COVER
IN-CAMERA MAGIC HELPS TENET SLIP THE BONDS OF TIME By KEVIN H. MARTIN
All images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. TOP: Enigmatically identified only as ‘The Protagonist,’ John David Washington’s character is one of the agents tasked with averting a global disaster in Tenet. OPPOSITE TOP: John David Washington is aided by Robert Pattinson.
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“Even after reading the script four times, I was still working out the complexities of it,” Tenet Visual Effects Supervisor Andrew Jackson admits. “Tenet was a case of just when you think you’ve gotten things clear in your mind, then you catch yourself and realize, ‘Oh no!’ And so you’ve got to think a bit harder. It’ll keep audiences wondering to work things out.” Tenet is writer/producer/director Christopher Nolan’s latest thrill ride, shot almost entirely using 65mm and IMAX film cameras. The premise – featuring spies combating a mysterious global threat and the use of time inversions – has characters facing confounding visual contradictions that leave them wondering if they are coming or going. Starring John David Washington [his character enigmatically only identified as ‘The Protagonist’], Robert Pattinson and Kenneth Branagh, Nolan’s return to technothriller territory a la Inception boasts James Bond-sized full-scale set pieces while not stinting on effects magic – though with the focus primarily on in-camera work. Editor Jennifer Lame estimates only 300 VFX shots in the whole picture, while director Nolan says the level of VFX – created at DNEG, which has worked on Nolan’s films since Batman Begins in 2005 – is less than what would be found in most romantic comedies. Visual Effects Producer Mike Chambers began working with Nolan on Inception. “With Chris being the writer/director/ producer he is, you can be sure after doing several shows with him that he knows not only what he wants but also how he would prefer to have things done,” Chambers says. “He’s very tech-savvy
with all aspects of production, and sees VFX as just one tool in the toolbox. He has always been happy with DNEG and likes the idea of avoiding multiple vendors unless something unusual comes up. Organizing early on for a Nolan project starts with knowing the ideal is to get as much in-camera as possible, but then to plan alternate routes that can get us to where we need if in-camera approach doesn’t get us all the way.” For Jackson, an Oscar nominee for George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road and a veteran of the filmmaker’s Dunkirk, Tenet offered a chance to participate on a level deeper than the norm. “One of the best parts of working on a Nolan movie,” he reveals, “involves getting into essential aspects of storytelling and filmmaking problem-solving, going well beyond traditional visual effects concerns. We go into Chris’ films with the view of filming as much as possible in-camera. Sometimes those attempts are used as elements for a visual effects shot or even just as reference, and others survive into the final even without enhancement. I come from a practical effects background, having run that kind of business. It is part of my roots, so to speak, and I really love working with the physical effects unit.” Jackson’s SFX counterpart Scott R. Fisher’s ongoing association with Nolan dates back a full decade to Inception. “Collaborating with Scott made for a very successful association,” Jackson reports. “We could talk things out while speaking the same language, then determine which processes might prove viable. Then it might be a matter of getting the art department and stunts, or some
“With Chris being the writer/director/producer he is, you can be sure after doing several shows with him that he knows not only what he wants but also how he would prefer to have things done. He’s very tech-savvy with all aspects of production, and sees VFX as just one tool in the toolbox. He has always been happy with DNEG and likes the idea of avoiding multiple vendors unless something unusual comes up. Organizing early on for a Nolan project starts with knowing the ideal is to get as much in-camera as possible, but then to plan alternate routes that can get us to where we need if in-camera approach doesn’t get us all the way.” —Mike Chambers, Visual Effects Producer
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