507 replies to this topic

[S K Y F A L L]

I never noticed Bond holding the keys before. Presumably for the crypt but there are 2 keys. 2 keys!

[Scamp]

This is the front door to the house isn't it?

[Pussfeller]

I never noticed Bond holding the keys before. Presumably for the crypt but there are 2 keys. 2 keys!

He probably had a dupe made for M.

[Vauxhall]

Possibly the first picture we've had of the priest hole?

[S K Y F A L L]

It is to me. Great post, thanks.

[marktmurphy]

I do have a picture of it but have been holding off posting it as it seemed a bit spoilery.

[The Shark]

You can always post it within spoiler tags.

[spoiler][/spoiler]

[Luigi Ferrari]

http://www.007.info/News262.asp

Sets Cleared at Hankley Common

After two weeks of main unit filming for 'Skyfall' at Hankley Common, near Elstead in Surrey, culminating in a large explosion and fire at Skyfall Lodge on the evening of March 25, work quickly began on the process of dismantling the large sets at the site.

The Hankley Common filming had involved the construction of a main Scottish lodge-house (doubling-up as the Bond ancestral home), with an outbuilding and false trees. This was built in the bowl of the valley of the Common, together with a Bond family chapel and small graveyard located further across the valley. A stone-walled gate-entrance was also constructed at the top of the valley (with a small statue of a stag on one of the gate-posts), where a track leads down into the valley towards the lodge area. It was here that the main unit filming commenced on Tuesday March 13, with Daniel Craig and Judi Dench.

After plenty of action involving small-arms fire and a helicopter over the next few days, a fire was staged on the evening of March 22 in the main mansion-style lodge-house, and then a major explosion and fire was mounted on the evening of March 25, which proved to be the climax to the Hankley Common filming. However, despite claims in the national press, the lodge-house was not completely destroyed by this. The Special Effects experts had worked their magic and skilfully planned their pyrotechnics merely to create the illusion that it was thoroughly wrecked.

Nevertheless, the scene that faced onlookers after the main shooting had ended was of a lodge with a large hole in its side, with heavily-singed windows and the immediate area surrounding the lodge looking like something out of a war zone. The ground looked suitably scorched and was littered with bits of burnt wood, (false) bits of scattered stonework, and other post-fire debris, including the shell of a burnt-out Aston Martin (which was eventually wrapped in a tarpaulin sheet before removal). A very strong and pungent smell of smoke hung in the air around the lodge for at least three days afterwards.

The pyrotechnics experts began the task of retrieving their equipment and cables from within the main building, and a worker at the site on March 28 told the JBIFC that the process of dismantling and fully clearing the lodge-house site would take about two weeks. EON will also return the heathland on the Common 'to its original condition' i.e. to as good as when they found it.

Meanwhile, across the valley, a 3-man team also began work on dismantling the chapel set on Wednesday March 28; it was surrounded by a high metal-grilled fence and a small digger started the clearance process by breaking up the small graveyard area (the headstones had already been removed, apart from two still propped up against the side of the chapel wall). By Friday March 30 the chapel had been been reduced to a metal frame, while a small army of workers had moved onto the main lodge-house site and started the dismantling process in earnest.

The JBIFC understands the film-makers are pleased with how the Hankley Common shooting for 'Skyfall' went overall. The original plan had been to use the sets for filming up to March 30, but in the end this was not necessary.

[Shrublands]

http://www.007.info/News262.asp

Sets Cleared at Hankley Common
The original plan had been to use the sets for filming up to March 30, but in the end this was not necessary.

A very good idea to cut the filming of the climax by 5 days – a few afternoons and a couple of nights was quite long enough. This gives much more time to concentrate on filming Judi Dench sitting in the back of a Jag as is right and proper on a film like this.

[S K Y F A L L]

Are they retiring the Austin Martin DB5?

[PPK_19]

Are they retiring the Austin Martin DB5?

It's going to be blown to smithereens!

[killkenny kid]

='Kamran_Shah' timestamp='1333560563' post='1192846']

:-)) Just hoping they will soon depart for Turkey to get at least some exotic location shots. I am not overwhelmed by what I have seen so far...



I have been thinking the same thing. The only location that has me jazz so far is London. I really hope I'm wrong.

[JimmyBond]

I believe London is only a smaller part of the film. We just think it's so apparent because that's where most of the publicity has been coming from.

[Luigi Ferrari]

Hankley Common is back to the quiet. An interesting set of photos showing the site before and after filming ... and one more hint.
http://theforagingph....wordpress.com/
@TheForagingPhotographer: Thank you once again for your report.

[dirtymind]

Hankley Common is back to the quiet. An interesting set of photos showing the site before and after filming ... and one more hint.
http://theforagingph....wordpress.com/
@TheForagingPhotographer: Thank you once again for your report.

There's a photo with one fake tree next to the barn. Why all the trouble for a fake tree with no leaves? Maybe it's symbolic?

[JCRendle]

I think it's because they had to copy the real building, which had a leafless tree outside.

[Shrublands]

I think it's because they had to copy the real building, which had a leafless tree outside.

What real building?

[JCRendle]

I may be mistaken, probably am, but wasn't there an actual building in Scotland that they filmed part of the scenes at? I thought they recreated said building in Surrey to blow it up.

[Shrublands]

I may be mistaken, probably am, but wasn't there an actual building in Scotland that they filmed part of the scenes at? I thought they recreated said building in Surrey to blow it up.

No, there was a photo of a large house in Scotland (which I believe they were using as a base) but other than that, it was nothing like Skyfall lodge, which is a complete invention of the film makers

[JCRendle]

ah, I was - as expected - mistaken.

[Simon]

So what are people's guesses as to the flattened bit of land Lucy alludes to as being of interest?

Have we sorted that one in posts past?

[Major Tallon]

My guess is that it was the burned-out DB5.

[Simon]

Thought she said it was a building.

Near the lodge (you can see its orientation to the lodge in the second picture) was a structure that had been kept very well hidden during filming....

[Royal Dalton]

The entrance to that underground tunnel, perhaps?

[Simon]

..but she again said that it would be interesting to Bond fans, not just fans of a good twist in a storyline.

Which to me says 1) Lucy is aware of some Bond lore and 2) we'd be interested because of its place in Bond history.

Perhaps...

[Royal Dalton]

Yeah, but by Bond fans, she probably just means us.

MTM and Vauxhall were both there, though. Maybe they'll have a better idea about what it is?

[Vauxhall]

I think it must be the patch of ground where the Aston Martin was burnt out. Although in terms of perspective it looks slightly further away from the gatehouse than I was expecting. It doesn't really look like the same area as the priest hole though.

[marktmurphy]

I think it must be the staircase, no? Not sure the Aston would count as a 'structure'.

Can't really get an idea of where it was from that with the house gone (!) but it was on the chapel side of the house which is where she's taken the next photo of the destroyed house 'from the direction of the mystery structure'. Not sure why she says it was hidden, though.

Lovely landscape shot looking over the trees below.