DUNKIRK: Editing the Suspense Snowball

[@thomasmorris7651]

I was able to experience this film on a 70MM projector. Now that was treat for certain.

[@TheNewTravel]

Me too! Drove 2 hours to get to it :)

[@adityasanthosh702]

I saw it on 35 mm it's great too

[@canvas11xD]

Aditya Santhosh Watching it in 70MM is so much immersive. If you have a real Imax theatre close by. I highly recommend you check it out.

[@manea7074]

Christopher Nolan sets the bar so high in terms of technical achievements and his unique storytelling structure.Dunkirk is such a work of art in cinema

[@africanhistory]

no it is not. An orgy of clever suspense tricks set to music. He is exploiting a known technique done in moderation by more talented people. he takes one single device and exhaust you with it through 2 or so hours.

[@nsaurabh25]

It's James Cameron actually.

[@I-come-from-the-Future]

Please put Stanley Kubric's name on slot #1.

[@vishalgill9770]

@@africanhistory why these people don't understand?

[@st.polash2002]

@@africanhistory j

[@mahekr4963]

Thank you for accepting my request and doing this insightful analysis! And yes, IMAX is the way to go for a Nolan film! Cheers!

[@ThisGuyEdits]

the timing of your comment was perfect.

[@shrinivasraut3370]

😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

[@adityanirvana8430]

Interstellar was the last IMAX picture to be screened in my city, I was devastated that Prasad’s IMAX the most popular theatre in the world wasn’t going to screen Dunkirk. 😞

[@footagelook5748]

Nice

[@margaretmcglynn5077]

I've been using your content to teach a film class to a kid who really loves editing, and your stuff just slaps. Thank you!

[@FallenAngelRecords]

*Dunkirk was not a film* _It was an experience_

[@prodbyxanderjohan]

that sounds really gay

[@FallenAngelRecords]

xander lol why?

[@erikheijden9828]

Thats not a youtube comment it is your opinion

[@vijayalakshmiherle493]

@@john-lenin every movie is a pile of shit if Dunkirk is. But of course Iron Man is the best right? Fuck off kid

[@vijayalakshmiherle493]

You are saying as if it's a fact

[@thiagopalia]

I feel bad now. I watched it on that little screen behind the seat on an airplane haha

[@mattmurdock0016]

Thiago Palia me behind a samsung s5 and getting interrupted every 30 min.

[@Rizkykurniaaa]

we did share the same experience

[@thebassfisher31]

thats why directors want their work only to be screened in theaters

[@Leonidas909]

Exactly the same. I actually paused at the beginning, when I saw what I was getting into, and even the audio with crappy earbuds was phenomenal, I have a big home cinema at home and I went "should I continue, damn it's so good okay let's go" I kinda regret it but not too much. Like interstellar, it's one of those few movies that I can watch several times in a row, can't wait to go full mental with my home cinema and that movie

[@SpectrumpicturesLK]

U must watch it in big screen

[@guruprasadvelip]

I watched this in theatre and it was increasing my anxiety level time to time. Editor did a really great job in potraying director's vision.

[@McDonaldsCalifornia]

always see Nolan on the biggest screen! I wish they showed older Imax movies sometimes so I can rewatch them the right way.

[@sMASHsound]

ALWAYS!!!!!

[@andrewzeal9894]

I saw Dunkirk on IMAX, because Nolan does films for the big screen. Honestly, that was the best film/cinema experience I've ever had. Not only the visuals were astonishing, but the sounds were out of this world. You could feel the planes flying over your head and the bombs falling just a couple of meters from you. Literally goosebumps throughout majority of the film.

[@ington3623]

The fact that Hans zimmer was able to take that theme of what Nolan is explaining at 1:16 (3 story lines continuously rising in suspense/anxiety) and use the Doppler effect to parallel that "rising tension" concept musically... Nolan and Zimmer are just brilliant

[@TheNewTravel]

I don't understand the comments saying that they weren't moved by Dunkirk. I thought it was brilliant. For 2 hours, I felt like I was experiencing what it's like to be at war, not just to watch a Hollywood depiction of what war is like. The greatest war movie since Apocalypse Now, in my opinion

[@tristannyman1318]

No. The best since Saving Private Ryan. I mean, come on!

