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Anatomy of a Scene: Knowing’s Plane Crash

Posted on Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 by Alex Proyas

Editor’s Note: You probably know Alex Proyas as the director of films like The Crow, Dark City, Garage Days, I Robot and Knowing, but for the last few weeks the filmmaker has been guest blogging on /Film. The post below is his last column. Later this week he will answer some of the questions submitted by /Film readers. Also, be sure to click after the jump to see a clip of the completed plane crash sequence.

knowing plane

One of my most challenging scenes in Knowing is the plane crash. I believe it was essential to have one of the predictions come true early on in the story, something so real and so horrible that we could no longer ignore the list of numbers.

I filmed this scene in one shot with a single hand-held camera. A nearly 3 minute continuous take where nearly everything in shot bloews up or catches fire. There was absolutely no room for even the smallest error. I wanted to take the audience right into the depths of that horrible environment with Nic. It took nearly 2 days to set up, and I must say that I’m really happy with the way it turned out.

knowing plane

Not that the day went off without a hitch. When you try to organize an ambitions shot like this one, a long take full of SFX, VFX and multiple stunts and pyro charges, only one thing is for certain: Murphy will be visiting set that day. It doesn’t matter how many storyboards, pre-viz, block thru’s, rehearsals or production meetings you have (and believe me – I had a few)…

Our biggest hurdle that day was with the camera. Although we never actually found out what was causing it (I’m sure a mixture of the hot Australia sun, rain makers, balls of fire and explosions didn’t help), the camera lens kept fogging up (and yes – we had all the anti-fogging equipment known to man on set). One second I’d be watching the monitors, loving everything I saw, and the next… nothing. Each re-set took over an hour, so we were all working against the clock. We must have done at least half a dozen takes - most of them unusable as Nic would inevitably disappear into a cloud of fog. Luckily, at the end of the day, and with time quickly running out, we got our one and only good take in the can, our final take, and that’s the one we used in the film.

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  • Robert Jones
    Im amazed people can be so critical. For me, its the best scene of its kind. You look at the plane crashes in films like Die Hard 2, for example, and see how much film making has developed, this is so much more realistic. The way it is shot, one single take, makes you feel like youre watching it with your own eyes as it happens. Thats the secret of the shot, not just the sfx. Its pretty harrowing. From the point it hits the pylon on the way in, youre just numbed by it. Best moment of a brilliant film. Great work!
  • Jason Thomas
    The special effects in this movie are absolutely amazing. Watching the plane crash was intense. I didn't feel I was watching a movie but a horrific real life
    disaster. Hats off to the special effects team. WOW.
  • Norvill09
    This movie refers a dream i had when ai was a child, so i need meet some one who understand whap happened to me,, so, now i dont know waht to do with this in my feel, so is there some one who understand me?
  • Armyexpert
    Nick was better in the National treausure movies. The plane crash was cool and this could happen in real life.
  • i really loved this scene...even though the cop and nicolas cage looking in the wrong direction totally through me off. despite that, i respect and enjoyed the effects. i am an amateur filmmaker and i do all the visual effects in my films so i know the amount of work that went into this. good job 3d modelers/animators and compositors! also, great take, very long but keeps you in the danger and makes you forget about the first mess up. again, this scene rocks!!
  • Sonny
    There is a scene when he meets "Abby" (Lara Robinson) for the 1st time and they are sitting outside talking.
    Is that place real in Boston and if so Where is it or the name of it?
  • Alex
    The scene was fun but totally unrealistic. The angle the plane was landing. The pilots would never try to avert the crash by rolling it sideways. Also passengers alive and walking immediatelly after a plane crash? The sudden pressure change from descending alone would prevent them from standing upright. Especially unreal is that group of people who get caught in the engine explosion as soon as NC comes close. Aren't passengers supposed to be wearing seatbelts, expecially during a crash, which would make them all be inside the fuselage of the plane. Lastly, NC walking right next to a still rotating jet engine? Seriously...

