Christopher Nolan recently explained the strange way he filmed one of his favorite shots in Tenet. Tenet, one of the most anticipated films of the year, finally came out in theaters on September 3rd after many delays due to the coronavirus pandemic. The sci-fi action film stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, and Clémence Poésy, among many others. Though its initial reviews were somewhat divided, Tenet has already exceeded $100 million at the worldwide box office.
Tenet is well on its way to becoming another one of Nolan’s classics, as its mind-bending time travel rules and physics have left many viewers shocked and baffled. The way Tenet was filmed also shows off just how unique and groundbreaking Christopher Nolan’s filmmaking skills really are, especially as no green screens were utilized during production. At one point, Nolan even blew up a real plane to provide the most immersive and believable experience for the audience, highlighting his dedication to the film.
Recently, Christopher Nolan revealed how he filmed one of his favorite shots in Tenet in a podcast interview with CinemaBlend. He explained that the shot was a throwaway that was very complicated to do, and that he wouldn’t have dared to pull off such a feat without the proper time and experience he’s had with IMAX cameras. Nolan's explanation can be read below:
"One of my favorite shots in the film, which is a bit of a throwaway, is the shot looking down from the bow of the boat where you see the waves running backward… That was one where we were on this ice breaker, and we sort of thought, ‘Let’s try and get the camera out there somehow, and stick it to the side of the hull.’ And Hoyte and Ryan, our key grip, they found a little port hole in the bow of the ship, and they built a track so we could just roll [the camera] out and use a stick to sort of tip the camera down. It was [laughs], it was a very complicated shot to get, but it’s things like that that I don’t think we would have dared to do with those cameras when we were starting out with them on The Dark Knight. Just, over time and experience, you wind up using it like you would any other format, and that really frees you up."
With the meticulous detail that Tenet required and the way each item, word, and even sound seemed to be deliberately timed and placed, it’s hard to imagine how much improvisation occurred on set and how different the movie would be without these last-minute attempts at the perfect scene. Even though this particular shot was not majorly important to the film’s story, it was certainly aesthetically pleasing and demonstrated the originality and determination of Nolan and other Tenet creatives.
Cinema history would not be the same without Nolan’s films. It is truly fascinating to get a glimpse of Nolan’s creative process and how much effort and appreciation he puts into executing every single shot. Though Nolan claims his directing days for DC movies are over, fans can be sure that Nolan will only keep producing films that are as impressive as The Dark Knight trilogy. It is safe to say that a “Christopher Nolan movie” is branding in and of itself, and raises the bar on what modern-day action and science fiction films can achieve. Hopefully fans will see another one of Nolan’s visionary pictures soon, perhaps in the form of a sequel to Tenet.
Source: CinemaBlend