It was baked into the fabric of this story from the word go, Mendes said.
That goes for every department, including the writing.
The one-shot style was planned to immerse viewers in this very intimate vision of a massive conflict.
It was this awesome challenge, and you knew where it was going.
After we did a few shots we were like oh thats really cool.
Because then it would be all back to the beginning.
It was a real trip.
The movie is personal for some of them.
I read a book calledThe Western Front Diaries, a collection of soldiers diary entries, Chapman said.
I actually found that my great-granddad had an entry in there.
He survived the war and worked in a poppy factory until he died.
I read that, and it sort of inspired me to do it.
I wanted them to walk every footstep and breathe every breath with them.
For Deakins, the biggest challenge was figuring out where to put the camera to create the desired scene.
Chapman admitted there was a lot of pressure to not mess up.
Mendes called the film the most difficult thing technically hes done yet, but also the most enjoyable.
The exhilaration and the excitement you feel when you actually do it is really huge.
The director also assured audiences they dont need to be history buffs to enjoy1917.
The movie is not a dry historical movie.
You dont need to know anything about WWI, he said.
Its constructed more like a thriller than a conventional war movie.
Its not a combat movie.
1917hits theaters this December.
Check out the new trailer, which first premiered at the New York Comic Con panel, below.
