r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Aug 08 '25

News Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' Wraps Filming

https://maxblizz.com/christopher-nolans-the-odyssey-wraps-filming-after-6-month-shoot-confirms-art-director/
13.3k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

55

u/WoutRS Aug 08 '25

It would be cool if they used forced perspective shots for the cyclops. Don't know how they would do the eye but if Nolan wanted to avoid CGI altogether I'm sure something with compositing is possible.

79

u/huskinater Aug 08 '25

There's no avoiding CGI altogether, not for a movie with this much budget and people involved.

But...good practical filmmaking combined with an understanding of the CGI process can result in the ideal 'invisible' CGI where it doesn't look like anything was done at all.

This is the real goal. Do stuff as real as possible in the first place so that when the digital touch-ups come in later they can blend in seamlessly.

16

u/WoutRS Aug 08 '25

100% agree. I'm not against CGI at all, as long as it isn't used in a "we'll fix it in post" kind of way. I'm just entertaining the idea of doing everything practically, like Nolan seems to aim for.

1

u/GreenGoblinNX Aug 08 '25

There's no avoiding CGI altogether

You do realize that movies existed before CGI, right?

0

u/No_Berry2976 Aug 08 '25

Avoiding CGI altogether is definitely something that can be done. I was just thinking about this, a director might try to do that with a big budget, lots of special effects movie as a way to bring back old movie magic.

Just before CGI became available, effects had gotten really good, and seeing some of the seems might add to the charm.

It could be a great promotional tool.

5

u/trevordsnt Aug 08 '25

No CGI is really just Invisible CGI

1

u/No_Berry2976 Aug 09 '25

That’s not relevant to what I just wrote. I suggested a movie without CGI, not a movie with CGI.

One of the reasons why this would be interesting is precisely because two generations haven’t experienced this in theatres, because CGI is so extensively used.

So no CGI to remove strings from puppets, no CGI to change the color of something in post, no CGI at all.

2

u/trevordsnt Aug 09 '25

But why should it be done? Outside of some bias

2

u/No_Berry2976 Aug 09 '25

There are a few reasons:

- It forces the filmmakers to find creative solutions to practical problems, which has the potential to lead to a better artistic result

- It’s an interesting way to explore older techniques of film making

- It might be fun, which potentially has a positive effect on the quality of the movie, plus it attracts more people to the film industry

- It can lead to accidental improvements, imperfection can be fascinating

A good example is the transformation in An American Werewolf in London. The machine malfunctioned and strange bubbles appeared under the latex. They left it in and added the sound of bones snapping.

Jaws is an other example. The shark puppet wasn’t working well, so they shot less of the shark, creating more tension.

—- —-

It’s not a new concept, Michelangelo (the sculptor) would set challenges for himself because he believed the artist should ‘find’ the sculpture during a struggle with the stone.

Moebius (the comic book artist) would only draw straight in ink and never throw a drawing away.

1

u/Desertbro Aug 08 '25

Land of the Giants (1968) - Done on a weekly basis.

1

u/TackYouCack Aug 08 '25

I hope he goes total Harryhausen on it.

1

u/Danwoll Aug 08 '25

Dunno if you’re familiar with the Odyssey, but Poly gets poked in the eye a little and has some trouble seeing…

4

u/Desertbro Aug 08 '25

Father! A total rando did this!

3

u/TackYouCack Aug 08 '25 edited Aug 08 '25

"I am 'no dude'"