The invention of Steadicam revolutionized tracking shots. In most films, the camera is mounted on a dolly, which is a wheeled stabilizer that runs on tracks, or another kind of rig attached to a truck for fast-paced action. The camera can move backwards as the actors walk forward, it can follow the actors as they walk away, or the camera can follow the actors alongside. “Tracking” refers to moving shots that travel with the subjects. Here are all the kinds of shots used, including how the filmmakers got around using typical shots that would have required cuts.

While Deakins and Mendes have been relatively secretive about how they pulled off the film’s impressive technical accomplishment, examining the types of shots used and how they serve the story can shed light on 1917’s remarkable success. Overall, 1917 is the most impressive technical achievement of the year. Related: 1917 True Story: How Much Of The Movie Was Real To make the illusion work, Mendes, Deakins, and the production team had to communicate all of the information that a normal shot layout would give the audience and design the shots to serve the film’s emotional and practical narrative. Though the film looks like a one-shot, there were hidden cuts that allowed the team to reset. The entire two-hour runtime of 1917 is designed to look like a “one-shot” - a continuous, unbroken take - that spans three different networks of trenches, an underground bunker, two bombed-out neighborhoods, the interiors of two different houses, numerous fields, and even more varied locales.

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