• HOME
  • INTERVIEWS
  • LOCATIONS GALLERY
  • PORTRAITS
  • ABOUT ME
  • PL
  • LINKS

JAMES BOND

~ Behind the Scenes of James Bond

JAMES BOND

Tag Archives: stuntman

Interview with Kai Martin about his stunt work in ‘No Time to Die’

06 Sunday Mar 2022

Posted by Piotr Zając in Kai Martin, No Time to Die

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

interview, Kai Martin, No Time to Die, stuntman

Kai Martin has worked on five James Bond films. Previously we were talking about four of them: Interview with Kai Martin – stuntman who has played in 5 James Bond films. This time Kai told about his work on ‘No Time to Die’.

Piotr Zajac (bondlocations): Good afternoon Kai. It’s great to see you again. We’ve talked last time in May 2020 when it was too early to talk about ‘No Time to Die’. After the premiere of the latest James Bond film you can finally reveal some stories behind the scenes.

Kai Martin: To be honest my involvement in this film was more limited than expected. I’m just very happy that I’ve eventually worked on it. In terms of volume of work that I’ve previously done on Bond films it wasn’t nearly as much. Lots of things have changed for everybody. I think originally I got a call from my good friend Lee Morrison in July 2018. He said that he just had a meeting with Barbara (Broccoli). He got a job and he was very excited. He wanted me to work on it. I was super excited so I’ve started to train and getting in shape. Then there were some changes in the script. There was another director. They had a few other doubles as well. There were so many things beyond my own control that have changed. In the end when they asked me to work on it I had another job. It amazingly turned out that I finished that job on Saturday and on Monday I was on ‘No Time to Die’ set because they really needed a double. In the end I was working on that film only for about three months.

When could we see you on the screen?

Daniel shot two guards on the head. It was Andrei and myself.

Which part of the film was that?

It was on Safin’s island. Bond with a gun comes up the stairs. There are two guys with guns aimed at him. I was one of those along with Andrei. That was very brief moment but it somehow got into the trailer. (smiling) I managed to make it again. It was a brief moment but a moment is better than no moment.

Kai Martin on the set of 'No Time to Die'
– Kai Martin as one of the guards on Safin’s island. Photo courtesy of Kai Martin.

It was filmed in Pinewood Studios. Did you go to some other locations?

I went to Matera. That was beautiful city. I was there for under a month.

What was your job in Matera?

I did quite a lot of rehearsals. There is a scene with Bond visiting Vesper’s grave. Jean-Charles Rousseau did the stunt on the filming day but I rehearsed that.

I know that the graves were built on location in Matera just for filming. Were they rebuilt after each shot with explosion?

I think they only shot it once or twice. Anyway it was quite an easy reset.

Were you involved in filming of the chase in Matera?

There was a fight in washing lines. We rehearsed it so much at Pinewood Studios. We had general layout and dimensions of what we would have in Matera from art department. We’ve created a mock-up of the set. Then we’ve started rehearsals at Pinewood in a little square with clothes on lines. We got the general mechanics of the fight. Then we moved to Matera and imprinted on location what we’ve created in the studio. Sometimes things can change then. It can be changed on the day as well. It depends how the director feels, how actors feel. It can be quite a long process.

Have you worked on other locations?

I was also working in Ascot in UK. Part of the car chase in Norway was filmed there. I was involved in some pick-up shots with Bond’s SUV. I was the driver but I wasn’t doing anything crazy. There were pick-up shots with Bond shooting with bazooka. I was also involved in the scene with the bad guy falling off the bike after hitting the rope that Bond set up between trees.

Kai Martin on the set of 'No Time to Die'
– Kai Martin with bazooka in Ascot. Photo courtesy of Kai Martin.

How were you involved in those scenes?

I turned up on the day to rehearse some things.

Kai Martin on the set of 'No Time to Die'
– Kai Martin on the set in Ascot rehearsing the scene with the bad guy falling off the bike after hitting the rope. Photo courtesy of Kai Martin.

You rehearse the scene before filming to check if everyone and everything is ready for shooting?

The scene is designed and then there is a rehearsal to feel it out, to see how it works. Sometimes on the day when we shoot we line up the camera.

Film director Cary Fukunaga said during the meeting at Camerimage Film Festival 2021 that he didn’t like filming the part in the forest because of the artificial fog.

There are a lot of sets where special effects crew makes smoke. I remember being on ‘Robin Hood’. It was so smoky. ‘Game of Thrones’ as well. It has also very unique smell.

Have you worked on Cuban set at Pinewood?

There is a scene with Nomi and scientist Valdo on a zip line. I rehearsed that.

That was very cold on the set as far as I know.

Yes. That was horrible. I think we rehearsed that in October. From roof to roof in a cold. Sometimes it is like that. Sometimes the rigs need to be rehearsed so they are ready for the guys who are doing that on the day.

How much did you know about the plot when you were filming?

I’ve read certain moment of the script. Then there were so many changes.

What do you thing about this film?

I think that it was amazing that this particular Bond had the opportunity to explore and complete the full journey. Very often when you work on a film like that it is left open-ended. There is always ‘what if’. This one was done. It was quite an unique journey and an amazing way to bring it to an end. The stunts very spectacular, they were great. Perhaps there wasn’t that volume they’ve had in previous Bond films.

Do you want to be back in a new James Bond film?

No. I’m done. For me it’s been 15 years of my life from when Gary Powell called me, gave me the opportunity and completely changed my world. I’m so blessed and so amazed to have that Bond journey for 15 years. It’s like the olympics of stunts. Some athletes never get the opportunity to say ‘I am retiring’. As a stuntmen you never have the opportunity to say ‘I’m done’. You just fade out into the dark. The story told by Daniel is done. It had the beginning and the end. Normally there is the beginning and then … . I watched that and said: ‘Thank you. I’m done’. I don’t think I will ever be on the Bond set again. That has been a big chapter in my life and it is definitely finished. That is nice to have that feeling.

So what are you plans for the future?

I would like to move more into the acting. That is where I see myself. Maybe stunt coordinating.

I keep fingers cross. Good luck with your plans.

January 26th 2022

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Interview with Martin Ivanov – stunt driver who has played in 4 James Bond films

20 Sunday Dec 2020

Posted by Piotr Zając in Martin Ivanov, No Time to Die, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

interview, Martin Ivanov, No Time to Die, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, stunt double, stunt driver, stuntman

Martin Ivanov is a rally driver who became world famous stunt driver. He is well known for his stunts in James Bond films, as well as for doubling Matt Damon in Jason Bourne series and great performances in many action blcockbusters.

Interviev with Martin Ivanov

Interviev with Martin Ivanov

Piotr Zajac (bondlocations): Before you became stunt driver you were rally driver. You also drove a Formula 1 car. It was impressive how you drove under jumping truck (video).

Martin Ivanov: When I had a call from my client about this job I thought that it was once in a life time chance to drive a Formula 1 car. We went to former military air base. The first day in was raining all the time and it was really wet, so it was quite dangerous. On the next day it was dry, but still cold. The tires were cold, so there was not much grip. I had a few runs in Formula 1 car to get the filling, to get used to the clutch and steering wheel. It was quite easy because of all the systems in the car. I was driving up and down just for fun to try Formula 1 car for about 40 minutes or 1 hour. I was trying to make left turn as close as possible to the ramp. Then we went for a jump. I was supposed to cross in the middle of the truck. When the time of filming was coming closer and closer everyone in the team was getting more and more nervous. The director and the producer said that I could cross in front of the truck and thanks to special camera settings it would look like I was crossing under the truck. I said that we should do it for real, without any camera tricks. I had backup plan for safety. When I was driving I was watching if the truck was on the ramp and if the ramp was still in one piece. Everything was fine so I turned left. If anything would be wrong I would just go straight. After turning left I went on a small road on aside. It was covered with mud. The car spun, but I went back. Tires were ice cold and it was like 5 degrees celcius so I had no grip, especially in mud and in the puddle in Formula 1 car.

That was in 2014 when you were already known as James Bond stunt double. Your first 007 movie was ‘Quantum of Solace’. You were driving Aston Martin in the opening car chase sequence together with Ben Collins.

The sequence was mostly done by me. Ben did just a few fast straight runs. He did a little bit of the tunnel sequence at Lake Garda and a little bit of straight driving near Carrara. I did all of the action scenes like drifting or spinning in the tunnel and the whole part in Carrara quarry.

A few years ago I was in Carrara quarry. The road was rather bumpy like for off-road rallies. Did you have to repair Aston Martin quite often because of that?

Aston was surviving quite well. We had more problems with Alfa Romeo cars. There was a problem with engine, we had to cut tires for better grip.

Did you have special suspension and tires in Aston Martin for filming in Carrara?

We put spacers so it was a bit higher. We had winter tires, which were softer, better for loose gravel. That was it.

How long were you filming the whole car chase sequence?

We had a couple of weeks of testing and preparation. Then we were filming for over a month. At first at Garda Lake for a few weeks and then in Carrara for two or three weeks.

How did you film the part in the tunnel?

Everything was at first rehearsed and tested. It was mostly the scene with the truck that had a blown tire and pushed me into the wall. These were stunts with special effect rigs. There was not much space for improvising. They first shot me going through the traffic. Then we’ve spent a lot of time with going around the truck. It required probably three takes. It was quite difficult to spin 360 degrees in the narrow tunnel. We did it two times. When I was doing it the gearbox cable was snapping from the impact probably. I did 360 spin, I lost the door and I wanted to accelerate but I couldn’t change the gear because the cable was gone. It happened both times. After this spin there was another truck coming towards me but it was shot separately. In one take, which was actually in the movie, it was very close. I had no driver’s door and truck’s bumper was really close, so I could feel the wind from that.

Was Daniel Craig present on location? Did you film any scenes with him in a car at Garda Lake or in Carrara?

Mostly he was filmed in front of green screen in the studio, but he came few times on location. We had a car that we called Go Mobile. It was a platform with engine on which any car body could be placed. The stuntman was a driver and actor could play.

Did you drive this platform?

No. There was a driver sent from the company that rented that Go Mobile from USA.

How many Aston Martin cars did you have on set?

We had six or seven. Some of them were clean, some of them were damaged i.e. without driver’s doors. Some cars had special effects rigs to help in doing stunts.

Did you also play in other scenes except car chase?

All of the drivers played in the sequence with horse race in Siena. We were dressed like Italian horse race spectators. Daniel Craig was chasing Glen Foster. They were running and pushing people back. We were just those people who were standing on their way.

In ‘Skyfall’ you were fruit seller in the opening sequence in Istambul.

Yes. We were selling oranges with Ben Collins. We were running away when Audi was sliding and crashed into the table with oranges.

In what other scenes in ‘Skyfall’ were you involved?

I was mostly background driver.

You had much more work in ‘Spectre’. You were driving Jaguar C-X75 as Mr. Hinx. I’ve seen you in action in Rome. I was there at the Tiber river when you were filming final part of the car chase with Jaguar in fire and Aston Martin sinking in the river. How did you prepare for that scene?

