Q&A with Stan McClain |
Article by
Haakon Kjole  33 /
Published 24 Jan 2002, 06:20
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Stan McClain is the man who shot all the great aerial-scenes in all three seasons of Airwolf, which we love seeing again & again! He was part of the 2nd unit which was responsible for shooting the action sequences. The cameras & lenses where of the type Panaflex ® by Panavision ®.
He shot with a Tyler Major Mount in a Jet Ranger most of the time, but also the "outside mount" that was used on a Hughes 500 (pictured above). The mount allowed him to sit outide the helicopter looking either forward or backward when he shot the chase sequences. Quite often he shot at 12 frames per second (which makes the action twice as fast) for action scenes which needed Airwolf to look as if it was traveling fast.
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1. How did you learn your skill and for how long have you been in the business ? How did you join up with the Airwolf-crew and had you worked with David Jones before ?
I first became interested in aerial cinematography when I had the good fortune to meet and work with Jim Freeman who shot the aerials on a movie titled Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He encouraged me to pursue my dream, and when I was 21 years old, I was neither jaded nor distracted from achieving my dreams. That was 1972. I worked at Continental Camera Systems from 74-81 and became a freelance camera operator in ’82. It was then when aerial coordinator, David Jones, asked me to join him for the ‘82-’83 season of Magnum, P.I. We went on to Airwolf from there for the next three years.
2. Have you been working on many other series/movies ? Are you still shooting film, and in that case are you always an aerial cameraman or are you "grounded" as well ? The other day, I browsed the net, and I got a link to ´Los Angeles Aerial and Special Photography´ who had information on ´Stan McClain, Inc.´. This must be your own company, right ? These "Airwolf-related" sites were listed, Stan McClain, Inc., Jetcopters, Inc., McKernan Motion Picture Aviation. I guess ´McKernan MPA´ is Peter J. McKernan Jr´s company ?
Although I’ve shot very little episodic TV since Airwolf, I’ve kept quite busy, and mostly in the air. Two years ago I shot the 2nd unit on Drop Zone, which involved extensive lighting at night both in the air and on the ground at the "landing" zones. I´ve also shot seven short non aerial films for Playboy. Some of my aerial adventures include: The Ghost and the Darkness, Bird Cage, Nixon, The Money Train, Seven, Murder In The First, Nell, The Client, I Love Trouble, Tombstone, The Good Son, Falling Down, Wind, Basic Instinct, At Play In The Fields of the Lors, The Doors, Flatliners, Fire Birds, The Hunt For Red October, and Rambo to name a few. I’ve also worked on several hundred commercials, including the Beck’s Beer Sail Boat series. Stan McClain, Inc. is me, and I hope to have the page usable soon. McKernan Motion Picture Aviation is Pete Jr., who has emerged as a major player. His father is basically retired although he may work from time to time just for fun.
3. Do you know a) where the "Airwolf-in-the-lair" scenes were made, b) were the actors did their "cockpit"-scenes, and c) where the "F.I.R.M. building" is located - I have heard that it´s in Thousand Oaks ?
a) On stage at Universal. There was a mock up there, and at times David would fly the 222 there. b) Most of the cockpit scenes were on stage when shot from inside showing all of the bells and whistles. c) Yes, the FIRM building is located right off of the Ventura Freeway near Westlake Village. It’s been through a couple of owners, I think its an insurance company now.
4. Can you sort of describe how a "general" days work at the Airwolf-set was for you ?
We’d normally meet at Jetcopters before sunrise and leave as a flight of two, three, four, or five to the Santa Clarita Valley, just north of Van Nuys where 90% of our filming was done. We’d land and head straight for the caterer for breakfast burritos and coffee. David Jones led the aerial team and would brief the pilots on their duties. We’d work with no more than one hour’s worth of fuel to keep the aircraft light and maneuverable, or land after six rolls of film, then regroup for the next flight. It was not uncommon to complete six to ten missions a day.