[@rare6499]

The problem for me was it was clearly a technical marvel but I felt no connection to any of the characters. Not like SPR. Still an excellent film, but it felt 90% there to me...

[@tristannyman1318]

Josh Charlie Well said- 100% agreed. I guess in defense of Dunkirk, Nolan’s focus was on the accurate historical representation of the event, in expense for character background/development. In SPR, many events were fictionalized for audience entertainment, which is what (in my opinion) made it such an exciting film. Because Dunkirk was so true to history, it lacked some of the romanticism which tends to make similar films (Thin red line, Inglourious basterds, Apocalypse now) so appealing. All said, I appreciate those bits of historical fiction!

[@travis_redfern6771]

I literally cry every single time I watch the movie cause of the scene when Tom Hardy’s character basically sacrifices himself

[@TheMRkrd]

Josh Charlie ive heard that people dont feel connected to the characters, since there was no dialogue. However, i thought it was a great storytelling technique and knowing personal details was not necessary

[@McDonaldsCalifornia]

What really got me about this movie is how it puts the viewer in the shoes of the character by having them go through these increasingly traumatising experiences together. To me it almost felt like a VR experience at times where the line between me and the movie started to blur.

[@mannyvidsnyc]

This channel has made me love editing even more. So I just join the patreon. Thank you for bringing the story side of editing to KZbin and not just the technical and effects.

[@ThisGuyEdits]

Thank you for joining and welcome to the clubhouse.

[@antiv4470]

The story structure is setup like a "Shepard Tone." A Shepard tone is three tones, separated by an octave, layered on top of one another, that tricks the mind into hearing a constant ascending tone. The soundtrack, and the story structure, is built to make your hearts feel a rising sense of suspense.

[@jaapsch2]

The music for the film used that, as well as a similar technique for the beat of the score. The ticking clock sounds get faster and faster, but every other tick slowly fades out so that you are left with a beat that goes at the same speed as you started with. This gives the feeling of a eternally increasing pace.

[@timboyle2784]

@@jaapsch2 called the Risset rhythmic effect

[@slashimaart1225]

Dunkirk was one of the most amazing films I have ever seen. It felt like you were inside of it, and the action was going on all around you. It was very immersive.

[@eviltwin2322]

It's interesting that for the soundscape of Dunkirk they used Shephard tones which give the illusion of constantly intensifying sound. Nolan's description of the structure of the film almost describes the same principle in a visual form. Clever!

[@durborough8484]

I was really lucky to have the joy to experience the film in the cinema since it was the last day it was shown at my local cinema... It was a bone shaking experience! Not only the pictures and camerawork is awesome but the editing and sounddesign too. Personally I really enjoyed how the cuts weren't as fast as in other action scenes today.

[@MicheleRamli]

This is by far the coolest channel for educating!

[@knoxblevins]

I love that you made a video on this. I work at a movie theater, and while I thought Dunkirk was fantastic, many people who left the theater did not. They couldn't grasp the non-linear aspect of it. It confused them and many were annoyed by it. When you watch the movie more than once you can really see how flawlessly he pulled it off. Nolan never fails to impress.

[@tomsmith8006]

This film on 40mm IMAX, surrounded by men who were on the beach, was the greatest cinematic experience of my life. Period.

[@mariamr7089]

Tom Smith 😂😂😂😂

[@davidrenz1534]

Isn't imax 70mm?

[@TrueNuetral]

Lmaoo

[@MarkHoltze]

First noticed the shift in time when all the sudden it was nignt. It clued in for me at that part and when certain blocking of the film started to repeat from different angles. The fact he writes 60mins (fuel) was another clues that’s clicked once I saw the night scene. Loved the film for the way they were able to bridge those timelines Into one film. The music obviously played by a key role in threading those timelines together as did the specific blocking of shots. It was a fresh take on a war film and I fully appreciated that, as both an editor, audience member and story teller.

