Can we discuss the CGI, technology, weaponry, plane engines and their movement?
We shot the dogfights in front of a 40-meter, outdoor green screen. We had two different cranes. One plane on a hangar required a 100-man crew. We filmed 10-20 second sequences and shot all day. We built every plane as they looked then, and hung them on a mechanical arm. Then we climbed up a 10’ ladder to get inside. In those days, planes were constantly rebuilt. Pilots like Werner Voss would take new engines from other planes and from Bentleys. Voss replaced Fokker engines with these to make them faster and more efficient. New gun technology was constantly invented, as well. Why was the film shot in Prague and not Germany? Among other reasons— because it was cheaper to shoot there. Also because of the beautiful countryside, open spaces, endless tiny villages and streets that resembled those of 1914. Were the dogfights the only scenes shot in front of the green screen? Those and one outdoor street scene in our version of Berlin— where I raced to meet Hindenberg and the emperor. The rem
