‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’ Featurette Explores “Immersive Experience” Of 120 FPS
As the new movie byAng Lee, and an adaptation of a highly acclaimed bestselling novel to boot,Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walkwould be one of ourmost anticipated moviesof the fall no matter what. But the project’s been getting special attention for the way it was shot and is being presented: in 120 frames per second. For comparison, most movies are in 24 fps; Peter Jackson made a very unusual move when he shotThe Hobbitin 48 fps.
So, what does that high frame rate do, exactly? In a new featurette, Lee and his cast members talk up the “immersive experience” of 120 fps. Plus, there’s a behind-the-scenes promo featuring NFL starsJ.J. WattandRichard Sherman, both of whom appear in the movie, and a more straightforward 30-second spot. Watch it all below.
Based on the novel byBen Fountain,Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walkfollows a squad of soldiers hailed as heroes after a harrowing firefight in Iraq. They’re brought back to the U.S. for a victory tour, culminating in a glitzy halftime show at the NFL Thanksgiving Day football game. Scenes of Billy (Joe Alwyn) and his squad at the celebration are intercut with flashbacks to their experience in battle, and they’re not pretty. “It is sort of weird being honored for the worst day of your life,” muses Billy at one point.
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk Featurette
Jackson’s experiment with 48 fps didn’t quite work out, as audiences seemed more put off than intrigued by the high frame rate. But Lee promises 120 fps will provide an “immersive experience” inBilly Lynn. The high frame rate is saved for the battle sequences, to give them a sort of hyper-realistic feel.Early reactionsto the 120 fps have been promising, but even if the gamble doesn’t quite pay off it looks likeBilly Lynnwill be worth watching in any frame rate.
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walkopens, appropriately enough, on Veteran’s Day (November 11).
