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George Lucas, Executive Producer of Red Tails is famous for his work on many films, particularly the Star Wars franchise. Read what he says about the challenge of using digital technology to bring to life World War ll air battles:

"I love P51s. When I was young that was the hottest airplane. I can’t believe that somebody was 19 flying these things and then going into battle. That’s pretty stunning and amazing when you think about it. Being able to bring this to reality to be able to actually stand here with the P51s with the replication of the Ramitelli, it’s the most exciting thing you can do! With digital technology now we can actually do a real dog fight, the way it should be done. Where you can follow it and make it dramatic."

Now look at these still images from the film and read the article below about the process of postproduction.

Download Postproduction Notes: PDF icon

  • To what extent do you think that these images capture an authentic representation of real air force missions?
  • What processes described in the article inform your understanding of how these images have been created?
  • Now watch the videos above describing the production process. What extra information do you learn from watching this?

Behind the scenes 1

0001 00:00:08:18 00:00:12:03

I don't think anyone has done
dogfight sequences like this before,

0002 00:00:12:05 00:00:14:08

showing just what these men
went through.

0003 00:00:18:13 00:00:22:07

(new speaker) We had shots where there
isn't much real left in the final shot

0004 00:00:22:09 00:00:23:22

by the time you get there.

0005 00:00:26:13 00:00:29:03

As far as the visual effects shots
in the entire movie,

0006 00:00:29:05 00:00:32:02

there were 1515.

0007 00:00:32:04 00:00:36:11

It made sense to reach out and partner
with other visual-effects companies.

0008 00:00:36:13 00:00:38:02

Work was done all over the world.

0009 00:00:38:04 00:00:42:01

Red Tails was definitely
the biggest project we ever worked on.

0010 00:00:42:03 00:00:44:00

I grew up watching Star Wars.

0011 00:00:44:02 00:00:47:05

It's an honour
to work with ILM and George.

0012 00:00:47:07 00:00:50:14

He invented half the stuff
that we use on an everyday basis.

0013 00:00:53:10 00:00:56:08

(Daulton) It was great that we did
the opening sequence first

0014 00:00:56:10 00:00:59:01

so we had work that we
could show to outside vendors

0015 00:00:59:03 00:01:03:08

and say, "Here's the quality of image
and the flight dynamics that we want."

0016 00:01:03:10 00:01:07:11

"Here's what the camera dynamics
should be to make exciting shots."

0017 00:01:09:01 00:01:12:15

That blends seamlessly
into Pixomondo's work.

0018 00:01:13:18 00:01:15:13

Pixomondo did an amazing job.

0019 00:01:15:15 00:01:19:21

(Hammack) We were fortunate to get some
great destruction work out of them.

0020 00:01:19:23 00:01:23:17

The truck screening was shot
so that the truck is coming at us

0021 00:01:23:19 00:01:26:21

and George wants the truck
to catch fire and explode

0022 00:01:26:23 00:01:28:16

when it drives by the camera.

0023 00:01:28:18 00:01:33:05

We needed to replace the truck
in the shot with a CG truck

0024 00:01:33:07 00:01:36:08

and start to burn it and end it
with a large explosion.

0025 00:01:38:17 00:01:42:01

(Hammack) UPP in the Czech Republic,
we gave them just under 500 jobs.

0026 00:01:42:03 00:01:43:13

Bogeys inbound, 12 o'clock.

0027 00:01:43:15 00:01:46:15

(Hammack) There were aerial battles
up in the clouds.

0028 00:01:47:18 00:01:51:12

In addition, UPP did the Me 262 jets.

0029 00:01:51:14 00:01:55:07

Working on the Me 262
was for us really interesting.

0030 00:01:55:09 00:01:59:07

These planes were built during the
Second World War in the Czech Republic.

0031 00:01:59:09 00:02:02:11

We had a chance to visit the museum.

0032 00:02:02:13 00:02:05:13

There are still two existing
real planes.

0033 00:02:06:12 00:02:09:00

(Hammack) There's a sequence
where the German base

0034 00:02:09:02 00:02:10:15

gets strafed by the Red Tails.

0035 00:02:11:05 00:02:14:21

(Muller) These shots were probably,
for us, the most complex.

