When Matt Damon described shooting The Odyssey with IMAX film cameras as having “a blender, like a Cuisinart in your face,” he was not just joking. He was describing the most overlooked part of true large-format production. The camera is not a quiet observer. It is a loud mechanical system that can dominate the set. That is why his quote lands. It translates a very technical reality into a simple image. If the camera is close to you, it is hard to hear anything else. Including your co-star. In practical terms, that noise is not a side issue. It changes how scenes are blocked, how sound is captured, and how post-production is planned when shooting IMAX film.
The sound of shooting 15 perf
The easiest way to understand Damon’s point is to actually hear what IMAX 15 perf 70mm cameras sound like. Hear the Sound of IMAX 15 70 Film Cameras puts the sound front and center. Once you listen, the “blender” comparison stops sounding dramatic and starts sounding like a surprisingly precise technical explanation. The noise comes from physics. IMAX film capture involves moving a very large strip of film through the gate with extreme precision, at speed, with heavy mechanical parts doing real work every second. Digital cameras do not do that, so digital sets often forget what a film transport mechanism feels like in the room. Damon’s other key line is the one cinematographers will recognize instantly. He says there has “never been this dialogue” because you cannot have a normal conversation with a traditional IMAX film camera running near you. That statement is essentially a production memo. If the camera is that loud, you either design scenes to minimize usable production dialogue or you accept that sound will be rebuilt later. That does not mean the filmmaking is sloppy. It means the priorities shift. The production commits to the image and accepts that the sound workflow will be more complicated.
IMAX -handheld shooting style
This becomes even more intense when IMAX film stops behaving like a museum piece and starts behaving like a handheld camera. Hoyte van Hoytema Handheld IMAX Film on The Odyssey shows why this matters. Handheld IMAX is not just a flex. It changes the language of large format cinematography from distant spectacle to physical proximity. It also makes Damon’s “in your face” line literal. When the camera is handheld and moving with actors, the noise is not contained to a fixed position on set. It travels. It becomes part of the energy of the scene. The crew has to choreograph not only framing and focus, but also how to survive the mechanical presence of the camera at close range.
The next-gen quieter IMAX cameras
The other major technical story here is that The Odyssey is not just using classic IMAX hardware. It is also a proving ground for new IMAX film camera engineering. IMAX Next Gen Camera First Appearance the Odyssey Set covers the first look at the next-generation IMAX camera platform. These new bodies aim to improve practical realities like weight, handling, and usability. That is critical if productions want to push IMAX film beyond cranes and locked-off compositions, and into more kinetic shooting styles. But even with next-generation design, the fundamental truth remains. Film transport is mechanical. Mechanical systems make noise. You can reduce it, manage it, and isolate it, but you cannot wish it away.
IMAX camera = kitchen appliance?
So when Damon laughs about a Cuisinart in his face, the real takeaway is not that IMAX is inconvenient. The takeaway is that full-scale analog cinema has a cost that modern productions rarely pay anymore. Loud cameras, heavier rigs, slower resets, more planning for sound, and more reliance on post-production dialogue solutions. Nolan’s choice to go all in on IMAX film is a choice to embrace that cost. The payoff is the specific look and presence of IMAX negative on a giant screen. The trade is that sometimes, while the camera is running, the actors might as well be speaking underwater. If nothing else, Damon’s quote is a useful reminder for anyone romanticizing large format film. Yes, IMAX can look extraordinary. It can also sound like a kitchen appliance that refuses to be ignored.
