MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE AERIAL
IN CRUISE CONTROL At this level, capturing a great shot came down to millimetre- accurate rigging and a dose of ingenuity
“He’s deeply involved in every detail, especially when it comes to the aerial work. He wants to understand everything – how the rig functions, what the flight profile will be, what the risks are, how the cameras and lenses are capturing the moment and how he can deliver his best performance,” shares Rose. “Even under extreme conditions for difficult stunts, he is always committed and thinking about the action, his position in the air, what the camera and lens are doing and how the viewer will react to his performance. It’s incredible to watch.” Having an A-list actor performing his own stunts heightens all safety protocols, but for Rose, it was worth it to see the star in his element. “When Tom is performing a real stunt – strapped to a biplane in a steep dive, for example – you feel the weight of responsibility. But you also know you’re part of something truly special. It’s real cinema, done the hard way, and that makes it unforgettable,” he enthuses. Looking back on his work across the Mission : Impossible films, Rose says there have been many memorable moments. “Venice during the night shoots in Dead Reckoning was special. Because of the Covid-19 lockdowns, the city was empty. We’d finish a night shoot, then sail back across the canals with no one around. It was surreal.” Another standout experience was filming in Svalbard for Final Reckoning : “We were operating near the top of the world – on the sea ice, with polar bears nearby, in front of massive glaciers. Very few people get to see that, let alone film there. Those experiences stay with you. “Each film has raised the bar”, he concludes. “What began as a drone shot in Norway eventually became me creating and leading my own technical teams, developing new ways to shoot aerial sequences, and engineering completely new systems for skydiving, speedflying, and biplanes. “It’s a rare thing to be part of something where the creative trust runs that deep, and where the solutions have to be invented from the ground up. I’m incredibly proud to be part of it.”
DEVELOPMENT PUSHED the limits of aerial cinematography ”
lenses managed in total by my very small team of camera assistants, who did an incredible job,” he elaborates. Rose credits rigging specialists Philip Kenyon and Ross Sheppard for adapting to the shoot’s evolving demands: “Everything had to be re-rigged in a matter of hours, often in extreme weather and remote locations,” he marvels. Beyond the complex biplane work, Rose and his team also engineered a bespoke body-mounted system for a high-octane skydiving sequence featuring Cruise. “Tom wanted a rig that allowed for maximum flexibility in camera position on his body – front-facing, side-on, even underneath,” he says. “The system had to endure high-speed, high-G manoeuvres, hard parachute openings and remain stable throughout.” To make it happen, CineAero collaborated with experts from the Red Bull Air Force as well as Allan Hewitt’s skydiving team. The result was the Snorri rig – a lightweight, modular and
aerodynamically stable camera platform. “We had several variants of this device, re-engineered as we learned how the stresses of this type of stunt affected the rig,” he reveals. “The final version integrated with the parachute system and involved clever work from the SFX team at Dust Films. It’s very cool!” Of course, none of this work happens in isolation, and Rose credits the collaboration between multiple departments needed to bring the franchise’s impressive stunts to life. “Each major stunt is broken down and passed through stunts, aerials, camera, VFX, safety and engineering. You need experts in each field who can translate a creative vision into reality, often by building something completely new,” he explains. “What makes these films unique is the level of integration across those disciplines. Seeing that level of talent come together is a career highlight.” Working with Cruise – who does all of his own stunts – adds an extra dimension.
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DEFINITIONMAGS
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