We put protection on ebonite on Jaguar. There were gas tanks or something like that mounted in the car. When the fire from Aston hit the Jaguar the gas caught fire.

Was there any stunt driver in Aston Martin when it jumped into the river?

No, the car was on a cable. There was no engine in that car. It was filled with foam so it was not sinking fast.

I rember that one Jaguar was with POD system on the roof. Was it also you driving that?
Jaguar C-X75– Jaguar C-X75 with POD system on the roof on the ‘Spectre’ film set in Rome, Italy.

I was driving in POD on Jaguar. I remember that this POD was very strange. We were rehearsing for two or maybe more weeks just driving that POD and trying hand brakes, drifting. It was very hard to drive POD on the Jaguar. It didn’t work as we wanted. The steering was super heavy and not responsive. At the end we used it for maybe three hours one night and that was it. We just drove straight on the street. That was just a few seconds in the movie.

How is a steering wheel in POD connected to the steering system in the car?

There are different types. Usually we use hydraulic system. There is a pump at the steering wheel connected with hydraulic hoses to hydraulic actuator at the steering column. They are very heavy, sometimes they allow to turn more and sometimes less. Those with mechanical connection by shaft with joints between steering wheel in POD and steering column in the car are much easier to drive. You have the same feeling as driving normal car. Special effect engineers built electric one. I drove it. It was very strange. You don’t get the feeling. Sometimes it switches off because of a glitch and you have no steering. The best is POD with mechanical connection.

Did you have any technical problems with cars, especially when you were driving down the stairs? I know that gaps between stpas were filled with concrete, but still it was not smooth road.

On one take when I drove down the stairs I broke rear control arm so the wheel was turning itself. We didn’t have many other problems.

In ‘Spectre’ you were also driving Land Rover in Austria. Bobby Holland Hanton with whom I was talking a few months ago was one of your passenges. He said that it was ‘hair raising experience’ when the airplane hit the roof. Was it also scary from your perspective as a driver?

No. For me it was always too slow. Defenders were not very powerful. It was quite difficult to accelerate uphill. Especially when you are in mountains so there is less oxygen. Power drops down even more. It was difficult to make car chase in that slow car. Range Rover Sport was very powerful and fast, but Defenders were just dying.

I thought that they were specially prepared for the movie.

They were prepared, but the engine hasn’t been changed.

So you would prefere to drive Range Rover Sport.

I was supposed to be driving that car with Dave Bautista, but last night before the beginning of filming director Sam Mendes called stunt coordinator and said: ‘Martin can’t be Dave Bautista’s driver because he looks like an underwear model, not like a gangster’. Evangelos (Grecos) who was in the second Defender went to Range Rover and I was in Defender for the whole chase.

So in ‘Spectre’ you were driving Land Rover in Austria and Jaguar in Rome. Was it also you driving Jaguar at the Blenheim Palace in UK, where the beginning of the car chase was filmed?

No. I was still in Austria. That was someone else driving in UK.

You have also played in ‘No Time to Die’. I know that you are not allowed to reveal anything from the plot, but maybe you could tell something about filming scenes that we have already seen in trailers.

In trailers you could see a car chase that we were shooting in Norway and in Scotland. You could see me many times in trailers how I was doing that flip in Range Rover over Toyota. After that we went to Italy to Matera to shoot another car chase. I was driving black Jaguar there.

I’ve read the story about Coca Cola sprayed on the street to improve traction.

We used Coca Cola first on ‘Skyfall’ when we were shooting in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul on marble tiles that were really slippery for the bikes. We were spraying Coca Cola on those tiles and we got better grip than on normal asphalt. In Matera all roads were made of stones and were very slippery. We had quad bike with big tank full of Coca Cola that was spraying it all over the street. As soon as you put Coca Cola you have so much grip that you can’t even drift.

Did you have to repeat spraying with Coca Cola every day?

It was repeated even during the day because after a few runs it was covered with dust and it was loosing the grip.

Thank you for the meeting and for sharing all the stories from James Bond films sets.

December 14th 2020

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Interview with Marc Wolff – pilot who has worked on 12 Bond films

13 Sunday Sep 2020

Posted by Piotr Zając in A View to a Kill, Casino Royale, Die Another Day, For Your Eyes Only, Marc Wolff, Octopussy, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, The Living Daylights, The Spy Who Loved Me, The World Is Not Enough, Tomorrow Never Dies

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

A View to a Kill, Behind the Scenes, Casino Royale, Die Another Day, filming, For Your Eyes Only, interview, Marc Wolff, Octopussy, pilot, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, stuntman, The Living Daylights, The Spy Who Loved Me, The World Is Not Enough, Tomorrow Never Dies

Marc Wolff is a well-known aircrafts stunt pilot who has worked on many action movies including 12 Bond films. Find more on his official website www.marcwolff.net

Piotr Zajac and Marc WolffPiotr Zajac (bondlocations): You’ve worked as pilot on 12 Bond films and also on the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony with James Bond.

Marc Wolff: Yes. For the London Olympics we landed in the Queen’s garden at Buckingham Palace and also at Kensington Palace to shoot some interiors and close ups of the actors on the ground. We had a nice cup of tee in the palace.

Together with the Queen?

Not with the Queen, with her staff.

Your first James Bond movie was ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’. 007 was driving a white Lotus and you were chasing him in a Jet Ranger helicopter. How do you prepare for such a sequence? I guess it requires high precision.

Yes, it does but I think it also needs a good level of flying experience, especially of doing unusual types of flying work with helicopters. I was quite young then and although I had some experience and had flown helicopters for a year in Vietnam, I didn’t have a lot of film experience, so it was a new thing for me. I would prepare a bit different today than I did then. I had done a few little films starting in about 1974, we shot ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ in 1976. I suppose I had been flying professionally for about 8 years at that point but nevertheless my film experience was limited. I didn’t really know what they wanted me to do until I got there. The big thing in those kind of situations is just to be careful and don’t make a drama out of something by having an accident. You need a good team of people around you watching what you are doing to make sure that you are doing it is safely. To give you a second opinion. I have a safety engineer, Stephen North, who I’ve worked since 1979. Stephen and I still work together today. He watches what I do and if he’s not happy he shouts at me.

There are many different types of aircrafts. I guess they are different also from the pilot perspective. I was wondering if the aircraft type in each movie is always determined already or you as a pilot have an influence on that decision?

For flying the camera I choose a helicopter with the right performance for the camera system they want to use, the number of people I need to carry and the location where I need to fly. If it is an action aircraft as in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ it is usually the director and the production designer who choose, with some input from me. For example on ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ we looked at lots of different types of helicopters for Tom Cruise and the bad guy to fly. They liked the look of the EC 145 for the villain. In the case of Tom’s aircraft, they wanted to use a different type but I persuaded Tom that the aircraft that he eventually used was more robust and would be better suited for the kind of flying he wanted to do. I flew the bad guy helicopter rather than the camera helicopter for the main sequence although I flew a camera helicopter in the UK and Norway.

How do you prepare for a sequence with the helicopter so close to another object like the car in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’?

You have to look at the locations and the clearance you have between the blades and the cliff, the car.  Everyday is a little bit different because the temperature as well as the wind speed and direction are different so you have to judge that each day on its merits. You have to look through the camera once the camera position is set up and see where you need to be in the frame and where the cars are going to be in the frame. You talk to the director and the cameraman about what action they want to see and then work out how to make that story point as exciting as you can.

Your next Bond movie was ‘For Your Eyes Only’. You worked on the opening sequence. I know that there were models and real aircrafts but it was difficult to recognize them.

‘For Your Eyes Only’ was made in the days before CGI. Even today when CGI is used, a lot things always look better if there is a real element somewhere. The viewer can see the weight of the aircraft, the light reflecting off it at different angles, etc. If there are a number of shots at the beginning of the sequence with the real helicopter, then with the shots that are not real become more believable. In that sequence a lot of it was real. We had real man getting out of the back of the helicopter and getting to the front seat outside along the skid.We flew a real man in a wheel chair on the end of the skid. We dropped a real wheel chair down the chimney. We flew a real helicopter in front of a foreground miniature for the scenes to make it look like we were ‘flying in the hangar’. So there were a lot of real elements that made the process shots, and the life-sized mockup, look believable.

In ‘Octopussy’ there were some aircrafts sequences like the opening sequence or final fight in the air. Were you one of the pilots?

In ‘Octopussy’ I flew a camera helicopter for the train sequence. The stuntman, Martin Grace,  was very badly injured because he was hanging outside of the train and he hit a post that was alongside the railway track.

To be honest I forgot that it was the sequence that required helicopter. Sometimes while watch the film I didn’t realize that the specific sequence was filmed from the aircraft. 

Sometimes that is the beauty of this, not to realise that the camera is in a helicopter. The camera helicopter is just another tool in a cameraman’s bag of tricks to get shots from different angles and different perspectives. Sometimes obviously you are showing an establishing shot like the establishing shot of Shanghai in ‘Skyfall’. It is quite obvious that it is an aerial shot. It sets the scene for 4 or 5 seconds to show you where you are in the world. But a lot of times we use an aerial camera on a helicopter to get an angle that is difficult with a crane, for example. Some other methods may be more time consuming and therefore more expensive so, surprisingly, it can be less expensive to use a helicopter.

In ‘A View to a Kill’ you were working on the opening sequence in Iceland.

I flew the Russian-looking helicopter that was searching for Bond. I flew that helicopter from Southend in Essex in the southeast of England up to the Shetland Islands and across the Atlantic Ocean to the Faroe Islands and then from there on to Iceland. That was quite a trip. And then back again. We painted the helicopter in England before we went to Iceland. It was painted to like a Russian helicopter with a big hammer and sickel logo on the side. Actually it was a German designed helicopter so it looked a little unusual (in other words, not American or French who are the main civil helicopter manufactures in those days). When we were flying across the North Atlandtic we came across some big Russian fishing trawlers in the middle of the ocean between the Faroe Islands and Iceland. We circled around and they all waved to us because they thought we were Russians because of the big Russian flag on the side of the helicopter (smiling). We waved back and wondered if they thought they were being spied on.. While we were in Iceland there was an eruption of a volcano. We got into the local newspapers because we helped to rescue some people that were standed up on a glacier.

 How long did it take to fly to Iceland?

It was a long, over-water journey for the helicopter. We had to put an extra fuel tank in the back of the helicopter cabin to be able to make the trip from the Shetland Islands to the Faroe Islands and from the Faroe Islands to the east coast in Iceland. It was a day’s flight (6 flying hours) from northern Scotland but it was long in terms of what that helicopter can do in one hop. We had a point of no return where we couldn’t turn back so our navigation system was important. It was in the days before GPS and we used a navigation system called Omega. We were about 50-100 miles north of the Shetland Islands and the system stopped working. We had a checklist of 10 things to check. My engineer Steve was reading off the checklist. Number 1 didn’t work, number 2 didn’t work and so on, we got to number 10 and it said: ‘change the unit’. (smiling) We had to decide if we could find the Faroe Islands on our own or if we should go back and change the unit. We turned around and went back to change the unit. We had to wait a bit in the Shetlands to get new unit from south of England. It was the safer option.