[@waynewinky2754]

What a masterpiece. When Tom Hardy in that spitfire has to take out the bomber with Hans Zimmers powerful music pounding out. Just that shot of the plane swinging into shot with the ship below in the distance, and the camera angle/shot is directly behind the spitfire, along with the powerful score booming out behind it! Goosebumps every time. Never felt tension like it - perfection!

[@ghostbaum]

Dunkirk was an amazing movie. I totally understood the different timelines and instantly thought of Nolan's other films like memento

[@bryanpitcherfilms]

Excellent work Sven. Thank you for taking the time to put this together and to keep inspiring all of us to do better more thoughtful work.

[@ThisGuyEdits]

Thank you for becoming a patron just now!!! much MUCH appreciate your support.

[@BillionDollerDream]

i watched dunkirk in IMAX 70mm...i could not stop stop myself from watching it 5 times

[@kalazakan]

you rich nigga

[@LeonardoSeptianDwigantoro]

Your video is satisfying, true that at the first time I'm don't really understand Dunkirk but it felt wrong because this is Nolan film, now I'm pretty amazed at what he does.

[@crozraven]

I think the greatest example of Nolan's suspense is still The Dark Knight.

[@MachineFuckingHate]

Damn right! When Batman and Gordon go to rescue Harvey and Rachel, I was biting my damn nails in the theater. That scene is the perfect example of Nolan's ability to intercut action to create tension and make us care for the characters.

[@TheJKiller95]

For me too. But here in Dunkirk his craft, even if not as powerfull, is more elaborated.

[@grandfarter3855]

Interstellar kinda too. It's like a weird kind of tension in the scenes in interstellar.

[@wewantsitweneedsit]

To be honest, I was expecting this movie to be something like Pearl Harbor or Saving Private Ryan. But it made me realize that war movies is not just action films where they just shoot the enemy but it can also be suspense thriller about them trying to escape the conflict and survive. And I must say that it really worked on me. Especially the stretcher scene (yeah the stretcher scene). The soundtrack gave me feeling of time running out and got my heart pumping.

[@ryancurtis8426]

Thanks for doing this Sven. I had a very visceral reaction to the non-linear editing in this movie and walked out thinking they totally blew it. Would love to see it edited properly.

[@artywolve]

I saw Dunkirk in cinema, it was really something else. I think a big part was probably the sound more than the visuals though, considering the action and scale. Of course, seeing it all larger than life at that scale was impactful, but the gunfire, bombings, cries, impacts and engine noise put the tension at a whole other level than your tinny laptop sound or average living room speaker. With the scenes being so massive and open so often, like on the beach, the sense of depth given by good sound was really immersive, and the deafening explosions put you right in the middle of things.

[@LucidRecords]

Hands down the best director in out time, his way of story telling is just amazing. Interstellar, the dark knight trilogy, and dunkirk are just the defeninition of story telling done right.

[@robertnelson3179]

I was a bit confused at first on the movie line, but during the swaps of the aircraft I noted it. This movie meant allot to me, it was the one I had wanted to have a guys night out with dad and brother but he died just before it release. It was and still is difficult to watch.

[@jimidante]

May his soul rest in peace.

[@Stalkilla]

the best channel for insightful film's analysis

[@RBHD93]

I experienced this film on the big screen, and still to this date it has been one of the most immersing film to date. The planes and each scene made it feel like were there

[@HippieP629]

It was an amazing film. Thank you very much for explaining what Nolan did as well. Incredible.

[@twiggy120]

I understood why Dunkirk was edited this way, using the suspense as the structure. It is nice to hear him say that was his intention and its obvious he succeeded. He did a similar crazy edit with Memento in cutting to show us how it felt to have short-term memory loss. But Memento had a story to back it up. The editing in Dunkirk just highlighted the lack of narrative and character. He did the same thing with Inception and the visual effects, I get it, now tell a story. If more time were spent writing he would be making the best films ever made instead of these films that feel more like theme park rides.

