A second trailer and savory new details about Oscar-winning filmmaker Sam Mendes\u2019 World War I blockbuster should have even the most pedestrian of film enthusiasts salivating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This week, Universal Pictures released a behind-the-scenes look at \u201c1917,\u201d a story about two young soldiers \u2014 played by George MacKay (\u201cCaptain Fantastic\u201d) and Dean-Charles Chapman (\u201cGame of Thrones\u201d) \u2014 who embark in a race against time through the apocalyptic hellscapes of the Western Front to deliver a message that could save 1,600 lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To make The Great War as immersive and viewer-relatable as possible, Mendes and Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins opted to shoot the entire film as a continuous shot that never departs from the two main characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrom the very beginning I felt this movie should be told in real time,” Mendes said in the behind-the-scenes featurette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wanted people to understand how difficult it was for these men. … Every step of the journey, breathing every breath with these men, felt integral. And there is no better way to tell the story than with one continuous shot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Use of continuous shot cinematography has increased in recent years, with fellow award-winner Emmanuel Lubezki employing it masterfully in various films like \u201cThe Revenant,\u201d \u201cGravity,\u201d and perhaps most notably, in the stunning battle sequence from Alfonso Cuar\u00f3n\u2032s \u201cChildren of Men.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s meant to make you feel that you are in the trenches with these characters,\u201d said film producer Pippa Harris, who worked with Mendes on \u201cJarhead\u201d and \u201cRevolutionary Road.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because this filming technique requires the use of 360 degrees of each exterior, \u201c1917,\u201d like \u201cThe Revenant,\u201d had to be shot using only natural light, a process that made actors and camera operators entirely dependent on ideal weather conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A five-minute window of the sun ducking behind clouds could send cast and crew scrambling into position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Select action sequences were so extensive that cameras had to be hooked onto wires and pushed across landscapes by operators before traversing an elevated wire reminiscent of the sky cam used during select National Football League broadcasts. Operators would then have to regather the camera, unhook it, and run alongside characters before climbing into a moving vehicle for a faster sequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McKay said the filming process reminded him of acting on stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was like a piece of theater every take. Once you start, you can\u2019t stop. If something goes wrong, you just have to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In some movies, filmmakers \u201cmight be able to cut around this or take that scene out,” Mendes said. “That\u2019s not possible on this film. The dance of the camera and the mechanics all have to be in sync with what the actor is doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen you achieve that, it\u2019s really beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c1917\u201d is set for a limited Christmas Day release before hitting theaters nationwide on Jan. 10, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Benedict Cumberbatch (\u201cThe Imitation Game,\u201d \u201cDoctor Strange\u201d), Colin Firth (\u201cThe King\u2019s Speech,\u201d \u201cKingsman”), Mark Strong (\u201cThe Imitation Game,\u201d \u201cZero Dark Thirty\u201d), and Richard Madden (\u201cGame of Thrones\u201d) round out a star-studded cast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
World War I garnered renewed interest following the release of Peter Jackson\u2019s (\u201cLord of the Rings\u201d) groundbreaking documentary, \u201cThey Shall Not Grow Old.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Based on the first two trailers, it looks like Mendes is sure to do The Great War justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Watch the second official trailer below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n