Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1517535
M A S T E R S O F T H E A I R | P E R S P E C T I V E 7 3 that were from a totally different, far away, foreign world. Suffolk at this time hadn't changed in a century. It was a sleepy, slow rural place, where time had stood still." The great thing about the 100th Group is that there is no shortage of photo reference. The Thorpe Abbotts Museum has an extensive library, and despite the archival material not being in any order at that time, it was very helpful for the production. We dedicated hours to sift through their filing cabinets, trying to reconstruct the history and visual appearance of the base. A big part of our research involved reaching out to veterans and their families. While fewer veterans remain, many families possess a wealth of information. Occasionally, we encountered details that contradicted each other, making it a tricky task to navigate—we aimed not to upset anyone. The scripts required fifty different planes for our characters, with hours of shooting for each aircraft. They had to cover various conditions: clean, on the ground, in the air, getting shot up and, of course, various stages of damage. To tackle this complex task, the Art Department created what we called "plane bibles" for each plane. These documents contained highly specific information about the B. THORPE ABBOTTS CONTROL TOWER AND HARDSTANDS. CONCEPT ART BY DERMOT POWER. C. INT. B-17 FLIGHT DECK. CONCEPT ART BY DERMOT POWER. D. INTERIOR B-17 NOSE ATTACK. CONCEPT ART BY DERMOT POWER. B C D