0036 00:02:14:23 00:02:18:15

Sometimes, we started
with principal photography

0037 00:02:18:17 00:02:23:20

and we filled the rest of the shot
with the CG extension.

0038 00:02:24:07 00:02:28:14

(Hammack) All the details of the base,
buildings, extra planes, extra crew,

0039 00:02:28:16 00:02:30:02

were all done digitally.

0040 00:02:31:05 00:02:33:20

Early in the script
was the train crash sequence.

0041 00:02:33:22 00:02:36:10

(Daulton)
The train wreck sequence expanded.

0042 00:02:36:12 00:02:40:13

Pixomondo said, "Let's make it bigger
and put another angle in."

0043 00:02:40:15 00:02:44:10

We suggested a more dramatic shot
in front of the train.

0044 00:02:44:12 00:02:48:05

(Daulton) They came up with something.
We showed it to George who loved it.

0045 00:02:48:07 00:02:51:07

It's nice that a vendor
will make suggestions like that.

0046 00:02:51:09 00:02:52:11

When you go up...

0047 00:02:52:13 00:02:54:20

(Daulton) George has done this
for a long time.

0048 00:02:54:22 00:02:57:04

I don't just mean
making entertaining movies.

0049 00:02:57:06 00:02:59:21

He's been designing action sequences
for a long time.

0050 00:02:59:23 00:03:01:03

He knows what he's doing.

0051 00:03:03:06 00:03:05:20

Red Tails is a real story.
It's an important story.

0052 00:03:05:22 00:03:09:11

A lot of credit can go to our outsource
vendors, Pixomondo and UPP.

 

Behind the scenes 2

0001 00:00:05:15 00:00:09:09

With Red Tails, part of the challenge
was to make realistic cockpit shots.

0002 00:00:09:11 00:00:11:24

- The actor's sitting in the cockpit.
- Yeah!

0003 00:00:12:01 00:00:14:08

(Daulton) The gimbal work
makes it believable.

0004 00:00:14:10 00:00:16:19

Hallelujah! The saints are marching in.

0005 00:00:16:21 00:00:20:03

Our CG camera
mimics what the gimbal was doing,

0006 00:00:20:05 00:00:22:05

then we put it with a CG background.

0007 00:00:23:07 00:00:24:13

I'm on your wing, Junior.

0008 00:00:24:15 00:00:27:24

(new speaker) You have a life-size plane
hoisted up on a platform

0009 00:00:28:01 00:00:30:18

with four guys flanking the sides

0010 00:00:30:20 00:00:33:09

with these big rods in their hands.

0011 00:00:33:11 00:00:36:08

They're literally pulling and pushing
the plane.

0012 00:00:36:10 00:00:39:01

(muffled shouts)

0013 00:00:39:03 00:00:44:06

Getting shot and having to react
to nothing? It's interesting.

0014 00:00:46:07 00:00:48:03

(yells)

0015 00:00:48:05 00:00:50:01

This is pure acting.

0016 00:00:51:12 00:00:54:16

- Easy, we gotta take it head on.
- It's my decision, Lightning.

0017 00:00:54:18 00:00:56:03

Stay in formation.

0018 00:00:56:05 00:00:59:22

The gimbal work is proving to be
one of my best experiences in film.

0019 00:00:59:24 00:01:03:04

I'm really having to grow
and stretch myself.

0020 00:01:03:06 00:01:06:20

Give it a beat after the gun's free.

0021 00:01:06:22 00:01:09:13

(Parker) You're in the plane
and your eye line

0022 00:01:09:15 00:01:12:24

is sometimes in line with people
who are smoking cigarettes,

0023 00:01:13:01 00:01:15:02

talking or walking their dog.

0024 00:01:15:04 00:01:17:15

You're, like, "Bogeys, inbound,
12 o'clock."

0025 00:01:17:17 00:01:19:09

People are like...

0026 00:01:19:11 00:01:20:21

But you have to make it work.

0027 00:01:20:23 00:01:22:11

It's here, here, here, here?

0028 00:01:22:13 00:01:24:20

Yes. Take it from the top
of the countdown.

0029 00:01:29:03 00:01:31:01

Joker, I got one on my tail!

