logo
The Aussie drone technology helping make some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters

The Aussie drone technology helping make some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters

9 News6 days ago
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Watching Tom Cruise drive off a cliff is a stunt etched in Hollywood history. It was real, it took months of training, and it was filmed by Melbourne's XM2. "We make the impossible possible," quipped chief executive Stephen Oh from the company's headquarters, hidden in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. XM2 co-founders Stephen Oh, Aidan Kelly and Luke Annells met flying hobby helicopters. (Nine) He was controlling the camera that tracked Cruise off the cliff. "The environment was very difficult - the pressure was immense," Oh said. "It was millions and millions of dollars for a 20-something-second clip and there was a chance that we could only do that once." They ended up filming it six times. XM2 o-founder Aidan Kelly was piloting the drone itself. "We took quite a while to build up to that shot," admits Kelly, who trained with Cruise at a quarry in the UK before attempting the stunt in Norway. "As Tom got more comfortable with the drone and as I got more comfortable with what Tom was doing, there was this iteration as we rehearsed and figured out the exact angels and speed we wanted to do it at. "It just came together slowly into this one shot which is one of the biggest stunts in film history. "It was awesome to be a part of it." When 9news.com.au visited XM2, Kelly was gearing up to film the next Spider-Man film. It adds to the company's growing resume of blockbusters, including Jurassic World , John Wick and The Fall Guys , which shut down Sydney Harbour Bridge for a full day. "I was in the back of a ute controlling the drone, flying at 60-70km/h, weaving through traffic," Kelly said. "We were weaving through traffic, weaving left and right … we flew up inside the bridge and then back down the other side. It was super intense." "It's one of the highlights of my career." Oh and Kelly and their co-founder Luke Annells met flying hobby helicopters. They started XM2 in 2011 to build a drone that could carry a 25 kilogram camera. They quickly found work with David Attenborough and on Kate Winslet's The Dress Maker , but it wasn't enough when the director of Pirates of the Caribbean 5 came knocking. "He said we want something bigger and better and I said that's not possible," Oh said. "[For the camera he wanted], that drone will need to carry about 40 kilos and he said, well, if you can't fly it, don't worry about it. "We put our heads together and developed exactly what he wanted very quickly, the world's first 40-kilo drone. "It was supposed to be for three weeks, but they loved it so much that we ended up staying for six months." XM2 quickly found work with David Attenborough and on Kate Winslet's The Dress Maker, but it wasn't enough when the director of Pirates of the Caribbean 5 came knocking. (Nine) Since then, the company has expanded to Los Angeles and London, and designed stability rigs for everything from cars to motorbikes and even horses for the Michelle Payne movie, Ride Like a Girl . That technology caught the eye of Ridley Scott and drew support from the Victorian government's creative industries minister, Colin Brooks. "Full credit to this company, they are so innovative and so agile," Brooks said. "It doesn't seem like there's a challenge that they won't take on." Soon that challenge will extend well beyond Hollywood. The company is developing tethered drones that can fly for weeks to restore network signals in areas devastated by natural disasters. XM2 is also working on a prototype that can feed native animals, stranded without food, for Parks Victoria. Oh believes "this is Melbourne technology, that's going to save lives around the world". Melbourne
Australia
national
Victoria
Hollywood
Movies
drones CONTACT US
Auto news: Why Australians are still driving around without insurance.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Logan Lerman disappointed by idols
Logan Lerman disappointed by idols

Perth Now

time2 days ago

  • Perth Now

Logan Lerman disappointed by idols

Logan Lerman has been disappointed by some of his idols. The 33-year-old actor has previously been upset after getting the chance to meet actors he admired and finding out they were 'a*******' but he was thrilled to discover that Martin Short was as wonderful in real life as he is on screen, when they worked on Only Murders in the Building. He told The Hollywood Reporter: 'It's scary to meet someone you love so much because they can ruin their entire filmography for you by being an a******. That's happened to me, and those people shall remain nameless, but meeting Martin made me love his work even more.' Logan's next movie is Oh, Hi! with Molly Gordon and he estimates he spent about 100 hours in bed during filming as his character spends most of the movie handcuffed to his love interest's bed frame. He said: 'When I first read the script, I did wonder how we'd make it work, energy-wise, but I saw it came down to the bed frame and how much movement it allowed. Once we figured that out, I'd just show up to work and hop into bed. 'The hardest part was knowing I had to be naked every day - and look the same every day. That took more effort, especially toward the end of the shoot.'