How do you remember working in Iceland.

There was a frozen lake with lots of icebergs at the bottom of a huge glacier. The icebergs were birthing, breaking off the glacier, and then floating around in this lake for several years until they melted small enough so they could get out of the lake over a sand bar and float out into the sea. We had to film among these icebergs. Every morning we started by flying a recce of the lake with the director Arthur Wooster. He was saying: ‘ This one looks good, we’ll go here, that one looks good too, we’ll go there’. Then we went back and landed and they took boats to go in amongst the to film. One day we were all sitting on an iceberg having lunch. The iceberg started to shift and tilt, becoming unstable; everybody had to get quickly into the boats and move away to a safe distance. It frightened everybody. Then, one day, they were filming close to the wall of the glacier where the icebergs broke off and almost got hit by one birthing. By the end of the film, on the early morning aerial recce, Arthur was saying: ‘I don’t like this one, I don’t like the look of that one’. Everyone had become very cautious.
We were stuck there for a couple of weeks in a fog because it was so cold there, it was like a microclimate. A lot of the area 10-15 miles away was clear and sunny but over the lake where we needed to film it was foggy. We had to wait for 10-14 days for this fog to clear. Everyone got bored standing around in the fog. We had a lot of styrofoam around. It was used as fake ice in the foreground of some shots The grips carved little horses out of these white pieces of styropfoam and we staged horse races. We tied a bit of string from the horse to a pole on a broom handle. There were like four horses and four people with strings on poles attached to the styrofoam horses. We had to wind up the strings with our hands. Whoever could wind up the string fast enough would get their horse across the finish line first. The grips ran a betting book and put odds on each contestant. So you could place a bet on who would win. Betting was illegal in Iceland in those days, so, of course, all the Icelanders loved it because they could bet on who who would win. That is how we kept ourselves sane during sitting in the fog.

In ‘A View to a Kill’ you were flying also around the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

That was quite a funny experience for me. I had a unique permission to fly in the centre of Paris but the permission required me to stay over the river Seine. The director wanted to relate the tower, the river, the city and the parachutist in one shot. The place the parachutist was supposed to land was between the tower and the river. To get a shot of the tower, the river, the parachutist’s landing site and the city of Paris in the background, I needed to be on the opposite side (the south side) of the tower, off the river, so I went around the back side of the tower to get the shot. When I landed back at the Paris heliport at Issy les Moulineaux, the police came and said that I did something called ‘bavarder’. I speak a bit of French and ‘bavarder’ means chatting or gossiping so at first I didn’t understand what they meant. I discovered it was slang and that I had ‘wandered’ off my permitted track when I went around the back side of the tower. He slapped me on the hand and said: ‘Don’t do it again’. Fortunately we didn’t need to do it again.

How do you prepare for such scene when the timing is very important?

The timing is critical. We talk about it in great detail; we discuss where the camera should be, and at what height, at each moment in the shot. So with the jump from the Eiffel Tower, I had to know how long he/she was going to free fall, how quickly the canopy would open and how long he/she would be under canopy. I knew the framing that they wanted for the opening frame so I had to work out the timing required to get from that position to the end-frame position within the timing the director wanted and the parachute gave us. When we have the opportunity to rehearse, we obviously do that. We always film the rehearsals because quite often it can be the best take. In this case we didn’t have such an opportunity. We just had to be in the right place at the right time, which is why they bring in someone like me rather than using a local pilot. I’ve got the experience and skill and the best chance of of getting it right first time. The Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012 was a good example of that. We had a two-minute, final run-in to get to the point where the 2 parachutists could jump from the helicopter into the stadium. We had marks that we would try to hit 3 or 4 times during that two minutes; marks for when the television cameras would see us, marks for when the audience would see us, marks for the parachutists which depended on the wind speed and direction. We were not hitting these marks accurately enough. We would finish our rehearsals at around 9:30 at night, land the helicopter back at our base, drive to the Olympic stadium, go up to the conference room and sit around a table with 50 people at until one o’clock in the morning. Everyone had their opinion why the timing wasn’t working. We were using a very sophisticated helicopter that, in theory, could do everything automatically. The Olympic Committee was given the helicopter, an Agusta-Westland 139, free-of-charge, by the manufacturer in turn for the publicity. I was sent to Italy for a month to learn to fly it. We used 2 two pilots for safety. I was assigned to fly with a very experienced test pilot from the factory who knew the aircraft intimately. I spent six months with him, planning, training and testing the jumps from different heights, making sure the special, quick-opening parachute would open safely under the helicopter and insuring that we could hit the target landing area accurately, from different heights, and in varying wind conditions. We did over a hundred test jumps before we actually came to that hero night. In the end, even on the last day at 5 o’clock in the afternoon, a couple of hours before the beginning of the ceremony, we were still rehearsing because we had a new, northerly wind direction, different than any we had had on any of the previous rehearsal days at the stadium which meant we needed a whole new set of marks. The test pilot wanted me to use the computer in the helicopter to get the timing. I tried it this way but it wasn’t accurate enough. At the end of the day it was my responsibility to deliver what Danny Boyle wanted so over a cup of tea in the afternoon I had to say: ‘Look, I’ve got to do this my way, visually’. ‘You have to help; you can’t tell me: I’m going to be early or late to my mark. You’ve got to tell me exactly how many seconds I have left. Tell me I’m 45 seconds away from checkpoint 007 or I’m 30 seconds or 10 seconds. I’ve worked this way all my life, with your help, I’ll hit that mark if I know how much time I have left until I get there and I’ll be more accurate than the computer’. The same applied to our height which was critical for the parachutists. The last week or ten days we were doing live rehearsals at the stadium, sometimes with an audience, sometimes without, but we never did the actual jumps into the stadium with the crowd there so as not to give the game away. In the end I did it visually and the one time we got it perfect was the one that counted, that last jump on the hero night at 9:30 pm on the 29th of July 2012.

But you did it.

We did it, finally. (smiling) It was a team effort and a big relief to have achieved it. Everyone was saying: ‘You must be very high’. I said, ‘no, I was just relieved’. It was big weight off my shoulders.

What about the sequence at the Golden Gate in San Francisco? Did you work on that as well?

I flew the camera helicopter. We filmed background plates in San Francisco. It was great fun to fly around this famous bridge. My father, who was a civil engineer, had worked on the design of the other big bridge there, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

Then you worked on ‘The Living Daylights’. There was a fight in a Hercules aircraft. I know that part of that sequence was filmed in the studio.

We also did some live action filming at Quarazate Airport in Morocco and in the air over the desert nearby. I was flying in the Moroccan Air Force Hercules coordinating the aerial stunt sequence. There was a stunt crew at the back of the Hercules performing a fight scene on the open, ramp door and a cargo net which was flapping behind it in the wind. We had a camera airplane flying in formation alongside us filming the fight. The cockpit of the Hercules is like a big office so I could move around, look back into the cargo area at the fight and lean in between the two pilots and look out through the windows at the camera plane and talk to the director and camera crew on the radio. They could cue me when they wanted certain things to happen which I would then relay to the Hercules pilots and the stunt crew. In the sequence Kara Milovy was meant to be flying the airplane and Bond was fighting at the back on the open, cargo-door ramp. Bond was shouting to her to close the ramp door. She was playing with the levers in the cockpit trying to sort out which switch operated the ramp door. Instead of closing the ramp door, first she shut one of the engines down by mistake, then she made the flaps go down, then the landing gear, Bond was getting more and more frustrated, eventually she found the right lever to close the door at the back. It was quite humorous in the cockpit. The Moroccan Air Force were trained in the USA because the Hercules was an American aircraft so they all learned to speak English, they also spoke very good French and obviously Arabic, which was their native tongue. I was standing behind the pilots coordinating on the radio between the camera airplane and the Hercules. The Hercules has 4 engines. The engine that the director wanted to shut down, from the camera point of view, was the engine which powered the main hydraulic pump. The hydraulics control the operation of the the landing gear, the flaps and the ramp door. Because that engine was shut down, they had to use the auxiliary hydraulic motor which was driven by one of the other engines. The auxillary hydraulic pump wasn’t as powerful as the main pump and it began to overheat after several takes of this chaos. The flight engineer, who was sitting behind me, kept complaining to the pilots: ’The pump is getting very hot! It is getting very hot!’. They were all arguing. At first they were speaking in English in a very polite way, then they started arguing a bit and switched to French. I speak French so I could still understand what they were saying. When the conversation heated up and they started to speak in Arabic I knew it was time to shut up, stop asking them to do things, sit down in my seat and put my seat belt on. (smiling) At the weekend on our day off, I was invited to a barbeque with all the Air Force crew and pilots. The engineer was cooking. All the pilots were giving him a hard time saying: ‘No, no, watch out, the fire is getting too hot, you are overheating the meat’. They were getting their revenge and teasing him because he had been giving them a hard time about the over heating hydraulic pump during the filming.

I’ve seen a documentary about your work on ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ called ‘Shoot to Thrill – The Marc Wolff Story’. It was very impressive, especially the opening sequence in the air with the dog fight between 2 jet fighters.

I flew the camera jet and a camera helicopter and coordinated the flying aspects of the sequence. The two jets in the story were Aero L-39 Albatrosses designed and built in the Czech Republic. The camera jet was a French Corvette, business jet. Inside the Corvette we fitted a camera system with a periscope that went down through the belly of the Corvette. It was operated by Adam Dale, the aerial cameraman, and could look 360 degrees in all directions. Flying with us was the 2nd unit director, Vic Armstrong. We shot the sequence in the Pyrenees south of Toulouse. We used a helicopter when we wanted to have a static platform in the air and see the jets whizz by.

How do you prepare for such sequence when you fly so close together. Do you work with your team?

That was probably one of the biggest Bond jobs for me. I can’t remember how many months I worked on that, but it was a long time when you count the prep time to organise the jets and find the flying locations. Unlike ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ when I came out and knew nothing about what I was going to do until I arrived, on ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ I was given a lot of time to prepare for this sequence. This was in part because of my previous relationship with the director, Roger Spottiswood. I chose the airplanes, I cast the stunt pilots who were to fly the L-39s, Mark Hanna and Rolf Meum. I went to the Czech Republic to look at the airplanes and make sure they had the right performance and make sure they could land and take off at that tiny little airstrip at Peyrousoude in the Pyrenees.

How did you manage to use military aircrafts on film set?

Those aircrafts came from the factory in Czech Republic that made them. These were aircrafts that were used by various military forces, but they were civilian aircrafts from the manufacturer. Part of my job was to get permission to bring them into France, to operate them there, to fly them close to the mountains and to get permission for my pilot to fly as a co-pilot. They were two seaters with one seat in front of the other. I had one pilot from the factory and one of my pilots who was used to do a formation flying and worked in films. I flew as a co-pilot in a camera jet which came from the company that was based in Toulouse and did a lot of aerial filming for Airbus, which has big factory near Toulouse. We used their camera system. I did the formation flying and they landed it and took it off from the airport. They were there in case of some emergency because I didn’t know the airplane very well, but I knew how to fly in formation.