[@TheGeorgeD13]

Dunkirk had way more story than Memento did, if you ask me. But that's beside the point. Movies are only to be moving pictures. That's it. The rest is up to you. Christopher Nolan wasn't really trying to tell a story as much as he was trying to achieve a FEELING.

[@frenchcoupon3391]

Alex Shuffell Could not agree more. I might be in minority here but can you really replace classic rich story arcs and fully fleshed out and developped characters with a steady intensity and 3 parallel "normal" war events? For 1h40 minutes?

[@TheGeorgeD13]

French Coupon, that's all dependent on the subjective viewer. But how do we know if a filmmaker doesn't try to experiment and innovate like Nolan has? He took a risk and it paid off for me and I guess it didn't work for you. But this movie felt more real than some movies with classic rich story arcs and fully fleshed out and developed characters. Maybe because in real life, we don't get that magic of cinema.

[@frenchcoupon3391]

George Daugherty Respectfully disagree. If a movie is so realistic to replicate real life situations, than « it is better to make a documentary », to quote from one of my favorite directors - Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

[@JohannesBuc]

I think that a documentary just shows you the real situation, not let you feel it. I mean i like documentarys but it's just a diffrent kind of film. And i have to go with George, that this movie was an incedible expirence and you could really feel the situations because of the simple story you get to see more often.

[@eatower2]

Sitting alone in the dark, middle of the night, and when that plane got shot down I cheered just as loud as any of the soldiers. That's when I immediately knew this was a masterpiece in suspense.

[@zaevis]

How did you color-code pieces in FCPX? Great video!!

[@ThisGuyEdits]

I assign different audio roles to the clips and can set the color.

[@zaevis]

This Guy Edits found it thank you so much!

[@nfornavaneethan8275]

@@ThisGuyEdits Hi. I just started. Can you please watch and subscribe also encourage me..??

[@alessandroperta]

I could clearly remember when I saw this movie at the cinema, it's probably the ones that stressed me the most. These air attacks, while British soldiers were running and hoping to stay alive, became more and more unbearable as time went by. By the last attack, only the roaring sound of the aircraft engine was enough to throw me again in that anxiety state - this is crazy storytelling without a word. This movie took me by the guts, literally. It's not a movie that makes you think, it's a movie that makes you FEEL. Thanks for the brilliant breakdown!

[@FMPlayer14]

I didn’t fully understand this film at first, but I still loved it. Now I understand it and I love it even more

[@jdsgotninelives]

I can certainly appreciate the confusion that some critics had to the films structure; its timeline. Hopefully I don't sound arrogant when I state that, from my perspective, the confusion wasn't enough to detract from anything Nolan was trying to achieve. If viewed in the right context (this may mean several viewings) one can use the confusion (which I think was a deliberate device) to feel some immersion, some feeling of fear, perhaps to feel more of what the characters were feeling. I just think Nolan is too consummate in his craft to have overlooked the risk of that perception, unless it was a deliberate device. I can think of other great examples, for instance Pulp Fiction, which might have suffered from a more linear approach to story telling. Thank you for your channel sir! :-)

[@nabil731]

Nolan took the risk, that's why the editor said dunkirk is an art film disguise as a blockbuster and i love it

[@jdsgotninelives]

@@nabil731 I'd agree with that :)

[@xingcat]

I will admit that Dunkirk left me a bit cold, just because the timeline-shifting on different periods of time felt a little too clever-clever for me. I think Nolan is genius at what he does, but it didn't quite land when I saw it. Was a fantastic spectacle in the theater, though. It is too bad you weren't able to catch it on a big screen.

[@rearview2360]

xingcat that boats coming to rescue scene was suuuper awkward

[@Nkanyiso_K]

xingcat *artful films need repeat viewings to appreciate the nuisance* you've seen the tricks, maybe next time you'll pick up something new

[@tomboz777]

xingcat I hear that criticism a lot, but it worked perfectly for me.

[@natteandersson]

ivan denona Exactly my main gripe with the film, it was so cheesy.

[@FlecissaVideos]

Dunkirk is for high-iq people.

