Professional videographer explains why so many people think The Odyssey looks blurry
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has been a huge success in theatres, surpassing $600 million globally after just two weekend of release. However, the film, which was shot entirly on IMAX, which is 70mm, in comparison to the usual 35mm frame size, has received a number of 'complaints' from some.
This was done to capture the highest quality image and sound for the movie, however, many have said they feel like the movie seems a little 'blurry'.
But why is this? Well, photographer and full-time content creator Anthony Gugilotta believes he has the answers.
In a YouTube Short, the creator explained that the 'surprising' reason may be down to the 70mm format its self.
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"A larger film or a larger sensor means that you get a shallower depth of field, which also means that the focus pullers on the set had a harder time trying to keep everything in focus," he explained.
Although many things are aided by AI these days, the creator explained that in this case - AI stayed at home. "It is literally a human being trying to manually focus on the actors or on the scene as the camera's moving, as the actor's are moving and as there are a ton of different things taking place on set," he explained.
On the blurriness, he later says in the explanation: "They were focus pulling on an aperture that was so razor thin that if any single element gets out of alignment between the focus puller, between the actor, between the camera puller, the focus is going to look blurry."
For those wanting to get in to the technicalities, Anthony explained that the film used 'Primo 65 lenses,' which are used for IMAX to 'cover the entire film'. However, he says for this movie, the lenses were modified 'by adding anamorphic lense elements'. For those who aren't down with the technical terms, the creator explains adds more 'width, character and enhanced blurriness effect'.
Explaining more about the tech side, the Prime 65 lenses have a 'T-Stop, or an aperture of T2'.
As per Cannon, an aperture of a lens, is 'the opening through which light passes into the camera'.
The creator then goes onto explain that a 'T2 lens' on a 70mm film has the 'equivalent depth of field as an T1 or an F/1 aperture on a full frame camera - leading to the 'razor thin focus pulling'.
For those who want an even more in depth explanation, Anthony has created a longer video, in which he explains all using charts and graphs.
Another 'downside' of the 70mm IMAX is that some audiences 'couldn't see the whole film'. No, there's no secret scenes to unlock. In fact, it has a different aspect ratio to regular cinema screens, and therefore, some may get cropped out.
Despite this, Christopher Nolan's film has received very positive reviews, with the film having an extremely impressive 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Odyssey: What you need to know
Written: Between 725 BC and 675 BC, so more than 2,500 years ago
Based on a true story? Mostly no (cyclops aren’t real). Historians are unsure if the Trojan War really happened
Who wrote The Odyssey? Homer, but historians don't know much about him and debate if he is a single person or a group of poets
How long is the movie? 2hrs, 52mins - best go to the toilet beforehand
How much did The Odyssey cost to make? A cool $250 million
The Odyssey's box office performance so far: $639 million globally after its first two weekends
How long did it take to film The Odyssey? Principal photography took 91 days, so 13 weeks
Where was the movie filmed? The Hellenic Film Commission explained Nolan and co filmed at several locations in the Peloponnese, including Nestor’s Cave, Voidokilia Beach and Almyrolaka Beach, which are all on the island of Pylos; Methoni Castle, at a port town of the same name in southwestern Greece; and Acrocorinth, a monolith overlooking the ancient city of Corinth.
According to Vogue, filming also took place in Morocco, in Marrakech, Tahanaoute, El Haouz, Essaouira and Ouarzazate. The cast and crew were also spotted on the Sicilian island of Favignana, while they filmed in Iceland for the underworld scenes.
Continuing their whistlestop tour of Europe, the Odyssey team also filmed in Scotland, along the Moray Firth Coast and at Findlater Castle and Culbin Forest.
The Odyssey in IMAX 70mm vs normal cinema screens: Helpfully, the film's website shows different versions of the trailer in six different formats, all with different aspect ratios. You can see the difference between IMAX 70mm (warning you now, there are only 25 IMAX 70mm screens in the whole of the US) and the standard 35mm format.
The Odyssey is in cinemas now.
Topics: Christopher Nolan, Film and TV
Kiesha Dosanjh