“It really felt like we were flying!” : No green screen for Masters of the Air, but revolutionary filming

Airing January 26 on Apple TV+, Masters of the Air is a spectacular early-year series that we owe to the trio of producers Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and screenwriter John Orloff.

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Rated 3.8 out of 5 by AlloCiné viewers, this fiction, following in the tradition of the previous successful two groups and The Pacific, seems to have won over the French public, who are there every week for new episodes on the platform and via myCANAL.

To recall, Masters of the Air tells the story of the journey of the 100th Bombardment Group (nicknamed “Bloody Hundred”) of the 8th US Air Force, which is responsible for bombing Nazi Germany and its industrial and strategic weapons. during the Second World War.

How were the scenes filmed in the airplanes?

Largely inspired by Donald L. With Miller’s eponymous book, memoirs of former pilots and many historical resources, Masters of the Air impresses with its authenticity, but also with its staging, its stunning reconstruction and breathtaking visual effects.

Thus, the team of the series built two reproductions of B-17 bombers, but also high-mounted cockpits that can move and also used innovative technology already working on series such as The Mandalorian, called “The Volume”.

It’s a sequence of giant LEDs arranged in a ring that allows parameters to be projected, calculated and changed in real-time, allowing for a realism effect during filming and on screen, just like you can see in the making of this video below.

For Gary Gotzman, it’s a small form of revolution that has allowed him to bring out masters of the air, something he couldn’t have done ten years ago, he told us. explained:

“I think the best thing that came out of Tom was that we were able to visualize for the guys what we were trying to achieve on stage and they could react in real time instead of going overboard for one less authentic result. So they loved it. They could participate in it.” And feel like they’re on a kind of 3D journey.”

This is definitely the feeling of the actors of the series. Austin Butler told AlloCiné that using volume was really beneficial in his filming experience:

“Fortunately, we didn’t have to use a green background. I’ve worked a lot with green backgrounds and you have to rely on your imagination. But Tom was a real gift for us actors because we could see other planes in the distance.

You could see fighter pilots flying past you. And we’re 50 feet in the air, so we have to respond to explosions that happen on the plane, and it’s just incredibly immersive. It felt like we were flying!”

The Masters of the Air series is currently broadcast on Apple TV+, via the platform and myCANAL.