[MUSIC PLAYING]
NARRATOR: Christopher
Nolan is a true visionary.
Thanks to high profile hits such
as "The Dark Knight Trilogy,"
"Inception," and
"Interstellar," Nolan
is regarded as one of the
most talented directors
of a generation and
for good reason.
"Dunkirk" is set to take
the cinematic experience
to the next level.
Throughout his career, Nolan
has pushed the boundaries
of what is possible relying on
traditional techniques instead
of ultra modern technology.
But why does this
make Nolan unique?
As well as creating
complex, unique, big budget
blockbusters, Nolan is
a devout traditionalist.
His approach to filming is
rare thanks to his insistence
on shooting in
classic film stock
and opting for practical
effects over CGI
whenever possible
taking no shortcuts.
Instead of attending film
school, Nolan is self-taught.
A process he
believes helps shape
his organic filming style.
He paid for his first
feature, "The Following,"
shooting scenes on weekends
while working full time.
That was followed by the
non-linear gem "Memento"
and "Insomnia," his first film
in a long running partnership
with Warner Brothers.
As the budgets
increased, Nolan stayed
true to his craft refusing
to bow to modern trends
as his popularity
and influence grew.
In "The Dark Knight" when
Heath Ledger's Joker blows up
the hospital, what you
see is a real explosion.
To make Gotham as
enchanting as possible,
Nolan shot some select scenes
in IMAX 70-millimeter film,
including the
Joker's introduction.
In "Inception," one of the
most visually striking scenes
occurs when Joseph
Gordon-Levitt's character
Arthur is involved in a
zero gravity fight scene
in the dreamworld.
Rather than use CGI, Nolan
used a huge rotating set
in a World War I hangar
outside of London.
A crew of more than 500
helped assist and shooting
the scene took three weeks.
Nolan stuck to his guns with the
final entry in "The Dark Knight
Trilogy."
He rejected the use of 3D and
focused on the higher image
quality with IMAX.
Whereas "The Dark
Knight" includes
28 minutes of
footage shot in IMAX,
"The Dark Knight Rises"
includes over an hour.
Nolan went to space for his
next feature "Interstellar,"
again preferring to
shoot on film using
a combination of IMAX
70 millimeter, 70
millimeter, and 35 millimeter.
Although green screen
was used, many effects
were achieved practically.
No one had a
practical rig set up
for filming scenes in the
spaceship's cockpit, which
Nolan himself could operate and
move around with hydraulics.
However that rig
is nothing compared
to the lengths Nolan went
to in filming "Dunkirk."
Talking of his
previous experiences
prior to filming the World
War II epic, he said--
As well as the entire movie
being shot on film, most of it
is shot on the high quality,
ultra sized IMAX 70 millimeter.
Despite this being cumbersome to
use as the cameras are costly,
loud, and weigh 54
pounds, no scenes
were too impractical for Nolan.
He even used IMAX to shoot
Tom Hardy inside the cockpit
of a real Spitfire aircraft.
As the use of film is
dying out in the industry,
Nolan's work promises to
be not only immersive,
but an experience that won't
be possible in years to come.
This is one to not only
watch, but to experience.
See it in IMAX 70
millimeter if you can,
the way Hollywood's visionary
Christopher Nolan intended.
