Shooting an entire feature film in one shot is impossible. Instead, Mendes and Deakins decided to create the effect of a continuous single shot by interweaving several long shots. Deakins shot the film on an Arri Alexa Mini LF digital cinema camera to capture the intimate shots he wanted. The film is an incredible technical achievement, for which it won the Academy Award for “Best Cinematography”.

Filming took 65 days, with nearly four months of rehearsals and a budget of $90 million. Every actor, including the 500 extras, had to be exactly on point for every shoot, some of which lasted up to nine minutes. If someone sneezed at the wrong time, they would have to start over. Everything had to be perfectly choreographed and executed, and lead actors George McKay and Dean-Charles Chapman had the difficult task of setting the pace for the entire film.

However, sometimes the perfect accident can happen and add to the realism of a photo. In one of the most tense and memorable scenes, McKay’s character runs across the field in the opposite direction of the oncoming wave, with explosions and gunfire surrounding him. While rehearsals went smoothly, in the last act, McKay ended up colliding with oncoming soldiers and crashing to the ground, only to appear so perfectly in character again that it seems intentional.

It was also a massive continuity task for Deakins, especially given the famously unpredictable English weather. Knowing that each outlet would have to be perfectly stitched together, it had to perfectly match the lighting in each. This also meant that the overcast weather was perfect as it lacked dimension and change. Of course, England decided to be unusually sunny that year.

Still, photography’s greatest technical achievement remains shrouded in mystery, with Mendes and editor Lee Smith keen to leave the magic intact. They knew that revealing their process would leave viewers paying attention to every seam and every incongruity, especially when the goal was to make them feel like they were part of the action. And so, the magic of continuous “shooting” for almost two hours remains a mystery, only the huge efforts of the production crew can demonstrate the incredible achievements of this war masterpiece.

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