How director Romain Gavras and his cast and crew created the years wildest movie opening.
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But he also wanted to confirm he held the average streaming viewers attention.
Its my first time doing a film for a platform and for Netflix in particular, Gavras says.
At the beginning, he was like, Cover yourself!
Those are for losers or show-offs.
Its going to be annoying; youre going to have so much dead air, Gavras recalls, laughing.
Rehearsals: Making theDogvilleversion.
The cast and crew rehearsed for five weeks before shooting.
Many residents also worked crew jobs on the film.
The synergy had to be perfect.
And for that, there is no secret you have to rehearse, repeat and repeat again.
Rigor and discipline were the key words.
Two Crucial Close-ups: Meeting Abdel and Karim.
It was crucial that the audiences attention be immediately drawn to Karim.
The camera, mounted on a Steadicam, approaches Karim slowly until were close to his haunted face.
It pans down to reveal a Molotov cocktail being lit.
Karim throws it and all hell breaks loose.
Amid the ruckus, the camera whips back to Abdel.
Behind the Seams: A car crash in layers.
Often the deception is required for safety.
Each character is shot differently.
(Gavras compares the character in these early scenes to Russell Crowe as Maximus in Ridley ScottsGladiator).
The Climax: The Athena youths blazing ride.
The scene is eye-popping but never showy, because every movement feels motivated.
Theres also, unbelievably, very little VFX or cutting.
I hate green screen, Gavras says.
You dont feel the danger.
The crew rehearsed this specific scene repeatedly on an airport runway before shooting it.
The Location: Inside the Athena complex.
That proved especially challenging.
And then the movie cuts.
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