20 Things You Somehow Missed In There Will Be Blood
8. The Burning Oil Well Was All One Shot
This entire scene was a majestic sight. It is truly one of modern cinema's most exhilarating marvels. Turns out, it was all shot in one go. Not because of choice but a necessity.
PTA revealed in an interview that the structure that the team erected was fastened with simple cables to the ground, weak enough for Day-Lewis to break them in one go, and strong enough to stay standing.
The execution on Day-Lewis' part had to be spot on because to get the setting right again, it would have taken the crew at least another day. A lot was riding on how it would eventually pan out. But Day-Lewis does a sublime job. We get to see the perfect shot in the final cut, all a product of the team's hard work.