[@AlexanderBrowne]

Very happy I got to see Dunkirk at Imperial Theater in Copenhagen en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Theater,_Copenhagen It is one of the only big cinemas in Copenhagen which can still project 70 mm film, and the largest screen in Northern Europe with 1002 seats. Dunkirk made it to my top 5 favourite films after this experience.

[@alexmathew6607]

The audio in this film was incredible

[@AdamHarte]

The thing that Nolan describes about the stories continually rising in anxiety, while one is peeking, another is starting to build, is the same effect Hans Zimmer used for the score. But in music it is called Shepard tones. Vox did a pretty good video about it a while ago.

[@sameeruprety1320]

When I saw Dunkirk I felt like I was in the war itself. How can you people not be moved by such a masterpiece? Movie is brilliant .

[@joserangelve]

Excellent...I really appreciate your work...plenty of quality and so useful for us!

[@TJackSurvival]

These videos are just outstandingly motivational. Thank you.

[@eggydrums]

We need a look at Tenet when it comes out. New editor on that one, and though not seemingly as radical as Dunkirk was in its structure, I’m sure Tenet brought it’s fair share of challenges.

[@BaconManProd]

This movie in theatres was a crazy experience. The sound design was phenomenal, the ambience of the film was stunning as well. I was just in awe the whole time with no idea what was going on haha

[@coolcam055]

Thankfully I was fully invested from the very first trailer and ended up seeing it in theaters at a 70mm showing. Absolutely gorgeous movie

[@benjaminhillware1293]

Omg this movie in IMAX was the most stressful thing I've ever watched... In a good way👌

[@dayspoiler4608]

i got the timeshifting because that guy who was shellshocked was suddenly back at dunkirk and it was night. but if i didn't notice that i'm not sure i would have got it

[@morrisonben]

3 different stories, intertwined and linked into one main story.

[@marioguardado3732]

Biggest regret not seeing this when it released. I had seen it afterwards and I was fixated the entire way thru.

[@virakchhang]

Nolan also paid a great deal of attention to sound design. It escalates the same way the visuals were explained here. Note the rising volume of an approaching plane as the music heightens in tempo. Nolan is a genius.

[@TurboLife]

That was a dope breakdown and spured many ideas! Thanks for putting this together!

[@massimilianoferesin8589]

Hi, Gus Van Sant in Elephant used the same way of editing in Lee Smith's airplane timeline. Multiple views gives the opportunity to complete the stucture of the story, is a completion of the mood of the various characters. About the suspence Van Sant, who's also the editor, used long and beatiful long shots to build it up, Lee Smith did an excellent job creating flawless cuts on movement. From what I know, both decisions were made in the edit room. Great video anyway. Thanks a lot.

[@jeremiahmarkusmedia6915]

Awesome video man! It's crazy that Nolan isn't working with Lee Smith for Oppenheimer

[@globefacts5848]

How creative this channel so very awesome please more videos guys!😍

[@bentott]

I want more videos like this. Keep up the great work !

[@philipp.foerster_]

Dunkirk was the first and is still the only movie I've watched in IMAX format and I loved it

[@damonlin9505]

the amount of effort done by this guy is insane..

[@Fadetoblackcollective]

Your channel is so different! I love the breakdowns!!

[@erica2912]

Really comprehensive explanation! Thank you for this.

[@shreepadpawar3330]

I'm so much amazed by the way u see to the movie Dunkirk and I would like to see an video essay on Christopher Nolan's pacing the film

[@itslusion3488]

It was so loud and real in theaters

[@ShadowRyzen21]

I was lucky enough to experience this film in IMAX and it was absolutely astonishing!!

[@stevehullfish1993]

It should be noted that despite the editing software used to SHOW the pacing, Dunkirk was NOT edited in FCP-X. It was edited in Avid. Read about the editing first hand: Here's an interview with the editor: www.provideocoalition.com/art-cut-oscar-nominated-editor-lee-smith-ace-dunkirk/ and here's an interview with the assistant editor: www.provideocoalition.com/AOTC-DUNKIRK-JOHN-LEE

[@jesseandrobert1045]

Are you telling me you got the whole movie then went through meticulously cutting the different storylines apart? That's a lot of work!

