How Mission Impossible 7’s Train Scene Was Made Possible
“It’s always extremely dangerous because it’s very high,” explains the cinematographer.
The franchise of Impossible mission became famous for her ever crazier stunts and Tom Cruise each time seeking to cheat death in ever more extreme ways. In the last part, Dead Reckoning, the star had accomplished his most spectacular stunt: a free fall on a motorcycle from the top of a cliff. He deploys his parachute and the sequence continues with a fight on the roof of the speeding train.
Now that Christopher McQuarrie’s blockbuster is available on DVD and blu-ray, Frasier Taggarthis cinematographer, recounts the filming of this feat in Variety.
“We spotted several places and ended up in Norway”, says the technician, while the departure sequence was to be filmed aboard the Orient Express in the Swiss Alps. Ultimately, Norway turned out to be the perfect location, since Taggart had already worked there on the filming of falloutthe sixth opus of the saga: “The train sequence and location had to work with the motorcycle jumphe explains. We found a railway in Norway where we were going to shoot the motorcycle jump from, and it all worked out.”
But beyond the technical and physical challenge of producing such an action sequence, the administrative obstacles are numerous: “Nobody wants to see you go on a national railroad and say ‘We’re going to fight on the roof of the moving train on the mountainside.’ Sorting out all the paperwork took a long time”, says the cameraman.
Mission: Impossible 7: behind the scenes of “the greatest stunt in cinema history”
It was necessary to obtain approval from the Norwegian government who ensured that all safety systems were in order to carry out such a stunt. Taggart also took the time to adjust each parameter related to the camera and image settings adequate for the atmosphere of the sequence and its feasibility. He therefore decided not to shoot on film as with other films, but digitally, both for the aesthetic rendering and the handling of the material.
“The train would have to be stopped every two minutes and recharged. We would need 200 foot chargers on the cameras. Digitally, they could film for 30 to 40 minutes”, declares Frasier Taggart. The actors performed the fight choreography perched on hydraulic platforms that could tilt up to 30 degrees. “It’s always extremely dangerous because you’re so high up. But to make it practical, the cameras are 30-45 meters from the ground.”
The whole team is now preparing the eighth opus of the saga, which ultimately will not be called Dead Reckoning – part 2.
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