Back in March 2012, a small group of us were fortunate enough to visit the set of SKYFALL. Luckily situated within trilby-hurling distance, the chance to see the Bond movie-making juggernaut in full flow was too much to turn down for this Bond book author. On a gloriously sunny Saturday in March 2012 we parked up at the nearby Hankley Common – near Surrey’s Elstead and soon witnessed a brilliant fiftieth anniversary year homage to the Broccoli filmmaking mantra of doing everything for real.
Doubling up for Scotland’s Glencoe (where the story action takes place and where Daniel Craig and Judi Dench had recently filmed for some inserts), Hankley Common is no stranger to Bond (The World Is Not Enough shot there too, as did such illustrious TV shows as Doctor Who and, er, Tenko) and was a perfect fit for the scale and story/action ambitions of SKYFALL.
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- SKYFALL’s signature set looms proud over the heathland of Surrey doubling up as the desolate environs of Glencoe and the Scottish highlands. © Mark O’Connell
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- The SKYFALL chapel under construction. © Mark O’Connell
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- The SKYFALL chapel under busy construction in the spring sun. © Mark O’Connell
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- As principal photography approaches the builders put the finishing touches to the SKYFALL chapel. © Mark O’Connell
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- “When it crumbles”… the finishing touches are put to the SKYFALL chapel. © Mark O’Connell
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- Let the sky fall… constructing the SKYFALL chapel in the noon sun. © Mark O’Connell
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- “When you stand tall”. SKYFALL Lodge looms over the heathland of Hankley Common, Surrey. © Mark O’Connell
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- SILVA’s Merlin helicopter rehearses one of many trial approaches. © Mark O’Connell
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- The eyeball camera helicopter (left) prepares for another approach with the Merlin (right). © Mark O’Connell
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- SILVA’s Merlin helicopter rehearses its deadly attack. © Mark O’Connell
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- SKYFALL’s signature set looms proud over the heathland of Surrey. © Mark O’Connell
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- SKYFALL’s signature set looms proud over the heathland of Surrey with assembled camera crews and unit back-up. © Mark O’Connell
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- SKYFALL Lodge taking pride of place on Hankley Common, doubling up for Glencoe, Scotland. © Mark O’Connell
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- The eyeball helicopter goes through another camera rehearsal as SILVA’s Merlin helicopter approaches SKYFALL. © Mark O’Connell
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- The eyeball camera ‘copter against the heathlands of Hankley Common. © Mark O’Connell
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- The camera helicopter soars towards the SKYFALL Lodge. © Mark O’Connell
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- SILVA’s Merlin helicopter circles SKYFALL Lodge as the eyeball helicopter surveys the impending action. © Mark O’Connell
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