In our Elements

In the final section of their Second World War bomber project, InCamera get busy with the fun stuff, bringing together previs, pyro and post-production

As part of the proof of concept shoot for A Memory Owed, a specific sequence in the script showing a Lancaster being hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire was posed by the director. The engine and wing section was required to be seen exploding and quickly turn to a large, turbulent fire trail. After some consideration, it was deemed a practical proposition to build a scale section of the aircraft’s wing as a bigature, and to use it for filming fire and smoke elements. Those elements would then be composited and match-moved onto previously shot footage of the Lancaster miniature.

We knew from past experience that the strength in shooting practical elements can really come into their own when needing to depict natural phenomena such as fire, explosions and smoke. 

SIMPLE TRICKS OF THE LIGHT

Take a creative approach to lighting low or no budget projects

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To help sell the effect of a large explosion and fire to our damaged wing section, we wanted interactive lighting that would show some emitted light from the fire being cast onto the fuselage and surrounding wing area. A snooted Dedo 150W Tungsten lamp was positioned to project a small cone of light to the appropriate section of wing, with additional random light spill provided by slowly waving a mini Maglite torch across the model.