In order to bring the film closer to the historical atmosphere created by the novel, Soderbergh not only chose to shoot in traditional black and white, but also used early footage and soundtrack, and imitated the rear projection effect in the background shooting. He limited filming to the set and limited locations, and borrowed some of the documentary footage, some of which were shot by Billy Wilder and William Wheeler in Berlin shortly after the war. In addition, only incandescent lights were used on set, and this harsh, unnatural light source was just the thing to add to the graininess of the picture. At the same time, Soderbergh did not allow the use of wireless microphones, so all the crew on the set could only speak softly in whispers so as not to affect the quality of the film. Recording was done the old-fashioned way, too: The crew would attach the mic to a stand and lift it over the actors' heads.
The Good German Shooting Technique
2022-03-01 08:01
Extended Reading
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Bernie Teitel: This guy? Drove one of the gas vans. They'd load the Jews in back, run the exhaust inside.
Bernie Teitel: [inhales] By the time they got where they were going, they were already dead. Very efficient. Driving to work, he killed more people than Al Capone in all his years in Chicago. But if you asked him, he isn't a murderer, he's a truck driver. And he still thinks that.
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Hannelore: It's easy now to say Hitler was wrong about the Jews. Let me tell you something. Nobody said he was wrong at the time.