9 War Movie Tricks That Totally Fooled You

Over the past two decades or so, Christopher Nolan has become one of the biggest directors of his generation, and a household name to mainstream audiences. The likes of the Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, Oppenheimer, and others, have seen the man rise to almost unmatched levels of popularity.

It is no secret that the director isn't a fan of CGI, and will always use practical effects where possible. Some of the biggest spectacles within his films have been created practically, from the Trinity Test in Oppenheimer to building an actual rotating corridor for Inception, but there have been many smaller details that have avoided computers as well.

It's typical when shooting a scene with big crowds to utilise extras, and then fill out the numbers with CGI in post-production if necessary. However, Christopher Nolan is nothing if not typical, and while shooting Dunkirk went down a different route.

Over 300 extras were reportedly in play while filming on the beach, though instead of using CGI, Nolan bumped up the numbers using cardboard cutouts. Yes, a film with an apparent budget in the region of $100 million used cardboard cutouts as background characters, and had it not been for pictures taken of the set itself, no one would have noticed.