Anyone Can Use the Film Christopher Nolan Shot ‘The Odyssey’ With

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Summer blockbusters are a defining element of American life — one that reverberates through movie watchers’ lives in ways they can’t predict. Jaws still makes me think twice about swimming at the beach. Star Wars made me want a lightsaber so I could thwart the tyrannical rulers of the galaxy (or, at the very least, my elementary school).Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is set to become this summer’s biggest blockbuster, and seeing the previews made me feel something different: It made me feel like I had to try the Kodak Vision3 film that Nolan and his team used to make it. The shiny metal armor, the roiling seawater, the ominous skies, the sweeping desert landscapes — I wanted to see if I could capture even a tenth of that majesty with my Leica M6 on the streets of New York City.Cinema film, in your camera Atlanta Film Co. 250D (NRJ)Atlanta Film Co. 250D (NRJ)This respooled Kodak daylight-balanced film is the same emulsion used for many of Christopher Nolan’s most celebrated films, now even easier to process.Buying options: $13 from Atlanta Film Co., opens in a new tabThe cine film to use under artificial light Atlanta Film Co. 500T (NRJ)Atlanta Film Co. 500T (NRJ)If you find yourself shooting indoors under yellow-tinged artificial light, this film will provide the right color balance. You can also shoot it in daylight with the appropriate warming filter.Buying options: $13 from Atlanta Film Co., opens in a new tabThankfully, I can, and so can you. (And so did my colleague Ben Keough, with his Nikon F3 in the high desert of New Mexico.) You just have to know where to get the film in a form that you can load in a regular film camera, plus where to have it processed once you’re done. We found a few such places that we can point you to. We also bought some of the film and shot lots of sample photos so you’ll know what to expect if you want to try it for yourself.