Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1152740
of shooting. The single mile-long runway, a neglected and overgrown property, along with permission granted to share airspace with the new neighboring Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport, met all the requirements needed. Much as the military did during the Second World War, the production pre-built what we could, assembled dozens of period tents, gerry cans, ammunition boxes, crates, drums, a fleet of Army jeeps and trucks, and shipped it all off to Olbia. We built roads and paths in preparation. A spring of unexpectedly heavy rain and winds slowed us down a bit, but also provided some beautifully rutted roads. Joseph Heller's novel is set on Pianosa in the Tyrrhenian Sea, a small island between Corsica and mainland Italy. Alesani, Corsica, is where Joseph Heller served as a bombardier. All of the key reference material was based on that very base, including wartime training films that were shot at Alesani, with Joseph Heller actually in the films. Karen, who did a great deal of the early research, also forged a relationship with two surviving bombardiers from the Corsica bases, as well as with Michelle Cahill, the author of Dear Mom. Her book is comprised of letters from her two uncles who served in the Army Air Force, one as a bombardier on Alesani. It is a great source with detailed descriptions of everyday life on a base in the Mediterranean theatre. As a Production Designer, the honeymoon for me is always the research and the initial location A. NOSE ART ILLUSTRATED BY MARCO TORRESIN. B. CHARTS CREATED BY ART DIRECTOR GIANPAOLO RIFINO ILLUSTRATING THE INTERIORS, PAINT MOTIFS, MARKINGS AND NOSE ART ON THE TWO HERO B-25S, AND THE FOURTEEN DIFFERENT SCRIPTED PLANES THEY WOULD PORTRAY. C. THE TWO WORKING B-25S. THE PLANES COULDN'T FLY WITH VINYLS, SO THE NOSE ART WAS ADDED IN POST. D. THE HERO NOSE SECTION ON A GIMBAL RIG DESIGNED BY GERMAN SFX SUPERVISOR GERD NEFZER. E. B-25 INTERIOR. SET PHOTO. F. THE RUNWAY AT OLBIA STOOD IN FOR AIRSTRIPS IN ROME, PALERMO, SANTA ANA, AS WELL AS PIANOSA. G. A WALL OF RESEARCH AND STUDY MODEL FOR THE REAR AND TAIL SECTION OF A B-25. H. COCKPIT SET OF THE HARVARD AT-6—MCWATT'S PLANE—DRAWINGS BY ART DIRECTOR GIANPAOLO RIFINI AND ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR MASSIMO PAULETTO. F H G