Buzz
Since the dawn of cinema, directors have been captivated by the vastness of space, starting with Georges Méliès's iconic A Trip to the Moon in 1902. Whether it's delving into imaginative sci-fi ideas or striving to authentically depict the life of an astronaut, creating space-themed movies presents a unique set of challenges.
This list brings together some of the most fascinating behind-the-scenes insights into the making of space films, spanning genres from biographical epics to sci-fi thrillers.
10. The Real Perils Behind The Right Stuff
Adapted from Tom Wolfe’s 1979 book, The Right Stuff (1983) follows the journey of the pioneering test pilots who helped launch America’s space program. Their job was fraught with peril, and tragically, some pilots lost their lives. This real-world danger spilled over into the production of the film, with production designer Geoffrey Kirkland remarking, 'I think it’s the single most dangerous filming environment I’ve ever been in.'
Tragically, stuntman Joseph Svec lost his life while performing the stunt for the scene in which Chuck Yeager ejects from his out-of-control NF-104A airplane. During the fall, Svec’s parachute failed to deploy, leading to his fatal impact with the ground. The cause of the accident remains uncertain, but it’s speculated that Svec might have lost consciousness after inhaling the smoke used to simulate the crash, preventing him from deploying his chute. Director Philip Kaufman recalled, 'I didn’t use any of those shots. We were all stunned. It was so connected with the theme of the movie, how dangerous all of this stuff was.'
9. Profiting from the Corn in Interstellar
In Interstellar (2014), humans venture into space in search of habitable planets after a devastating blight has wiped out nearly all crops on Earth. Corn remains the only viable food source. Rather than relying on CGI for the 500 acres of corn required for the Cooper family farm, director Christopher Nolan opted to plant real cornfields. After consulting with Zack Snyder, who had grown 200 acres of corn for Man of Steel (2013), Nolan chose to take on the challenge.
Nolan spent $100,000 to plant the corn, a risky choice given the location in Calgary. Despite warnings that corn struggles to grow in mountainous regions, Nolan insisted on capturing a view of distant mountains. The gamble paid off as Nolan’s corn grew well enough to be harvested and sold: 'In the end, we got a pretty good crop, and we actually made money on this.'
8. Method Acting Prescribed for Sunshine
Set in the year 2057, Sunshine (2007) begins 16 months into a mission aimed at reigniting the fading Sun, meaning the crew members are already deeply familiar with one another by the time filming starts. Director Danny Boyle wanted the actors' connection to feel authentic, so he had them live together for two weeks in student housing before the cameras began rolling. Boyle believes that 'they made a group alliance together and that held for the rest of the film.' Hiroyuki Sanada, who portrayed Kaneda, confirms that the cast had 'created that sense of teamwork already' before filming commenced.
Living together wasn’t the only method acting technique Boyle employed. To fully immerse them in their roles, he had the actors watch films like Das Boot (1981) and Alien (1979), and attend lectures by scientific experts, including Brian Cox, who served as the film's scientific consultant. Boyle also arranged for the actors to experience weightlessness by taking them scuba diving and through flight-simulated space training.
7. Growing Potatoes on the Set of The Martian
Ridley Scott’s The Martian (2015), based on Andy Weir’s 2011 novel, follows astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) as he struggles to survive on Mars after being accidentally abandoned. One of his major hurdles is food, but as a botanist, Watney devises a plan to grow potatoes using Martian soil fertilized with human feces. This, by the way, is scientifically possible.
Because the movie was filmed out of sequence, the production team required a constant supply of potatoes at various stages of growth. Damon explains that they set up their own potato farm: 'They were growing them in a soundstage adjacent to the one we were shooting in. So we planted them and re-planted them on the set.' Damon admits that while he didn’t pick up skills in being an astronaut or engineer, he 'did learn how to grow potatoes.'
6. The Art of Sound Design in WALL-E
In the opening 20 minutes of Andrew Stanton's Pixar film WALL-E (2008), there is a noticeable absence of dialogue, but the silence is deceptive. The desolate Earth that WALL-E, the lone robot, explores is filled with sound—thanks to Ben Burtt, the legendary sound designer known for his work on Star Wars. Stanton repeatedly referred to R2-D2 as the model for the sounds he envisioned for WALL-E. Stanton recalls, 'I said it enough times that my producers said, 'Can we just get Ben Burtt?''
After completing the Star Wars prequels, Burtt initially swore off robots and spaceships, declaring, 'No more robots. No more spaceships.' However, upon learning that WALL-E wasn't a high-energy space adventure like Star Wars but more of a 'Buster Keaton movie with a lot of romance,' Burtt agreed to join the project. He created around 2,500 new sounds for the film, vastly exceeding the 700-1,000 sounds needed for a typical Star Wars movie. Burtt even provided WALL-E's voice himself. The sound of WALL-E's cockroach friend clicking was made using handcuffs, and the “pew” of EVE’s laser gun came from striking a slinky.
