28 - 10- 09 : The Blood Bond Saga (part 23)

The end of Thunder Road!

After two days and dust, hurtling metal, automotive breakdown and sunburn, we were all about done with Thunder Road.

Our last day at this location proved the most testing yet. One of the grips fell off the camera car and had to be taken to hospital to check for fractures. (He was okay.) While DP Ross Clarkson was tied to the front of a truck, it hit a pothole and the camera hit him in the nose. Blood poured, but he kept on shooting (and never complained afterwards!)

What a trouper Ross is, we'd really be lost without him...

As the day wore on, our leading lady Phoenix Chou (second named pronounced 'Choo') raised our spirits by posing for our set photograper, Cease Huang, as the world's most attractive hood ornament.

For the ladies (and, I guess, some of the men), Michael and his double, German, compared six packs. Have to admit that Biehn guy is in pretty good shape for a guy who could be German's father! (Though that's kind of unlikely...)

We shot the rest of the exchange of gunfire between Michael (rattling around in the back of his pick-up truck) and our bad guys. MB had to set up each shot with Ken Yip (our coordinator), 1st AD Jack King and with Phoenix. I can report that Phoe did (almost!) all her own driving in the scene, and even insisted on being at the wheel for shots where she wasn't visible.

The end of the sequence sees Michael throw the hub of a tyre from the back of the truck and through the window of the pursuing car, causing it to crash. Having never shot that kind of stunt before, he turned the set over to met, and, having never shot that kind of scene before, I turned to Ken Yip, and together we worked out how to achieve the stunt safely.

We were helped immeasurably by the strength of Michael's throwing arm. With both cars in motion, he nailed the windshield on the first try with our fake hub.

For the next shot, it was down to Ken to drive the pursuit car full speed, as German threw the real one through the window of his car. Ken donned full body armour and face mask for the stunt, looking like a Chinese Mad Max...

Fortunately, we got this, too, with our first take.

All that remained was to crash the car. The first time Ken tried, he almost nailed me, Ross and Cameo, our focus puller, so we moved to the top of a hill to capture the next one.

Just as we were about to shoot the last charge of the chase car, it seemed the engine had finalled died on us. Just ten feet! So near, and yet so far. Finally our on-set mechanics managed to coax it into life, and we got the shot.

At last, sayonara to Thunder Road, and off to fresh adventures tomorrow.

Next : No rumble in the jungle.