ACHIEVING SEAMLESS FILMMAKING IN “THE REVENANT” from 20th Century Fox

Academy Award®-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu brings the legend of Hugh Glass to the screen with “The Revenant,” an epic adventure set in the unchartered 19th century American Frontier. Immersing audiences in the unparalleled beauty, mystery and dangers of life in 1823 America, the film explores one man’s transformation in a quest for survival. Part thriller, part wilderness journey, The Revenant explores primal drives not only for life itself but for dignity, justice, faith, family and home. 

Known for such films as “21 Grams,” “Babel” and the Academy Award®-winning Best Picture “Birdman,” “The Revenant” is Iñárritu’s first historical epic. He brings his distinctive mix of visual immediacy and emotional intimacy to a story that transports audiences to a time and place that have rarely been experienced through visceral modern filmmaking.

The film’s wilderness-based production mirrored the harsh conditions Glass and company actually lived through in the 1800s. Iñárritu and his whole cast and crew were up for all that was thrown at them, welcoming the challenges of shooting in Canada and Argentina, regions known for unpredictable weather and untouched wilds, in order to fully understand the experience of fur trappers in the early 19th century.

Coming on the heels of “Birdman,” director Alejandro G. Iñárritu takes his passion for seamless filmmaking to a new world with “The Revenant.” He and his long-time cinematographer, Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki, made several key decisions early on that set the rules for the production. First, they decided to shoot the film chronologically, to maintain the natural flow of Glass’s journey. Second, they committed to shooting the film relying on only the sun and firelight, bringing in no artificial lighting from later centuries, and working with the light of nature in creative ways. Finally, they wanted to explore the long, fluid, continuous shots they’ve become known for to a very different kind of effect than in Birdman.

Iñárritu always envisioned the look of “The Revenant” as a chiaroscuro painting, full of light and shade, come to visceral life. “Much as Birdman was inspired by music,” says Iñárritu, “this film was inspired by painting. Chivo has played an incredible role in creating this film as a visual work of art.”

Working with the cutting-edge Arri Alexa 65– the brand new large-format camera from the pioneering digital camera company -- Lubezki utilized a range of wide lenses, spanning from 12mm to 21mm, to create extreme depth. The flexibility of the system lent itself to camera movements that often go from extreme close-ups to panoramas in synch with the film’s action, dreams and emotions. The team mixed three approaches -- telescoping cranes, Steadicams and hand-held work – to allow Iñárritu to later sequence the visuals like a choreographer with Academy Award®-winning editor Stephen Mirrione.

Bringing long shots to a wholly unpredictable wilderness shoot was completely new for everyone. The challenges were mind-boggling in the beginning. Because the crew was in wintry Calgary where daylight hours are already preciously short, the window of opportunity for shots was brief and extremely high pressure. For any shot, no one could ever be sure if a second or third take would be possible.

“We had to choreograph all the beats and rhythms, find the right time of day and then pray weather conditions would hold,” says Iñárritu. “It was challenging and fun but it took a lot of time, thought and rehearsal to get it right. There was a certain patina and atmosphere we wanted to sustain. The conditions we established were so specific, we had to be very patient or push it and create it. I think we became trappers in our own way – trappers of circumstance.”

The Revenant took Lubezki not only into the West but also into the dreamscape of Glass’s subconscious mind. Iñárritu explains, “During Glass’s journey, when he is alone with his body collapsing, the only way to know who he is as a man is through his visions and dreams, which inform us of his state of mind and his past.”

All of the actors were enthralled by Chivo’s photographic style, which pushed them further. “Chivo’s photography is intrinsically a part of Alejandro’s process,” observes DiCaprio. “Together, they completely immerse themselves in the material and then work with the actors to coordinate incredibly complex movements and shots. What they quite uniquely achieve in this film is a virtual reality where you really feel like you’re out in the elements with these characters. You get Glass’s visual perspective to the point that it feels almost like you are part of his subconscious.”

DiCaprio did many of his own stunts: he was buried in snow, went naked in minus five-degree weather and jumped into a frigid river, each moment bringing him more in touch with Glass’s will. But as he makes his way, Glass does not just abide – he also changes profoundly, something DiCaprio reveals in a multi-hued range of subtle details that add up to the film’s stirring climax.

The director emphasizes that DiCaprio faced tests no actor could fully prepare for in his performance. “Leo was working in the toughest of conditions, under a challenging wardrobe, in extreme make-up, going to the most emotionally uncomfortable and dark places. But no matter what he is going through, something immediate comes to life when Leo is in front of the camera. There’s an incredible power,” Iñárritu observes. “The way we were shooting demanded an enormous amount from him in terms of rhythm, timing, momentum and silence, yet Leo makes it all work because he is so present.”

In turn, DiCaprio says he gave Iñárritu his full trust. “What I really love about Alejandro’s approach is that he’s an old-school filmmaker who believes in the art of creating something on the screen -- and he’s also kind of an outsider, even though he works on the inside. He understands the industry as it is now, but he’s been influenced by an entire lifetime of studying cinema history and developed his own uncompromising style that is now synonymous with his name. There are very few filmmakers out there who can escape the Hollywood mold and yet accomplish a film like this one on such an epic scale.”

Check out the following cinemas where “The Revenant” will have its return engagement starting March 2, Wednesday – Powerplant, Robinson’s Galleria, Eastwood, Festival Mall, Gateway, Gaisano Davao and SM Megamall. from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.