• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Christopher Nolan explains why people may struggle hearing dialogue in his movies

Home> Film & TV> News

Updated 17:49 3 Aug 2023 GMT+1Published 17:50 3 Aug 2023 GMT+1

Christopher Nolan explains why people may struggle hearing dialogue in his movies

Oppenheimer has been met with rave reviews since it landed in cinemas

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

Christopher Nolan's movies are always blockbuster, that's a given.

However, anyone who has ever sat through any of the director's mammoth films can attest to the fact that the sound can sometimes be a touch... inaudible.

Fans of Nolan's Batman series will remember the outrage that came about from the difficulty many fans experienced trying to hear Bane's dialogue in The Dark Knight Rises.

And his latest release, Oppenheimer, appears to have come under the same level of scrutiny with regards to sound quality.

Advert

Since it was released last month, the World War Two biopic has been met with rave reviews, with fans and critics praising Nolan and his cast.

Some have questioned the sound quality in Oppenheimer.
Universal Pictures

However, questions have been raised by some who claim that the dialogue is pretty hard to follow.

Now, one of the reasons sound has been affected is due to the fact that Nolan used huge Imax cameras - which are certainly not soundproof - to shoot it.

Advert

Speaking to Insider, Nolan said: "There are certain mechanical improvements. And actually, Imax is building new cameras right now which are going to be even quieter.

"But the real breakthrough is in software technology that allows you to filter out the camera noise. That has improved massively in the 15 or so years that I've been using these cameras.

"Which opens up for you to do more intimate scenes that you would not have been able to do in the past."

Nolan pointed out to the outlet that he decided not to use Imas cameras for the Oval Office scene between J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and President Truman (Gary Oldman), as it would have simply been too noisy.

Advert

Looking over his work more generally, though, Nolan says he prefers to use Imax cameras as they allow for more realism to his work.

Christopher Nolan said the sound level is an artistic decision. Pierre Suu/WireImage
Christopher Nolan said the sound level is an artistic decision. Pierre Suu/WireImage

Whereas other films tend to add in dialogue post-production, the Inception director prefers to retain the original sound.

"I like to use the performance that was given in the moment rather than the actor revoice it later," he explained.

Advert

"Which is an artistic choice that some people disagree with, and that's their right."

And while some may disagree, the sound issues don't appear to have affected the reviews.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the movie currently has a rating of 93 percent from critics and 91 percent from fans, which ain't too bad.

Praising the film, one reviewer said: “Oppenheimer isn’t just an epic masterpiece but one of the most important films of the year.”

Featured Image Credit: Universal Pictures

Topics: Christopher Nolan, Entertainment, Film and TV, Oppenheimer

Dominic Smithers
Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is the News/Agenda Desk Lead, covering the latest trends and breaking stories. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

X

@SmithersDom

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

4 hours ago
a day ago
  • 4 hours ago

    Secret Netflix code finds 100% rated mini-series you didn't know existed

    'A definite must-see'

    Film & TV
  • a day ago

    Underrated Netflix mini-series labeled 'beautiful and relatable' as viewers watch for 9.4 million hours

    Idris Elba stars in the 'refreshing' eight-parter

    Film & TV
  • a day ago

    Fans can't stop watching 'underrated' Ryan Reynolds movie that's one of the best 'made in the last 10 years' and is now on Netflix

    Ryan Reynold has a whole lot of films under his belt but many think this gem is underrated

    Film & TV
  • a day ago

    Five epic movies that have just arrived on Netflix include 'cinematic masterpiece' which 'not enough people have seen'

    Which film will you choose to watch this weekend?

    Film & TV
  • Christopher Nolan has made an eye-watering amount of money from all of his movies
  • Amazon Prime Video drops all six movies of classic movie franchise deemed 'the best ever'
  • Seth Rogen explains why one audition tape could ‘end his career’ if it leaked to the public
  • Reason why Minecraft movies are erupting in chaos during opening weekend leaving people outraged