The advanced physics that gave birth to “Interstellar” and Nolan’s thorough realism

Commitment to film photography

Jonathan's older brother, Christopher Nolan, was ultimately chosen to direct the film, and was involved from the completion stage of the script. He adheres to the principles of (1) always using film for filming, and (2) focusing on special effects (special effects processed in real time on set). This is because if you rely on the latest digital media, your work may become obsolete over time.

Regarding (1), important events were involved. By the time this film was released in 2014, approximately 92% of the 40,000 screens in the United States were being projected digitally, and Paramount finally announced that it would end distribution of the film. Unable to resist this trend, major photo labs, film and projector manufacturers were forced to withdraw, and it seemed like the entire world would become dominated by digital cinema.

Nolan strongly opposed this move and, along with J.J. Abrams and Quentin Tarantino, advocated for the necessity of the film. Kodak answered the call, and the following year they signed a contract to supply film to major American film companies. Nowadays, a significant number of American (and British) films are being shot on film again.

"Interstellar" special video

Nolan also took into consideration future media compatibility, making extensive use of 65mm 15-perforation IMAX film (*5), the highest image quality format currently available. This is largely due to the superhuman physical strength of cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, who can easily carry a large, heavy IMAX camera and shoot handheld.

*5 NHK's 8K Super Hi-Vision has approximately 33 million pixels, but information from IMAX film negatives can be read from over 50 million pixels. In other words, if you shoot with IMAX film, you will be fully equipped to handle the emergence of new digital media in the future.

Utilization of miniatures and full-scale sets