xHxowxxNZ achieved Mission Impossible
The country’s well-regarded helicopter industry and some stunning Central Otago locations made it a logical choice for the latest Tom Cruise movie. James Croot goes behind the scenes.
It was a brilliant piece of misdirection the Impossible Missions Force themselves would be proud of. While media were focused on the ‘‘structures’’ film crews had built on the ground in Central Otago’s Rees Valley last winter, all the real action was taking place in the air.
It wasn’t until at least six months after Mission: Impossible – Fallout star Tom Cruise and friends had left our shores that the full extent of what they had been up to was revealed. The first trailer showcased a helicopter chase through what looked like a distinctively New Zealand landscape.
A featurette on the elaborate stunt followed, before reports came through from those who had seen the movie, which opened in New Zealand cinemas this week, that it provides the film’s thrilling climax.
One man who got close to the action was Glacier Southern Lake Helicopters pilot Alfie Speight. He helped capture aerial footage for everything from The Lord of the Rings trilogy to Vertical Limit and Alien: Covenant, but never anything like this before. ‘‘I just did the easy part, I just flew the camera around,’’ the self-effacing Speight says.
He says the two helicopters featured onscreen were especially flown over in a plane from America and had cameras fitted all over them to be able to capture the action from a unique point-ofview. Speight’s job was to capture wider shots featuring both the helicopters.
Filming the sequence took about a month, with three or four bases set up in the ‘‘triangle’’ between Milford Sound, Queenstown and Lake Wanaka.
Speight admits there were plenty of meetings and ‘‘a bit of trial and error’’ to determine how best to capture what director Christopher McQuarrie, Cruise and others wanted.
‘‘They had it pretty well sorted and knew what looked good and what didn’t look good.’’
As Cruise was one of the other pilots, Speight says the pair had plenty of discussions before each scene. ‘‘He’s a big player in the filming world is Mr Cruise and it’s great that he brought this project down to this part of the world – it nearly went to Italy or somewhere.’’
So was he impressed by the actor’s skills in the whirlybird? ‘‘Oh, yeah. He did well. He’s got a lot going on in his mind, not just the flying, but a lot of the overall big picture – obviously he’s a very clever guy.’’
But was the star ever in any real danger? ‘‘We all looked after him,’’ Speight says. ‘‘We had a safety helicopter up all the time.’’
Film Otago Southland executive manager Kevin ‘‘KJ’’ Jennings says mountain flying specialists like Speight were one of the reasons New Zealand was able to attract productions like Fallout.
‘‘Alfie is the guru of aerial cinematography. He’s so good at getting the right angle, at the right speed. It’s all very well coming up with great
‘‘He’s a big player in the filming world is Mr Cruise and it’s great that he brought this project down to this part of the world – it nearly went to Italy or somewhere.’’
Southern Lake Helicopters pilot Alfie Speight
stunts, but it’s all for nothing if you don’t have someone who can capture it.
‘‘Also, there are not many places that are far enough away from everywhere to be able to film something like this, and have the capabilities and infrastructure to pull it off. And this is where film and tourism scratch each other’s backs. Our strong tourism helicopter industry has really lent itself to film work.’’
Jennings says other keys to making this production work were the reasonable lead time the production gave to the project and the good working relationships between them, the Civil Aviation Authority, the Department of Conservation, district councils, and local landowners.
DOC’s Te Anau District operations manager Greg Lind says Jennings has ‘‘assisted them’’ into thinking in a more constructive, rather than obstructive, manner when it comes to film-maker requests to shoot at places like Milford Sound.
‘‘We’ve got a very good relationship with KJ – he’s got high conservation values but, at the same time, is a strong advocate for the entertainment industry.
‘‘Blowing up a spaceship at Milford Sound [for Alien: Covenant] in 2016 taught us an awful lot about how the film industry has refined its techniques to ensure any use of the land is lowimpact. Here, we had a strong understanding of what they were going to do, as much as they understood what our concerns were.’’
With most of the action in the air, Lind says the potential impact was very minimal and, coupled with it being filmed last winter, when there were no climbers in the area and ‘‘only a few hardy individuals on the Milford Track’’, it made it an easy decision for his team.
Likewise, the department’s Queenstown Lakes District operations manager Geoff Owen had trust and confidence in the relationship between them and the film-makers. ‘‘We could be a little bit agile to meet their changing needs and they showed they were aware of our intrinsic values.’’
Queenstown Lakes mayor Jim Boult believes the production brought a ‘‘feel-good factor to the town. Top stars like Mr Cruise are charming folk who enjoy the ability to get out and about in a relaxed area such as ours, and when possible, mix with locals without the fuss that happens elsewhere in the world’’.
Boult admits he was lucky to visit the set with the mayoress, and describes Cruise as a ‘‘pleasure to chat to. He was good company and engaging’’.
Hotel St Moritz Queenstown general manager Jo Finnigan agrees the film’s cast and crew were never less-than-charming and that it ‘‘was a privilege to rub shoulders from time to time with well-known personalities’’.
‘‘We were expecting to be asked for all kinds of special requests, particularly around food at all times of the day or night, however there was very little. It was clear that these guests were professionals in their industry and were here to work. Our job was to make sure they were well rested, never disturbed and had everything they needed.’’
Paramount Pictures says the film’s main unit spent 25 days in New Zealand and the production here featured 361 crew members, with the majority sourced locally. More than 100 Kiwi extras were also recruited and put to work.
A proud New Zealand Film Commission chief executive, Annabelle Sheehan, confirms Paramount Pictures chose to shoot Fallout here after extensive scouting led by members of her team. She says as well as our ‘‘large, picturesque locations, which added the required depth, scale and scope’’ the producers wanted for the movie, they were also swayed by the country’s wellequipped helicopter industry and experienced pilots.
Having viewed the finished product, Sheehan says the scene filmed here, ‘‘highlights the skill and experience of our crew and aviation sector, along with the scale of our physical locations’’.
‘‘Footage of scenes shot over the Queenstown region have been shared widely by international media, cast and crew, adding to our already strong international screen story. International productions put the spotlight on New Zealand, creating a platform to showcase the screen sector and often other sectors, from tourism to technology, exports and education.’’