LOS ANGELES: Renowned director Christopher Nolan said that he and his crew blew up a real Boeing 747 for ‘Tenet’ because it was “more efficient” than practical effects using miniatures or CGI.
In an interview a film magazine, director Nolan said: “I planned to do it using miniatures and set-piece builds and a combination of visual effects and all the rest. However, while scouting for locations in Victorville, California, the team discovered a massive array of old planes.”
“We started to run the numbers … It became apparent that it would actually be more efficient to buy a real plane of the real size, and perform this sequence for real in camera, rather than build miniatures or go the CG route.”
READ MORE: New trailer for Christopher Nolan’s film ‘Tenet’ released
Nolan added: “It’s a strange thing to talk about – a kind of impulse buying, I suppose. But we kind of did, and it worked very well, with Scott Fisher, our special-effects supervisor, and Nathan Crowley, the production designer, figuring out how to pull off this big sequence in camera. It was a very exciting thing to be a part of.”
Actor Robert Pattinson, whose character discusses crashing the plane in the trailer, also chimed in: “You wouldn’t have thought there was any reality where you would be doing a scene where they just have an actual 747 to blow up!”
“It’s so bold to the point of ridiculousness… I remember, as we were shooting it, I was thinking, ‘How many more times is this even going to be happening in a film at all?’”’Tenet’ has a budget of $205 million and is Nolan’s second most expensive movie to date after ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. The movie is due to be released on July 17 although the date could change due to the coronavirus crisis.
