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Military + Production

A

Andrew McCarrick

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How would I go about placing military fighter jets in a film? Is it something that the local Air National Guard could permit, or am I looking at going up through the ranks to higher officals?
 
Do you want the fighter jets parked on tarmac in the background? Or your actors climbing into the cockpit? Or do you want aerial acrobatics like a simulated dogfight/buzzing the camera?

I'm sure there's someone you can contact at your local airbase for the first option. I don't think the airforce would be very receptive about a bunch of actors climbing into the cockpits of multi million dollar air superiority fighters.

Maybe you could build a replica cockpit/canopy and just shoot that segment. Depends on your budget and art dept. though.

As for the acrobatics stuff, do it in post. Unless you're Michael Bay or are shooting the next Iron Man movie and throwing a lot of money in their way I doubt that the USAF will do that.

Sorry, I don't know which person to contact but I hope these suggestions helped.
 
Eren Ozkural said:
Do you want the fighter jets parked on tarmac in the background? Or your actors climbing into the cockpit? Or do you want aerial acrobatics like a simulated dogfight/buzzing the camera?

I'm sure there's someone you can contact at your local airbase for the first option. I don't think the airforce would be very receptive about a bunch of actors climbing into the cockpits of multi million dollar air superiority fighters.

Maybe you could build a replica cockpit/canopy and just shoot that segment. Depends on your budget and art dept. though.

As for the acrobatics stuff, do it in post. Unless you're Michael Bay or are shooting the next Iron Man movie and throwing a lot of money in their way I doubt that the USAF will do that.

Sorry, I don't know which person to contact but I hope these suggestions helped.
Click to expand...


Yeah... it would be number 3. I was thinking CGI, but I don'r know if that could possible end up being more than actual planes. It's pretty much just a few shots, so I was figuring the cost of building the CGI model and the animation and compositing might be more.
 
Well, fighter planes are very common in the 3D modelling world. Im sure you can find a nicely built, well textured model from a number of CG stock sites.

Animating a couple of flybys or bombing runs etc. shouldn't be a problem. You're not trying to animate Gollum here, just a hard surfaced mechanical object going in a straight line or turning. The compositing depends on how suitable your footage is. Are there enough high contrast points in the scene or straight surfaces to do point/planar tracking?

A handful of shots doesn't seem difficult. I'm sure you can find someone out of college to do this without breaking the bank.
 
Clearances for Military Co-operation is handled through the Pentagon's film liaison office. Call the Pentagon operator at (703) 545-6700 and ask for the Film and Television Liaison officer for the branch of service your planes are from: Navy or Air Force. Marine Corps requests are handled through the Navy, I think.

Since we are At War, there may be restrictions, but you never know unless you ask. They may allow you to shoot an exercise or normal flight ops, but anything specific requires extensive negotiations, script approval and sometimes fees to be paid to the DoD like for insurance, fuel, meals and billeting.

There are numerous VFX alternatives you may want to consider.
 
If you hit a brickwall at the Pentagon, the Air Force has an Outreach program that handles flyovers and airshows and stuff. They'll be able to tell you where and when a flyover is scheduled provided there's no security restriction on the information.

Try Secretary of the Air Force, Office of Public Affairs Outreach Division at (703) 695-9664.
 
Jeff Coatney said:
They may allow you to shoot an exercise or normal flight ops, but anything specific requires extensive negotiations, script approval and sometimes fees to be paid to the DoD like for insurance, fuel, meals and billeting.
Click to expand...

And I wouldn't be surprised if they do not return your phone call unless you somehow make them think you have a couple hundred thou to give them for their trouble.

There's little on the planet more expensive to operate than a jet fighter.
 
I've shot military footage of jets and other things... Have to jump through a lot of hoops and know the right people. And that's even after the military hired me to do some internal info and training vids. A lot depends on who you are and what you want. It's pretty easy to coordinate a fly-over with your local air national guard or air force base, if you have a good reason... Like a professional sporting event with 15000+ spectators present. Or you can coordinate with a local airport facility that will be hosting an air show.

Some military entities are looking for a public outlet. Recruiting offices are always looking for a public presence and may be able to help guide you to the right people. Groups like the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds are for public display, but they also have tons of people lining up to get cameras up close, in the cockpits or strapped onto those aircraft.

You may find it's not too hard to get permission for shooting training exercises, if they feel you won't be in their way and they'll probably want access to everything you shoot.

I wish I had more advice, but all I can say is that you need to keep asking. Eventually you will find the right people who can make it happen. And if it's for a commercial film, be prepared to pay.
 
Also stock footage is another option. I'd guess that unless you have Michael Bay money to throw around you're likely to hit a lot of red tape for anything beyond a simple flyover.

Noah
 
Andrew McCarrick said:
so I was figuring the cost of building the CGI model and the animation and compositing might be more.
Click to expand...

You can purchase a 3D model for less than $100. You can find people to do the animation, lighting, fx, etc for way less than trying to get yourself up in the air for real....

You can also do what I did and serve your country as a combat photo journalist...
 
Well I just went through Independence Day and marked some points that are some what similar to what I was thinking.

0:25:40 - 0:25:45

0:39:03 - 0:42:40

0:43:32 - 0:44:40

0:54:10 - 0:54:14

0:55:10 - 1:01:20

1:26:56 - 1:27:14

1:27:14 - 1:27:26

1:28:43 - 1:28:51

1:31:00 - 1:31:20

1:53:15 - 2:08:13

2:10:30 - 2:12:23


So if anybody has a DVD copy of the film, then you can check out those points.
 
Haven't looked at the "Independence Day" in a while. Will check it out, but from what shots I remember I'd say your better off, budget wise, with CG.

But if you want the real thing, as an Army National Guard helicopter pilot, I can tell you that you'll probably have better luck with the Air National Guard, from a scheduling point of view anyway. Process is the same as mentioned earlier though.

I flew an Apache in the National Guard Kid Rock/Dale Earnhart "Warrior" music video 2 years ago, first exposure to this wonderfully painful and sadistic narcotic of an industry. Now I look at my excel spreadsheet everday counting down to when I can buy one of these damn crimson dream machines. I digress...

The only thing I really wanted to say was if you use CG, ask your local Air Guard guys if you got it even close to the right model. I know no one really cares, but nothing frustrates us (read:military people) more than a half ass attempt. i.e. "War of the Worlds" sent a Cobra/Apache hyrbid (we call it the "Cobrache") into battle....takes 10 minutes on the web to find refeference photos of real aircraft. So it isn't budget, just laziness. My guess is the Air Force pansies, er pilots, think the same way some times.

just my 2 cents...even if it doesn't helps. This is really the first topic on the forums that I had half a clue on and I couldn't stop my self from opening my mouth.
 
Looking for some help on the script. What rank in the air force makes a decision on wether to send out planes, based on a radar hit? What are the duties of "Capitan", "Major", "Lieutenant Colonel", and "Colonel", in a situation like that?

I really need a Air Force and Military Advisor.
 
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