James Bond 007 returns in 'Skyfall', shot digitally with ARRI Alexa

Produced by Michael G. Wilson and Bárbara Broccoli, the new Bond installment has Callum McDougall as executive producer and Dennis Gassner in production direction. The director of photography is Roger Deakins, who for the first time has opted to shoot digitally with an ARRI Alexa. For this production, thirty-one different sets were built in eight Pinewood studios, including the interior of MI6's underground bunker.

Daniel Craig returns as agent James Bond 007 in Heavy rain, the twenty-third adventure in this franchise, which is the longest-running in film history.

On this occasion, after the failure of Bond's last fateful mission and the identity of several secret agents in different parts of the planet is revealed, the MI6 headquarters is attacked, forcing M to move his agency. Due to these events, his authority and position will be threatened by Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee. Now, MI6 faces threats both external and internal, so M decides to turn to the only ally he can trust: Bond. Agent 007 disappears into the shadows with only one ally: field agent Eve (Naomie Harris). Together they will track down the mysterious Silva (Javier Bardem), whose lethal and hidden motivations have yet to be revealed.

Producida por Michael G. Wilson y Bárbara Broccoli, con guión de Neal Purvis & Robert Wade y John Logan, la nueva entrega de Bond cuenta con Callum McDougall como productor ejecutivo y Dennis Gassner en la dirección de producción. El director de fotografía es el diez veces nominado al Oscar, Roger Deakins, quien por vez primera ha apostado por rodar en digital con una ARRI Alexa.

50 years of Bond

When tackling Skyfall, the twenty-third James Bond adventure, the filmmakers were acutely aware of the fact that 2012 coincides with James Bond's fiftieth anniversary in film. They were determined that this new installment of the longest-running film franchise in history would provide everything that has made Bond Bond: that is, fast-paced action, scene-stealing villains, beautiful Bond women, exotic exteriors, a fabulous plot, the Aston Martin DB5... and, of course, Agent 007 himself, played by Daniel Craig. But a Bond film is not a collection of puzzle pieces; The sum of these elements – like gin and vermouth, shaken, not stirred – serve to support the story. In the case of Skyfall, the man who ties all the threads together is Oscar winner Sam Mendes. “I knew Sam would give it his all,” says Craig, who plays Bond for the third time in Skyfall. “He brings all his knowledge of filmmaking but also his knowledge and love for Fleming and Bond.”

Although Mendes may be best known for directing a different kind of film, for him high entertainment and artistic integrity are not mutually exclusive. "I have my own personal relationship with Bond. It started when I was about 9 or 10 – when Live and Let Die came out," the director explains. "We just happen to live in times when it's possible to make a great, entertaining, glamorous, escapist film that also has something to say about the world we live in. With Daniel's performances in 007: Casino Royale and 007: Quantum of Solace, James Bond once again appears as a real man in a real situation. It reminded me of what I felt when I watched Sean Connery's films."

For producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the anniversary comes with added expectations. "It's our fiftieth anniversary and our twenty-third film, so there's more pressure than ever to make the best Bond movie of all time. We have an extraordinary cast, an incredibly talented crew, and an emotionally charged script," Wilson teases.

Broccoli adds that Mendes' relationship and history with the Bond film gives him a personal element from the first moment. "With his knowledge and his history he resonates with viewers – he knows what works and what audiences expect. And frankly, it's great to see him on set."

Throughout these 50 years it has been precisely the Broccoli family – first Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli and his partner, Harry Saltzman, and later Cubby's children, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli – who have been the supervisors and caretakers of the James Bond film franchise. “Michael and Barbara are extraordinary because they work very well as a team,” says Mendes. "Barbara has an uncanny ability to make people feel like she knows their names and what their concerns are, and if there's ever a crisis, she's the one to solve it. Michael brings a tremendous amount of experience and wisdom, coupled with his gentle presence on set – he never intimidates or lectures. If you have an idea and you're wondering, 'Has Bond done this before?' ask Michael – he has the answer."

Fue Craig, quien – con el apoyo de Wilson y Broccoli – invitó a su amigo, Mendes, a dirigir la película. “Cuando empezamos a hablarlo sentí una conexión con alguien que tenía el mismo entusiasmo y respeto que sentía yo hacia las películas de Bond,” recuerda Craig. “Y por supuesto, respeto profundamente a Sam como director. Le dije: ‘Esto va a ser una nueva experiencia para ti – te lo digo yo, porque yo he hecho dos y fue una experiencia novedosa para mí. No hay nada que te pueda preparar del todo'”.

Great production deployment

Oscar-winning production director Dennis Gassner returns for his second Bond film, his third collaboration with Sam Mendes, and his seventh collaboration with cinematographer Roger Deakins. “I think the story always comes first when designing any set for the character in question,” says the director. "Throughout the design process for Skyfall, I was aware of Bond's emotional journey and how each environment affected him and vice versa. We built thirty-one sets, but we mustn't forget the exteriors and London, which also played an important role in this film."

