Shooting The Odyssey on film

As the only remaining manufacturer of colour motion picture film, Kodak played a pivotal role in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey

Words Oliver Webb

From Ulysses (1954) to O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) and even The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004), Hollywood can’t seem to resist bringing the story of Homer’s Odyssey to the screen. The latest effort – Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey – may not be the first adaptation of the epic poem, but it can claim to be the first feature-length film photographed entirely on 15-perf 70mm IMAX film cameras. And, as if that achievement weren’t impressive enough, the production also embraced large-scale practical effects.

The production used the Draken Harald Hårfagre – a 115ft Norwegian longship (the largest Viking longship replica around today) – as Odysseus’s primary vessel, while also staging open-water seafaring, and constructing a 40ft Trojan Horse prop weighing 8800lb and a full-scale Cyclops animatronic puppet.

Tackling those demands required an unprecedented quantity of large format film stock. As the only remaining large-scale colour motion picture film manufacturer in the world, Kodak supplied more than two million feet of 65mm camera film for The Odyssey and approximately eight million feet of 70mm film to support the 70mm 5-perf and 70mm IMAX release prints of the film.

Kodak works closely with all large-scale productions long before they begin shooting to forecast the specific products they will need. “A film like The Odyssey, with shooting locations across the globe, requires careful logistical planning and coordination with the production team throughout to ensure the right film products arrive at various locations on time,” begins Vanessa Bendetti, head of Motion Picture & Entertainment at Kodak.

The film was shot across six different countries – Morocco, Greece, Italy, Iceland, Scotland and Malta – over a period of 91 days. One of its most impressive sequences is the siege of Troy. To bring this legendary battle to life, the production enlisted around 2000 extras and constructed a 110,000 sq ft set in Morocco. The UNESCO World Heritage mud-brick Ksar of Aït Benhaddou served as the backdrop for the 2.5-acre city of Troy, with around 60 structures added, including a pillared Temple of Athena. LED lighting and controlled flames were used to stage the city’s destruction.

Shooting on film is a fast-growing trend, with filmmakers such as Nolan – as well as Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson and Wes Anderson – all championing the use of celluloid. “In 2024, as part of Kodak’s effort to increase its manufacturing capacity, while maintaining the consistent pristine image quality our filmmakers rely on, we planned a five-week shutdown in Film Sensitizing (where light-sensitive film emulsions are made and coated onto the film base) to upgrade equipment. Kodak carefully scheduled the upgrades before production was slated to begin.”

Kodak also partnered closely with IMAX in the development of its latest film cameras. Large format analogue filmmaking is revered as the most premium capture method – and a technique that Nolan often embraces. “We understood new cameras would drive additional opportunity for 65mm film,” says Bendetti. “More film cameras would mean multiple productions could engage the format at once, and we were also aware Chris Nolan was interested in capturing the film entirely in IMAX.”

Nolan first used 15/70 IMAX cameras back in 2008 for the opening bank heist in The Dark Knight. He has continued to use IMAX for sequences throughout his films since, and in 2023 he relied on IMAX MSM 9802 and IMAX MKIV 65mm cameras to film the majority of Oppenheimer. This also marked the first film to use custom IMAX black & white 65mm film stock.

When it came to filming The Odyssey, the cast and crew needed to be as efficient as possible within limited timeframes. Opting to shoot the film with cameras of this size and on film stock only enabled around three minutes of shooting time per take before they needed to be reloaded. Capturing a sequence such as the siege of Troy was a huge undertaking under these circumstances.

Taking this all into account, Kodak began working several years ago to increase its 65mm film finishing capacity. While furnishing more than two million feet to The Odyssey, Kodak was also shipping significant volumes of 65mm film to the sets of Euphoria and Dune: Part Three. “Through careful, long-term planning to grow our ability to supply, we successfully kept pace with the increased demand without compromising quality,” says Bendetti.

While supplying 65mm negative to sets throughout production of The Odyssey, Kodak also worked closely with FotoKem to supply the intermediate and print film required for dailies and release print testing. When more 70mm theatres were added for release, Kodak added surge capacity to supply even more 70mm print stock than planned. This meant working through Christmas and lots of overtime for dedicated film factory employees in Rochester, New York.

“Kodak works closely with filmmakers of every level to help bring their stories to life,” adds Jim Continenza, executive chairman and chief executive officer at Kodak. “Visual creators are passionate about capturing their images with the authentic look of film. To ensure Kodak can provide film for decades to come, we continue to invest in product innovation and expanding capacity.”

With mammoth productions such as The Odyssey continuing to embrace large format film, Kodak’s investment in celluloid remains integral to the format’s future.

Images: Melinda Sue Gordon & Universal Studios

This article appears in the August/September 2026 issue of Definition