Christopher Nolan talks Interstellar and how digital isn’t as good as film

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

During a lunch at CinemaCon for Christopher Nolan, the director talked a little about his highly anticipated new film INTERSTELLAR. Nolan (of course) didn't reveal any plot details, however he did share a few interesting things about his movie, and talked about how shooting with film is still better than working with new digital technologies.

Nolan on the tone for INTERSTELLAR:

"I grew up in an era that was a golden age of the blockbuster, when something we might call a family film could have universal appeal. That's something I want to see again. In terms of the tone of the film, it looks at where we are as a people and has a universality about human experience."

Nolan talking about Matthew McConaughey's character, and how MUD convinced the director McConaughey was the right man for the job:

"[Mud] showed me a side of Matthew's capabilities that I never knew was there. It was a transformative performance. From when I first saw it, I had an inside track on how great he could be…I needed someone who is very much an everyman, someone the audience could experience the story with. He's just a phenomenal, charismatic presence in the movie. His performance is shaping up to be extraordinary."

On Michael Caine being his lucky charm:

"He comes so prepared and he is just so good with such a minimal effort. I cast him in every film just as an example to everyone else. He's just a lovely guy to be around. He jokes that he's my lucky charm. It was a very good strategy on his part."

On how film is still superior to digital:

"Film is the best way to capture an image and project that image. It just is, hands down. That's based on my assessment of what I'm seeing as a filmmaker…As far as innovation and experimentation, I'm in favor of any technological innovation, but it will always have to exceed what came before. None of the new technologies have done that."

On how he is one of the few directors who actually watches his films in movie theaters:

"I've gone to movie theaters and watched [my films]. Not enough filmmakers do that. And not enough people in our industry spend enough time in theaters and see the end result."

On why he prefers practical locations instead of using CGI:

"I want to capture as much in camera as possible," he said "It's a much higher quality than if you shoot on a green screen."

According to THR, Nolan "built the interior of a space shuttle for some scenes, and placed actual images outside the windows so that the actors could see what their characters would see," for INTERSTELLAR.

Nolan was also asked if he would ever be interested in directing something for television:

"I would never say never, but I just really like movies. There's a lot of great stuff happening in TV, but we're not here to talk about TV."

Nolan goes on to say he hasn't decided what he wants to work on next after INTERSTELLAR:

"I have always viewed every film as the last film I'm going to do. I've always done that because I want to put everything into it. I might get hit by a bus at the end of production."

I'm usually the type of person who loves spoilers, but I'm glad I know almost nothing about INTERSTELLAR. With Nolan behind the camera and an amazing cast, many have high hopes for his next film, and I'm sure INTERSTELLAR will be another fantastic flick from the director.

INTERSTELLAR also stars Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Topher Grace, John Lithgow, Wes Bentley, Mackenzie Foy and Bill Irwin, and will be released on November 7th, 2014.