“The opportunity to film in London was like a red scarf to a bull, but I'm talking about Sam and myself,” says Daniel Craig. "We wanted to show parts of London that we hadn't seen before, to use the city in a way that is impossible for most films but that the name Bond makes possible because it opens more than one door. London has personality and that excites me because I love this city and I think it is rarely represented well in cinema. Our goal was to capture the madness, the mystery, the danger and the glamor of London. I think it is brave and wonderful to go so close to the city."

A significant part of the story takes place below London street level, an environment based on what is historically known as the Churchill bunker system. During World War II government offices were moved underground for protection; Likewise, in Skyfall, when the MI6 headquarters is attacked, M decides to move it.

“This answers the kind of question every government needs to think about: In an extreme emergency situation, where do you go?” Gassner asks. "In London during the Second World War they decided to go underground, under the city. That's what M decides and there they go."

Thus, even a plot device such as moving the headquarters below the city gives the film a distinctly British feel. Explains Craig, "In conversations between Sam and I, we agreed that we wanted Skyfall to be embedded with certain important British values. We dreamed of this film being unmistakably British."

Gassner illustrates the juxtaposition between the environment created by an exterior, such as the old tunnels of the Old Vic, and sets created in studios, including the underground bunker of MI6 headquarters. "We needed the set to control the larger scenes and also to accommodate Roger Deakins' brilliant lighting. It was a pleasure to work on the old exteriors of the Old Vic theater and our privileged recognition of underground London was a source of inspiration to return and build the set at the Pinewood studios. Here is the great fusion between the exteriors and the built sets, one influencing the other until they become a unit."

Digital effects

Special scenes always play an important role in Bond films and Skyfall is no exception. Director Sam Mendes, second unit director Alexander Witt and stunt coordinator Gary Powell worked closely to create a physical, believable adventure for Bond. It was important for both Mendes and Powell to approach the film from a more realistic point of view. The action already began on the pages of the script. “Writing action sequences is one of the great challenges and one of the great joys of being a screenwriter,” says screenwriter John Logan. “The challenge as a writer on Skyfall was to find a way to make the action as close to the ‘Bond’ style as possible – and to me that means it's tough, real, and heightened.”

Of course, no actor had more action scenes than Craig. Javier Bardem describes how Craig approaches his role: "The role requires a certain amount of physical effort and you simply have to be prepared for it, but my role obviously had nothing to do with Daniel's. He does the action scenes with such ease: watching him in action I thought, 'If I were you, I wouldn't be doing that!'" Bardem says with a laugh. “Let's see, I did a little something, but nothing compared to what Daniel did.”

“Daniel is an extremely hard-working actor, probably the hardest-working I've ever seen,” says producer Michael G. Wilson. "And I'm not just talking about mental preparation, but also physical. He trains like a demon, like a professional athlete. He's totally committed to the role, committed to being Bond."

Although Powell, the stunt coordinator, welcomes the advancement in digital technology and computer animation, he prefers the action to be real. "All of us, especially Sam and Gary, felt that we had to stretch the boundaries of this film as much as possible. And we've always relied on the fact that in the Bond films we do it for real and that's how it is. If we use computer animation it's just an add-on, it doesn't create the scene. Being on top of a train traveling at 50 kilometers an hour, fighting with Ola Rapace while we were crossing a bridge was probably a highlight."

Adds Broccoli, "Daniel contributes a lot to the design of the action and the fights in particular because he is the one who really does it since he always tries to do as much as possible. We were in Turkey filming the train sequence and my heart was in my mouth the whole time; he and Ola were fighting on the roof of a moving train and the gestures they made made your heart stop. The action works that well thanks to Daniel because he knows how to sell it. He is the one up there and I think the viewers “They know it.”

Although the opening sequence lasts only twelve minutes on screen, it took three months of rehearsal and two months of filming. Powell enlisted motocross champion Robbie Maddison, former Top Gear 'Stig' Ben Collins, and British rally champion Mark Higgins to complete his stunt team. "It's important to define the action step by step so that my team can learn it like the back of their hand. After months of rehearsal, it sticks in your memory, so you're less likely to make a mistake," explains Powell.

Although the action has a frenetic pace, Mendes assures that the filming process is not. "So to speak: the action of the montage is much more exciting than the action of the shoot. The action in the shoot is extremely meticulous, it's small increments and pieces. For me the challenge is to create another parallel action story so that it never feels like a linear chase. It's never: subject A chases subject B, there are always other things happening simultaneously so that you follow several intertwined stories at the same time."

Adds Neal Purvis, “You can include as many explosions as you want, but the dramatic core has to work.”

