[Getty Images]
[Getty Images]

Director Christopher Nolan, who helmed "The Odyssey," is set to visit South Korea on Aug. 3 and appear on the tvN variety program "You Quiz on the Block" — and he has been drawing attention after revealing his secrets to making great films.

According to CBS, Nolan appeared Tuesday on the flagship newsmagazine "60 Minutes," where the host noticed a book beside his desk titled "How to Make a Good Film" and asked whether that was his secret. "That's the secret. I was trying to tidy up before you came and hide all the secrets," Nolan said with a smile.

The worn cover of the book, which appeared to have been published decades ago, featured a man holding a Super 8 camera — the legendary format that inspired generations of filmmakers.

"It's basically about Super 8. Super 8 home movies," Nolan said. "I'm old enough to have actually started on Super 8."

"My family had a Super 8 camera instead of a video camera," he added.

The Super 8 camera was an analog film camera that enjoyed wide popularity among ordinary households and amateur filmmakers from the 1960s through the 1980s, before video camcorders became widespread.

First released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak, the camera broadened its reach by simplifying film replacement with a cartridge-based system.

While it used standard 8mm film, the camera earned the "Super" name by reducing the size of the sprocket holes along the film's edge, which expanded the actual image area by 50 percent.

Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams and Peter Jackson all nurtured their filmmaking dreams with the camera — particularly Abrams, who directed "Super 8," a film paying homage to his own childhood.

[AP]
[AP]

The book Nolan kept is an official Kodak guidebook covering the full range of filmmaking — from basic techniques such as focusing and exposure control, to visual composition and storytelling, post-production editing and special effects. First published in 1938, it has gone through multiple revised editions. The book is widely credited with laying the foundation for his career as a director.

His younger brother Jonathan, who co-wrote the screenplay for "The Dark Knight," recalled Nolan's childhood filmmaking on CBS. "I have memories of Chris making films when I was very young," he said.

Jonathan, who said he was about 3 or 4 years old when Nolan was around 8 or 9, described how his brother would stage their own version of "Star Wars" in the basement, blowing up some of his toys with firecrackers. "He always seemed captivated by the fact that you could use this device as a portal to another universe," Jonathan said. "Like a door."

Meanwhile, Nolan will visit South Korea on Aug. 3, ahead of "The Odyssey's" domestic opening on Aug. 5. It will be his first visit to the country.

During his stay, he will appear on the tvN variety program "You Quiz on the Block" alongside actor Matt Damon, where the two are expected to discuss behind-the-scenes stories from the film and their philosophies on directing and acting.


ygmoon@heraldcorp.com