Christopher Nolan is a true pioneer of cinema. If there isn’t a piece of camera equipment he can get his hands on to capture the image he desires, he’ll invent it. The director has become incredibly involved in camera technology, especially when it comes to shooting in the very rare 70mm IMAX format, which he has been experimenting with since working on The Prestige. He is so specific with his sensibilities, that while he was shooting The Dark Knight, he invented a specific lens that was so innovative that directors like J.J. Abrams and Zack Snyder had to get their hands on it.

In an exclusive interview with CinemaBlend’s very own ReelBlend Podcast, the director opened up about how IMAX technology has evolved since working on The Dark Knight, which he shot when the format was experimental at the time. It was so experimental that the filmmaker had to help invent a specific lens for the immense amount of night shots needed to make the nighttime sequences so immersive.