How long did it take to film that sequence?

We had several months of preparation and I imagine we were there for a few weeks.

I guess it was difficult to film that sequence. I think it is worth to undestand the whole effort behind such scenes, especially nowadays when viewers got used to CGI and may not see how brilliant it really was.

This was sort of pre-CGI too. Most of it was real. The missiles that fire and explode on the cliff face were CGI obviously but all the flying was real. I remember filming the navy frigate sailing at sea as an establishing shot before they cut inside to the control room. In the storyboard we had a picture with no horizon and a drawing of the ship at sea. The ship was about an eighth of the frame. I was being sent down to Plymouth with my cameraman, Adam Dale, to shoot it. I asked the director, Roger Spottiswoode: ‘Do you want this exact composition from storyboard’? You need to be careful with storyboards. If you’re gonna film for Steven Spielberg or Ridley Scott, they will give you the storyboard and you need to come back with that exact framing. They have a very specific idea how the shots should look: the composition and how many seconds the move should be. In this case Roger said: ‘This storyboard is just to show the producers and the studio that we will have a shot of a ship here. Just get me an interesting and exciting establishing shot of the ship’. We were filming in the English channel with the ship sailing southwest into the wind and the big sea, travelling as fast as it could so the big waves crashed over the bow. We were flying downwind, in the opposite direction, straight towards the bow of the ship. We did a take flying as low as we could, and fast, about 3 feet above the sea, trying not to hit the waves. There were big swells and steep waves. The Frigate was going as fast as it could, 20-25 knots, and we were flying at about 100 knots towards it in the opposite direction. We had a gyrosablised camera system mounted on the nose of the helicopter. At the last possible moment we pulled up over the bow of the frigate and continued climbing over the bridge and then the mast, tilting down the camera as the mast came through frame. At that point the were going to cut to a shot inside the control room of the frigate. So that was the shot we gave them and it couldn’t have been more different from the original storyboard. The timing of the move was critical. We were on a wide angle lens to show the scale of where we were at sea but that meant we needed to be really close to the ship to feel its size, weight and power. We did quite a lot of takes of it, getting closer and closer each time. I wanted to keep the ship sailing in the same direction, ploughing into the heavy seas and was wondering how long it would be before they had to turnaround so as not to get too far from Plymouth. I radioed the captain as asked him, ‘How long can you keep going in this direction? Do we have to turn you around and move you back?’ He said: ‘I can keep going until I hit the east coast of America’. (smiling) That was enough for us.

In ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ you were also filming motorbike chase.

They were going to film that in the Republic of Vietnam. At the last minute they changed the location to Thailand. I had worked in Thailand a few times, on Air America and Good Morning Vietnam and my daughter, Lily, was born there in Chaing Mai when we were shooting Air America. We were based in Bangkok on Tomorrow Never Dies and also shot down in the south in the islands near Phuket. In Bangkok the hotel was on the river and the 2 helicopters were based at a heliport that was also on the river. We used to commute to work in a long-tail boat, avoiding the terrible Bangkok traffic. It was great fun. We would meet up on location and walk over the roof tops with Vic Armstrong and the second unit team. He would talk us through the shots, showing us where the ground camera positions would be and where he wanted the action helicopter and the camera helicopter. My camera assistant, John Marzano, ended up being one of the gunners in the helicopter. The gunners had to be careful because the guns fired real blanks and we needed to make sure the spent cartridges didn’t go into the engine intake or hit the rotor blades, especially the ones at the tail. The scene with the motorbike jumping over the top of the helicopter was filmed in the studio. Pinewood was busy, so they built the rooftop set in an old aircraft factory in Radlett, north of London. The helicopter was a life-sized mockup mounted on a hydraulic rig and track. I flew a camera helicopter there.

In ‘The World Is Not Enough’ you were filming the boat chase on the Thames in London.

That was quite fun too. Normally you have to stay 1000 feet above the river. Sometimes you can get permissive on to go down to 500 feet or even a bit lower. We wanted to fly 20 feet above the river. To do that we had to put a number of special safety precautions in place: stop all the traffic on the river, close the bridges that we wanted to fly over, provide a safety boat with divers, and keep 3rd parties and the public well away. We had to make sure that the Parliament wasn’t in session so we wouldn’t disturb their debates. We flew very, very low down the river chasing the boat. The bridges were closed to the public but we had our stunt doubles walking across the bridge and a few cars crossing over so the location looked alive and real. We were flying at the height of lamp posts on the bridge or between lamp posts even.

There was another interesting location in London above which you were flying – Buckingham Palace in ‘Die Another Day’.

That was quite complicated because the height we had to get for the parachutists had to be about 2500 feet. Normally we were not allowed to fly in that area over the palace, and not higher than 1000 feet because of the air traffic going into Heathrow Airport. To give us permission to go to 3000 feet they had to divert the aircrafts, so there was a lot of coordination required to organise and film that sequence.

In this film you were also filming a car chase on a frozen lake in Iceland.

It was the first time I’ve ever seen the northern lights, because we shot that in the winter when the lake was frozen. I think it was in February.

How did you prepare for such sequence to coordinate cars and camera?

In that kind of thing we did a lot of rehearsals to get the camera in the right place, passing between the icebergs. Getting different sizes: big wides to show the beautiful location but also getting close to the car to show its speed and who was in it.

Who decides about the focal length of the camera lens for each scene?

There is the director, a director of photography and then, in the helicopter, an aerial cameraman. We transmit the camera image from the camera down to the ground so that the director can see what we are filming live. This allows him to tweak the shot if he wants. So it is a combination of all of them. Usually in the camera helicopter we have a zoom lens so we can go from 25mm to 250mm or something like that. Sometimes we put doublers on the lens to get closer, but in the sequence like that we can get very close to the car. We can get the lens 5 feet away from the car depending on how much it is manoeuvring. If the car is spinning or weaving about then we need to leave it some space. We can get very close to it because we are not endangering others there, especially members of the public. We only have us and the stunt driver to be careful about, sometimes there are also camera crew on the ice we need to look out for. We rehearsed it and we knew what the cars were going to do and they knew what we were going to do.

From cold Iceland you moved to warm Bahamas where you were filming opening sequence for ‘Casino Royale’?

There were wide shots to show the whole geography and close framing to show them running on the top of cranes. I provided the crew and helicopter equipment but I didn’t fly on this location because I was on another film at the time.

But you were filming the establishing shot of the yacht sailing to Venice.

Yes, I had flown in Venice a number of times. It is prohibited to fly low over the old city but I was over the water that was empty except for some boats so I thought I was fine. I was fying so low that little water taxis had to get out of my way, about 3 feet above the water. This enabled us to see the yacht and the cast while also framing the city in the background. Next morning I was told that I had a call from aviation authority. I had to ring the head of the Italian Civil Aviation Authority at Venice airport. He said: ‘Mr. Wolff, before you say anything, I have a picture of your helicopter filming the yacht on front page of the local newspaper. You were supposed to be 300 meters high but it looks like you were 3 meters high’. Actually I was a little bit lower than 3 meters. (smiling) So I got what we call in Britain, a bollocking. I was told not to do that again.

You were also flying very low over Garda lake when filming establishing shot for the opening scene of ‘Quantum of Solace’.

That was an interesting one. We were flying as low as we could over the water. Second unit director Dan Bradley said: ‘Is that as low as you can go?’ I circled around and said: ‘Look’. You could see that the back end of the skids had left a trail in the water because they were dragging along the surface. When you are flying at the certain speed the nose is a little bit higher. The back end of the two skids had dragged into the water and had left their mark. I said: ‘Dan, I don’t think we can get any lower, unless we become a submarine’. (smiling)

Were you also filming the car chase along the lake?

Yes. Then we did some filming in Italy for the sequence with Daniel Craig coming to Talamone. Establishing shot of the boat. They wanted us to start very close to the boat so we could see Daniel. I’d worked with Daniel a few times by then. I did ‘Layer Cake’ with him. He was always very nice to me. But he got a bit angry there because I put a little bit of spray on him. I was a little bit too close. It is always difficult because you don’t want to see that the helicopter is there and you don’t want to spray the water into the camera or the frame, but sometimes you want to get as close as you can, so you get closer and closer and you may be too close. So I got a message back: ‘Daniel is not very happy, you sprayed him with water’. I said: ‘Sorry. We won’t come so close next time’. (smiling)

You were also working on ‘Skyfall’. How do you remember working with the director?

Sam Mendes is obviously a wonderful director. He had a vision of the shots he wanted but sometimes needed to tweak them once he saw them for real. Another aerial unit had been sent to Scotland to film James Bond driving along the road on his way to the Skyfall house. Sam wasn’t very happy with what he saw. In fact, what he wanted was there but they had shot so much material that he got fed up watching stuff he hadn’t asked for. Usually when you do these things you shoot what the director wants first and then if you have another idea you want him to see, you shoot it later. I had to go to to a big meeting in Istambul in Turkey to make sure that these things wouldn’t happen again. That was because I was going to film on my own, without another director, the shot with the yacht at sea with Bond and the girl going to an island where the villain was located. We filmed the shot the Sam had described that he wanted. The director sometimes visualises these things but he doesn’t know exactly what he likes or if it works, until he sees it. The second unit had to go back end re-shoot some scenes because he didn’t like what he got. Anyway we did the shot of a boat approaching the island. The boat was sailing in the right direction for the light, there was a clear horizon, it was the right time of day for the light, it was the move he asked for, but I was worried that it didn’t feel right and that when Sam saw it he might not like it. We did it 2 or 3 times until we were happy with the take. It was exactly what he’d asked for. I said to Greg Wilson, the executive producer, who was with me: ‘I think we’ve got what Sam asked for Greg. Are you happy?’ Greg said ‘Yes’. I also said: ‘I think we should give Sam a couple of other options in case he might like them better’. After all, we were there, the yacht was there, the weather was good, it would be less expensive to shoot some more versions now than come back the next day if Sam didn’t like what he saw. So we did a couple of these other moves. Greg liked them and thought they were nicer but it was Sam’s choice, obviously. We finished the shooting, the sun went down and then we’ve set up a live link to Sam in Instanbul, show it to him at the end of his day. After seeing the first few takes he was not happy. I said: ‘We did a couple of other things, have a look and see. You might like them better’. He looked at the stuff that we shot later and he was very happy with that. So we wrapped and went home.

Were you filming also the final fight sequence with the helicopter attacking the Skyfall mansion?

Yes, I flew the camera helicopter.

Your last Bond movie so far was ‘Spectre’. Were you involved somehow in filming the opening sequence in Mexico?

I did some consultancy work on that sequence but I didn’t go to Mexico. I filmed the train sequence in Morocco with the camera helicopter.

You also filmed the final sequence with boat chase in London. Similar to ‘The World is not Enough’ you were flying above the Thames.