Another element that is an undeniable part of the Bond franchise is his car. Over the years the Aston Martin DB5 has become synonymous with Bond. Wilson explains that when referring to Bond's vehicle, there is a car that screams: James Bond! “We've flirted with other cars from time to time but we always come back to the Aston Martin,” Wilson recalls. “It is a signature car for Bond and a classic, his personal one.” And there is no Aston Martin more closely linked to Bond than the DB5, the sixties model that Bond first drove in Goldfinger. For this story, this movie, this nod to the Bond story would not only be appealing to fans, but it also fit the plot.

Screenwriter John Logan was delighted with the return of Bond's most iconic car. "We're in love with the DB5! When you think of Bond, you think of certain things clearly. And one of those is that car in particular. It's Bond's essential car and in a film that takes Bond back to his past and his future, we had to use it – not to mention the fact that it's completely amazing."

Daniel Craig also fell under the spell of the classic Bond car: "I love it, and this story was the perfect platform to reintroduce the DB5. The film is about Bond returning to his roots and facing old demons, so it fit. And we got the most out of it."

The filming

Production on Skyfall was based at the historic Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, just outside London. Over time Pinewood has become synonymous with James Bond films, with all but three – Moonraker, License to Kill y GoldenEye – have been filmed there. Thirty-one different sets were built across eight Pinewood studios, including the interior of MI6's underground bunker, the interior of the Golden Dragon Casino, where Bond meets Severine, and the exterior of Dead City, an abandoned island off the coast of Macau, where Silva resides.

The spectacular subway collision that occurs when Bond chases Silva was filmed in the 007 studio. The technical team built two full-size trains and each weighed seven tons. It was too risky to allow people into the studio so they installed ten cameras that were operated by remote control to capture the collision from different angles.

The studios' outer tank also served as the exterior of the Golden Dragon Casino. The set was illuminated by three hundred floating lanterns and two nine-meter-high dragon heads. They brought in twelve artisans from China to create these authentic structures made of coiled steel cables, silk fabric, and 400 light bulbs to illuminate them.

Many of Skyfall's exterior scenes were filmed on the streets of central London. For Mendes, filming in the city was a great challenge. He explains: "I live here. I've focused on giving it a mythic scale. I've tried to give it excitement, atmosphere, and a sense of menace. You could say we've filmed in some of the expected locations, but I hope we've done it in an unexpected way."

They filmed in nine different parts of the city. The Old Vic Tunnels were used as MI6's training area, an underground car park on Great Suffolk Street near Smithfield Market served as the entrance to MI6's new headquarters and the entrance to Broadgate Tower, London's fourth tallest building, was beautified and illuminated to resemble a Shanghai office building, where a fight between Bond and Patrice (OLA RAPACE) takes place. The Virgin Active pool in Canary Wharf was used as the pool for Bond's hotel in Shanghai.

The National Portrait Gallery was used as the location for a secret meeting between Bond and Ben Whishaw's character. The film crew worked at night during the museum's closing hours in front of a collection of the best paintings in the world. At dawn the unit moved outside to film Bond entering from London's iconic Trafalgar Square.

The opening sequence of the trailer shows Bond on the roof of the DECC – (Department of Energy and Climate Change). The location department looked at several locations but the view from the roof of DECC provided the perfect backdrop for this important scene.

With the co-operation and assistance of the Mayor's Office and Transport for London, the production was able to cordon off both Vauxhall Bridge and Millbank for a scene in which M witnesses the MI6 headquarters being attacked. The explosion was staged with a few fireworks during the day and then a model of MI6 was reconstructed at one-third scale in Pinewood's outdoor studio where Chris Corbould, the special effects and miniatures supervisor, used twenty-eight explosives to recreate the attack.

Over the course of four weekends, the production filmed at London Underground's Charing Cross station. The unit was able to access a line that was out of service to film sections of the chase between Bond and Silva. The chase continued through Parliament Square, passing through Whitehall, until reaching Trinity Square where the sequence reaches its climax.

The Old Royal Naval College and Hankley Common in Surrey also appear as English exteriors.

Skyfall has also been filmed in the most iconic landscapes of Scotland, and in exotic locations around Shanghai and Türkiye.

John Logan describes the important role that Shanghai plays in the plot: "We were looking for opposition to London. We wanted exotic exteriors that were totally opposite to the world that he grew up in, that he lives in, in some way trying to make Bond feel uncomfortable."

Second unit director Alexander Witt and the second unit traveled to Shanghai to film establishing shots and road sequences. The team worked through the night in the busy week leading up to Chinese New Year to capture the stimulating, ever-changing metropolis that makes up one of the most dynamic cities in the world. An aerial unit piloted by Marc Wolff had the unusual authorization to fly over the city's airspace to record images of it from a helicopter provided by the Chinese government. Dennis Gasser and the art department worked to create the rest of the Chinese atmosphere in Pinewood.

