Immersiveness is at the heart of the film. By taking the audience along for every step of the soldiers’ journey, Mendes aimed to make the viewing experience more visceral and powerful. But how could a camera travel uninterrupted through the practically impassable landscape of the Western Front?

James and Roger spent two months investigating different camera rig options, eventually settling on four basic methods of moving the camera through trenches, no man’s land, bunkers, craters, ruins, forests, and fields. A crucial one of these rigs was the ARRI TRINITY camera stabilizer system, which was operated by Charlie Rizek.

“What’s unique with the TRINITY is the hybrid design,” says Rizek. “It builds on the fluidity a traditional Steadicam would give you and combines that with the precision of a remote head…The placement of the camera used to be restricted with traditional systems, now with the TRINITY it really allows the operator to explore the whole space around you.”