We RECREATED the Nuclear Explosion from Oppenheimer with ZERO CGI

We recreated Christopher Nolan's nuclear explosion from Oppenheimer with zero CGI, along with a few other effects from Oppenheimer. With Oppenheimer's budget of $100 million, we had no clue if this was even possible. Through lots of experimentation and testing, it was surprising just how close we were able to recreate the practical effects from Oppenheimer without any VFX of our own. I still can't believe what we were able to do.

A thank you to the people who helped make this possible:
Paul Koning
Anna Peerbolt
Matt Baker
Allie Salyer
Selena Norihn
Victor Vigil III (VVIII)
Kaleb Bosworth
M.H. Sterling

Ardie Son - Omega
Tamuz Dekel - Blue Beings
Ardie Son - Earth the Pale Blue Dot
Curtis Cole - Odd Numbers
Ardie Son - Rise to Revolt
Ardie Son - The Art of Connection
Ardie Son - Beacon of Light
Ardie Son - Overcoming
Ardie Son - Run with the Wolves (but I played it in reverse)

All the effects were shot using a BMPCC4K.

Lights from Aputure/Amaran:

0:00 Intro
1:57 Effect 1
4:00 Effect 2
6:45 Effect 3
10:38 The Nuke
13:35 All Effects

[AvocadoAnimations]

My gosh this is was a joy to watch! Really shows what you can accomplish creatively with some clever thinking

[Milkymalk]

Miniature painters instantly recognize the swirling from effect 3 as metallic acrylic paint dissolved in water. Glad you figured it out!

[andtipidee]

I think it's kind of cool that for Effect 3, the materials used were just water and pigment powder; cheap and easy to obtain materials. It's cool how Nolan came up with such simple yet powerful ideas, despite his million dollar budget.

[syjiang]

Hey for effect 1, if you want to generate a constant swirling motion in the fluid you can use a magnetic stirrer used in chemistry lab. The device looks like a kitchen scale, coupled with a cylindrical pill-shaped magnet stirrer. Its low profile and you can create a more consistent swirling motion in that larger tank. Just an idea for future effects.

[crashwebb]

Can't believe you detonated an actual nuclear warhead to recreate this scene. Incredible dedication. Bravo William!

[vusvis]

Recreating them is one, but coming up with it is another story. Massive respect to you guys as well as Nolan's team.

[MrTshorts]

I never knew recreating effects looked so much like solving a murder mystery! I love it.

[harshpreetsinghgill]

Someone show this to Disney. You do not need a high budget to make a fake CG effect all you need is creativity like Will and his team. Hats off to you guys

[oxiphy]

For those wondering what the swirling effect is called, it's referred to as a rheoscopic effect. There's actually lots of products made with this on them.

[WashedBeansInPot]

12:52 I thought I my pc was tweaking for a sec

[LarvaWorld]

This is what YouTube is all about. Thanks for bringing joy and creativity into your workflow! Such a fun watch.

[rcnewman.]

This genuinely made me want to get back into film making and story telling. I haven’t felt that kind of excitement in years. Thank you.

[jdkingsley]

You guys just made me come close to going back into film making. This why so many people love Nolans work, whole categories of exploration and discussion happen around his art.

[melody]

The swirly one made me so mad because I am 100% sure thats ultra fine glitter

[ssscout]

amazing editing, and love the music you used

[Fairyhell]

This is what I love about visual effect. There are so many ways to achieve the same result

[seeking_the_sun]

This was such a joy to behold. Also illustrates why we we feel this deep sense of reverence and awe at the real effects - the ingenuity and the resourcefulness that must have gone into it almost commands it.

[JnManuelAG]

You guys were so so close to the real footage. The Op special effects team should be proud. Keep posting here 👏🏽❤️‍🔥

[Wunba]

Holy cow! This was an amazing video I’m astonished your channel isn’t larger! I think your ability to look at Nolan’s shots and figure out mostly how they were done is amazing. But it really goes to show why Nolan is the top of the game when he can just envision these things and make them into a movie! Can’t wait to see what else you come up with, extremely underrated channel!

[TheExpertMathWithAnolog]

11:41 "Now that we built Nuke, it's time to set it off" -William H Baker