[@gordonsnyder5151]

I got to see this in IMAX and my god it was a truly incredible cinematic experience both visually and sonically

[@supralevamentum223]

Seeing it in full 70mm imax really humbled my 4k screen at home ;)

[@SammyBFilms]

I Really enjoyed this film! A nice break from the norm. :-) And personally, I thought everything matched up just right.

What a great channel! I just discovered it and I love it! Thanks for sharing all this useful info in your videos. 👍

[@Hangs4Fun]

Great movie, i love his films. I really appreciate you taking the time to dive in and analize this style. I think some of these techniques may even apply nicely to short films. Did he say 18K? Im bummed i didnt see it on the big screen now :-( Have as great day!

[@jacobsvlogs4434]

Chris is a great guy and a real artist.

[@acknowledgesleeping3981]

Nice your content differently and mind blowing your confidence and style never give up in uploading more videos we are here supporting you.👍👌

[@fishfashfosh]

I understood the film in the first viewing. I just fell in love with the editing and my mind was replaying the whole film as I was leaving the cinema

[@poorvikgowda5794]

You earned my subscription... You're one of the very my single digit subscriptioned list !

[@yummyjackalmeat]

Best film of last year by far. I saw it twice in one weekend.

[@muhammadsannan3723]

Keep up the good work. Appreciated!

[@Madsstuff]

I am really tempted to re-edit this film, to match all stories with there own timelines.

[@animateangus]

Seeing this in 70mm was an experience.

[@pierezajosh]

You should analyze How I Met Your Mother. That show really took storytelling by editing to a whole new level.

[@ElieHaykal]

Thanks for the great video. I managed to enjoy Dunkirk in IMAX and it was an exceptional experience. Rarely do I feel my heart pounding so strongly while watching a movie.

[@bentheremedia3011]

Haven't seen it yet. Pretty excited to watch it now that I've seen this video. Thanks for sharing! Subbed!

[@ocubex]

Let me first say excellent break down, great work. I didn't enjoy Dunkirk because I didn't understand the parallel stories were not in sync until the very end. I was constantly trying to work out why I was seeing someone who had died or something that had already happened. It may be genius filmmaking, however for me, it made it difficult to suspend my disbelief which makes it near impossible for me to enjoy the film when I am conscious I am watching a film.

[@wjdghaks]

Wow.. What a great video.. What a great channel! Really appreciate your work here!

[@senorsubdivider]

His films always have replay value. And only on replays can you understand his films fully. Too many films only need one watch, Nolan creates exception after exception.

[@Itchydos]

there are even more things about this film, that makes it special. For example how music is used in it

[@davidp158]

Thanks for doing this review. I wasn't thrown by the parallel stories within the movie, as I was so taken in by each story. This would have confused audiences 50 years ago, but these days...anything goes!

[@Mauritz5]

Your pronunciation of Luftwaffe was amazing

[@jan861]

He filmed it on real film? I am glad that there are still filmmakers who film analog. I also filmed with Regular 8 (the format before Super 8) a few times. Of course, it's different and not always useful, but I think we should keep a set of tools instead of having EVERYTHING digital. Great video by the way!

[@vinnyvidivici]

I didn’t even mean to click on this video but it was so engaging, wtf.

[@morrisonben]

Im glad I got to see this film in IMAX. It was amazing.

[@mooredroid2887]

1:20 kind of makes it sound like he was inspired by the concept of a Shepard tone that Hans Zimmer used for the Joker's theme in The Dark Knight. Whether consciously or subconsciously I don't know, but I imagine they talked about it a lot while scoring that film.

[@jameshandley7197]

i saw DUNKIRK IN 70MM IMAX felt like i was there in the war i defently felt like i couldent breath watching the movie by the the time the movie was i felt like you got a roller coaster amazing movie

[@chrisfritolawson5912]

Love this. Learned so much. Shared.

[@jonathanngai5956]

I am no film critics, but I cried watching this movie, it is a good film, thanks for showing this to us

[@smellslikeproductions1024]

Saw this film, editing made me feel fear. Called the Oscar that night