CMU School of Drama


Thursday, February 13, 2014

Coolest Movie Sets Ever: How They Filmed That 'Inception' Hallway Scene

Movie News | Movies.com: The rotating corridor and hotel-room fight sequence in Christopher Nolan’s Inception is one of the most unforgettable action scenes of this century – and it’s even more amazing after you watch this video demonstrating how the effect was achieved.
Done entirely in camera, the scene required a massive rotating cylindrical set built with steel and motors that would turn the corridor and rooms a complete 360 degrees – while actors and cameras were spinning along with it and creating movie magic. The effect, inspired by Kubrick’s work in 2001, is absolutely stunning.

12 comments:

Camille Rohrlich said...

It's crazy to think about the amount of work, engineering and money that went into creating this one scene. The fact that they built this custom rig for it is amazing, and shows that the film industry really does work on a whole different scale. I liked that the video covered several of the aspects of filming that are challenged by this system. The stunt/fight choreography bit is the one that I find fascinating, just because it must have been such a difficult environment to act in.

Olivia LoVerde said...

This is so impressive, I had heard before that this was a particularly challenging scene to film but never really got more information on it. This is a lot that they put into the filming of just one scene but in the end it looks worth it. This must have been a planning nightmare, there were many elements that went along with a spinning room where fighting was occurring. Since there really has not been anything quite like this before a lot of trial and error had to be in the making of this. It is also refreshing to hear that it was not just something they made up with a green screen but took the time and effort to make it realistic.

Katie Pyne said...

That's crazy. Not only is Inception one of my favorite movies, but this scene blew my mind. I had always wondered "how they did it" and I am really happy this article was posted. After watching the video, I was amazed how big the actual machine was. The scale of the rotating tube to the guy was astounding. The Pittsburgh children's museum has a tilted room like this but I would give anything to explore this rotating hallway. Props to the designers involved in this process because they could have taken the easy way out with CGI but instead made this amazing machine.

Carolyn Mazuca said...

When I had heard about this scene before, I didn't actually remember which scene it was. However, having been refreshed, I am even more impressed. Not only is it crazy amazing engineering but also smart camera working! I am still interested in how many people were actually involved with this process though. How many engineers and TDs worked on this? Better yet, how many hours did it take for this to build? Or, were there any complications with the machine not working in filming?

Unknown said...

I am very impressed that Inception decided to do both the hallway and room in-camera. A lot of films elect to use CGI these days so it’s quite admirable. I am amazed how the movement looks so fluid. I am curious how they blocked the sequence before they got into the actual set. I also think it’s really cool that Joseph decided to do all the stunts himself. I am really thankful that movies do behind the scenes videos like this because they provide an amazing insight into the creation of what is finally seen on the screen.

AeonX8 said...

Amazingly impressive. The making-of footage of the spinning bare-steel cage toward the beginning of the video immediately reminded me of Kubrick’s 2001, but I was not at all aware of the centrifuge when I was viewing Inception. (Obviously, that was the point.) I am all for computer generated visual effects when they are appropriate, but this is a great example of real-time collaborative movie magic. I imagine achieving something like this in the physical world of the set can only inspire the entire cast and crew to bring their best game, knowing they are all working together to make an extraordinary piece of film. “You’re only falling eight feet or something, and have pads, so it didn’t feel great, but it’s not a big deal.” Okay, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. That would be a big deal to me! If you want to remember the scene in the context of the film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS6aahK3bac

Becki Liu said...

As everyone has been saying, this is pretty insane! I can't believe this whole system was figured out and built for these scenes! I give the TD a pat on the back (and a hug too! Why not right!?) I take back what I said in my last comment, that people will be jaded by new technology. I definitely would have thought something was not real about what they were doing. Maybe the room was all CGI (I hope I'm using the right terms!) but the fact that a person said, "hey, I want to make them run up the walls and throw each other across the ceiling" and they made it so that gravity looks like it's being defied. The idea of securing the camera on the "floor" is so clever!!! I like that they didn't use a bunch of green screens!

Trent Taylor said...

Ive said this before in other comments, but i think special effects in movies are always better when done live as opposed to added in post using cgi. I think this article points out another crucial reason for spending the time and money to do it live especially in relation to actors. Just like in theatre when an actor walks into the set for the first time, the suddenly feel more in the world of the play, when doing special effects that actors have to interact with in a movie, like the hallway in inception, the best way to get the most realistic human response, is to actually figure out how to do it live.

Unknown said...

While i knew before hand that the scene was shot in a non-green screen set, I didnt know what the scale of the hallway they built for the project was, its really very impressive. The photography in the scene has that feel of perfectly rendered and toned lighting that it takes careful planning to achieve on a static set, much less a spinning one, it made it harder to believe that it really was a live set.

simone.zwaren said...

This is REALLY COOL and reminds me of why I love this business. The design behind the rotating metal shell is just outstanding. I would love to be a part of the team that actually came up with how the hallway would rotate. This is a good example about the commercial/ television world and the amount of resources that can be dedicated to the projects. As the article states, once the spinning structure was complete working with the set provided its own set of problems. I would be interested in looking at the production timeline for this shoot. How long did the design team, actors, directors, and everyone have to adapt to this set? It could not have been long because they did have an entire movie to finish. And as always, time is money.

Unknown said...

Wow, what a fascinating video into some of the technical prowess in the film industry. The scale and scope of the work in the film world is truly impressive, but I don't think that really hit me until I saw the shot of the entire rotating hallway in the warehouse. It's crazy to think how much work went into just getting footage for that one scene. I suppose it did pay off though, I remember watching the movie and being blown away by some of the SFX in it.

Unknown said...

This is amazing to see and realize that the actor splayed a great deal in these affects. It makes me want to strive even harder as an actor knowing that this is possible. i never saw myself ever doing an action movie, but this took it to a whole other level where I see the great stakes that the actors had in these scenes. I would love to do this one day and even work with such an intricate set. To be apart of something so well constructed and innovative had to be pretty powerful to be included in.