The expected opening sequence of Heavy rain It was filmed in Istanbul and Adana. When Bond discovers that vital information has been stolen from a wounded MI6 agent, he pursues the attacker, Patrice, with the help of Eve, through the busy, vibrant streets of central Istanbul. Bond rushes through Eminonu. It is one of the oldest and most magnificent squares in Istanbul and is surrounded by an ancient Spice Bazaar and its fabulous Yeni Mosque. The art and props department created a huge market inside Eminonu Square with more than 250 stalls that Bond passes by on a motorcycle.

The high-speed chase continued across the rooftops of buildings and into Istanbul's famous Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and more than three thousand stalls that attract up to 400,000 visitors every day. Due to the risk involved in the sequence, the film unit was able to access the bazaar only on Sundays since it is closed on that day. Thanks to the united efforts of the exterior, setting, art and props departments, they dressed the bazaar in the early hours of Saturday to recreate the hive of activity that one would expect from that place. Some 500 Turkish extras and stuntmen were brought to the Grand Bazaar to recreate the busy, vibrant atmosphere that characterizes it. The roofs of the Bazaar served as a spectacular platform from which to enjoy the ancient and dynamic skyline of the city of Istanbul. The production strove to protect and preserve the historic architecture of the Grand Bazaar, so they hung reinforced steel floating panels on top of the existing tiles to protect the original structure.

The chase required a fleet of twelve Land Rover Defenders and sixteen Audi A5s, all modified and reinforced in various ways to meet the requirements of the stunt and camera departments. Two of the Defenders featured driving pods that were fitted to the roof of Eve's car to allow Naomie Harris to concentrate on her dialogue while driving former 'Stig' Ben Collins at 80km. per hour through the congested city streets.

Heavy rain It is the third Bond film shot in Istanbul. The first was From Russia with Love (1963) where Ian Fleming himself accompanied Cubby Broccoli, Harry Saltzman and the film crew, and the second was a brief visit in The World is Not Enough (1999).

From Istanbul the production moved to Adana to continue the chase where Bond tracks Patrice on a high-speed Turkish passenger train.

Adana is a modern city located in the agricultural heart of Türkiye, close to the eastern border. An important part of the chase took place here: a hundred vehicles advancing at full speed and the collision of a truck. This is where two motorcyclists, fans Lee Morrison and Robbie Maddison, shine in a heart-racing chase, and of course, where the sequence on board the train was filmed.

The chase aboard the train posed several challenges to the production. Working on a moving train was one of the most complicated and technically demanding aspects of the opening sequence.

The climax of the action sequence took place on the imposing Varda Bridge, an hour away from Adana. The Varda Bridge was built in 1912 and is 175 meters long and 91 meters high. The fight comes to an end when Eve accidentally shoots Bond instead of Patrice, and Bond is thrown from the train and into the river. Bond double Andy Lister performed the scene. Riggers mounted a crane on a train car to tie down the safety line. Andy reacts to the shot by limping backwards until he falls into a 91 meter deep cliff.

Fethiye, a coastal town in southern Turkey, served as the secluded location where Bond experienced his lowest moment.

Associate producer Gregg Wilson accompanied production director Dennis Gassner on an extensive reconnaissance mission to find a beach with the geographic characteristics that director Sam Mendes envisioned. They opted for Calis Beach, a remote beach that was a big challenge for the outdoor department to secure. They had to negotiate with the six hundred and thirteen beach owners to allow them to film in this beautiful spot on the Turkish coast.

Skyfall Curiosities

• In the film M's house is the former home of legendary Bond film composer John Barry. The filmmakers thought it would be a nice tribute to the composer, who died in 2011.
• Skyfall marks the first film shot on a digital camera by ten-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins. Deakins describes the Arri Alexa, “This camera has brought us to a point where digital is simply better.”
• It took 9 weeks and a team of 250 people to build MI6's underground headquarters in Studio 007.
• In weapons training, the cast fired 200,000 rounds of ammunition.
• Bond has 85 copies of the Tom Ford suit he wears in the opening sequence.
• They had to add weight to Bond's tie for the motorcycle chase so that the tie stayed in place when riding at high speeds.
• They poured Coca Cola on the asphalt of the streets of Istanbul to prevent the motorcycles from sliding.
• Stunt coordinator Gary Powell comes from a long dynasty of stunt players. Between all its members, the Powell family has worked on every James Bond film since Agent 007 against Doctor No in 1962
• In order to film the chase in Istanbul, the production team had to remove the ceramic tiles from the bazaar and replace them with rubber tiles in case the scene did not go as planned. Once the filming was finished, they put the original tiles back into place.
• In the exterior shots of Whitehall halfway between the chase between Bond and Silva, there were 750 extras, 100 background vehicles, with a total of 300 film crew members.

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