On July 18, 2019, DashFUN went to the set of “Mourir Can Wait”, the 25th opus in the James Bond saga (and the last by Daniel Craig). The opportunity to witness the creation of a spectacular waterfall and its meticulous preparation.
Good kisses from Scotland! After hosting Skyfall’s explosive and tragic finale, the country reunites with James Bond for the purposes of a Die Can Wait streak. Who did not yet have this title on July 18, 2019, when we were able to visit the filming which was then held on the side of Inverness, in the greatest of secrets. Or not.
The city being small, the enormous machine represented by the filming of such a blockbuster obviously does not go unnoticed, as this taxi driver explains to us. Which also tells us about the local weather and these very short days in winter and can extend until 10 p.m. in summer. As in some Scandinavian countries, which is perhaps no accident.
Because the next morning, we are driven to the edge of the famous Loch Ness where we are welcomed … in Norway. Truly ? “We are in Norway, where Bond and Madeleine are being chased. We started filming in Norway, and there he is trying to escape the bad guys.”, specifies Alexander Witt, director of the second team, which is back after having worked on Casino Royale, Skyfall and 007 Specter.
“You are on the Ardverikie estate, on the Scottish islands”, adds the manager Liam Irving. “For this scene, we were looking for a road by the water, with Scots pines. The cars had to be able to go fast, but also be able to accommodate a team of three hundred people. So this place works on a practical level and creative.”
A place where director Cary Joji Fukunaga will therefore not be present. No more than Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux and the interpreter of the wicked Rami Malek. Because the production leaves us in the hands of the second team, responsible for shooting shots that do not directly involve the actors. Like the action and stunt scenes.
ONLY FOR OUR EYES
10:10 a.m. – “You are in a waterfall zone”, we are told, precisely, as a welcome, after offering us a head net and a repellent intended to protect us against the local insects, a sign that the danger will be everywhere. And this while a helicopter equipped with a camera flies over the place.
This is not, moreover, the only recording device, since there are close to a dozen of them, more or less hidden around us. While some are clearly visible, others are hidden by a tree or camouflaged in a box in the colors of nature. Because the idea is to cover the maximum of angles and not to miss anything of the catch.
“We use eight of them. Including one on a helicopter, one drone, one on a car and others in the background.”, says Alexander Witt. “Cary’s request for this stunt was simple: it has to be as exciting as possible. Let the spectators jump in their seats when they see it.”
“The crash we’re shooting today is the first in the streak. We canned the second yesterday. One of the two cars trying to pass Bond falls into the ditch. And, with any luck, we will be entitled to twenty-five barrels, and it will end up in the water. “
But it’s not rollover time yet, because the vehicles are content for the moment to accelerate on a straight line. Then go back to their starting point. The occasion for us to note that the dark gray cars, those of the attackers, have tinted windows (very practical to hide the stuntmen). But not the beige one from Bond and Madeleine.
By touring in nature, you are less afraid of destroying something that is 2,000 years old
10:20 a.m. – An ambulance arrives, by the bumpy path that we took a short time before, while the team is busy on the side, putting a little greenery and a small tree. Which undoubtedly risks flying with the damaged car, whose runway excursion seems to become clearer when the cameras turn to a section of road already drawn.
“It’s still easier than filming in a big city, because you don’t have as many restrictions and orders not to touch such and such a thing”, tempers Alexander Witt, who had participated in the nocturnal pursuit in the streets of Rome, or the impressive opening in Mexico City in 007 Specter. “Here you are less afraid of destroying something that is 2,000 years old.”
10:37 a.m. – Could it finally be filming time? While we are moved out of the field of the cameras, the drone so far wisely placed in a corner takes off to go to position at the end of the road. And the roar of car engines makes …
