Forward-looking: There has been plenty of experimentation in the film industry in recent years. Hardcore Henry, for example, was shot entirely from a first-person point of view. 1917 is made to look like two continuous shots. And soon, there will be a blockbuster-level film shot in the vertical format.
Deadline reports that prolific Russian producer and director Timur Bekmambetov is working on a new flick that’ll be presented as a vertical video – you know, like a clip shot on your smartphone when holding it vertically rather than horizontally.
V2. Escape from Hell, will tell the story of a captured Soviet pilot that leads a daring escape from a German concentration camp during the Second World War.
Vertical videos have been the bane of many for years yet despite the critics, they’ve picked up momentum among social media users and on video sharing sites like YouTube. With a major motion picture now in the works, it looks like the technique is here to stay.
This won’t be the filmmaker’s first foray into vertical videos. Bekmambetov, who served as a producer on the aforementioned Hardcore Henry, also shot a miniseries for Snapchat that was shot exclusively in the vertical format.
“Visually, the film is built around a person—this is a story about a man standing up and straightening his shoulders in spite of the circumstances. And about a rescue plane soaring up into the sky,” Bekmambetov said.
Filming is expected to start in Russia next week with plans to launch early next year.
