By Gareth Von Kallenbach

Harkening back to the days of episodic serials, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow attempts to blend the thrills of the old adventure films and serials with the high tech computer effects of the modern age. Gareth von Kallenbach spent a few moments with writer/director Kerry Conran to talk about the film.

Gareth Von Kallenbach: What influenced you to make this film, as it is obvious that you a re a big fan of the genre as there are references to the Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and Jurassic Park series.

Kerry Conran: I first had my eyes opened with King Kong as to the wonders of filmmaking but it would be Star Wars that really got me going. I also used to watch the films of the 30’/40’s growing up in Michigan as the shows would come in from a station in Chicago. I also was a huge fan of older films such as Forbidden Planet, and The Day the Earth Stood Still, and the films of Howard Hawks as well as the Pulp comics of that era.

How did the process of making the film come about, as it must have been daunting for a first time filmmaker?

We approached the film as an independent film as the talent had signed on without meeting me or even seeing the script. The cast turned out to be very down to earth and very gracious people. I also appreciated the risk they took as they signed on to have their fees deferred and took a leap of faith to be in the film.

Was the decision to shoot all the shots against a screen something that was key to getting the film financed and how did you prepare for working with this format?

The main thing it helped was the economics as costuming ended up being the greatest expense for the film. I had never worked with the screens before but I had one setup in my apartment and I would experiment with friends against different backgrounds. It soon became clear that even with a simple computer and a 3D program, I could create all sorts of backgrounds and this lead to the enhanced world you see in the film. We could not afford to go to New York and use Radio City Music Hall, but thanks to the computer effects we were able to use the location.

What was the first day of shooting like?

It was like a scene from a monster movie, I came to the sound stage and every head in the place turned towards me. The crowd parted and there stood Gwyneth and Jude in their costumes, which was the first time I had seen them in character. I to this day do not remember how we got started, all I remember is walking towards them and thinking I can do it or I can crawl under a table in the fetal position and hide. Still, I faced the gauntlet and hit the ground running. Somehow it all worked out and we managed to get through the 29 days of shooting.

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