BEHIND THE SCENES: IN THE SHADOW OF GIANTS

This entry was posted on 12/1/2006 1:39 AM and is filed under production.

There were many scenes we filmed in this movie that left us all amazed but filming at the Evergreen Air Center Desert Storage Area had to be the most aesthetically beautiful location to my Producer Gabriele Andres and the star of our movie, Actor Santiago Craig and myself because we are all aviation fanatics. Since we appreciate aircraft design to no end, filming at Evergreen Aviation was a dream come true for us.

Imagine walking in the shadow of giant jumbo jets lined up symetrically in the desert outside of Tucson. If that doesn't leave you with "wow" plastered all over your face, I don't know what else will. While we were filming, a minute didn't go by without one of us stopping to admire the planes. It slowed our filming down a bit but that's part of the fun of this back-breaking job, so you really have to stop and smell the jet fuel, uh, I meant roses.

Making feature films in Tucson isn't Hollywood by any means but one advantage we have over California is the Aviation Community in Arizona. We've had the privedge of meeting and working with some of the state's greatest and most admirable people in the field of aviation, civil, commercial and military. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that they're almost all Veterans who are by nature "get-it-done" guys - just like my diehard Cast and Crew who have stuck with me and my Producer through out the hardships of this production.

Our day began by meeting with Mr. Matthew Krchmar, our point of contact at Evergreen Air Center. He drove us out beyond the main facility and out to the desert storage area where the older jumbo jets are sealed and stored for the long term. Often, aircraft are modified for special purpose applications for customers worldwide, including airlines, air cagro companies and wealthy individuals. Evergreen Aviation is probably best known for specialty conversions for everything from aircraft that fight forest fires from the sky to building flying palaces for royalty who used to have their own Pullman Cars customized once upon a time when the steam train ruled the field of transportation. These days, they fly in their own customized jet planes that rival Air Force One built by Evergreen Aviation.

But that's just a small part of what they do at Evergreen. Besides saving Howard Hughes mammoth Spruce Goose (it's at Evergreen's aircraft museum up north in Oregon), the sweetest project they have going at the moment is a Boeing 747 firefighting aircraft that drops a world of fire extinguishing slurry that wipes out a forest fire with the push of a button. Let's pray that the U.S. Forest Service speeds up the bureaucracy in the certification process for that aircraft before the next wildfire season!

Once we got out to the desert storage area, our jaws dropped. A panorama of jumbo jets met our eyes as we climbed out of our vehicle. We were met by Mr. Tommy Maguire, the Security Site Manager and Mr. Victor Pavloff, the General Manager of Security. The huge Evergreen facility has quite a few layers of secuity you see as well as layers you can't see, so getting this close to the jumbo jets didn't happen overnight. We had the added complication of the star of our movie carrying a rifle. To make that happen, I had to remove all of the components and turn the rifle into a non-functioning cosmetic shell that couldn't be made to fire. Then it had to be inspected by the top people in Security and cleared as non-functional to eliminate any possibility of an accident. Fortunately for us, we had no problem because Evergreen hires many Veterans so they were already very familiar with the Armalite design rifle. These gentlemen opened up the rifle and knew exactly which components were removed and gave us the all-clear so we could begin filming.

And what images we were privedged to film! I think the scenes we filmed at Evergreen Aviation are the kind of images that will stay with audiences for a lifetime. Below you can see some behind the scenes photos so you'll know why we were all so awe struck:

 
Actor Santiago Craig in the Evergreen passenger van en route to the desert storage area.
Our Evergreen escort, Mr. Matthew Krchmar driving us out to the unpaved desert storage area.
Aircraft in the refitting yard being refitted and upgraded for improved service for airlines all over the world.
After refitting and upgrades, aircraft are inspected and painted, then sealed and packaged until delivery.
Actor Santiago Craig and James Arnett overlooking the desert panorama of jumbo jets.
James Arnett and Actor Santiago Craig walking toward a sealed DC-10 jumbo jet.
James Arnett and Actor Santiago Craig standing in the shadow of giants.
You can see these planes from the highway but not until you walk under them can you appreciate these planes. These aren't just machines, this is complex art and science that travels as fast as a bullet.
James Arnett and Actor Santiago Craig standing in the shadow of giants.
James Arnett and Actor Santiago Craig discussing the scene to be filmed.
This is the DC-10 area of desert storage where planes are sealed and stored under ideal conditions in the southern Arizona desert.
This is the DC-10 area of desert storage where planes are sealed and stored under ideal conditions in the southern Arizona desert.
This is the B747 area of desert storage where planes are sealed and stored under ideal conditions in the southern Arizona desert.
Security Site Manager Mr. Tommy Maguire inspects our vehicle and goes over safety restrictions with Actor Santiago Craig and James Arnett.
Actor Santiago Craig speaks with Security General Manager Mr. Victor Pavloff personally inspecting "The Last Man" rifle for no operable parts with Security Site Manager Mr. Tommy Maguire and James Arnett looking on.
These former military men knew exactly what they were inspecting. I had removed all of the functioning parts to render it impossible to fire, leaving "The Last Man" rifle just a cosmetic shell for motion picture purposes.
Security General Manager Mr. Victor Pavloff gives us the all-clear on the rifle configuration. With our Actor only slinging the rifle as part of his costume, we were cleared to commence filming.
James Arnett and Actor Santiago Craig move to the first filming position as the wind kicks up, as if right on cue to capture some really beautiful images.
Filming a panorama of DC-10's, the pinnacle of human technology, contrasted against the breezy desolation of the ancient desert southwest.The imagery is nothing less than iconic bordering the surreal.
Actor Santiago Craig taking direction prior to filming.
Adjusting the panning resistance on the fluid head of the tripod in the wind.
Admiring the beautiful design of a DC-10 jumbo jet between takes.
Filming Actor Santiago Craig walking under the belly of a DC-10.
James Arnett shouting directions over the wind.
 

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