The New James Bond Film Set the World Record for Biggest Movie Explosion Ever
Of all the things for which a person can hold a world record, "largest movie explosion" is among the most badass. That title now officially belongs to Spectre Special Effects Supervisor Chris Corbould.
In a new video released yesterday by Sony Pictures, we get an inside look at the process of bringing that explosion to life. Check it out:
To sum up, Corbould and his team used 8,418 liters of kerosene and 24 individual charges, each fitted with a tiny computer for precise control of the explosion, to pull off this single high octane shot. The final explosion was the equivalent of 68.47 tons of TNT, and the explosion lasted for over 7.5 seconds. Today, Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, and producer Barbara Broccoli accepted the award from Guinness on behalf of Chris Corbould.
When you combine this explosive shot with some of the other major action sequences in the film, it's clear that the production team was trying to create a more immersive and realistic experience for the audience by capturing as much of these sequences in camera as possible. Here are a few of the BTS videos that show off the production of Spectre's insane action sequences.
Regardless of whether you're a fan of the Bond franchise, or action films in general, it's interesting to note Hollywood's shift back towards practical effects and in-camera action sequences. Thanks in part to films like Mad Max: Fury Road, practical effects are exploding in popularity, and are even being used as a part of the marketing campaigns for films like this. Whether that means practical effects are experiencing a renaissance, though, is a matter of interpretation.
Still, congrats to Chris Corbould and the entire Spectre VFX team for their historic explosion.
Source: Guinness World Records
