Oppenheimer

Director Christopher Nolan has never been one to favour computer technology over realism and that hasn't changed with Oppenheimer.

[Nolan](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/tenet-movie-review) and his pursuit of epic realism). But it wasn't the only challenge faced on set as the entire team endeavoured to rebuild the Los Alamos Laboratory, the top secret location formed under the Manhattan Project to create nuclear weapons. “I think recreating the Trinity test [the first nuclear weapon detonation, in New Mexico] without the use of computer graphics, was a huge challenge to take on”. Case and point: replicating an actual nuclear bomb explosion without CGI for his new film [Oppenheimer](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/oppenheimer-film-christopher-nolan). [Dunkirk](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/dunkirk-review-world-premiere), abandoning blue screen space for star projectors in [Interstellar](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/interstellar-science-guide-relativity-time-dilation-black-hole-gargantua) or flipping a whole truck in the middle of Chicago's banking district in [The Dark Knight](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/every-batman-actor-ranked), Nolan has always favoured getting his hands dirty with practical effects rather than leaving the magic to CGI. [Christopher Nolan](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/christopher-nolan-book-2020)'s style of direction has always been less ‘why?’ and more ‘why the f*** not?'.

“I think recreating the Trinity test without the use of computer graphics was a huge challenge to take on,” he told the outlet. “Andrew Jackson — my visual ...

“It’s one of the most challenging projects I’ve ever taken on in terms of the scale of it, and in terms of encountering the breadth of Oppenheimer’s story,” he said. But certainly, as I watch the results come in, and as I’m putting the film together, I’m thrilled with what my team has been able to achieve.” “I think recreating the Trinity test without the use of computer graphics was a huge challenge to take on,” he told the outlet.

Director Christopher Nolan recreated the first detonation of a nuclear weapon without VFX for his new film "Oppenheimer".

[Nolan](/topic/nolan)said that the film's visual effects supervisor, Andrew Jackson, was looking to do most of the visual elements of "Oppenheimer" practically. The filmmaker said that "Oppenheimer" was one of the most challenging projects he had ever taken in terms of scale. [Total Film](/topic/total-film)magazine that recreating the [Trinity](/topic/trinity)test without the use of CGI effects was a "huge challenge" for them. Nolan noted that this was the first time they could shoot an IMAX film in black and white. Robert [Oppenheimer](/topic/oppenheimer), an American physicist who was instrumental in the creation of the atomic bomb during the Second World War. [Christopher Nolan](/topic/christopher-nolan)is well-known for favouring practical effects over [VFX](/topic/vfx).

The director has started doing promotion for his next film, which tells the story of atomic bomb creator, J Robert Oppenheimer. In the film, Oppenheimer ...

Nolan has become known for shunning CGI in favour of pulling off stunts for real. “Andrew Jackson – my visual effects supervisor, I got him on board early on – was looking at how we could do a lot of the visual elements of the film practically, from representing quantum dynamics and quantum physics to the Trinity test itself, to recreating, with my team, Los Alamos up on a mesa in New Mexico in extraordinary weather, a lot of which was needed for the film, in terms of the very harsh conditions out there – there were huge practical challenges.” “I think recreating the Trinity test [the first nuclear weapon detonation, in New Mexico] without the use of computer graphics was a huge challenge to take on,” Nolan told

The upcoming biographical film Oppenheimer recreates the first nuclear bomb blast without the use of CGI, according to director Christopher Nolan.

[Nolan's return to distinct black-and-white visuals](https://screenrant.com/oppenheimer-movie-christopher-nolan-black-white-color-memento/) and teases of the film's dedication to practically recreating the first detonation of a nuclear weapon, Oppenheimer promises to be one of 2023's most anticipated and visually stunning films. [GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/oppenheimer-christopher-nolan-scale-interview), Nolan revealed to Total Film that to recreate the New Mexico-based 1945 Trinity Test, the first nuclear weapon detonation, the director opted not to use digital CGI effects to create the blast in his [ first feature film collaboration with Universal Pictures](https://screenrant.com/christopher-nolan-universal-shyamalan-studio-director/). Despite this, Nolan's dedication to predominantly practical effects has allowed the director to maintain a recognizable style that can be found across his works, no matter whether they're depicting World War II heroics in Dunkirk, walking audiences through time-bending espionage in Tenet or the complexities of making a monumental discovery in the upcoming Oppenheimer. While other filmmakers may have the status of a filmmaking auteur through their work on a specific genre, or common themes and tropes amongst their works, Nolan has tackled a varied selection of stories and genres that lack an apparent common subtextual trait across his filmography. [Oppenheimer ](https://screenrant.com/tag/oppenheimer/)reportedly recreates the first nuclear bomb test blast without using digital CGI visual effects. As such, Nolan's films have a physical aspect that helps ground audiences in the world of the film, making the most outlandish stories feel within a viewer's reach.