With the advent of CGI, many of the explosions seen on television and film are safely animated on a computer as opposed to detonating real live explosives on set. However, some directors still do it the old-fashioned way.Christopher Nolanhas even gone so far as to use practical effects to re-create the first-ever detonation of a nuclear bomb in his upcoming film,Oppenheimer. The legendary director spoke withTotal Filmon the challenges of such a feat:
“I think recreating the Trinity test without the use of computer graphics was a huge challenge to take on… 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.”
Of course, Nolan didn’t detonate an actual nuclear weapon for the movie. While he hasn’t revealed any precise details about how representing the first atomic test was achieved, it’s clear that it required quite a lot of talent. Nolan is known for his monumental practical effects,having bought and crashed a real Boeing 747for the plane scene inTenet.The zero-gravity scene inInceptionand the truck flip inThe Dark Knightare also notable for their use of practical effects rather than computer-animated ones.
Related:Oppenheimer Images Reveal Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. & Emily Blunt
Christopher Nolan Praises Film Crew and Cillian Murphy in Making ofOppenheimer
The acclaimed director-screenwriter referred to the making ofOppenheimeras ‘one of the most challenging projects I’ve ever taken on’ and did not hesitate to credit his film crew for their determination:
“It’s a story of immense scope and scale… And 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. 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.”
Filming of the movie was completed last summer, but post-production is a lengthy process, even for a film not relying heavily on CGI. It’s set to release next summer, so Christopher Nolan fans and history buffs will have to wait a little while longer. In the meantime, Nolan explained how he tackles telling the story of the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer:
“We’re trying to tell the story of somebody’s life, and their journey through personal history and larger-scale history… and so the subjectivity of the story is everything to me. We want to view these events through Oppenheimer’s eyes. And that was the challenge for Cillian that I set him, to take us on this journey; that was the challenge for Hoyte van Hoytema, my designer, my whole team: how do we view this extraordinary story through the eyes of the person who was at the heart of it? All of our decisions on how to make this film were based on that real premise.”
Oppenheimeris directed and written by Christopher Nolan, who produces the film alongside Emma Thomas and Charles Roven. The film sports an ensemble cast, including Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., and Florence Pugh. Distributed by Universal Pictures,Oppenheimeris expected in theaters on July 21st, 2023.
