Blog; Powering a Modern Epic: How Instagrid ONE Kept Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Running Across Seven Countries

Ninety-one shooting days. Seven countries. Some of the world’s most remote, environmentally sensitive, and logistically challenging locations.

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey was filmed across Morocco, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Iceland, Western Sahara, and Malta, following Odysseus’s journey through dramatic landscapes, remote coastlines, historic sites, and open water.

The scale and ambition of the production placed extraordinary demands on its power infrastructure. Every location required reliable power to support lighting, cameras, cranes, rigging, DIT, and crew facilities, all without compromising the production’s mobility or creative vision.

Yet many filming locations ruled out conventional generator power entirely. Production took place on boats, around water, on isolated Mediterranean islands, inside prehistoric caves, and across protected heritage sites where strict restrictions applied to noise, emissions, and physical footprint.

For a production that continually pushed the boundaries of practical filmmaking, traditional generators simply weren’t an option.

Instagrid ONE, our portable 230V power system, travelled alongside cast and crew throughout the production, with up to 70 units deployed at peak usage across multiple locations.

Weighing just 20 kg and designed to be carried by a single person, Instagrid ONE was built for exactly this kind of demanding environment. Each unit delivers 3.6 kW of continuous output and up to 18 kW of peak power from a 2.1 kWh battery capacity, providing reliable electricity for lights, camera-cranes, monitors, and other high-demand equipment where grid access is unavailable, as well as the ability to recharge camera batteries quickly on set.

When longer runtimes were needed, units were connected using the Instagrid LINK system, combining up to three Instagrid ONE units into a 6.3 kWh power source, extending operating time without operational complexity.

For a production capturing highly detailed performances and dialogue for IMAX presentation, eliminating background noise was critical – therefore Instagrid ONE’s silent operation fit the bill perfectly.

Instagrid ONE also powered the Scorpio 45′ Technocrane supplied by Cinecrane during several demanding location sequences, including the filming of Odysseus (Matt Damon) ascending the slopes of Mount Pelion in Greece. Despite the steep, remote terrain, power remained readily available wherever the production needed it.

Bilal El-Harrak, a member of the lighting team working on the Scotland unit, described the impact of the system on set:

“We had approximately 60 to 70 Instagrid ONE units on set, mainly powering the LED lighting. They became a favourite solution for location work where the terrain was difficult and rugged.

“In Scotland, the lighting team used Instagrid’s portable power systems in the woods around Findhorn to power Skypanel 360s. Instagrid ONE units are essential for quick changes and situations where running conventional mains power would be too time-consuming. Carrying the units proved far more practical and allowed us to meet power requirements instantly.”

Bilal El-Harrak, Lighting Team, The Odyssey (Scotland Unit)

Large parts of The Odyssey were filmed at sea, around boats, and on coastlines that were inaccessible by road. With an IP54 rating and built to withstand life on a construction site, Instagrid ONE operated reliably in exposed environments where other power solutions could not.

The production filmed at a 15th-century castle overlooking the island of Favignana. Located more than 1,000 feet above sea level and inaccessible by vehicle, the site required cast and crew to hike equipment to the location each day. Thanks to its portability, Instagrid ONE made the journey too.

The Cyclops sequences were filmed inside a real prehistoric cave with no existing infrastructure and strict access restrictions. Silent, fume-free, and compact, Instagrid ONE provided dependable power without compromising the site’s environmental and heritage requirements.

Filming took place in freezing temperatures and rapidly changing weather conditions. The production needed a power solution that could perform consistently in harsh environments. Instagrid ONE delivered reliable performance throughout the shoot, whatever the weather.

Across one of the most ambitious location productions in modern cinema, Instagrid ONE delivered what conventional power solutions could not: reliable, silent, emission-free portable power wherever the production needed to go.

From remote islands and mountain slopes to prehistoric caves and open-water filming locations, Instagrid ONE enabled the crew to bring power directly to the point of use, helping keep one of cinema’s most ambitious productions moving.

For a film that pushed the limits of filmmaking on screen, Instagrid helped make it possible behind the scenes.

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