[Philip Lelyveld comment: this is a lengthy article about shooting a 3D feature in Moscow.]

[Excerpts]

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• They shot the film in 3D. They chose locations in Moscow that would work well with 3D, like Red Square.

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• The shoot was 58 days and they added 8 or 9 days to the production schedule when they decided to shoot the film in 3D.
• 3D necessitates longer takes in order to keep the audience from getting nauseous, so it takes more prep time to include the establishing shot, the close-up and the master shot in one take.

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Bekmambetov: Yeah, the Red Square in 3D is [impressive].

Jacobson: We’re using 3D, which we think is important to the movie. It was an important decision. But we are shooting in 3D. It’s not being converted. We’re using 3D as a story element in terms of an immersive quality. Moscow is very photogenic and our director, Chris Gorak, when he came here, it was very important for him to find locations and to capture this city that felt like you were really embedded in it, but also had scale and scope. Of course we shoot some of the icons locations like Red Square, but certain other places that you might not know as a foreigner or as a tourist. But the look is very unique to Moscow. You might look and not know the specific building, but the look is very—

Bekmambetov: Yes, it’s very interesting because he found very unusual angles. Because he has a unique eye. Russian directors, we are shooting the same streets. The same things. He has a fresh eye and found very interesting and very cool locations and angles and characters.

Are you guys shooting 3D with the RED cameras or the Cameron/Pace system?

Jacobson: Neither. Of all the different systems, there’s the 3D rig and there’s the digital system. It’s all digital because it has to be captured digitally and then it depends on which camera is using the rig. We’re using a rig called Element Technica. The rig is, like all 3D systems, two cameras. They represent the eyes, the left eye and the right eye. Pace works in the same way. We just made the decision based on availability and a choice that our camera guy made called Element Technica. It’s through Panavision and the cameras are Sony F35 digital cameras, which are state of the art. They’re about a year or two old. We have two of those rigs and two called P1 rigs, which is another, smaller, lightweight camera that we use for steadicam. You’ll see when you come to the set that it’s a huge, complicated system. The camera looks like a Transformer because it weighs about 200 pounds.

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Any specific techniques to exploit the effect?

Jacobson: There’s two sides to it. One is sort of  a subtler side which is what we’d call immersive. You put yourself into the environment. As we said, there’s  a scene that’s shot on Red Square where it’s completely empty. It’s after the invasion and the city has been depopulated. Our two guys only see one or two people as they go. It’s very spooky. They’re lost and they don’t know and they see a police car which is stranded in the middle of Red Square. Right in the middle between Lenin’s tomb on one side — you’ll see this when you take your tour — and the GUM department store, which is this beautiful department store. They think there might be something of value in the police car like a map or flare or emergency [supplies]. So they run out to it. One of the ways to use 3D is if you’re shooting them and showing them hiding behind the police car, and you have this expansive distance behind you, with all of Red Square between you and Saint Basil’s Cathedral, you really feel like your there. So part of it is just that. Framing shots. And part of it is a huge action component. The movie is an action thriller. Those scenes are very tense. Then there’s a visual effects side to the movie where our characters interact, usually not to good effect with them and the invaders. Those effects in 3D will be amazing. How they come to the camera.

Read the full story and interview here: http://collider.com/the-darkest-hour-timur-bekmambetov-tom-jacobson-interview/107866/