Yes I did. It was a night shoot. We made a temporary heliport next to Vauxhaull Bridge where we could land the action helicopter because we wanted it to be close to the set. The light was quite critical and we didn’t want to waste time flying back and forth to the refuelling site which was 10 minutes away outside of London. We got a very unusual permission to land on a very small bit of ground right on the edge of the river in a little paved area, the size of a postage stamp. It was close to Vauxhall Bridge and opposite the MI6 building which features in the sequence. Being based here allowed us to be very efficient. We had to close a lot of roads, three bridges and the Thames river to traffic to protect the public. There was a lot of disruption to traffic in the centre of London even though it was in the middle of the night. We wanted to minimise that disturbance and the noise much as possible. Like in ‘The World is Not Enough’ this shoot involved a lot of organization and meetings with the authorities for me. I flew the camera helicopter, I cast the pilot who flew the hero aircraft; a pilot with the right personality and skill level. I found a hero helicopter that had the right look for the production designer and Sam Mendes but one I knew came from a company that would be helpful. A lot of these bigger helicopters are flown by people that don’t do unusual flying. I needed a pilot who would be flexible enough to work the unusual, long hours as we do in filming and to do the flying he had to do in that sequence with a certain amount of panache. I was lucky I found a helicopter that they were happy with and a pilot I was happy with.

You didn’t work on ‘No Time to Die’, but you’ve worked as second unit director on ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ with Rami Malek who played the villain in the latest Bond movie.

I directed a short sequence on Bohemian on the additional photography unit. After the film was finished, it was audience tested and reviewed. The producers decided that some additional material was needed. Bryan Singer had directed the sequences for the Live Aid concert at Wembley early in the schedule. There was a lot of energy and it was very good. Dexter Fletcher, who finished directing the film after Bryan Singer had left, was doing the additional photography but he was also in prep for ‘Rocketman’. They needed a DGA director to replace him. The DGA is the American directors union. (Directors Guild of America) They couldn’t film the cast on stage without a union director on the set. The production manager knew that I had a DGA ticket and I had worked with Dexter on couple of films before so he new me. They rang me and asked if I could do it. I had just had surgery on my knee, the day before so I was walking with crutches. They called and asked me if I could work for them the next day. I said: ‘yes for sure’. What do you want me to do?’ They said: ‘There isn’t much to do because the cast have been together for months’. At the real Live Aid concert the band hadn’t been together for a couple of years. They needed some scenes of them being a little more tentative and a little bit unsure of themselves at first, before the old magic kicked in. That was half of my day. I also did a pub scene with people siting around drinking and talking, at first not paying much attention to the music until Queen came on stage. By the end of their set everyone in the pub was up dancing and rocking to the music. Queen’s performance at Live Aid is still rated as the best ever gig of that nature.

Do you think that Rami Malek will be good as a villain in ‘No Time to Die’?

He has got that Bond villain face. They always cast people with a special look and I think Rami has it. Woody Allen says: ‘If I cast the film correctly I don’t have to worry about directing the actors.

Thank you very much for telling me so many interesting stories from films sets.

June 1st 2020

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Interview with Bobby Holland Hanton – stuntman who has played in 3 James Bond films

01 Wednesday Jul 2020

Posted by Piotr Zając in Bobby Holland Hanton, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bobby Holland Hanton, interview, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, stunt double, stuntman

Bobby Holland Hanton has been professional stuntman for over a decade. His career began on the set of ‘Quantum of Solace’. Since then he has worked on number of movie hits. Find them all on his website.

Piotr Zajac and Bobby Hanton

During an interview with Bobby Holland Hanton

Piotr Zajac (bondlocations): You have started your career as stuntmen in film industry from James Bond film – ‘Quantum of Solace’. How do you remember that time?

Bobby Holland Hanton: To jump into high level and work with such a great team, great stunt coordinator and learn very fast on my feet was a great experience. I’ve kind of used that throughout my career today.

How did you get to ‘Quantum of Solace’?

I went for the audition. I had a couple of meetings with the team. I had some photos taken showing my stunt reel at the time. Then I had a couple of physical auditions. It was a process of about five auditions. I got a call to come in and stunt double for James Bond. I think originally it was for five weeks and ended up being six months. Gary Powell, the stunt coordinator, kept me on for the whole show and I ended up doing a lot more sequences than I was originally supposed to do. I was very lucky in that aspect.

Your first stunt ever on film set was jumping in Panama.

Yes. The Panama jump from balcony to balcony was my first introduction to the film industry and to the stunts especially at that kind of level. I mean the highest level to go in. It was 2 a.m. in a morning. Three storeys up. It was the balcony jump with one to the other of a distance around 7 meters. I was jumping from high to low. It wasn’t massive distance but it was enough to get that distance of 7 meters for the jump. There were no safety cables, no safety mats just due to the fact that camera angle was over my shoulder. Once I left they wanted to follow me as much as they could. They wanted to pan down and see the street. There couldn’t be any safety so it was a hair raising introduction.

Did you do any rehearses in Pinewood Studios before the actual jump?

Yes, this is exactly what we did. In Pinewood Studios we rehearsed on stage at floor level. We had the exact measurements and dimensions of the actual jump and the balcony. We did it at floor level first to make sure that the distance was achievable. Once I’ve done it at that distance Gary Powell said: ‘Listen, you can do it at floor level, that is fine, but make sure that you are prepared to do it at high level and don’t freeze, because the last thing you want is to freeze up there when you’re three storeys up and you’ve got no safety to protect you’. So it was psychological battle. It was a challange I was very much up for doing. I felt like massive point approved being so young at my first job and I was quite lucky that I had background in gymnastics. I did a lot of jumping and springing, a little bit of long jump. I knew that it was a skill of mine that worked well and I did a big jump. We went to rehearse it in Panama. We built a scaffolding and put some safety to make sure that it was durable. So it was all done in a safe process. We wanted to make it as safe as possible, because what we were doing could be very dangerous. I rehearsed that twice with the safety. Once it was done Gary said: ‘OK guys, that is early day, we are done. We come to shoot in the evening’. We executed it twice and we went home. I was very, very happy young man.

It was not your only stunt performance in that movie.

I was at similar height and build to Neil Jackson, the actor that Bond fights in the room with knife, so I was fighting againts Daniel and Ben Cooke. I did that fight. I helped with some of the fights and shot some of the fight sequences there. I was supposed to go home after those six weeks, but Gary turned to me and said: ‘You are going straight to Siena for five weeks and do the rooftop sequence there’. I went there and I did it. After that I went to Pinewood Studios to finish up the movie for a further three or two and a half months. I met some very close friends of mine to this day on that show, on that team and some inspirational people and some people who helped me very much long away learning the craft and learning the skill though.

When I was in Siena I was looking for the balconies but I couldn’t find them. Now I know that they were built on scaffoldings just for the movie.

Lots of the location was practical. It was the actual beautiful architecture that has been there for many years. They’ve added the element of set built to work for the story and added a few little pieces in, so we could make a travel distance longer and more exciting than the actual, original.

When you were jumping from the roofs it looked like you’ve damaged parts of them, but I’m sure that were just some props.

Yes, exactly. It was part of the set really. There was a lot of set built that went into it which would have taken the crew a lot of time to get it to the level it did and make to look as realistic as it did. They did a fantastic job. Gary and the director wanted the tiles to break away in part of the sequence to add that element of danger. Bond sliding down and maybe slipping off the roof had obviously added to that high octaine chase sequence. The adrenaline rush that even the audience will get from being bumped on the edge of seats. What is gonna happen here is very dangerous and obviously adds a hudge element to the sequence. Yes, there were a lot of set builts and a lot of props and broken tiles, but it was stuff set and ready to break on impact. As you can see in the sequence it was done very well.

I’ve seen on some photos from the set that you had special shoes in Siena, not as elegant as 007 usually wears.

I had a couple of sets of shoes. There were the set shoes that were the actual shoes that you would wear with the suit. The actual James Bond costume shoes if the camera was shooting a bit tighter they would have to use them. We also had a pair of completely black lightweight running trainers with grip so we could actually run, jump and use them to be able to perform the stunt to the highest standard that we needed to make the sequence work. As I’ve found throught my career in all the films I worked on, that there are good few pairs of footwear and different kinds and styles of costumes to make things work.

In which sequences you were performing in Pinewood Studios after filming in Siena?

When I went back to Pinewood it was coming to the end of the film. I did some pick up shots of the gallery sequence on the ropes. We did the film credits with silhouettes. I was on rotational harness looking like falling through the credits. It was more of pick up stuff that we had to do to make the scenes linked together as smoothly and simultanously as possible. Big stuff for me was in Panama and in Siena.

Could you tell something about your performances in ‘Skyfall’ and ‘Spectre’?

For ‘Skyfall’ I was in Turkey for six weeks and a few days back in England. It was more helping up with the stunt team. I did a little bit of driving in Turkey. For ‘Spectre’ I played small part in one of the vehicles that we shot in Austria. We were part of that big chase sequence in the snow when the plane came down and was tapping at the top of the car. That was a great experience and nice to play a small part in that. It is always nice to work on a Bond movie at any capacity.

Can you tell more about the chase sequence in Austria, about the preparations for that sequence?

A lot of time goes into the preparation with that type of thing because it is an action sequence that could potentially be very dangerous. It is dangerous. It needs to be done in a right way, organized and with people not rushing. A lot of time needs to be spent on it. We were heading in Land Rover towards a real plane on cables. It was smashing the top of the roof at some pace. If you imagine traveling at some speed towards it and the plane coming back that way you are actually doubling that speed. I’m not gonna lie but there was a few times we were quite hairy. ‘Wow, that was close’. It was well rehearsed, it was set up very safely by everyone who was invloved and it went well. It adds the element of excitement, danger and adrenaline and that is what they are looking for and they keep raising the bar.

How the scene like the one with the airplane smashing through the building was filmed? I guess that there were not many takes?

Yes. You do dry runs. You basically rehearse it as many times as you need to make you confident that it is going to work on a day. I think we must have done it two times, because they could rebuilt it twice.

How was it to work with Daniel Craig?

He is great, he is great athlete. He has put his heart and soul to James Bond franchise. He is probably the best of all time really. He has changed the franchise as far as the Bond character in that kind of gritty kind of organic and it feels very real which is great. He has definitely done an amazing service for the franchise and he is such a nice guy.

We couldn’t see you in the latest Bond movie: ‘No Time to Die’.

Lee Morrison, very good friend of mine whom I met on ‘Quantum of Solace’ was the stunt coordinator for ‘No Time to Die’ and he actually did call me and asked me to do a sequence, but I couldn’t do it. I had back surgery at the beginning of last year. I was out for good amount of time so timewise it didn’t work. That was unfortunate because I would have loved to be able to work on it, to be able to work on all of them since I’ve started, but I had to put my health and safety first. I wasn’t physically ready to be doing anything of that kind of caliber. Unfortunately it didn’t work out but you never no, hopefully the next one comes around. Who knows. It is always an honour to work on a stunt movies, for Bond.

How can you summarize your Bond experiences?

