The 22 editing points in the one-shot movie 1917

A pseudo-one-shot movie, as the name implies, is made by using special effects and hidden editing to transform several shots into a film that seems technically filmed in a single take, which means that the camera will not stop rolling.

1917 is such a movie. I believe that many movie fans were excited after seeing the one-shot scene in the end of 1917, because it’s a nearly impossible task. Actors and cameras need to continuously pass through several trenches, farms, ruins, rivers, forests and other nearly seven major scenes. With editing, background replacement of special effects companies and digital processing, a dozen shots are integrated into "one" long shot. According to the explanation behind the scenes, the rehearsal time of the crew and actors alone is as long as half a year.

The editing of 1917 not only absorbed a lot of previous experience, but also created a lot of jaw-dropping new technologies. As a technophilia, I certainly can't miss it. After searching a lot of information and behind-the-scenes, I found out most of the clip points and I will talk about them one by one.

I. Blocking clip at 00:03:42

When the two leading actors, soldiers Schofield and Blake, are walking and chatting, they bump into a group of soldiers delivering supplies.

The soldiers passing by are used to cover up the editing.

II. Black screen clip at 00:08:19

The two soldiers, Schofield and Blake, receive orders from their superiors and leave the tunnel.

On his way to going up, Soldier Schofield's backpack happens to completely cover the light outside the cave, forming a black screen for a moment to achieve the effect of hidden edits.

The most famous example of this approach is Rope.

It is also a pseudo-one-shot movie. But the main reason of using this technique is the development of film technology at that time. The camera can only load one roll film for ten minutes at a time. So, Hitchcock, the director, has figured out a way. About every ten minutes around, he moves the lens along with the characters to the back of the chair or sofa to block the screen for several seconds. Then the editor uses this black screen time to splice on another long shot, and this long shot ends with a black screen time for splicing another...... so the whole movie completed.

III. Climbing the soil slope at 00:16:42

The two leading characters moving from the trench to the upper battlefield. Their preparations are used for editing.

It's hard to identify it as an editing point, but it seems to be a simple task since it could be done by just fixing the actors and the cameras in the same position. It is easier said than done. Before rolling, the crew should be careful to ensure that every small detail, so that the shots can be connected smoothly.

IV. The hand wound at 00:23:02

At the 18th minute, Soldier Schofield hooked his left hand to the barbed wire and was injured. But at the 24th minute, his wound was completely different.

The main function of this editing point is to stop filming to put makeup on Schofield's left hand, so as to worsen the hand trauma. Although Schofield's left hand was deliberately blocked before the editing, from the comparison of some details, it can be seen that the wound has changed significantly before and after the editing point.

V. Walking into the tunnel at 00:25:46.

There is also a moment of darkness when the two main characters enter the tunnel. Please see the second point, which will not be discussed in detail here.

VI. The Explosion effect at 00:28:02

The tunnel explosion is caused by the mouse treading on the wire. The explosion scene is spliced through CG special effect processing.

After the special effect scene of the explosion, the camera swings to the left, and Blake also falls to this side, creating a feeling of being thrown away by the impact of the explosion. But this is actually the second shot after editing.

VII. Blocking clip at 00:38:04

The two main characters come to the broken wall in front of the farmhouse. Soldier Blake steps over. By shooting one side of the wall as a shield, the clip is done.

This could have been as seamless as any other mask clips, but the actor's gesture of holding a gun gives it away.

At 00:38:03, we can see that Schofield is holding a gun on his side.

However, after being shielded by the fence for only one second, that is, at 00:38:40, the gun is held in the front.

VIII. The German plane crashed at 00:43:40

The plane crash here was handled by CG special effects, and is spliced with the live shot of the subsequent rescue of the two main characters.

IX. Skin color transition at 00:51:25

In many films involving death, the crews tend to overlook the fact that death gradually changes the skin color from flesh to gray.

In 1917, director Sam Mendes respected this. After Blake was stabbed in the abdomen, the director shows the skin color transition through multiple cuts.

After Schofield drags Blake around, Blake's face changes from flesh color to gray.

In the process of turning around, there is a motion clip. That's for the makeups. The connection of the pictures here is perfect, which is hardly to recognize. Fortunately, the record board of the film showed us the information that "it was actually edited here".

X. Skin color transition again at 00:51:36

This is the second cut of skin color transition.

