Christopher Nolan Reveals 6 Secrets of “Oppenheimer” & Filmmaking
Christopher Nolan’s reputation as a master of technical filmmaking excellence precedes him. With awe-inspiring visual feats in films like Inception, Interstellar and Tenet, Nolan has continually raised the bar on what’s possible in cinema. His latest project, Oppenheimer, looks to continue his boundary-pushing vision.
The Film’s Subject & Approach
Oppenheimer chronicles J. Robert Oppenheimer’s involvement as the scientific director of the Manhattan Project. This secret U.S. program during WWII successfully developed the first atomic weapons. Following the strands of Oppenheimer’s complex moral dilemma, Nolan takes an intimate yet epic look at the man behind the bomb.
Filming began in early 2022, with Nolan and crew working hard to authentically recreate the 1940s setting. Critical shooting locations included Los Alamos, New Mexico, where the actual Manhattan Project laboratory once stood. While certainly presenting challenges, Nolan asserts “being in a real place informs the filmmaking process in very positive ways.”
Mastering the Art of Illusion
Nolan has always prided himself on achieving monumental visual feats practically whenever possible. For Oppenheimer, some central sets had to be constructed quickly before shooting. His production designer Nathan Crowley reveals they “found a landscape that resembles Los Alamos at Ghost Ranch and strategically built portions of the town.”
With the span of the build being restricted, Nolan and his team then rely on the power of forced perspective and optical illusions. By manipulating proportions and camera angles, larger environments can manifest on screen. “We built buildings and streets with incorrect perspectives so they would appear normal from the lens’ point of view, but were actually squeezed together,” Crowley explains. They even constructed unconventional buildings like a house shaped as an odd rhomboid. Counterintuitively, it looks like a normal house on camera.
Capturing an Iconic Point of View
A key directorial choice was to capture Oppenheimer’s unique perspective, putting viewers right in the scientist’s shoes. Nolan reveals, “We wanted the audience to see things the way Oppenheimer saw them.”
A main tool used was the giant 65mm IMAX camera. Despite challenges around pulling focus, Nolan attests “the impression of depth is astonishing.” The director and Hoyte Van Hoytema also incorporated stylized camera angles to build tension. Especially when Oppenheimer encounters difficult moments, “the angles communicate things are going wrong in a graphic way.”
Heightened Dimension through Aspect Ratios
Nolan dynamically plays with aspect ratios throughout filming. For outdoor shots like the New Mexico desert, IMAX’s full 1.43:1 frame opens up to highlight the sweeping landscape surrounding Oppenheimer. When the characters walk indoors, the frame smoothly condenses down to a widescreen 2.39:1 ratio.
This techniques leverages how audiences perceive space, directing more attention either to environments dwarfing human figures or intimate exchanges happening within enclosed rooms. As Nolan puts it, “Aspect ratio has a powerful subliminal effect on people…it opens up the film in very particular ways.”
Building in ”Time Slices”
Nonlinear storytelling has arisen more prevalently in Nolan’s work, used notably in Dunkirk and Tenet. Oppenheimer also incorporates this method, cross-cutting between different time periods. Nolan reveals, “I try to build it into the script structure from the start.”
His editing team then works to interweave these “time slices” fluidly. Nolan notes that while disorienting at first, nonlinear editing provides exciting opportunities: “Once you get your head around it, you realize you can do new things you couldn’t otherwise achieve.” Maintaining rhythm and pace remains paramount, however. The director strives to locate the right contrast in mood and movement between timelines.
Words Into Images
Nolan sees Dialogue as carrying equal weight: “I tend to view dialogue as almost architectural design — form follows function.” Before shooting conversation scenes, he spends extensive time paring exchanges down to their integral essence. “You have to edit dialogue mentally so it‘s ready to be put on screen.”
He also advises young filmmakers to first “see the lines performed without sound” during editing. Listen for sections dragging momentum down. As cuts gradually accelerate in Oppenheimer, Nolan says he came to realize “sometimes scenes play better without certain lead-in or exit lines.” Eliminating unnecessary verbiage ultimately keeps the film lean and impactful.
Composing a Rhythm
Nolan brought on acclaimed composer Ludwig Göransson early into post-production to score Oppenheimer. Göransson‘s active involvement during editing has helped calibrate scenes‘ intensity and pacing. Nolan would run sequences without score to identify areas needing further calibration based on imagery alone. The director also had actors perform script reads, noting pauses and inflections. This way Göransson could craft music complementing the dialogue‘s flow.
When finally added, Nolan says the score works to “articulate the film’s underlying rhythm” rather than just embellish. The director and composer carved out a collaborative process ensuring the soundtrack and images wholly reinforce one another.
Parting Advice
While Oppenheimer certainly has massive scale and reach, Nolan encourages up-and-coming directors to tailor stories around their available resources. He advises, “Be realistic about what you want to bite off. Craft the tone, character and world to suit that.” Nolan adds that limitations can bolster creativity, so young filmmakers should “view constraints as opportunities.”
If early footage is any indication, Oppenheimer looks to offer Nolan’s signature epic vision, but grounded in raw human intimacy. Audiences will have the chance to examine the exhilaration and burdens of creation through one man’s eyes when Oppenheimer releases on July 21, 2023. Expect the film’s technical and narrative prowess to further cement Christopher Nolan as a master of the medium.