(train rattling on tracks)
- We're gonna break down the effects secrets
in the most dangerous train ride in Enola Holmes.
(intense music)
- If we time it correctly we-
- Time what correctly?
Oh your best idea involves leaping
off this train, doesn't it?
- [Michael] This is a scene when Enola is on a train
and she meets Lord Tewkesbury, but it turns out
that Tewkesbury is in terrible trouble.
Probably the most challenging scene
that we had in the film.
Louis and Millie were both very prepared
to throw themselves into all of this effects work.
- Listen to music, that was my trick
and get your breath right.
And then they say action and you go.
It's like that. And then when you're looking at Millie
and you're both giving each other the same sort
of energy then that's when it flows right.
- [Michael] Course you can't really shoot
on a real moving train. It's a bit dangerous.
Cameras are heavy and people fall over.
We decided to shoot it in a studio in a green screen stage.
It had to feel like they're really on the train,
which is quite a hard thing to do.
Some of the other shots, which are more complicated,
so for example, the shots outside the train
where we have characters hanging and dangling,
we're creating new camera moves outside the train.
So we LIDARed, which is a laser scan
and we use photogrammetry to build a three dimensional
version of some parts of this track.
(intense music)
(screaming)
- Help!
Help!
- That was crazy to film.
When I'm hanging out at this train
like looking down at the tracks,
rushing past and the wind, like that's all fake so.
- [Michael] All the practical elements really
give the actors a sense of being somewhere dangerous.
He's secured with a wire.
It's a challenge to hide that and mask that
on the day of filming itself.
And then in post production,
we have to paint the wire out.
On the stage itself when we're shooting it
we also add in wind and rocking motion
and then a big dramatic camera move.
We spent a lot of time working out this movement
in previews and we made sure that we were quite accurate
with that when we shot it for real on the stage.
It's kind of ironic that it's the camera that's
on tracks and the train is just static.
(train rattling on tracks)
- They were counting down so it helped.
It's like all right, tunnel coming, there the first day
tunnel coming in three, two, it's like ah!
- [Michael] We knew we had to replace the door
with a CG door.
We start with a real physical object
on set and we then match it perfectly
with a CG version of itself.
(intense music)
- [Enola] Mr. Tewkesbury, we have two choices!
- And which one involves me not dying?
- This one!
(screams)
- The jump that you see off the train,
it was not me, unfortunately.
Yeah, I'm not, I'm not the Tom Cruise
that I thought I might be.
They, they used a stunt man called James.
He has all the bruises to take home.
- [Michael] We had digital train,
we had the digital landscape, we had the digital river
and we had our digital characters rolling
down the hill as well and so that was a big challenge.
We tried to hone things down as best we can
so that we shoot things in the right way,
but of course film making's kind of a spontaneous activity
and if it wasn't, then it would be very boring.
Make sure to check out Enola Holmes only on Netflix.