The Insane IMAX Camera Used in ‘The Odyssey’ Made Tom Holland Think He Was Bombing

The IMAX large-format film camera is like no other. And even for Hollywood stars, working with the enormous 70mm camera is a disorienting experience. As actor Tom Holland found out on his first day on set for The Odyssey.

Holland tells Variety that he thought he was doing a terrible job after director Christopher Nolan kept shouting cut after just a few minutes.

“Working with the IMAX cameras for the first time is an experience,” Holland says. “It is unlike anything I have ever seen before, and I didn’t know that it only ran for three minutes. So, I remember you would continue cutting, and I was with Jon [Bernthal], like, ‘Why does he keep cutting? Why does he keep doing that?’”

Holland says the constant cutting made him nervous and question his own ability.

“In my head, I was like, ‘Does he not like what we’re doing? What is happening?’ And then, I remember it was actually George Cottle [stunt coordinator] that was like, ‘No, no, no, there’s only three minutes in the mag.’ I was like, ‘Oh, thank God.’ I thought I was totally s***ting the bed in this scene.”

Despite one magazine holding 1,000 feet of 70mm film, the IMAX camera runs the celluloid through the gate at a whopping 5.6 feet per second. That means when shooting at 24 frames per second, a single magazine lasts just three minutes.

Earlier this week, IMAX gave a rare close-up look at their latest generation of IMAX cameras, the Keighley, which was designed and built with iconic director Christopher Nolan in mind.

The Odyssey is the first movie ever to be shot entirely on IMAX cameras, and that is in no small part thanks to the latest IMAX Keighley, which also comes with something called a blimp that muffles the sounds of the large-format camera. Historically, the sound has always been an issue for IMAX cameras, especially when shooting dialogue in small spaces.

Fans will finally get to see the movie next week; some theaters are showing the film on 70mm projectors, which is the best way to see it. In many ways, The Odyssey is the culmination of Nolan’s career, which has consistently championed IMAX cameras. Holland plays Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, who is played by Matt Damon.

“Working with Chris, getting to know him and Emma [Thomas] was absolutely fantastic. I’ve never seen someone who can work the way that they do, and there is a reason why they’re the best in the business for sure,” Holland tells Variety.

“To get a front row seat to that and to be a part of the process and to collaborate with a true master of his craft and learn from him was the best experience I’ve ever had.”