stock used for "Oppenheimer" is enough to get a couple of industry vets like Nolan and van Hoytema excited, then the spectacle and quality of the footage must be truly a sight to behold. Unfortunately, movie fans will have to wait until July 21, 2023, to see the epic historical picture for themselves.