AUDITORIUM BLAST
It took three months of planning to develop the explosion which ripped through the college lecture hall as Julia gave a speech. Artem staff looked at explosions on the internet to make it as realistic as possible – although Toby used to work as an explosive scientist so has a good idea of what the real deal would be like. Artem did two full-time tests before Keeley’s stunt-double filmed the scene just three metres away from the blast, after 20-30 test explosions. Each test run delivered a bigger mortar bang so the team could work out how far away stunt doubles and 12 stunt extras could safely stand. Four charges were used for the background flash, and 20 mortars – packed with dust and debris made from bits of carpet, balsa wood and foam – were used for the explosion that engulfs the stage. Watching (and hearing) an example of a test run of the blast at Artem’s studios in West London, I have to wear ear plugs and plastic goggles to protect me from the aftermath – but the real thing was one-and-a-half times bigger.
Artem CEO Mike Kelt explains: “Jed wanted it gritty and real so there was mostly dust in the mortars and quite a bit of debris as well – cloth, wood, carpet. He wanted it to look realistic and nasty.
“It’s never as scary as it appears on TV.”