Filming was officially wrapped in Nov 2022, when the project moved into Post-Production.
Old Warden Airfield - Sept 2021
Following the success of our initial crowdfunding campaign, filming started in Sept 2021 with a day at Old Warden Airfield with David Bremner + team and their wonderful Bristol Scout 1264 re marked as 1611 with a side mounted Lewis Gun. With a limited cast and crew allowed at the airfield, focus was primarily on our actors playing Lanoe Hawker and Ernest Elton, and shooting a lot of ground-to-air footage.
As nothing beats the real thing, we are extremely pleased to be able to shoot real footage of Bristol Scout 1264, owned, built and flown by David Bremner, currently hangared at The Shuttleworth Collection. 1264 is a beautiful replica of the machine flown by David and Rick Bremner's Grandfather Capt Captain F. D. H. Bremner. The Bremners, with friend Theo Wilford began building the aircraft in 2008 from an original Rudder Bar, Control Stick and Magneto found in the family garage, and had their maiden flight on 9th July 2015.
​
We highly recommend reading David's book "Bristol Scout 1264: Rebuilding Grandad's Aircraft" and watching the videos and documentaries about their amazing feat.
​
​
We were very privileged to have the ground-to-air camera work of resident Shuttleworth camera operator Peter Baughan, who has a huge experience in filming aircraft in flight.
Felthorpe Airfield - Jan 2022
We spent a day filming our end scene centered around the infamous Manfred Von Richthofen (The Red Baron) who gives credit to the leadership and piloting skills of Major Lanoe Hawker. Referring to Hawker as the "British Boelke" and a "Flying Champion", Richthofen shot down Hawker on the fateful day of 23rd Nov 1916.
Richthofen, played by actor Nick Kanoa is surrounded by a number of Re-Enactors of The Frontline Soldier Society, Living History Group.
We were delighted to also film with a beautiful Fokker DR1 owned by Dr Peter Brueggemann, a replica made in the style of Richthofen's famous red triplane as used later in the war.
Main Filming - Eckington, Worcestershire
Our main block of filming took place over 5 days in April 2022, shooting all of our ground scenes. The first day was spent resurrecting our set from three years of undergrowth. We re-visited the same spot where we had created a small "No-man's Land" for our previous film - White Feather, and found much of the barbed wire and pieces of corrugated iron were still there! A quick scrape with a digger by Harry (the land owner) and reorganization and we had our setting for Maple Copse, where Lanoe Hawker and Louis Strange head out at night to find the fallen German aeroplane. We had a small break midday to film some shots with Lanoe Ertl who plays a young farm boy near the Aerodrome. This was a special moment, as the young man is actually the Great, Great Grand-nephew of Lanoe Hawker and his namesake. His parents among many of the Hawker family who supported the production.
The following day our main cast and crew arrived for a full day of filming. The morning was spent filming the Bristol Scout 1609 crash site and the afternoon/eve spent filming the Maple Copse scenes.
Main Filming - Dalry, North Ayrshire
We said goodbye to some of our English Cast and Crew, headed up to Scotland to film the next 2 days at Daniel and Charlotte's house in Dalry, North Ayrshire which had been converted to our film set and dressed as 6 Squadron HQ and Officer's Mess, and welcomed our new Scottish Cast and Crew.
​
The morning was spent filming our Officer's Mess and a scene in Major Shepherd's Office with Col Burke. Due to a positive COVID test, we lost our actor playing Burke a day before shooting, so Director - Daniel Arbon took over the role and left the Directing to his partner and Associate Director Charlotte Ellen.
The afternoon was spent in the opposite corner of the room, filming Hawker's bedroom
The last day was spent outside with our cockpit. Setting up on some land next door, we moved the Bristol Scout cockpit, fans and equipment over to film the cockpit close-ups. Thankfully the weather was on our side!
Picnic Scene - Cambridge
In August 2022 we spent a morning with Tom Lewin and Charlotte Ellen by the banks of the River Cam outside of Cambridge to film the picnic scene where Hawker and Beatrice are dancing together.
Pick Up Shots - Dalry, North Ayrshire
​
With filming wrapped, we began compiling a rough edit of the film. It became clear that there were a few shots missing that would really help with the storytelling. Around this time we were approached by The Great War Aviation Society who wished to give us some extra financial assistance. This couldn't have arrived at a better time and allowed us to arrange a day of "Pick Up" shots back in Dalry.
​
We were able to film a number of shots through out the day, in and around Daniel's garden and shed. A trailer was converted to an Albatros Ci Gunner, which gave us a "down the barrel" shot of Hawker's Bristol Scout in the German sights. We built a trench wall as foreground for soldiers looking up at the sky and used the interior and exterior of the shed as an aircraft hangar. After a good day of filming we were officially wrapped and the long process of Post Production could begin.
