The upcoming 2019 British-American war film directed by Sam Mendes is the first film that was shot on the newest camera from ARRI: The Mini LF (large format). Take a look at these unique BTS (Behind The Scene) footage released yesterday.

The ARRI solution for Netflix

Back in July, ARRI posted an update regarding the development, testing, and shipping status of its new camera, the ALEXA Mini LF. The final version of the camera has started to ship from mid-September. Read this article to learn more about the camera. Furthermore, ARRI has released a series of educational videos about the ARRI Mini LF, as we covered here. 

The new ALEXA Mini LF can act as a perfect solution for ARRI to penetrate the Netflix world dominated by RED. Furthermore, this camera constitutes a much more versatile tool than the ARRI LF (explore the comparison table below).

Pre-production models (PP-1) of the ARRI Mini LF

However, there were some very unique and individuals projects that demanded the pre-production model for use urgently in their production. Those Mini LF pre-production cameras have been used on high-end productions by cinematographers like Roger Deakins to shoot 1917 film (release date: December 25, 2019).

Those Mini LF pre-production cameras have been used on high-end productions by cinematographers like Roger Deakins to shoot 1917 film

According to ARRI: “The first to receive a working prototype of the ALEXA Mini LF was multiple-award-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins CBE, ASC, BSC. He used the ALEXA Mini LF together with ARRI Signature Primes, and ARRI TRINITY camera stabilizer system on the World War 1 epic “1917.” As stated by Roger Deakins: “The image that the Mini LF and the Signature Primes produce seems, to me, more like what my eyes see than anything else I have experienced so far.” BTW, the project was shot in ARRIRAW (4.5K).

Take a look at the trailer 1917 official trailer below:

From the very beginning, I felt this movie should be told in real-time…and there is no better way to tell this story than with one continues shot…The dance of the camera and the mechanics all have to be in sync with what the actor is doing.

1917 Director – Sam Mendes

1917: Behind The Scenes glimpse: One-Shot analysis

Yesterday, Universal Pictures released a BTS Featurette which describes some of the cinematography skills and techniques needed for the execution of one of the main shots in the film. We can explore the ARRI Mini LF and TRINITY combined to execute that shot. As stated by Director Sam Mendes, “From the very beginning, I felt this movie should be told in real-time…and there is no better way to tell this story than with one continues shot”. “The dance of the camera and the mechanics all have to be in sync with what the actor is doing.” The DP Deakins adds: “From the first moment I talk to Sam about the idea as a one-shot movie, I knew it was going to be really immersive.

The dance of the camera and the mechanics all have to be in sync with what the actor is doing

1917 Director – Sam Mendes

Only natural light was used

The combat scenes were shot in natural light only, and with long shots. There are almost no handheld shots because the crew wanted to preserve the continuity of the shot to make it as real as possible.

Watch the BTS video down below. I can’t wait to see the film on the big screen:

The Large Format look

The decision to choose a large format camera for that kind of movie is very logical. As you can explore in the trailer, the large FOV (Field of View) contributes to the experience, and the camera movement is enhanced. Read this educational article to learn more about the LF contribution to the visuals. 

What do you think about choosing the ALEXA MINI LF for this project? Let us know in the comments section below.