Christopher Nolan’s new film, Oppenheimer, is all set to theatres on July 21, 2023, and the filmmaker recently revealed a very important scene from the film. In a recent interview with Total Film magazine, Nolan revealed that he recreated the first nuclear weapon detonation without CGI effects as part of the production for his new movie Oppenheimer.
The nuclear weapon explosion did not come as a surprise as he always went the practical route when it came time to film. Nolan has always favoured practical effects over VFX. He even blew up a real Boeing 747 for Tenet. While talking to the outer, Nolan shared, “I think recreating the Trinity test (the first nuclear weapon detonation, in New Mexico) without the use of computer graphics was a huge challenge to take on.”
The filmmaker explained, “Andrew Jackson, my visual effects supervisor, I got him on board early on, was looking at how we could do a lot of the visual elements of the film practically, from representing quantum dynamics and quantum physics to the Trinity test itself to recreating, with my team, Los Alamos up on a mesa in New Mexico in extraordinary weather, a lot of which was needed for the film, in terms of the very harsh conditions out there, there were huge practical challenges.”
Nolan then calls Oppenheimer a ‘story of immense scope and scale,’ adding, “It’s one of the most challenging projects I’ve ever taken on in terms of the scale of it, and in terms of encountering the breadth of Oppenheimer’s story.” The director also talks about the challenges that he faced during the filming process.
He said, “There were big, logistical challenges, big practical challenges. But I had an extraordinary crew, and they really stepped up. It will be a while before we’re finished. But certainly, as I watch the results come in, and as I’m putting the film together, I’m thrilled with what my team has been able to achieve.”
Cillian Murphy starred as J. Robert Oppenheimer, a leading figure in the Manhattan Project and the creation of the atomic bomb during World War II. The upcoming film is based on true events. Interstellar, Dunkirk and Tenet cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema reunited once again with Nolan for Oppenheimer. The two cinematographers managed to get IMAX to create a new kind of film stock for them.
Nolan continues, “We challenged the people at Kodak Photochem to make this work for us. And they stepped up. For the first time ever, we were able to shoot IMAX films in black and white. And the results were thrilling and extraordinary. As soon as Hoyte (van Hoytema, Nolan’s cinematographer since Interstellar) and I saw the first tests come in, we just knew that this was a format that we were immediately in love with.”
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