Cinematography technique · used in 2 films
Shooting actors and camera inside a large tank of real water, with wave machines and spray added. The cold, motion and exhaustion you see are physically real.
Examples
Jean-Pierre Jeunet · 1997
The swim through a flooded kitchen was shot in a big tank of real water built inside a Fox soundstage. The tank held about 548,000 gallons, and the cast trained with divers, so the effort you see is physical.
Where to see it: Flooded kitchen: The group swims through a flooded kitchen where they are attacked, Hillard is taken and Christie sacrifices himself.
Joe Carnahan · 2025
The production shot in Malta in a tank connected to the sea, mostly at night. Cast say they worked in cold water with wave machines and water cannons, and Zachary Levi called it the most physically demanding job of his career. You see tired bodies, not stunt work.
Where to see it: The capsizing and the first night. The boat goes over in a storm, and the men are left in dark, rough water.
Questions