    The only real thing about it was probably him dragging out a dead guy from the plane, right before the firefighters arrive.
  • Andrew
    what aircraft were they aiming to crash...a 737?
  • Brian Boulnois
    This scene will stick in my mind for years to come, and even watching the bit again i realised i missed bits from..such as the car sent flying in to the field ok its small detail yet it all adds to the scene. I been reading comments on imdb.com from people saying daft people would never walk out that alive, yet thought history we seen plane crashs as bad as this scene and people have indeed just walked away from it without a mark on them.
    Yeah the "hey Hey" remake he says, come on it could be shock at seeing someone run past on fire, everyone reacts different, me i think i just stare in shock maybe someone else would jump on and try to put the fire out who can really say how they react until it really do happen to them.
  • Alzboy
    Another point is that the plane was a 737 with a spanish registration, like a plane that size could fly from anywhere in Europe to the US without refuelling makes it totally illogical, the only logical explanation would be a US airline chartering a Spanish jet, but then again a bit far fetched as there are planrty of these types of jets in the Mojave sitting doing nothing..........
  • The scene has more of a punch in theaters than it does on here, that's for sure! I found myself gasping for breathe during the entire sequence. It's a shame that the whole movie wasn't up to bar in quality like this scene was!
  • I have to say that I saw this movie last night and it is one of the best movies that I have seen in the last ten years. I have to see it again. I will not give anything away about the movie, but it will entertain and educate anyone who watches it intently. In addition, the plane crash scene is absolutely the most incredible and most realistic plane crash that I have EVER seen in my life. The chills that I feel when I see it are IDENTICAL to those that I feel when I see the video of the first plane hit the towers on September 11th. Also, the clip shown here on this thread is only half the scene! the scene continues with incredible detail and explosions of engine fuel that are absolutely ear stunning and breath taking. And as for Cage's performance in that scene, as well as the rest of the movie, it's top notch, even if you don't like the actor. My hat goes WAY off to the people involved in this film, and especially in this scene. I literally could not sleep last night because of all the anxiety and thoughts that were srambling through my head from watching this movie. EXCELLENT.
  • Once again, thanks Alex for giving us a glimpse of what it's like to actually film a scene in a movie. That whole scene is very good by the way.
  • InnocentBystander
    I think it's impressive, but technically seriously flawed. The angles are off as others have pointed out. The fireball goes straight up (it should've arched in favor of the momentum of the burning fuel and debris, at least briefly). The plane tips on the wing as if it were made of the strongest ally in the Universe (it should've disappeared into the ground as if it were made of liquid). The debris ends up being too close to the freeway. In one second, the mass of the wreckage would have been hundreds of meters downrange. And so on and so forth. But, that's what folks go to the movies for, I guess.
  • Ry_
    Nice touch with the engines winding down after the crash.
  • Justin
    This scene looks amazing. It makes me want to see the film all that much more.
  • I wasn't really talking about the fact that he said "Hey. Hey!" I was talking about how he said it. To me it felt unconvincing. To you it felt real. That's part of the magic of cinema. We can all see a scene and take away different things from the same scene. I'll have to wait until I see the movie to judge if the scene is "brilliance" or not. But in the end brilliance is a subjective thing, especially in a creative format.
    To be perfectly honest, I'm more looking forward to the train crash scene. The shot from the train looking forward into the crowd of people that it is rapidly running over was eery as hell. That, to me, was a brilliant shot.
    If you want to see a truly brilliant one shot take scene I suggest taking another look at Boogie Nights and Goodfellas. Each of those scenes have a one shot take club scene that do an incredible amount of character development within the one single take. In Boogie Nights, PTA uses one single take to introduce EVERY MAJOR CHARACTER in the movie and their personalities as well as the setting and what the rest of the movie has in store for us. That was a brilliant shot. This is a special effects shot.
  • We are vigorously discussing the Plane Crash scene here because it is wildly successful cinema. This ain't just a CG plane crash.
    People on these boards are questioning the validity of John's response to the crash. For me his response to the man painfully dying in a ball of flame was real. I've had to consider what my response would have been had I been standing there next to the traffic cop. I'm certain I would have run the other way and not gone near the plane.
    John's "Hey Hey" was a response of hopelessness to an awful inevitability and therein lies the brilliance of Alex Proyas. His intent in that scene was to make us ask this question : what would I do? And that question will only arise if we care about John and are attuned to his dilemma.
    By playing the scene in real time, tracking behind John, becoming his POV and tracking again without a cut (and this was no indulgent ejeculation of a 1000 foot load that was Scene 1 of The Player) it refuses to let us objectively observe. Proyas has emotionally injected us into his scene as players and isn't this what great cinema is all about?.
  • edward
    i'm well aware.
    since when does effort equal quality? it's an achievement yes, in digital composition.

    my friend's been working for Framestore for a couple years now, maybe that's why i am so picky at cgi.
  • Dan
    Yeah, the angle is REALLY off. He runs from the sight of the crowd ducking for cover, never actually looks in the direction of the plane... it's odd. Still, a great scene.
  • L. Gerrard
    Took my mother to see it at the advance screening. That whole sequence had her crying and shaking in fear. It's very powerful within the film. I had just flown home from L.A. an hour before seeing the movie, so considering I had JUST got off a plane, it was pretty powerful. Definitely a standout moment in the movie, and a very memorable scene.
  • Let me guess, the digital post house you work for tendered for the for the job and lost.
  • LoL. I wish I worked for a post house, then I would have a steady income.
  • Tenam
    That's all well and good, that it was a complicated scene to shoot, but the end result is that it looks like an animated sequence. As does the train crash we see in the trailer.
  • duckyamuck
    Shoddy CGI? The plane isn't the only thing thats going on. Outside of the plane (modeled, lit, animated, rendered, and then physically simulated destruction), you have all the skies replaced, the rain (both real and CG), the color correction, the fire (both CG and Real) composited, not to mention the choreography of the onset SFX crew with the camera crew -- all tracked into 3 minutes (nearly 5000 film frames) of handheld camera with zooms and focal changes - not that you can comprehend the complexity that those variables create. I seriously doubt you understand the effort that goes into something like this. Are you in the film industry, edward? The hubris of saying you'll leaving it to Michael Bay, is like saying you'll leave the Green Bay Packers up to Brett Favre -- easy to critique when you aren't in the game.
  • BOOM!

