Page 15 - Fujifilm Exposure_34 Curse Of The Were-Rabbit_ok

“What we did
on this film was to gather together an extraordinary array of people wanting to get this film right...”
Director Paul Greengrass
in duration, from anywhere between a few to as many as 40 minutes.
Filming was executed by two camera operators, including DP Barry Ackroyd BSC, who, along with sound men and assistant director, would run up and down the length of the set at the direction of Greengrass, communicating with them from outside the plane through microphones and earpieces. (The final task of making a seamless film from these dif- ferent segments would fall to Greengrass and his team of three editors.)
Next, scenes were completed in the separate cabins - first economy, then first-class. The harrow- ing last minutes fighting for control of the plane were shot separately, with the cockpit fixed to a computer-controlled hydraulic gimbal, designed in cooperation with the special effects department, which pitched and rolled in simulation of a plane spiralling out of control.
The first-class section was later fitted into a rotating gimbal, which could turn the cabin 180 degrees during the filming of the final scenes, as the plane is making its last (and very steep) dive.
To lessen the chances of injury, the seat frames, backs and armrests were refitted with soft foam in place of the hard plastic and metal. Stunt perform- ers were originally intended to stand in for the cast in these scenes, but the actors wished to execute the work themselves. With extra padding built into their costumes, they successfully completed their own stunts.
Greengrass observes, “That final image haunts me - a physical struggle for the controls of a gaso- line-fuelled 21st-century flying machine between a band of suicidal religious fanatics and a group of innocents drawn at random from amongst us all.
I think of it often. It’s really, in a way, the struggle for our world today.” ■ QUENTIN FALK
United 93, which is released in the UK on June 2, was originated on 35mm Fujicolor Eterna 500T 8573. In the next issue of EXPOSURE, Barry Ackroyd BSC will reflect on his cinematographic challenges during production.
Fujifilm Motion Picture • The Magazine • Exposure • 13