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Preparations are under way in Italy for more location
filming for "Quantum of Solace". MI6 rounds
up all the news from the region...
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Production Diary (16)
17th March 2008
Back in August last year, cameras rolled for
the first time on - what was then known as - Bond
22. The location
was
the Tuscan village of Siena, Italy, to capture the "Palio" biannual
bareback horserace. Daniel Craig was also
in attendance, although he merely observed and did not feature
in the filming in any way. James Bond is on his way back, as
the "Quantum
of Solace" production units
will soon be returning to Italy to film a series of chase
scenes.
The town council at Siena gave
permission for filming in which James Bond chases
through the steep and narrow cobbled streets, across
the rooftops and through the underground medieval aqueducts,
while the horses thunder round the Campo, the main square. Bond
himself will not be riding any horses during the film. The first
round of filming back in August focused on the race,
with scenes involving actors to be inserted
later. One of the
chase locations will be the 'bottini', a network of tunnels
that run under the city and cannot be visited by the public without
permission. The production team visited these locations
to collect the necessary information to reconstruct the tunnels
and alleys at Pinewood Studios.
Above: Daniel Craig watches the
action from the Palace Of Elci in August
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Earlier this week, the Siena edition of La Nazione
newspaper reported on the preparations that are being made for
the return of the location shooting - this time featuring the
actors. Approximately 1500 people applied to become extras, with
only 300 making the grade. Despite the casting being completed
at the beginning of the month, the local production office is
apparently inundated with requests. Some local streets have been
closed off already to prepare for the filming.
Preparations began on February 11th, and since
then four cranes have appeared towering over the Siena skyline.
Construction has reportedly
angered
a few
local
residents due to the noise, but many are happy for 007 to be
visiting. Areas of free parking have been set up for local residents
inconvenienced by road the closures, and the municipality is
said to be receiving more than 1 million Euros for the shoot.
Art
Director Mike Stalion said that the area is 'wonderful and is
ideal for
the fantastic
scenes
in the
film'.
Above: The Tuscan town of Siena,
Italy will play host to 007
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As MI6 reported
in January, the film will open "20 minutes" after
the end of "Casino Royale" on the banks of Lake Garda.
A car chase will ensue along the roads following the lake's
shore and through the mountains. The action will be captured
from April 15th to April 24th. Specific locations will include
the roads around Forra that rise up to Tremosine, Gargnano
and the stretch from Lake Garda to Limone a Riva.
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Local press have revealed that the villains
will set the police chasing after 007. The stunning 200
KPH car chase along the banks of Lake Garda will feature
spectacular and reckless manoeuvres in a series of tunnels,
culminating with a scene where a truck brings the action
to an abrupt halt and huge explosion.
A second unit will film parts of the car
chase at Malcesine from March 15th to March 21st, then move
on to Limone to capture additional shots. The chase will
move through the quarries near Carrara before Bond emerges
out of a tunnel in Miseglia and in to Siena. The filming
at Miseglia will take place on April 25th with a 200-strong
crew expected.
Early in the adventure, roughly ten minutes
of the film will be spent amongst the streets and rooftops
of Siena in a thrilling chase sequence. Some buildings are
having minor adjustments made to accommodate the action.
Filming for these scenes will take place in early April (ending
by
April 13th) and the production will utilise a 'cable cam'
to capture to action - the first time this equipment has
been used on a feature film. Other location work during this
period will also take in the marble quarries of Fantiscritti
and Canalgrade near the city of Carrara.
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Above: Action will be filmed
along the shores of Lake Garda in Italy in late April.
Above: The resort town of Malcesine
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Shooting will then move to Passo del Vestito
and Altagnana on May 2nd for a week, with the chase culminating
at the Piazza
del Campe (where the Pailo horse race was featured) during
the
first three weeks
of May. The chase on-foot will move through the buildings,
rooftops and balconies in Siena. A small unit and four stuntmen
are already
preparing for the scenes which will include Bond jumping out
of a window on to a fast moving bus (a specially modified bus
is being built for the shot). The bus will reportedly be speeding
against the flow of traffic towards a bridge.
Above: Local newspaper coverage
of the construction taking place
in Siena to accommodate the Quantum of Solace filming
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Briefing
Produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli (Eon
Productions), QUANTUM OF SOLACE was released in the
UK on October 31st 2008 and is directed by
Marc Forster. Principal photography started on January
3rd
2008 at
Pinewood Studios and around the UK, and foreign locations
including Italy, Panama, Chile, Peru and Austria.
Paul Haggis completed the script based on a first draft
screenplay developed by regular scribes Neal Purvis & Robert
Wade, with later polish by Joshua Zetumer. The story
is a direct continuation of the events of Casino
Royale. 007 faces off against
villains Mathieu Amalric (Dominic Greene), Anatole
Taubman (Elvis) and Joaquin Cosío (General Medrano).
Olga Kurylenko (Camille) and Gemma Arterton (MI6 Agent
Fields) play the Bond Girls. Dame Judi Dench (M), Jeffrey
Wright (Felix Leiter) and Giancarlo Giannini (Mathis)
reprise their roles as Bond's allies. It is British
actor Daniel Craig’s second outing as James Bond,
following his debut film Casino Royale released November
16th 2006.
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