20 Movies That Took HUGE Risks (And NAILED It)

The vast majority of movie musicals are shot with the music and vocals pre-recorded, allowing the cast to simply lip-sync over playback on set. However, for Tom Hooper's 2012 adaptation of Les Misérables, he decided to have the cast sing on set for real.

This required the cast to wear earpieces where they could hear a live piano accompaniment of each song, allowing them to keep their tempo correct.

But it naturally created a technical headache for the crew, who of course had to ensure that a huge ensemble cast's vocals were accurately captured through physically rigorous set-pieces.

While Hooper's adaptation remains divisive among Les Mis fans, the actual live singing gimmick paid off pretty spectacularly - it gave the actors more freedom in the expressiveness of their performances, rather than being shackled to the pre-recorded piece.

When Hugh Jackman sings "Look Down" while pulling a giant rope, we can hear the effort of him straining physically, which lends a greater visceral quality to his performance.

You probably wouldn't want every musical film to be shot this way, but for a treatment as gritty and tactile as this, it absolutely made sense. As such, Les Misérables went on to win the Best Sound Mixing Oscar.