Twister, Con Air and now Mission: Impossible 2 head up a unique list of feature films whose images not only include, but are dominated by aerial cinematography. As was the case with the action adventure films of Jan DeBont and Simon West, SpaceCam was the choice of MI2 Director John Woo, Director of Photography Jeffrey Kimball, Second Unit Director Billy Burton and Visual Effects Supervisor Richard Yuricich to not only provide aerial footage, but to provide an entire aerial presence to the film.
SpaceCam’s mission began in January of 1999 in Lone Pine, California. With Yuricich calling the shots from the ground, film pilot Peter McKernan Sr. and Aerial DP Phil Pastuhov ascended 17,000 feet in an Astar model helicopter to shoot plates of Mt. Whitney. Using SpaceCam’s in-house 35mm-8 Perf. Vista Vision camera mounted on the nose of the chopper, Pastuhov captured the shots that were used in the film’s opening airplane crash sequence.
In April of 1999 a wide variety of SpaceCam’s gyro-stabilized camera and mounting equipment was moved down to Australia. Shooting first unit, second unit, visual effects and computer effects scenes in Sydney and Broken Hill, Pastuhov and local film pilots Terry Lee and Gary Ticehurst used SpaceCam’s 35mm-4 Perf. camera, 35mm-8 Perf. Vista Vision camera and an exclusive motion record capability together with nose, side and tail mount helicopter bracketry for TwinStar and Long Ranger helicopters. From panoramic vistas of
Sydney, to action packed sequences like the motorcycle chase to exotic shots of kangaroos scampering across the Outback, SpaceCam was lensing from above.
Back in the United States in October and November, SpaceCam, Pastuhov and Los Angeles based film pilot Craig Hosking shot additional scenes in Moab, Utah and Azusa, California. In Moab, SpaceCam captured the picturesque sunlit orange back drop for Tom Cruise’s dangling rock cliff scene. In Azusa, as Cruise, Thandie Newton and stunt drivers zig-zagged in the Spanish car chase scene, SpaceCam followed from above with the Nose Mount and the Quick Side Mount on an Astar. The exclusive mounting combination enabled the camera to move from the nose to the sides of the helicopter in just minutes, to capture an assortment of exciting angles.
“The great thing about MI2 was that they kept the aerial unit on location for the majority of the shoot,” said Pastuhov. “It allowed us to contribute our special viewpoint at any time. Both John Woo and Billy Burton were flexible and encouraged us to stretch our wings creatively. That freedom shows in the picture.”
A perfect example was the shot of the kangaroos. “We were shooting in the outback on our way to the set when we saw the animals,” Pastuhov added. “We dropped down to ground level and followed them for maybe thirty seconds, just for fun. The editor loved it and it ended up in the movie.
“We had the same experience in Moab. John Woo asked Craig Hosking and I to go out and shoot some footage that would capture the majesty of the area. We did just that and all of it ended up in the trailers and in the movie. The entire film was very rewarding for the aerial unit.”
As for operating with SpaceCam, Pastuhov was additionally pleased. “From a creative standpoint, I really love the Nose Mount,” he said. “It makes communication between myself and the pilot so much simpler. It allows us to work more as a team in the sense that we’re sharing the same relative perspective.”
Mission: Impossible 2 is a Paramount Pictures release of a Cruise/Wagner production.