I obviously remember my first experience in ‘Quantum of Solace’, being so young, 23, my first job and being thrown in the deep. It was huge learning curve for me. It was kind of like a deer in headlights, to be honest, because you kind of learn as you go being on your toes all the time ready to go for anything. It was definitely a way to learn for sure. ‘Skyfall’ was very different for me, I didn’t have as much pressure as being Bond double. I’ve already done a few films by then and I was a little bit relaxed, but not too relaxed as the industry is dangerous. ‘Spectre’ was again different experience for me because I played a small part. It was great to see that side of the film industry. In James Bond films you feel special process of the film making.

Was it something special for you to be involved in Bond franchise?

I’ve been a big fan of Bond growing up and watching them all as a kid and into my early teens and late teens and early adulthood. Being part of that is something that not many people can say they’ve done and done at the highest level with the best people and with the best team. It is an honour.

What is your favourite James Bond stunt?

The crane sequence in ‘Casino Royale’. The parkour sequence on the crane was phenomenal. It was the first one that Daniel did. That was the first one that Gary Powell was in charge of and I think he changed the industry in that kind of aspect. The crane sequence is amazing to watch.

Which of your stunts do you remember as one of your most dangerous in your career? Is it the jump in Panama in ‘Quantum of Solace’?

I think that this particulat stunt is still one of stand out stunts in my career today, 13 years ago, because it was a big jump with no safety, no cables and all the elements that went with that – being my first time, being so young. It is something that is very memorable for me and it will be memorable for the rest of my life. I’m very proud of it, that I could do something of that standard as an opening for my career.

Thank you for telling me all that great stories from your Bond experience.

May 19th 2020

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Interview with Kai Martin – stuntman who has played in 5 James Bond films

02 Tuesday Jun 2020

Posted by Piotr Zając in Casino Royale, Kai Martin, No Time to Die, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Casino Royale, interview, Kai Martin, No Time to Die, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, stuntman

Kai Martin has been professional stuntmen for nearly 2 decades. He has worked on 5 James Bond films – from ‘Casino Royale’ to ‘No Time to Die’. In four of them he was Daniel Craig’s stunt double. Find more on his website.

Piotr Zajac (bondlocations): You have played in 5 James Bond films – all with Daniel Craig as 007. How you got there?

Kai Martin: I became qualified stuntman in 2001. Then I’ve worked in Madrid for a year in live shows and in Germany for 6 months afterwords. In 2004 I got into films. Next year my grandmother died and left me some money. I always wanted to go to China to train with Shaolin monks. I took that money and went there for 4 months, what was a big thing for me. Amazingly just after return I got a job on ‘Dr. Who’ as one of Shaolin monks. My wage was just more or less about what I’ve spent in Asia. Travel to China really raised the bar of who I was as a man I guess and in terms of my skills and my overall ability. Then I got a call from Gary Powell, which I couldn’t believe, in December 2005. I was then aware that Daniel had been cast. Looking at him I knew I could do it, I could be Bond. I just had this intuition that it could happen to me. Fortunately I had some good friends: Adam Kirley, Lee Morrison, Glenn Foster, Ben Cook already working on the Bond film. I think it was the last minute December 2005. Gary needed an extra stunt double for Daniel and he called me. He spoke with me a little bit about the job and asked me to come to Pinewood Studios on second or third January 2006. It was quite a dizzy period for my mind. I couldn’t belive this potential opportunity was kind of around the corner. There was another guy taking part in audition. We both met Gary and went to meet the director. Martin Campbell was an amazing guy. Then literally as I was walking out he just said: ‘Kai you are going with us tomorrow. Pack the bag, we are going to Prague’. That was pretty much it. If think when Gary called me I was in Spain riding motocross bikes. I returned on January second or third. In the afternoon I was packing to go to Prague. At that time especially after going to China my fitness level, my whole body was of ready. I had no idea what ‘Casino Royale’ was gonna be, none of us really did, but I was so ready. Training in China for 6-8 hours a day, mentally living that kind of lifestyle that preceeded phone call from Gary put me in the right place. I think that without going to China I could not survive (smiling). That it how it initially began for me with Bond.

Was it something special for you to be in James Bond film?

To be honest Bond for stuntmen is like olympics for athletes. It is iconic. Especially for Englishmen. Traditionally James Bond is tall, dark and handsome. I naturally gravitated towards those films and loved them but never trully could imagine myself being a Bond because of hair color, height etc. When Daniel got cast I thought I could do this. That was the shift. Daniel with light hair is quite contrast to previous Bonds. When it did come round I couldn’t believe it. It was incredible.

For the first time we could see you on screen in ‘Casino Royale’ opening scene.

The actual crane to crane jump was done by Ben Cook as James Bond. Adam Kirley was doubling for Sebastien (Foucan). Unfortunately Ben broke his hand. Ninety percent of that sequence still needed to be filmed. That is when I jumped in. So Ben did the main jump and all the rest is myself going up and down the crane. We shot all of that on location. All close ups of Daniel and actors were shot low down but still in the Bahamas. We didn’t go to Pinewood to finish anything there.

Kai Martin on the set of 'Casino Royale'
– Kai Martin is running on the crane as James Bond and Daniel Craig is looking at him doing the stunt. Photo courtesy of Kai Martin.
Kai Martin on the set of 'Casino Royale'
– Kai Martin fighting on the crane as James Bond. Photo courtesy of Kai Martin.
Kai Martin on the set of 'Casino Royale'
– Kai Martin (on the left) on the crane as James Bond. Photo courtesy of Kai Martin.

It was not the only scene when we could see you in ‘Casino Royale’?

I was also in a sequence with Bond chasing the bad guy through the airport.

You were jumping on a truck with fuel?

Yes. That was really hard. I think it was a week or two in Prague and all the rest was at Dunsfold at night. James Bond runs up the stairs, jumps off. That was pretty tricky to roll off and catch the last minute.

How did you prepare for that stunt?

We didn’t rehearse for the airport sequence. I just pretty much did it which sometimes has to be the case. Sometimes you just have to do it. You can rehearse, rehearse and rehearse, put all the safety factors in place, understand where the cameras are gonna be, but sometimes you just have to go for it. That was pretty much that. I didn’t know what was coming in the airport and I’m glad I didn’t, really. (smiling) I remember that being one particularly hard night. Just getting the timing right, not fall at the back of the truck. I’m glad we didn’t rehearse, just did it. Even if you rehearse things can be different. It is nice to be organic, go for it and see what happens.

Kai Martin on the set of 'Casino Royale'
– Kai Martin on the fuel truck. Photo courtesy of Kai Martin.

In ‘Quantum of Solace’ we could see you in foot chase sequence in Siena in Italy.

In February 2008 we shot all the interior in Pinewood on 007 Stage. That was the fight on the ropes in bell tower. There was Daniel, Glenn Foster and myself as well as Richard Hansen. I’ve done lots of stunt work with Rich. We’ve shot all the fights, coming off the scafolding, unravling, grabbing of the gun etc.

Kai Martin on the set of 'Quantum of Solace'
– Kai Martin filming the fight on the ropes in bell tower. Photo courtesy of Kai Martin.

How did you prepare that complex sequence? It looked very spontaneous, very natural, but I am sure it was planned in details?

That was extremely hard work. We’ve started preparation in October 2007 as I remember. Actor Gavin Marshall known for an impressive rope work was brought it. You can’t learn in few months something that someone has done for lifetime. The thing is that the stunt has special skills whatever it is, but it always comes back down to performance. The stunt is a performance at the end of the day. We did rehearse that for a long period of time, but because of the nature of that, it was very tricky with ropes moving all the time. We did have choreography but then things got changed in a moment quite quickly and we had to adapt.

How long did that sequence take from the idea to the final shot?

Months. I would say that for me personally it began early October 2007 and finished at the end of February or maybe beginning of March 2008. That was my life – hanging on ropes. I remember that it was hard work, because main unit was shooting on 007 Stage in a day time and we had to shoot at night. It had nothing to do with actual location etc. but it was just logistics and scheduling thing. At 3 a.m. I was 60 feet up in the air with rope wrapped around me. For me personally that was very hard from start to finish. In ‘Casino Royal’ I had to jump on moving truck that was hard but in one evening it was done. It is a creative process, you are learning all the time. Sometimes it is good to have some preperation and sometimes it is good to do it in one day.

Kai Martin on the set of 'Quantum of Solace'
– ‘That was my life – hanging on ropes’. Photo courtesy of Kai Martin.

You were also doubling Daniel Craig on location in Siena.

We went to Siena at the end of March or beginning of April 2008. We’ve spent a good few weeks prepering for exterior scenes. Bond chases Mitchell, he goes up the window and he jumps on the bus – that was me, I rehearsed that. I rehearsed the long jump across. I remember braking a rib and a finger. I got to do that in Siena. That was a good stunt. Bobby (Hanton) did a lot of exterior work in Siena and also Daniel did a lot of it. He did one roof to balcony jump. I think he hurt his shoulder but he did it. I was there watching. That was a big jump and Daniel did that. They were coming off the roofs. Bobby had done some stuff on the exterior. Then it came back to Pinewood and it was me falling down the roof because it was collapsing. Then it was Daniel in Siena. He jumped from the collapsing roof onto the balcony. Then he proceedes across the balconies. I rehearsed it at Pinewood with all the measurements and then we went to replicate it on location. That is also the stuntman’s job. Sometimes in the studios with tape measure you can design the scale of what they want to have on set and check if they can make it. At first the jump would be too big for Daniel so we had to modify that. That was a very elongated process as well. This is making movie and that is why it works. When you do rehearse to get it right then you can replicate it on location.

In ‘Skyfall’ we could also see you drowning as James Bond in title sequence.

Yes. I couldn’t believe it because James Bond title sequence is so iconic. That was the sinking hole.

How was it filmed?

It was amazing. It was filmed at Pinewood studio in 007 Stage – underwater. I was in the underwater tank dressed in Bond suit. There were also two Bond girls and their job was to grab off my body.

Kai Martin on the set of 'Skyfall'
– Kai Martin in the underwater tank at Pinewood Studios. Photo courtesy of Kai Martin.

How long did you have to stay under water?

In that particular sequence maybe 10-15 seconds. It was just sinking, holding my breath and the girls grabbed me. We also did the underwater fight under the ice. That was Ben Wright and myself. It was specifically hard because it was underwater. You loose the air rapidly and it is very difficult to communicate. That was another part I did in that film.

Did you rehearse that fight without the water at first?

We knew the choreography, we knew the moves but obviously when we added the element of water that could change it. If you want to hold someone very close it is very difficult to do under water. You have to put so much effort to your moves to get that kind of energy that is necessary. That was quite challenging to work on.

‘Spectre’ was your only 007 film so far in which you were not James Bond double.

Yes. That is correct. I was asked to be Bond double, but unfortunately in that particular time I just couldn’t make it. I was very fortunate to get call back to play the helicopter pilot.

Kai Martin on the set of 'Spectre'
– Kai Martin as helicopter pilot with Daniel Craig’s stunt double Andy Lister (in the middle) and Alessandro Cremona’s stunt double Rob Cooper. Photo courtesy of Kai Martin.

In this film we could see your face. Actually Chuck Aaron was your double.  I guess that fighting in a helicopter mounted on special rig in Pinewood Studios was not as challenging as your previous stunts.

