Those were Martin Scorsese's marching orders to the 18 shooters -- including Oscar winners Robert Richardson, Robert Elswit and John Toll -- who lensed the two Rolling Stones concerts showcased in "Shine a Light."

No one knew what the setlist would be for each of the two nights at the Beacon Theater. The first night served as a rehearsal, in effect, for the second, which makes up about 90% of the film, including the opening tune, "Jumpin' Jack Flash."

Richardson led the team, capturing many of the striking profile shots of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from stage right. Roving cinema verite master Albert Maysles, 79, who shot "Gimme Shelter" 30 years before, captured the backstage moments that bookend the film on a small handheld HDV camera.

The film's most stunning shot -- a fierce closeup of bluesman Buddy Guy -- comes during the song "Champagne and Reefer." "When we saw dailies, it had a chilling effect," says editor David Tedeschi. "That's the key shot in the song. All of Buddy Guy's charisma and musicianship is right there."

Curiously, no one is sure who took the shot.

Was it this year's Oscar winner Elswit ("There Will Be Blood"), or Oscar winner Toll ("Braveheart"), who operated a camera on techno-crane in the back?Toll "got some amazing footage, like the moment when he pulls out on 'Tumblin' Dice' and captures Mick's interaction with the audience," says Tedeschi.

Richardson placed huge floodlights behind Jagger for one grand entrance from the back; they were so hot that Jagger was warned to keep moving or he could light up. The final edit took nine months, plus two months for the sound mix. Scorsese was able to make changes up to the last minute without penalty thanks to VFX master Rob Legato's new workflow, which made any shot accessible at any time.

"There's a lot of great stuff on the cutting-room floor," says Tedeschi.