A new space race is upon us and, like 60 years ago, the Russians have as soon as once again one-upped bitter rivals the United States.
The Soviet Union became the very first nation state to send a human becoming into space almost 60 years ago, trumping the US. Now, Russia, its successor state, has once again triumphed more than the US by shooting a feature film in orbit.
Director Klim Shipenko and actor Yulia Peresild flew to the International Space Station (ISS) in a Soyuz MS-19 aircraft earlier this week to film a sequence for Vyzov (The Challenge). The duo was accompanied by cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov.
The flight was a big achievement, barring a tiny hiccup at the automatic docking station. The actor-director duo will invest 12 days filming for 35-40 minutes on the ISS.
A 2020 report had mentioned Hollywood icon Tom Cruise, identified for his daredevilry and death-defying stunts in the Mission: Impossible franchise, had been approached to shoot a film in space. The film was to be directed by Doug Liman, who had worked with Cruise in American Made and Edge of Tomorrow. NASA and Elon Musk’s SpaceX had been also reportedly involved in the film’s production. Then NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine confirmed the news to the Associated Press later in the year. He mentioned a SpaceX rocket would drop Cruise and the film crew to the ISS.
The Challenge
Vyzov, the Russian film, follows a cosmonaut who loses consciousness soon after space debris hits him in the middle of a flight. His situation prevents him from returning to Earth, and a surgeon is flown to the ISS to operate on him in zero gravity. The film has been co-written by Shipenko with Bakur Bakuradze.
The project is backed by Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, the state-run Channel One and the Yellow, Black and White studio.
Filming in space
One purpose why a important portion of the film becoming shot in space is realism. But these days, visual effects have come to be so sophisticated that it can make any soundstage resemble Mars. Photorealism in films tends to make it close to-not possible to differentiate amongst genuine and visual effects.
Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity, the acclaimed 2013 science-fiction thriller, constructed each and every shot that featured celestial objects or space utilizing laptop or computer-generated imagery (CGI). Tim Webber, the film’s visual effects supervisor, mentioned 80% of Gravity was CGI. Yet, it was praised for realism and won seven Oscars, such as one for cinematography.
However, Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, has explained the genuine purpose for filming the project in space — national pride. Rogozin, who threw his weight behind the film, mentioned he wanted to glorify Russia’s capabilities in space. “We have been pioneers in space and maintained a confident position. Such missions that help advertise our achievements and space exploration, in general, are great for the country,” he told the Associated Press.
“I expect the project to help draw attention to our space program, to the cosmonaut profession. We need a better visualisation of space research. Space deserves being shown in a more professional, artful way.”
The challenges for cast and crew
Travelling in space requires considerable mental and physical fitness. Both Shipenko and Peresild mentioned their preparation education was gruelling, but the finish outcome was worth the toil. The Associated Press quoted Peresild: “We worked really hard and we are really tired, even though we stay in good spirits and smile. It was psychologically, physically and morally hard. But I think that once we achieve the goal, all that will seem not so difficult and we will remember it with a smile.”
Shipenko mentioned: “Of course, we couldn’t make many things at the first try, and sometimes even at a third attempt, but it’s normal.”
Tom Cruise’s space film
The Associated Press reported that according to SpaceX’s representatives, producer PJ van Sandwijk had asked Liman if he wanted to film in space. Liman had told the Associated Press in January: “There’s just a lot of technical stuff that we’re figuring out. It’s really exciting because when you make a film with Tom Cruise, you have to put stuff on the screen that no one’s ever seen before.”
Casting facts or the film’s plot are nonetheless not offered.
Cruise is at present busy with post-production on Top Gun: Maverick and the seventh Mission: Impossible film.