The Entirely New IMAX Film That Had To Be Invented For Oppenheimer
"Oppenheimer" is a big movie so it makes sense that it would be shot in the biggest possible format — IMAX (the movie was shot in both IMAX 65 mm and 65 mm large-format film). Christopher Nolan loves to shoot his films for IMAX screens, and "Oppenheimer" is no exception. "You rarely get the chance to really talk to moviegoers directly about why you love a particular format and why if they can find an IMAX screen to see the film on that's great," the filmmaker said. "We put a lot of effort into shooting the film in a way that we can get it out on these large format screens. It really is just a great way of giving people an experience that they can't possibly get in the home."
There's something consuming and immersive about watching a film in IMAX — the huge screen and massive sound envelope you, wrapping you up in a sensory experience that has the power to rattle you, especially in the case of "Oppenheimer," where the sound design blasts away at the audience in nearly every frame. Nolan, being Nolan, involves multiple timelines in "Oppenheimer," and to help keep them separate he employs black and white footage for some scenes, color for others. But here's the thing: black and white 65mm IMAX film didn't exist.
'Can you make it?'
In a behind-the-scenes featurette for "Oppenheimer," we learn that black and white film had to be engineered to give Nolan what he wanted. "We actually had to create the black and white film that we were using to shoot," says executive producer Thomas Hayslip. "65mm black and white was a format that didn't exist," states cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, adding: "There was a lot of engineering that went into that."
In another interview, van Hoytema reveals he called Kodak to ask about the film:
"We asked: 'Do you have 65-millimeter black-and-white film?' And of course, they didn't, because they never made it before ... So, we asked: 'Can you make it?' And they were like, 'Maybe?' And then we were always nagging them like little kids to do it. Fortunately for us, they really stepped up to the challenge. They supplied us with prototypal film stock — freshly manufactured, with hand-written labels on it — and when we tested it, the first time we saw it, it just blew us away. It was so special and so beautiful."
It's impressive that Nolan and company have that sort of clout. I don't know if Kodak would go ahead and invent film like this for anyone, but for Nolan, they made it happen. Nolan used black and white and color to contrast different elements of the film. "One is in color, and that's Oppenheimer's subjective experience," the director said. "That's the bulk of the film. Then the other is a black-and-white timeline. It's a more objective view of his story from a different character's point of view." One has to wonder now if other filmmakers will employ this particular type of massive 65mm black and white film, or if it was a one-and-done situation that will never be repeated ... unless Christopher Nolan wants to do it again.