Mark Consuelos 'chose right' when he married Kelly Ripa
Mark Consuelos 'chose right' when he married Kelly Ripa

Perth Now

time3 days ago

  • Perth Now

Mark Consuelos 'chose right' when he married Kelly Ripa

Mark Consuelos thinks he chose the "right" partner in Kelly Ripa. The loved-up celebrity couple are set to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary next year, and Mark has revealed that they remain as close as they ever have been. Mark, 54 - who co-hosts Live with his wife - told People: "I've been planning with this lady here since the day I met her and that's part of the beauty, I think, of our relationship is always making plans for what comes next. Some are really exciting, some are a little scary, but that's [life]." Mark thinks he made a perfect decision when he decided to marry Kelly in Las Vegas in 1996. The TV star said: "I think you have to choose somebody that you can dream with and I surely chose right." Asked if he can share any secrets about their anniversary plans, Mark replied: "You'll know when we do it." Meanwhile, Kelly previously claimed that Mark was "insanely jealous" during the early years of their romance. The talk-show host admitted that she initially struggled to cope with Mark's jealously. During an appearance on the Let's Talk Off Camera podcast, Kelly explained: "My biggest complaint about you over the course of our marriage, and this is not recent because it definitely changed ... but you used to be insanely jealous and that was a hard pill to swallow ... It's very hard being married to somebody who is jealous." Kelly recalled one particular incident that took place shortly after they tied the knot. During a conversation with Mark, she shared: "It was our first week of marriage, because we didn't take our honeymoon until later. You were working and I went to visit you in Boston. "We went to this Italian restaurant and the waiter was like a very cute old man, he's definitely in his 70s, if not 80s. He leaned down and he said, 'And for the principessa?' "I thought it was so cute that this little old man called me a princess, and I looked at him and I gave him my order in a very smiley way. And he walked away and you picked a horrible fight."

Kelly Clarkson sells music catalogue to investment firm
Kelly Clarkson sells music catalogue to investment firm

Perth Now

time3 days ago

  • Perth Now

Kelly Clarkson sells music catalogue to investment firm

Kelly Clarkson has sold a portion of her music catalogue to an investment company. The 43-year-old pop star has decided to sell some of her most acclaimed and recognisable hits, including Since U Been Gone, Because of You, Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You), and Behind These Hazel Eyes, to HarbourView Equity Partners. Kelly said in a statement: "My music is such a huge part of my journey – not just professionally, but personally. Knowing these songs will continue to be heard and discovered by new generations means everything to me. I'm grateful to HarbourView for valuing and supporting this catalogue the way they do." HarbourView's investment strategy is focused on the music, sports, media and entertainment industries. And Sherrese Clarke, the founder and CEO of HarbourView Equity Partners, is thrilled to have struck a deal with Kelly. Sherrese explained: "Kelly Clarkson is a one-of-a-kind artist whose voice and songwriting have left a permanent mark on music and pop culture. In addition to her musical genius, Kelly is a multi-hyphenate in entertainment, which is very aligned with our platform at HarbourView which invests across the broad entertainment segment. "Her catalogue is filled with anthems that have defined moments for millions of people. We're thrilled to partner with Kelly and help ensure these songs continue resonating for decades to come." Kelly became the inaugural winner of American Idol back in 2002. However, the pop star recently claimed that she didn't realise American Idol was a TV show prior to auditioning. The chart-topping pop star said on the Not Gonna Lie podcast: "For all of us in that first season, we literally didn't ... I didn't even know it was a TV show until my third audition. "Like, we were literally trying to pay our bills. We're like, 'Oh, this might work. I might meet someone or whatever.' Nobody knew it was gonna amount to anything. "We were literally, like, kids - you know, 19 years old just trying to pay my electric bill y'all. You know, and afford the deductible on my car that was bashed in that I couldn't afford. So it was a different thing."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store