John Krasinski is the writer and director of A Quiet Place Part II, and he broke down the opening sequence of the movie. The opening of A Quiet Place 2 shows the Abbott family at a baseball game. But when a strange explosion happens in the sky (which is a meteor filled with alien monsters entering the atmosphere) their game is cut short. The events that follow are the Abbott family's first encounter with the creatures.
Krasinski's goal was to do the opening of A Quiet Place 2 in one take, or rather make it look as if it was a continuation with no camera cuts. He wanted the audience to be following his character, going where he went, or being in the car driving with Emily Blunt. Krasinski says this is because he didn't want to break the energy. What that means is that every department (special effects, cast, stunts, etc.) had to be perfect on the day of filming in a choreographed routine with all the moving parts working together.
Those who have already seen A Quiet Place 2Â in theaters will remember the scene with the police car being flipped over as a creature rams into it. This was a practical effect done with a real car placed upon a mechanical flipper and secured with wires in order to control where the vehicle landed when it was flipped. The scene takes place in a real town that the production designer enhanced with business signs to give the look of small-town America.
The shot of Blunt's A Quiet Place 2 character in the car with her two on-screen children had to be rehearsed for about 3 weeks because of the type of camera they were using. The camera was on a big mechanical arm that could shoot from all angles. But as Krasinski says, the camera had to be programmed to move a certain way, which means there couldn't be any changes or improv on the day of shooting. In the scene, a stunt driver was operating the vehicle on top of the car. The bus that is coming towards the vehicle is actually there and moving about 40 miles per hour, which allowed for the actors to not have to pretend, and instead, just react to what is happening organically.
Even though the opening scene of A Quiet Place 2 was choreographed and rehearsed extensively, things can still go wrong. And that's exactly what happened when the mechanical arm holding the camera broke and began to slide forward. This was certainly a movie magic moment, as the camera stayed focussed on Emily Blunt while sliding into a perfect closeup of her face.
Krasinski says that while the shot was a mistake, it was the best one of his career. Fans know Krasinski's style is very classy and wholesome, so we will hopefully see him return for another installment of A Quiet Place as writer, director, and/or actor.
A Quiet Place Part II is now playing in theaters.
Source: Vanity Fair