During the coronavirus epidemic, director Timur Bekmambetov decided not to interrupt the filming process of the film “Fau-2. Escape from Hell ”, and organize it in a remote format.
“The only way to continue to make a film and not endanger the health of the group in conditions when someone is in quarantine and someone cannot get to St. Petersburg is to use the latest technology,” TASS quoted him as saying.
The director said that he will lead the filming from Moscow, and some of his colleagues will continue to work on Lenfilm. On his Instagram page, Bekmambetov said that the necessary precautions were taken in the production of the film.
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Team “Fow. Escape from Hell ”every day is checked for symptoms of coronovirus. Today @sergeyt, my co-director on the set, was the first to be tested # ninth # first vertical
Posted by Timur Bekmambetov (@bekmambetovtimur) Mar 18, 2020 at 11:48 PDT
On Friday, March 20, the shooting of the scene “inside a computer game” is planned. Being in the scenery of the film, the performer of the role of Mikhail Devyatayev Pavel Priluchny will participate in a virtual aerial battle, which will unfold in War Thunder - a multiplayer online game of the Russian company Gaijin Arts. In it, gamers fight using digital models of military equipment of the mid-20th century, which meets the tasks of the filmmakers.
Players from different countries will take part in the shootings. As with any shift, the director will lead the process so that the material obtained in the game can be used as the basis for a fragment of the future film.
Bekmambetov explained that the development of the scene inside the game was recognized as the most effective solution already at the stage of creating storyboards. Also earlier, the director promised to use computer graphics exclusively in episodes of escape and air combat.
Filming of a new film by directors Timur Bekmambetov and Sergey Trofimov started in mid-February 2020 in Kronstadt - one of the forts was decorated there under a concentration camp. The plot of the tape is based on the feat of the Soviet pilot Mikhail Devyatayev.
In the summer of 1944, Devyatayev was captured. He went through more than one concentration camp and ended up on Usedom Island, where the Peenemuende training ground was located - where the Nazis tested the V-1 cruise missiles and the V-2 ballistic missiles. February 8, 1945, along with several other prisoners, the pilot was able to hijack a bomber and get to the Soviet units. He gave the command information about the location of secret objects, on which the Red Army dealt a powerful air strike.
In addition, equipment was installed on a hijacked plane, without which Nazi scientists could not continue to test rocket weapons.
- Pavel and Timofey Priluchnye
- © timofeipriluchnyi
In an interview with NTV, Pavel Priluchny noted that for him the statement on the role of Devyatayev was a great honor. To match the image of his hero, the actor needs to seriously lose weight: it is known that by February 1945 Devyatayev weighed less than 40 kg. In addition, Priluchny learns to fly a plane on a simulator.
It is interesting that initially the artist was supposed to play an Wehrmacht officer, but after rehearsals Bekmambetov decided to give him the role of Devyatayev. According to TASS, it was originally planned that the main character will be played by Danila Kozlovsky.
The film’s consultant was Alexander Devyatayev’s son, Alexander. His father told him in detail about the war, and Devyatayev Jr. made some adjustments to the script to prevent historical inaccuracies.
In addition, when developing the story, the team used Devyatayev's memoirs. The title of one of the books became the name of the film.
In addition to developing episodes using an online game, Timur Bekmambetov made a bet on other innovative techniques. So, kp.ru previously reported that “Fau-2. Escape from Hell ”is filmed immediately in two formats: horizontal and vertical. Thus, the creators of the project plan to attract the widest audience.
The obvious advantage of vertical footage is the ability to watch it on the screens of smartphones and tablets, without changing the usual orientation of the screen. However, the film crew has added an additional meaning to the new format. The creators of the picture emphasized that the viewer will be able to move and pan the frame, consider fragments of interest to him.
In addition, Timur Bekmambetov noted that shooting in a vertical format can be interpreted as an artistic technique that emphasizes Devyatayev’s resilience in difficult conditions. “About such a man who has survived, I want to shoot him in height,” the director said.
The premiere of the picture is scheduled for February 2021.