Movies - TV
Christopher Nolan Used A Tried-And-True Trick To Send Interstellar's Ships Into 'Space'
By TYLER LLEWYN TAING
Christopher Nolan is one of modern Hollywood’s most celebrated directors and is known for using old-fashioned filmmaking techniques in his movies. Although Nolan doesn’t shy away from using CGI when absolutely needed, many of his scenes result from traditional tricks, such as utilizing rear projection to create the illusion of floating through space for “Interstellar.”
A now-uncommon filmmaking technique, rear projection positions practical elements like sets and actors in the foreground of a shot while the background elements are screened. Nolan ensured every window on the spaceship set used rear projection to show an endless sea of stars, giving the set an authentic feeling that would have been lost if the director had used green screens.
An Entertainment Weekly writer shared their experience on set: “Projected on a large black floor-to-ceiling curtain, is a vertiginous swirl of stars, which is exactly what you would see if you were inside an actual spacecraft swiftly spinning to generate 1g of gravity.” They also noted Nolan’s commitment to realism, emphasizing that the director “loathes bluescreen the way the Amish loathe zippers.”