    L O S T

    ...no, I shouldn't insult my favorite show like that.
  • yes it reminded me of lost, the engine noise made it more than anything I think.
    Maybe Alex was inspired by it.
  • Yeah, but that's Schindler's List.
    It's not the directors fault of course, he did a great job at shooting the scene. And he might have the potential to be the next Curon for all I know.
    But, I just get a weird awkward vibe from Cage. He can have his good films (Gone in 60 Secs, Family Man, Lord of War) but lately hes having bad films (Night Rider, National Treasure 2, Next, Wicker Man). I still can't get that one haunting scene out of my head where he dodges the bullet in Next. Just goofy and awkward. But, that's just my opinion.
  • Armyexpert
    Cage doesnt play in Knight Rider, its Ghost Rider.
  • I cant wait to see this freaking movie.....
  • Ike Motorbike
    The cutting is all wrong. There's no way the Policeman could have seen that plane coming in. Some really weird cuts in that sequence. Hmm.
  • I love how you if you say anything negative you get voted a thumbs down. Very mature.


    Great shot though, I love right when it banks into the ground and flips upwards. Really cool, i'd be pissed off though if Nic Cage yelled at me while I was on fire :(
  • I really liked the plane crash too
  • marz
    i thought it was a good shot..i like when they set up shots like that.reminds me of the one take on that kung fu movie..not ong bak but the second one that came out that some folk thought was the sequal.shows him coming in the building and fighting his way up the stairs.all that was done in one take.the only thing that seemed weird is how fast the flames seemed to disappear.i know it was raining..but still..it burned out kinda quick.
  • Something tells me that this will be the only good scene in the movie...
  • Wow, that scene was really amazing. I'm sold.
  • shadow
    I was pretty impressed by the entire sequence. Most of the effects seeming on or very close to the mark. The thing that completely took me out of it was before the effects even comes in, the man who supposedly see's the plane coming doesn't even does'nt look in the direction of the plane, he looks back along the roadway.
  • If you watch it in slow you'll see that the cop glances in the direction of the sound of the jet engines (before backing away). Cage is also completely turned and facing the incoming plane just before the crash sequence. The problem is in the editing. Once the cuts are cleaned up a bit, I think that part of the sequence will make more sense, visually.
  • Im sorry to disagree, when you see them talking you can see them facing each other with the back and front of their bodies parallels to the road, the cop is looking to were the cars ar coming from, cage the road block, oyou dont see the cop turn to the right and cage to the left, and thats were the plane comes from exactly crossing the road. The cop should have turned to the right and look awed but he just looks awed and runs back. Cage turns all the way an does the same.
  • It was very well done. Just didnt like the first guy on fire. Cage just says "hey,hey!" And he just walks right past him to help another person who is on fire!? Makes no sense.
  • Pretty intense! I think Nick Cage acted it right in the post-crash scene...something like that out of the blue would put one in utter mental shock - almost as if in a dream state. Looking forward to seeing the film.
  • I'd like to know what Alex Proyas thinks about it, when this kind of things happen, do you notice them and say "oh shit, hope no one notice" or most of the time go unnoticed till some one tells you about it, or they have to shoot it like that because a technical restriction or something.
  • Stof
    Maybe we could ask ik at Proyas himself, now he's blogging and answering at our questions at /Film?
  • John
    The crash should look/sound fantastic on the big screen. I agree though that his "Hey!" seemed corny. Instead of leaving me in awe or in shock, that part made me laugh. Plus, I doubt the guy running on fire wouldn't have had broken legs after that crash. They should leave that part out.
  • Yes that looks odd.
  • agreed first thing i noticed couldnt shake it from me head either
  • Roig
    Why hasn't this been screened for critics?
  • This scene was an oh-my-gawd moment when it was on the big screen. It was unexpected and not something you've seen before in a movie. The entire audience probably gasped.
  • Peter good luck keeping guest bloggers. Your Minions are a little to judgmental of the directors who give their time to come on here and blog about their projects. I know if I was a Director and I was getting all this trash written about my projects I would say "the h#ll with this, I think I'll re-count my money instead.
  • Yes, but Alex is a grown up, I assume he knows what he is against when posting in forums/blogs in the internet, the critics to the movie with respect shouldn't bother him and to the trolls the best to do is to ignore them.
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