Schofield is dragging Blake, and suddenly, a few meters away, it comes the voice of two soldiers who want to help. The camera quickly panned in the direction of the sound, and the editing completed in the blurred picture during the panning.

A few seconds later, when the focus of the camera returns to Blake's face, we will find that his face is darker.

XI. At 00:54:52

The camera follows the main character to get on the car, passing through the back of a soldier, forming a momentary blocking clip.

The purpose of the editing here is to let the cameraman get on the car, because the left side of the car preset to place the camera is full of soldiers. Obviously, it has no space for the camera, even to keep it stable when getting into the car.

Therefore, the director can only shoot the soldiers first, then stop rolling when the cameraman getting on the car and let the soldiers get off the car for having the room to place the camera. When the filming continues, the camera passes from the back of the soldier again, but at this time, the car has the spare place for the camera and photographer. Then the camera remains at the same position and angle. The extras take advantage of the blind spot of the camera, and then get on the car to make it looks like it is full of soldiers the whole time.

XII. At 00:56:50

The wheel gets stuck in the mud and the camera follows the protagonist getting off the car, during which the camera passes behind a standing soldier, creating another blocking clip.

This made it easier to remove the camera from the full vehicle and to focus on the main character on the side of the vehicle. It also created blind spots for soldiers to reposition inside.

XIII. Panning lens at around 00:60:20

The scenes from getting off the car and arriving at the broken bridge are not one-shot, instead, there is special effect editing in the panning lens.

The behind-the-scene picture shows that when shooting the scene of broken bridge, the tent and equipment of the crew were actually stacked behind.

XIV. Time switching at 00:66:17

This is the most obvious time switching cut of the whole film, which uses a black screen for more than ten seconds to show the leading character's coma after being knocked down the stairs.

At the same time, it turns from day to night, entering the "magic moment" of the filming of the movie.

XV. Escaping from the ruins at 00:71:51

The main character is found by German soldiers, and then runs in the ruins.

At 00:71:49, when the German pursuing troop falls down, there is a clip point, which the behind-the-scene photos reveal this fact for us.

The ingenuity here lies in the use of the falling action of the characters to conduct instant editing, reducing the difficulty of the two characters' synchronization in editing, because, at this time, the leading character in front of the camera is moving rapidly, some different movements do not matter much. As long as the position is accurate (of course it is a hard thing to do), the long shot can be smoothly spliced.

XVI. From the basement to the stairs at 00:79:44

Schofield says goodbye to French civilians and moves from the basement to the ground. At the camera pinned, the screen goes black for a moment.

Please also see the details in the second point.

XVII. Jumping from the ruins to the riverbed at 00:82:56

I think this is the most unfortunate scene in the whole film. The transition from the ruins to the river depends on CG. However, due to the cost, the final special effects are poorly completed, which damages the viewing experience brought by the live shooting.

The environment around the river is also handled by special effects, which has actually been repaired.

XVIII. Falling down the waterfall at 00:84:28

The waterfall scene here is actually shot with a camera suspended by a crane, but the real "waterfall" is only half a meter high.

The falling waterfall scene in the film has been processed by special effects, so it has also been edited.

XIX. Blocking clip at 00:86:06

In the process of the leading role falling off the waterfall and swimming to the woods, a stone blocks most of the camera space for about 3 seconds.

It is also a blocking clip, with a time span from dark to light.

XX. Scenery shot of the forest at 00:89:06

At the interval of Schofield's landing on the forest, there is a short section showing the surrounding environment of the forest, which is also edited here.

XXI. Quick swing at 00:96:33

In the scene of the trench, the camera quickly swings to the right for editing.

In Birdman, this method is frequently applied, because every time the camera moves at a high speed, the image will become very blurred, thus it is easier for the later splicing.

XXII. Jumping out of the trench at 00:97:58

The soldier Will jumps from the green plain to the trench. The camera, which has been in a quivering state, pauses for a few seconds. It's because it has also been edited here.

The running soldier is cleverly used as a motion shield

Above are the editing points of the 109-miunute film 1917. Due to the almost synchronized events in the films (except for the clips of daytime switching to the night), the same costumes of the characters, and some of the seamless clips that can only be seen from behind the scenes, there are inevitably mistakes in identifying the editing points. Besides, there are some potential editing points, which can't be identified with no solid evidence. If you have different opinions, share them in the comment section.