It was the least challenging as oppose to underwater fight, flying on ropes or being on cranes. But it was on a gimble that changed a lot. We had to be careful because it was easy to get bumped, but it was pretty straight forward in comparison.

Kai Martin on the set of 'Spectre'
– Kai Martin sitting on the helicopter mockup at Pinewood Studios. Photo courtesy of Kai Martin.

You were also in ‘No Time to Die’, but I guess we should not talk about it now, before the premiere.

Yes, that would be best. I’m personally very proud that I’ve done all five of Daniel’s films. I was almost in every opening sequence and every trailer. I’m sure that ‘No Time to Die’ will be a great films. For me personally it is like the end of an era. As it is for lots of people, obviously for Daniel. We’ve done that journey from 2005 to 2020. Even once we’ve done one Bond film we were very aware that there was probably going to be the next. That is why it is even more unique. I was very, very happy that I was in all of them.

May 9th 2020

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Interview with Andy Lister who has doubled Daniel Craig in ‘Skyfall’ and ‘Spectre’

29 Wednesday Apr 2020

Posted by Piotr Zając in Andy Lister, Skyfall, Spectre

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

007, Andy Lister, interview, James Bond, Skyfall, Spectre, stunt, stuntman

Andy Lister is a stuntman who has doubled Daniel Craig in ‘Skyfall’ and ‘Spectre’. There is a number of blockbusters full of action in his filmography: ‘X-Men: First Class’, ’47 Ronin’, ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’, ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’, ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ to name just a few. Andy Lister on Instagram: listersbox

Piotr Zajac (bondlocations): James Bond fans could see you in ‘Skyfall’ and ‘Spectre’ as Daniel Craig stunt double. It was amazing what you’ve done in these films. I’m always fascinated with great stunts. Not many people know when they see stuntman and when actor in a film. I would like to talk with you about your and other stuntmen performances, so more people would see how great is your work. That it is not just CGI, but real stunts.Andy Lister and Piotr Zajac– Andy Lister and Piotr Zajac during the interview

You have been a stuntman for nearly 10 years?

Andy Lister: Yes, that is right. It was September 17th 2010 when I proudly graduated on to the British Stunt Register!

How did you become a stuntman?

I’ve studied a martial art called Wushu since I was young and was fortunate enough to earn a place on the British wushu team and represent my country in various martial arts competitions. Then in 2004, there was a production company asking around different martial art schools for people to audition for a film. My wushu coach Jon Staples put me forward for the audition. I found out that it was for ‘Batman Begins’ and they needed extras for the League of Shadows team. I was so excited!! Even though I was just in the background it was an amazing experience! Seeing the professional stunt men rehearsing and performing on set made me hungry to chase my dream to be a stuntman!! I had always wanted to be a stuntman from watching Jackie Chan movies, and now here I was experiencing it!! Blew my mind!! So when I was on that job I started talking to the stunt performers and they explained to me the process of how to become a stuntman in the UK. You have to complete 6 different sports from a specific selection, have days in front of camera as an extra, to teach you set etiquette and how the industry works and lastly a 5 minute video of you performing your skills to prove you can actually do them! The 6 sports that I chose were martial arts (wushu), Gymnastics, Trampolining, High diving, Scuba Diving and Rock Climbing. Each sport has a different level that needs to be achieved, for example scuba diving is dive master level or above, rock climbing was the Single pitch award and martial arts was brown belt or above etc. You then gather all your sport certificates, receipts from the extra days and 5 minute video off to the British Stunt Register, where they have a meeting a few times a year. They look through your case and if you meet their standard then you’re in! If not, they tell you what needs to be amended and you try again in the next meeting. That’s how I got onto the register back in 2010! It was hard training for sure, but it gives you the right mentality for the industry! It can be tough, but if you work hard it’ll be the best thing ever!

How did you get to do all these movies from your filmography? Did you have to go for auditions or someone was asking you to perform in them?

It depends. Usually when you first get on to register you make a personal page in the Spotlight British stunt register book. It’ll have your headshot, full body shot, action shot, height, weight, measurements etc and some of the skills you can do.The Stunt Register book gets passed between stunt coordinators, producers and directors. They look through the book and they say: ‘I need a guy who is 5’10” – oh, this one looks OK; similar size, can do the physical action we need, let’s bring him in’. They call him up:’ Hey, are you free? You are? Brilliant’. Then they come in for an audition to see their skills and also how they interact with the team. That’s usually how it goes. Or it can be word of mouth when performers recommend you to coordinators, or coordinators to other coordinators.

How did you get into the James Bond films?

My first ever movie was ‘X-Men: First Class’. On that movie I met Lee Morrison. He was doubling a badass character called Azazel. Whilst working with him, he recommended me to Gary Powell (Bond stunt coordinator). I met with Gary and auditioned for the movie he was working on at the time called ’47 Ronin’. I was lucky to get onto the movie and learned so much from everyone on that film! It really started my career off to an amazing start!! After filming had finished, Garys next job was ‘Skyfall’! He pushed production for me to come onto Skyfall with him and be Bond double! It was crazy! It was a dream come true!! It was also only my 3rd movie, I still had a lot to learn and by the end I had learned so much! Really made me the person I am today!! That was an amazing experience! It was tough, no doubt about that, but I wouldn’t change it for the world!!

We could see you in ‘Skyfall’ jumping on train, fighting on train and falling from the bridge. In ‘Spectre’ you were fighting in helicopter and jumping in Blenheim Palace. Did I miss anything?

From memory on camera I did the silhouette fight in Shanghai, Casino fight, some of the ending scenes in the fields and various other bits and bobs.

How many stuntmen double Daniel Craig?

There are quite a few! Lee Morrison, Jean-Pierre Goy and Robbie Maddison on motorbike.  Mark Higgins, Ben Collins, Rob Hunt and Martin Ivanov were driving a car. Physical doubles were Ben Cooke, Bobby Hanton, James Embree, Gordon Alexander, Jean-Charles Rousseau, David Grant, Kai Martin and myself.

How is it decided which one of you is doubling Daniel Craig in the scene?

It depends on the scene really. If it’s a motorcycle stunt, car stunt or a fight, that will usually determine who will perform it. Different units will also sometimes have different doubles so two doubles may be filming on the same day.

You mentioned body shape. Do you have the same suits as Daniel Craig or maybe different with some inserts or something like that?

It is usually pretty similar. We have differently shaped heads but widthwise we are pretty similar. My frame is wider, but he has bigger muscles haha, so it usually evens out under the suit. But I think out of all of us I’m the one with the least similar body haha!

On a film set there is a director and a stunt coordinator. Is there also someone responsible for choreography of the stunt?

Yes that’s right, it was Roger Yuan on ‘Skyfall’ and Olivier Schneider on ‘Spectre’.

Do you perform stunts that they’ve created or do you discuss with them and co-create choreography of stunt fight?

Usually the fight coordinator has the idea of the overall fight and they work out the skeleton of it. If they need an extra move or something that will help, we add it. If they have the idea of crazy stunt that the person can’t do, they will adjust it. We try to bring their ideas to the performance on camera.

How long does it take to get ready to such big scenes like your fights in opening sequences in ‘Skyfall’ and ‘Spectre’? Do you train it before in the studio?

Yeah, for example on ‘Spectre’ the whole helicopter scene was choreographed and rehearsed a lot! We rehearsed countless, countless times with Olivier Schneider, his team (Yves & Patrick) and Rob Cooper with whom I did the fight. We started rehearsals in Pinewood studios in a steel frame simulating the helicopter. The fight team came up with the fight and Olivier filmed us performing it for the Pre-Viz. Pre-Viz is a previsualisation of the scene. It’s shot like the final shot in the movie so the stunt & fight coordinator can put their ideas across to the director. The director would have changes so we would add, change or take out various aspects of the choreography to fit with their plan for the scene. This process can take a long time, up to even the day of filming sometimes haha! Then from the studio rehearsals we flew out to Mexico! We went to rehearse in the actual helicopter we would be using on the day. The size was slightly different with the seat configuration, so we altered the fight a bit and rehearsed until we were all comfortable with it. Rob and I also tested out the rigging safety lines that would be attached to us while we were fighting on the outside of the helicopter, making sure we wouldn’t fly up into the rotor blades! Huge thanks to the riggers Marc Mailley, Tolga Keenan, Sam Trimming and Kev Lyons for keeping us safe up there!!! Then the next stage was testing up in the air! We did various tests to see how the helicopter reacted to us rolling around in it, us jumping on and off it, fighting on the side and making sure everything was safe! Gary Powell, Craig Silva and Olivier Schneider did such an awesome job in bringing that scene to life!!!

Were you doing those stunts in the helicopter over a group of extras?

The people directly underneath were created with CGI. There were people in the square just not under the helicopter… Just in case something would happen and the helicopter went down.

What did it feel like fighting in the air?

I loved it so much!! It was awesome! Total dream come true! Fighting on the outside of a helicopter!! It was one of the best moments in my career for sure!!!!!

You must have trusted the helicopter pilot a lot.

Oh yeah!! Chuck Aaron was awesome!! To fly a helicopter normally is difficult. To do it with two guys hanging on outside of it jumping up and down and a camera helicopter flying super close is next level difficult!!! Then on top of that add a few 360’s and barrel rolls and you got a dude with superhuman skill as a pilot!! Out of all the people in the world I trusted him with my life! In the movie there are actually two people playing the pilot. In the exterior shots Chuck Aaron was doing it. Back in Pinewood studios they filmed the interior on a gimble rig. We had a stunt guy (and also Bond double himself) Kai Martin play the part of the pilot for the movie. The Studio Gimble rig was the body of the helicopter put onto a special effects rig that rotated. We could then put Daniel and Alessandro Cremona inside safely and let them perform parts of the fight while the helicopter spun 360 degrees!

How are the dots for CGI placed on your face?

Usually they have an image where they should roughly place them, usually parts of the face that don’t move too much. They just put them on with either a brush, makeup pencil or small stickers that are glued on. For face replacement they use either dots, a rubber mask or facial prosthetics where they stick rubber segments onto the performers face so they look more like Daniel.

How long did it take to shoot the whole fight?

It took quite a while. We had a few days in Mexico and then I think it was a couple of weeks in Pinewood. I don’t remember exactly, but it was huge operation!

How was it with ‘Skyfall’ opening sequence? Did you also have preparations in Pinewood Studios?

That was another long prep! We started at Pinewood Studios in a rehearsal space and trained on mats with taped out sections to mimic the exact measurements of the top of the train. We went through several, several different versions with me fighting Damien Walters who was doubling Patrice. That went for a couple of months or so. Then we went out to Turkey and rehearsed on a stationary train. The top of the train was prepped specially for the fight with added grip and some sections with matting too. We then tested out the wire rigs that head rigger Diz Sharpe put in place to keep both us and the actors safe while the train was travelling at speed.

In ‘Skyfall’, before the fight, you jumped on the train. Was it also you on a motorbike?

No, that was the bike genius Lee Morrison. He did the motorbike stunt when he hit the bridge and then there was a cut. I then ran and jumped off the bridge with a special effects rig releasing the bike next to me. Timing was quite crucial as the train was speeding underneath, I had to time it so I landed on the right carriage and not end up missing it completely!