5. Katherine Johnson’s Role in Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures (2016), adapted from the book by Margot Lee Shetterly, tells the remarkable true story of three African-American women mathematicians at NASA during the Space Race. Unfortunately, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan had passed before production began, but Katherine Johnson agreed to meet the actress who would portray her, Taraji P. Henson. Despite her crucial contributions to sending astronauts into space, Johnson remained incredibly humble, with Henson noting, 'I don’t even think she sees herself as a hero.'
Although Henson found preparing for the role easier after discussing Johnson's experiences, her lack of math skills still posed a challenge. Before filming any scenes where calculations were required, Henson 'practiced over and over.' Johnson played a vital role in the creation of the book; not only did she share her story with Shetterly, but she also requested the inclusion of other women. 'She didn’t want this to be just about one person,' says Shetterly.
4. Alien School for Galaxy Quest
In the 1999 sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest, Mathesar (Enrico Colantoni), the leader of an alien species called the Thermians, enlists the help of Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen), the star of a Star Trek-like TV series. Colantoni knew his portrayal had to be odd, as he was playing a squid-like alien disguised as a human. 'The voice came from a vocal exercise I learned at Yale; it’s all about activating the seven resonators,' Colantoni recalls.
Director Dean Parisot, fond of Colantoni’s voice, established an alien school to teach the actors playing the Thermians the voice and to create the Thermian walk. 'During alien school, we threw out all sorts of ideas,' Parisot says. 'I’m basically the conductor, but they are the ones creating the performance.' Colantoni, along with Missi Pyle, Jed Rees, and Patrick Breen, attended the school, though due to time constraints, Rainn Wilson had to learn quickly from the others in a 'crash course.'
3. The Chestburster Scene in Alien
In the legendary scene from Alien (1979) where Kane (John Hurt) convulses before an alien erupts from his chest, Ridley Scott knew the reactions of the other actors would be vital. 'If an actor is just pretending to be terrified, the raw, animal fear won’t come across,' he explains. To capture authentic shock, Scott kept the cast in the dark, ensuring their responses were genuine. Sigourney Weaver remembers that the script simply stated, 'This thing emerges.'
Before the scene was filmed, all the actors except Hurt were asked to leave the room. Roger Christian, the film's art director, describes how a panel in the table was removed so Hurt could lie underneath it, and a prosthetic chest piece was placed over him. The chest was then filled with 'bloody animal innards… liver, intestines, kidneys, and lungs—whatever organs they could find.' The alien, attached to a hydraulic system, then burst through. Scott, wanting more blood, added an extra blood pipe to splatter the actors in a 'fountain of blood.'
2. Creating New Technology for Gravity
Alfonso Cuarón envisioned long takes for his space survival film Gravity (2013), which ruled out Ron Howard’s approach of using the Vomit Comet for small bursts in Apollo 13. Together with visual effects supervisor Tim Webber and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, Cuarón opted to film the actors' performances and digitally create the environment. The challenge was to perfectly match the lighting on the actors' faces to the digital backdrop, a delicate task that 'can break easily,' according to Lubezki.
The technology needed to achieve this didn’t exist yet, so they developed the lightbox: a 6-meter x 3-meter (20-foot x 10-foot) structure covered in 4,096 LED bulbs, all programmed to generate the correct lighting. Inside the lightbox, the actor would be strapped to a tilt rig that simulated the sensation of spinning in space. The rig was a labor-intensive process, and when filming spacewalk scenes, Sandra Bullock would sometimes spend up to 10 hours alone in the lightbox. For scenes inside the space station, she was attached to a rig and wires with pre-programmed movements. Cuarón notes that 'we essentially had to finish post-production before we could even start pre-production because of all the programming.'
1. Zero Gravity Scenes in Apollo 13
When adapting the story of Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise’s failed lunar mission for the film Apollo 13 (1995), Ron Howard faced a significant hurdle: how to replicate the sensation of weightlessness. At the time, digital effects weren’t advanced enough to handle the challenge, and Howard initially considered using wires. That’s when he met Steven Spielberg, who suggested using the KC-135 airplanes, also known as the Vomit Comet, which NASA uses to train astronauts. The plane achieves near-zero gravity by flying in a parabolic arc, providing 20 to 25 seconds of weightlessness.
Howard approached NASA with the idea of using the plane for filming, but they initially rejected the request. However, Jim Lovell, who consulted on the film and made a cameo as the captain of the recovery ship, stepped in. Lovell advocated for a test flight, and with his backing, NASA relented. They allowed Howard to use the KC-135 for six months. During filming, Howard, Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon endured approximately 600 gut-wrenching parabolas to capture the scenes.