0030 00:01:33:14 00:01:35:12

It's like a big video game.

0031 00:01:35:14 00:01:38:06

You move it around
and the gimbal moves with you.

0032 00:01:38:08 00:01:39:16

It's fun.

0033 00:01:39:18 00:01:43:17

One second. Sharon's coming
to put some love juice on your lips.

0034 00:01:43:19 00:01:46:06

Wow! Good old love juice.

0035 00:01:46:08 00:01:47:14

(Wilds) You have to pull

0036 00:01:47:16 00:01:50:12

energy and resources
from somewhere else

0037 00:01:50:14 00:01:53:22

that you didn't know
that you had before.

0038 00:01:53:24 00:01:55:15

Don't control it, just go there.

0039 00:01:55:17 00:01:59:10

(Wilds) Being in the gimbal
puts your entire body in that situation.

0040 00:01:59:12 00:02:00:17

All you can do is play it.

0041 00:02:01:17 00:02:03:05

No, no! (yells)

0042 00:02:03:07 00:02:04:13

Stay left! I'll get him.

0043 00:02:04:15 00:02:06:17

(yells)

0044 00:02:06:19 00:02:07:19

Whoo!

0045 00:02:07:21 00:02:10:00

You want it to be as real to you
as possible.

0046 00:02:10:02 00:02:12:22

If it's real to you,
it'll be real to the people watching.

0047 00:02:12:24 00:02:15:21

Reference to the altimeter
on your dashboard.

0048 00:02:17:07 00:02:19:06

Watch it! (yells)

0049 00:02:19:08 00:02:21:02

Got my wings. Got my wings.

0050 00:02:21:04 00:02:22:24

They missed me. No holes in me, baby!

0051 00:02:23:01 00:02:24:12

Whoo!

0052 00:02:24:14 00:02:27:01

Get on the inside, Easy,
get on the inside.

0053 00:02:27:03 00:02:31:01

When Easy comes to my left,
was I looking in the right places?

0054 00:02:31:03 00:02:35:03

The gimbal stuff and the green screen
is just so alien.

0055 00:02:35:24 00:02:39:13

I can only equate it to being given
a deep-sea-diver's suit

0056 00:02:39:15 00:02:43:15

and being told to kind of simulate
what it's like to be underwater

0057 00:02:43:17 00:02:45:10

while harpooning sharks.

0058 00:02:45:12 00:02:48:17

It's so hot.
I'm sweating like a pregnant nun.

0059 00:02:48:19 00:02:50:14

An actor's work is never done.

0060 00:02:50:16 00:02:54:15

You just go in there, decide
what you're going to do and do it.

0061 00:02:54:17 00:02:56:11

- You gotta help me out!
- I'm on him.

0062 00:02:56:13 00:02:57:13

Take him out!

0063 00:02:57:15 00:02:59:13

- Hold on.
- Drop to your right.

0064 00:03:03:05 00:03:04:11

Alright. Got him.

0065 00:03:04:13 00:03:05:20

Oh, thank you, Lord.

0066 00:03:05:22 00:03:07:18

I thought you didn't love me any more.

0067 00:03:08:19 00:03:11:08

(Daulton) The pilots roll the plane
all the way over.

0068 00:03:11:10 00:03:12:15

Oh, yeah!

0069 00:03:12:17 00:03:15:11

We would mimic what the plane
was supposed to be doing

0070 00:03:15:13 00:03:17:09

and sync that up the foreground play.

0071 00:03:17:11 00:03:21:07

Whoo! We are officially the best. Yeah!

0072 00:03:21:09 00:03:24:14

If the plane tilts, the background
tilts. We can go 360.

0073 00:03:24:16 00:03:27:21

(Daulton) George has flown things around
in movies for a long time.

0074 00:03:27:23 00:03:31:18

Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark.
With Red Tails, it's the real deal.

0075 00:03:31:20 00:03:34:05

It really was our job
to make it believable,

0076 00:03:34:07 00:03:36:13

accurate and entertaining
at the same time.

0077 00:03:36:15 00:03:39:01

Brace yourselves.
We're going the distance.

0078 00:03:39:03 00:03:41:06

- We fight.
- Here we go!