Featurette: The continuous shot of Universal’s ‘1917’

At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (Captain Fantastic’s George MacKay) and Blake (Game of Thrones’ Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers-Blake’s own brother among them.

From the very beginning I felt this movie should be told in real time. Every stop of the journey, breathing every breath with these men felt integral, and there is no better way to tell this story than with one continuous shot.

Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes

1917 is directed by Sam Mendes, who wrote the screenplay with Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Showtime’s Penny Dreadful). The film is produced by Mendes and Pippa Harris (co-executive producer, Revolutionary Road; executive producer, Away We Go) for their Neal Street Productions, Jayne-Ann Tenggren (co-producer, The Rhythm Section; associate producer, Spectre), Callum McDougall (executive producer, Mary Poppins Returns, Skyfall) and Brian Oliver (executive producer, Rocketman; Black Swan).

From the moment I talked to Sam about the idea of a one shot movie, I knew it was going to be really immersive.

Academy Award-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins

The film is produced by Neal Street Productions for DreamWorks Pictures in association with New Republic Pictures. Universal Pictures will release 1917 domestically in limited release on December 25, 2019 and wide on January 10, 2020. Universal and Amblin Partners will distribute the film internationally, with eOne distributing on behalf of Amblin in the U.K.

Here is the featurette with Sam Mendes, Roger Deakins, Pippa Harris, George McKay and more talking about the difficulty and importance of utilizing a single continuous shot for 1917.

JUST ADDED: new trailer and poster below.