We love a good war movie here at CHARGE!, and 1917 is a great one. The film, which took home three Oscars as well as the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Director earlier this year, is most notable for the unique way in which it was filmed. Director Sam Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins filmed the movie in such a way that the entire film looks like one long take, which really adds to the urgency of what’s happening on-screen. But how exactly did they accomplish this feat? A new behind-the-scenes video sheds some light on the answer.
The video, which comes courtesy of Screen Rant, goes into some of the remarkable camera technology that was employed to film some of 1917‘s most impossible shots. Essentially, it involved a lot of crane work, cameras being handed off mid-shoot from one crane to handheld operators onto another crane, and exact planning of every shot before any sets were even built. These techniques allowed not only the single-shot feel of the film, but also made its War War I battles look extremely authentic. The viewer feels like they’re in the thick of the action because the cameras were in the thick of the action in an intimate way that just isn’t really seen in modern blockbusters, where most big set pieces are filmed in front of a green screen.
Take a look at the clip below, and prepare to be amazed at how much work went into making one of the most visually-astounding war epics of all time.
1917 is available to own now on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital formats.
