Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1010570
The fuse for Mission: Impossible - Fallout was lit for me on May 22, 2016. Fallout is the fifth collaboration with my good friend, producer, writer and director Christopher McQuarrie. I first met Chris at the Austin Film Festival back in 1995 and since that fateful day, I've worked with him on the visuals for The Way of the Gun, Alexander (unproduced) Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Edge of Tomorrow and now, Mission: Impossible - Fallout. During the eighteen months I worked on the film, I traveled to London and Paris six separate times. I worked with Chris and his phenomenal team on every major action scene in the film. From the opening HALO jump, to the Grand Palais high-wire stunt, to the epic Paris vehicle chase, the London foot chase and the extraordinary helicopter chase finale. Of all the action scenes, the helicopter sequences offered the most intense challenges. In early March of 2017, Chris and I initially sat down to discuss the sequence in his office at London's Warner Bros. Leavseden. He verbally walked me through the major story beats of the sequence as I feverishly took notes and did some initial thumbnail sketches. Next he had me review all the stunning location A. ETHAN HUNT (TOM CRUISE) SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL DOWN A CLIFF FACE. TOM FLEW THE HELICOPTER FOR THE ENTIRE SEQUENCE. B. THE STORYBOARD OF THE CLIFF CORKSCREW DIVE. CHOOSING THE BEST ANGLES THAT SHOWCASED TOM AT THE CONTROLS OF THE HELICOPTER WAS CRUCIAL. C. FIRST PASS THUMBNAIL STORYBOARDS OF ETHAN RUNNING AND GRABBING ONTO THE TOW CABLE AS THE HELICOPTER TAKES OFF. I'M VERY PLEASED HOW CLOSE THE ROUGH THUMBNAILS MATCH TO THE FINAL FILM. ALL MY STORYBOARDS ARE HAND DRAWN WITH 4H PENCIL AND PIGMA MICRON INK PENS. ONCE DRAWN, THEY ARE THEN SCANNED INTO PHOTOSHOP AND CLEANED UP. M I S S I O N : I M P O S S I B L E – F A L L O U T | P E R S P E C T I V E 9 9 C