This is why it's sometimes difficult to hear the dialogue in Christopher Nolan's films

There have been quite a few times in Christopher Nolan's films when you've been glad to see subtitles, as the dialogue is simply so low in some places that you can barely hear what's being said. However, the director has now explained why this is the case, and it's entirely intentional.

It's in an interview with Insider that Nolan reveals why in some scenes there is dialogue that one wonders if it's even at frequencies that the human ear can perceive.

Christopher Nolan to Insider:

"I like to use the performance that was given in the moment rather than the actor revoice it later. Which is an artistic choice that some people disagree with, and that's their right."

He refuses to use the ADR technique, which means that parts of the dialogue are re-recorded afterwards in a more controlled environment, resulting in better and clearer sound. This is more or less standard in the film industry, but Nolan often goes his own way, which results in you barely hearing what is said in certain scenes. Sometimes, however, he opts out of his huge IMAX cameras and goes with quieter options, such as the scene in Oppenheimer from the White House where Oppenheimer meets President Truman as he felt that all the dialogue there was more important than perfect picture quality.

In the future, however, it may be a little easier to hear, as technology is constantly advancing and so are the cameras. In the same interview with Insider, Nolan explains that there are new IMAX cameras in development that will be quieter:

"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."

We don't yet know what Christopher Nolan's next project will be, but maybe we'll be able to switch off the subtitles if we want to.

Have you found it difficult to hear what is being said in Christopher Nolan's films?