Right on the first page of the script for “1917,” director Sam Mendes announced his cinematic intentions: “The following script takes place in real time, and – with the exception of one moment – is written and designed to be shot in one single continuous take.”It’s a cool-sounding concept, but the difference between it being a gimmick versus an effective storytelling device required tremendous planning, a huge part of which rested on Mendes long-standing collaboration with cinematographer Roger Deakins.
Deakins and Mendes were recently on IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast to discuss how they pulled it off.“The big conversation with Roger really was about how the camera moved and when, and what determined its movement,” said Mendes.
“Somehow we wanted the relationship between [the characters], the land and the camera to be this constantly evolving and flowing shape.
And at the same time, we didn’t want the audience to think
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