Ben Stiller Zoolander 2

Paramount Pictures

DSLR cameras on 20 metres of truss

Takes used of the 8 planned

3,000

Miles driven, Sunderland to Rome and back

Two weeks' notice, a 3,000 mile round trip, and a 96 camera bullet time rig built 10 metres high at Cinecitta Studios in Rome for Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson.

What Did We Do?

Clayton Townsend, the producer behind Zoolander 2 and more than 30 films including JFK, Natural Born Killers and The 40 Year Old Virgin, called and asked one question: can you be in Rome in two weeks to shoot our bullet time scene?

The production team did not know what shape or size of rig they wanted, only that it would be under 100 cameras. The brief was to bring everything and make something cool. So we loaded all 40 metres of trussing we own, 100 cameras, the wiring and the spares, and drove the lot to Cinecitta Studios in Rome. Over the Alps, 3,000 miles round trip.

Cinecitta gave us an entire studio to build and test in. The next morning we were taken onto the main stage. However many sets you have stood on, one built at that scale out of foam and wood is a pinch yourself moment.

After two days working through shapes with the producers and effects team, we built a 10 metre high rig carrying 96 DSLR cameras along 20 metres of truss path, run by a 9 computer system on our own software. Alignment and a preview movie were ready 30 seconds after each trigger, so every take was judged on set.

The shot was Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson jumping from about three metres into a crash mat. We were given eight takes to get it. We needed four.

Common Film Production FAQs

How quickly can you be on a film set?

This job went from a phone call to shooting at Cinecitta in two weeks, including driving the equipment across Europe. If the dates work, we can usually make it work.

Does the director see the bullet time shot on the day?

Yes. Our software aligns the cameras and builds a preview movie about 30 seconds after each take, so the take is judged on set rather than in post a week later.

What shape can the rig be?

Whatever the set needs. The truss is modular, so straight runs, curves and full rings are all buildable. This one was a 10 metre high design agreed with the production team on site.