Did you have to jump few times?

I rehearsed it a few times for timing and camera, then they shot a few takes then that was it! I was on the train and the fight was on!!

I was always wondering how many times you had to repeat the scene with VW Beetles falling down from the train. I am sure it was not easy to get it ready for next shot.

There wasn’t that many from what I remember. I think it was only a couple of times. That was a pretty hectic sequence. I was in the excavator’s cabin and Mark Higgins was driving the Land Rover. I could see the arm smashing off all these cars in his direction and he was like a total driving ninja! Dodging each and everyone of them!! Then all the dust swallowed everything. I don’t know how he did it! Legend!

Was it you controlling the excavator?

Hahaha thankfully not! None of the levers I was pulling worked. The special effects guys did a great job controlling it all!!

Then you were climbing on the excavator?

No, that was Ben Cooke. I rehearsed it, but Ben did the shot on the day jumping into the train and then Daniel took over. Turned out great!!

When you were fighting on a roof of the train was it really so close to the tunnel?

On the rehearsals we got very close. We developed a good system. I was strangling Damien Walters who was doubling Ola Rapace and at some point he would his head slightly and could see the tunnel coming towards us. When he started to move to get out I knew that it was time to turn and duck! It looked close and it was pretty close haha! We also had people with horns in case we were getting too close though! As soon as we ducked, the roof of the tunnel was flying past us! So much fun!!

I can only imagine that, but for sure I wouldn’t be so brave. (both laughing) I’ve seen a documentry about Jackie Chan and how he was using different sounds during the fight to know where to expect kick or punch.

Yeah we use the same system! Let’s say there is one person fighting few people. Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly when they are coming in to attack if you can’t see them. However if they give a noise you know they are going to be right there in time for your next move. It is a great tool for timing! I have been lucky that I’ve been able to fight a lot of great performers! They’ve done it for years, so fighting them is easy, because they know about distancing and rhythm .

After the fight on the train you were falling down from the bridge. How did you film it?

he first day they shot that part of the scene was with a fake train carriage. It was only the top and then boxes all around. Daniel did a great reaction of getting shot and fell off the set and into boxes. The next day they shot the full fall with me. In the movie there is water under the bridge. However under the real bridge there are just rocks and trees 300ft below; not something that you would really want to fall into. The train was parked in the middle of the bridge and next to the ‘jump carriage’ there was a crane that stretched over the gap with wires attached. I remember in the morning of the shoot day, one of the extending stabilisers of the crane wasn’t working. So they spent some time trying to fix it and ended up having to secure it with scaffolding. It didn’t help my nerves haha! Then I got up on top of the train and my wires were attached. The day before when they were shooting Daniel it was full sunshine, but of course the day we were shooting the fall, it was cloudy, so we had to wait until the clouds would pass and there was full sun.  I remember standing up there waiting for a break in the clouds, then finally it came!! Full sun! I got ready and Terry Madden started to count down from 6! We started from 6 so the helicopter could be timed in. I heard ‘Ready and 6, 5, 4, no, no, no, stop, stop, stop!!!’ clouds had come back over!! I think it that happened three or four times. Then Terry got down to ‘2’ and then ‘1, ACTION!’ and I jumped. I have to thank Diz Sharpe, Sam Trimming, Kevin Lyons and Peter Miles! They were the rigging team that kept me alive!!!

Was it only one take?

No, there were three takes. First time I jumped but I moved my arm. I remember Gary saying: ‘Don’t move your arm. You are supposed to be dead!’. Then I jumped a second time and that was fine. The third time was for luck, just in case and I think that was the one they’ve used.

Did you also have to wait between takes for the sun?

After the first take we had to wait a little bit. The second and third were pretty much straight away.

Was it like bungee jumping?

It was kind of like bungee jumping. I free fell for 70/80ft and then a goldtail device was used to slow my fall and bring me to a stop. The full height of the bridge was around 300ft. That was the first big fall I had done in my career and I think the biggest so far to this day.

Did you repeat it later?

I went bungee jumping on holiday. (laughs)

Did you have a chance to see how other scenes for Bond moves were filmed?

Not usually, when they film drama scenes we are rehearsing. We rehearse every day, usually from 8a.m. to 6p.m. We are on set during the drama scenes if the actor needs us there for stunt pads or a mat. Or if the crew are at height, sometimes we are there to help with safety.

How do you prepare for a stunt. Do you have your own warm-up, stetching routine?

I try and keep pretty flexible so it doesn’t take too long to warm up before a scene. If an actor is about to do something physical we will sometimes be called in to warm them up, fit a harness and answer any questions they have regarding the action. The warm up comprises of basic stretches to get the blood flowing and prepare them for the next shot. For example if they are doing a lot of kicks or low stances, leg stretching would focused on more etc. And the same can be said for myself. I like to get nice and warm and stretched out as much as I can before a take. Although sometimes that’s not always possible. An action scene can really take it’s toll on the body! They can last days, weeks or even months!! The fight on the train in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ took many many months! Constantly warming up and cooling down between shots can cause injury! So I try and stay as warm as possible.

‘Spectre’ was your second and also the last Bond film you were in so far. You didn’t take part in ‘No Time to Die’?

No sadly I was busy on another movie ‘The King’s Man’ with Brad Allen. It was another great movie to work on and a great take on the spy genre!

Do you have any plans to return as Bond?

Haha It depends on who the actor is and the stunt coordinator but I would love to do another Bond in the future!

Who should be the next James Bond in your opinion?

Somebody who is 5’10”. (laughs)

Thank you for great stories and good luck with becoming James Bond again.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pocket
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

SOCIAL MEDIA

  • View bondlocations’s profile on Facebook
  • View @jbondlocations’s profile on Twitter
  • View bondlocations’s profile on Instagram

Instagram @bondlocations

Blenheim Palace in Woodstock (Oxfordshire) in UK doubled for exterior of Palazzo Cadenza in Rome in 'Spectre'. Mr. Hinx in Jaguar C-X75 was chasing Bond in Aston Martin DB10 through this gate. Copyright Piotr Zajac @piotrzajacphoto
Church of Saint Mary of Idris in Sassi di Matera in Italy at sunset. The church is located above Piazza S. Pietro Caveoso where car chase in 'No Time to Die' started. Copyright Piotr Zajac @piotrzajacphoto
Part of Portico of travertine columns at Museum of Roman Civilization in Rome that doubled for the cemetery in 'Spectre'. Grave of Marco Sciarra was built between these columns. Copyright Piotr Zajac @piotrzajacphoto
Piazza del Campo in Siena, Italy - filming location of foot chase with James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Craig Mitchell (Glenn Foster) in 'Quantum of Solace'. Copyright Piotr Zajac @piotrzajacphoto

LATEST POSTS

  • Monochromatic portraits of Daniel Craig
  • Monochromatic portraits of Pierce Brosnan
  • Scenic road at the Tyrrhenian Sea in ‘No Time to Die’
  • Interview with Mathilde Bourbin who has played mother of Madeleine Swann in ‘No Time to Die’
  • ‘Spectre’: Marco Sciarra’s funeral in Rome

CATEGORIES

  • FILM LOCATION (35)
    • Austria (2)
      • Vienna (2)
    • Czech Republic (6)
      • Karlovy Vary (1)
      • Loket (1)
      • Prague (3)
      • Prague – Barrandov Studio (1)
    • France (2)
      • Paris (2)
    • Germany (2)
      • Berlin (1)
      • Hamburg (1)
    • Italy (11)
      • Carrara (1)
      • Garda Lake (1)
      • Rome (3)
      • Siena (2)
      • Venice (4)
    • Portugal (1)
      • Lisbon (1)
    • UK (10)
      • Blenheim Palace (1)
      • London (7)
      • Oxford (1)
      • Silverstone Circuit (1)
    • USA (1)
      • San Francisco (1)
  • IN MEDIA (6)
  • INTERVIEWS (16)
    • Andreas Wisniewski (1)
    • Andy Lister (1)
    • Bobby Holland Hanton (1)
    • Brigitte Millar (1)
    • Irka Bochenko (1)
    • Jany Temime (1)
    • Julian Glover (1)
    • Kai Martin (2)
    • Marc Wolff (1)
    • Mark Higgins (1)
    • Martin Ivanov (1)
    • Mathilde Bourbin (1)
    • Nicola Dove (1)
    • Robbie Maddison (1)
    • Terry Bamber (1)
  • LOCATIONS GALLERY (8)
    • Casino Royale (1)
    • Moonraker (1)
    • No Time to Die (1)
    • Quantum of Solace (1)
    • Skyfall (1)
    • Spectre (1)
    • The Living Daylights (1)
    • Tomorrow Never Dies (1)
  • MOVIES (71)
    • A View to a Kill (7)
    • Casino Royale (13)
    • Die Another Day (6)
    • Dr. No (1)
    • For Your Eyes Only (2)
    • From Russia with Love (1)
    • GoldenEye (1)
    • License to Kill (1)
    • Moonraker (6)
    • No Time to Die (14)
    • Octopussy (4)
    • On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1)
    • Quantum of Solace (10)
    • Skyfall (15)
    • Spectre (15)
    • The Living Daylights (6)
    • The Man with the Golden Gun (2)
    • The Spy Who Loved Me (1)
    • The World Is Not Enough (3)
    • Thunderball (1)
    • Tomorrow Never Dies (5)
  • NEWS (4)
  • PORTRAITS (9)
    • Barbara Broccoli (1)
    • Cary Fukunaga (2)
    • Clemens Schick (1)
    • Daniel Craig (2)
    • Duran Duran (1)
    • John Rhys-Davies (1)
    • Juergen Tarrach (1)
    • Linus Sandgren (2)
    • Ludger Pistor (1)
    • Mikhail Gorevoy (1)
    • Pierce Brosnan (2)
    • Sam Mendes (1)
    • Veruschka von Lehndorff (1)
  • VEHICLES (4)
    • Aston Martin DB10 (2)
    • Aston Martin DBS Superleggera (1)
    • Aston Martin V12 Vanquish (1)
    • Jaguar C-X75 (2)

NUMBER OF VISITORS

  • 171,647

Tagi

007 007 location actor A View to a Kill Behind the Scenes Casino Royale Czech Republic Die Another Day filming location Great Britain interview Italy James Bond James Bond filming location James Bond location james Bond locations James Bond movie locations London Moonraker movie location No Time to Die portrait Quantum of Solace Skyfall Spectre stuntman Tomorrow Never Dies travel UK Venice

e-mail: galeria-pz@tlen.pl

Disclaimer
The bondlocations.wordpress.com blog is an unofficial information resource and in no way associated or linked with the official James Bond production companies. All the views expressed on this website are those of the author and does not reflect the views of anyone connected to the official James Bond production companies or anyone else. James Bond related trademarks are trademarks of Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation. All rights reserved.
All images copyright Piotr Zajac, unless otherwise stated.

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • JAMES BOND
    • Join 31 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • JAMES BOND
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: