Cameras

Sometimes shooting in the open water just doesn’t make sense: You need sets, lighting, equipment and crew; you need proximity to the airport, and your lead actress’ home in London. You need Pinewood Studios’ 1200-litre underwater stage.

Space on the stage is limited and the subjects are often closely guarded, so shots of the inside of the tank, especially during filming, are extremely rare, and accordingly stunning—this is an entire film set plunged underwater.

As dreamlike and foreign as these images are, there’s a good chance you’ve been down here before. Remember Eva Green’s drowning scene in Casino Royale? Kiera Knightly’s underwear-clad pond-dive in Atonement? Matt Damon’s submerged escape at the end of the Bourne Ultimatum? All filmed at Pinewood, in this tank.

Beyond the shots with gear—is that a waterproofed Hasselblad I’m seeing there?—the whole photo set is fairly spectacular, and definitely worth checking out. [Daily Mail]