Stunning aerial photography, high drama romance, dizzying ambition and lush landscapes are just a few of the enchantments of THE RED BARON, now playing at Emerging Cinemas. We were lucky enough to sit down (at our respective computers, anyway!) for an EXCLUSIVE interview with writer/director Niki Muellerschoen to pick his brain a bit about the process of making such an ambitious film. What’s more, we also have the entire behind-the-scenes “making of” mini-documentary too, for your viewing pleasure. Check it all out below!
EC: The film is based on a true story and real characters. What drew you to the material?
NM: Having possibly read almost everything written about Richthofen I still don’t have answers to some of the most important questions regarding his person – what made him special, why would he become such a superior chaser, why did he paint his plane red, how did he really die… Richthofen remains a mystery, which is part of why he became a legend and I ‘m interested in legends.
NM: And what also interests me is that Richthofen has relevance today. His love and devotion for modern technology and speed, his need to compete by means of modern technology and his ambition to master these technologies is something young people living in today’s world can easily identify with – because they do still the same. And still they go to war, naive and full of hopes and often driven by good intentions – and again and again they have to learn about the terror of war by experience – instead of learning from history.
EC: Lead actor Matthias Schweighöfer is rumoured to have a fear of flying. How did you prepare him (and the rest of the cast) for their roles as believable pilots?
Matthias Schweighöfer as Manfred von Richthofen
NM: All actors playing pilots were trained by Czech fighter pilots. Even though we shot everything in front of green screens they had to be able to pilot the planes as if they were really flying just because you can see all movements the pilot makes inside the cockpit on the outside of the plane as rudders and flaps move accordingly.
EC: Nurse Käte is an intriguing character. She eventually falls in love with The Red Baron despite her initial disdain of him. How much of her character is fictionalized?
Lena Headey as Käte Otersdor
NM: Very little. The nurse is a historic figure. Her name was Käte Otersdorf and she took care of Richthofen after he was shot in the head at the hospital at Bethune and she was also ordered to join him when he was allowed to go back to Marcke. All this is told true to history in our movie and there are historic photographs of the real Käte together with Richthofen. There were rumors about an affair, however there is no documentation about such an affair and I personally believe it never happened – making a movie and not a documentary we just took it this much further.
EC: Which, if any, of the characters do you feel most akin to?
NM: In part with all of them as all of them share a spectrum of emotions with the rest of us – hence we can feel with them.
EC: What was the most enjoyable aspect of making this film?
NM: All of it, but especially working with so many talented, loyal, brave, powerful, professional, creative and loving people in front of and behind the camera.
EC: What was the hardest part of making this film?
NM: Finding the money. I will be forever grateful to the people who financed this movie, without whom we could have never done it, who gave us all the creative leeway we needed and supported us hands-on from the beginning until today.
EC: How much was filmed on location vs. on studio sets?
NM: 60% was built on stage and/or shot in front of green screen, about 40% was shot on location in Czech Republic and Germany.
EC: Describe the process of working with your special effects team.
NM: We had very limited funds for what we set out to accomplish, which meant we had to re-invent the wheel here and there. The main thing we did differently was that we did not really stick to the common system of having a Visual Effects Supervisor being the only communicator between the filmmakers and the visual effects house. Making a movie is about communication and this is why all departments involved (camera, costume, art department, etc.) constantly communicate on many levels, and I never understood why one would burden one person with such a complex task if it comes to a creatively and budget wise important department as visual effects. This is why made visual effects a department and involved them into the process from the start. There was a constant, multi-level flow of communication not only between me and them, but between visual effects and costume, art department, camera, electric, grip, and all other departments involved. Everybody openly shared the results of their work in all stages, hence we did not waste money on miscommunication and where able to put it all on screen. This communication is responsible for the seamlessness with which visual effects and real content are going together. And the professionalism, spirit of invention and devotion of our visual effects crew.
EC: Which films or filmmakers inspire you as a filmmaker?
NM: The good ones.
Interview by Mary Gillen, Emerging Cinemas
For more information about Red Baron, visit the official website: www.redbaron-themovie.com