5. Were all the helicopters in the series provided by Jetcopters, Inc. ?
Most of the helicopters came from Jetcopters, however on one episode David Jones brought in a half dozen Hughes 500´s (And They Are Us). At one time Jetcopters had up to 15 helicopters. They were mostly Jet Rangers and Long Rangers, an S76 (HX1), a 500D, 3 Hughes 300 (for training), and of course the Bell 222B. In the episode Airwolf II they brought in another triple-deuce from a company at Van Nuys Airport, who´s name escapes me. They´ve been out of business since the late 80´s.
6. Were there many camera units filming at the same time, and did you meet the actors ? Did you have any camera mounts on R/C choppers as well ?
When shooting the action sequences, rarely do the principal actors participate. Stuntmen double for them. Some times we did work on the same set, that is the first unit might shoot Hawke or Santini entering the aircraft, then we´d take it from there. We did not use any RC story or camera helicopters.
7. Can you give me a complete pilot list ?
As you know, Peter McKernan owned Jetcopters (he sold the company name to Kevin LaRosa shortly after Airwolf was finished). During the first season Kevin was a fireman who had gone through the pilot´s training course with the L.A. Fire Dept. The second season he worked full time at Jetcopters. Clay Wright may have worked on one or two shows but the main pilots were David Jones, Jim Deeth (VP Jetcopters), Larry Kirsh, and Dirk Vahle. On the second season Peter McKernan JR joined in, as did Rick Shuster, Alan Purwin, and Kevin. There was a Jetcopter pilot named Scott, who was piloting the Huey the day of our one and only crash.
8. Yes, on the tv-show StuntMasters I heard that there was a crash during the episode ´Natural Born´ which killed one of the great stuntmen. Can you tell me something about this tragic insident ?
The stuntman who was killed on Friday the 18 of January 1985 was Reid Rondell, and came from a long line of stuntmen - he was third generation (father & brother were also stuntmen). David Jones entered the burning helicopter and got Scott out, but Reid was pinned under the engine and unconcious. He died in the fire.
9. Did you see the inside of Airwolf many times ? I see that they did alot of real-cockpit shots in the 1st season (I have some pictures of the cockpit taken at an airshow) instead of using the "simulator cockpit". Can you tell me something about that.
The cockpit was 100% stock. The rear seats were removed, and the passanger area was gutted totally. The inserts were done by a special effects crew who also shot the telescoping machine guns on the sponsons,and rocket launcher on the belly. In reality, the rockets pod just bolted to the belly, and the end caps on the sponsons came off, and the guns were bolted on.
10. When shooting from the air, I would think one has to be careful about sunlight, shadows etc. Is it only the pilots who have to think of things like that ? I guess you have direct communication at all times ?
Actually the quality of light is a major factor in any photography and as the cameraman it is my responsibility that we choose headings which will complement the composition. The pilots do play an important part in bringing the shots together, but ultimately it is the cameraman who is responsible for the photography. We use a "Hot" mic in the cameraship, and when shooting other aircraft, the pilots are always in touch.
11. Can you tell me where the sand-dune scenes in the pilot-episode were shot ?
The sand dunes were near Brawley, CA. The grand canyon looking area was in Arizona- Monument Valley. When we went there the first time, it snowed that night so there was a layer of "white" everywhere. Although they used the footage, we later went back to catch the "Hot desert" look.
12. Is the whole scene fully co-ordinated when you start filming, or do you pick up ideas underway ?
100% of the time we leave the ground with a plan of attack and use story boards most of the time to aid us. However sometimes targets of opportunity become apparent and if possible, or if safe, we will deviate from our plan to include something that was not scheduled. For example, one day on Magnum PI we were flying back from Maui to Ohau when we spotted some thrashing in the water. As we approached, we saw two huge Whale tails intertwined sticking straight out of the water. I rolled the camera and as we approached them 10 feet off the water their "dancing" stopped and their heads surfaced to see what all the noise was about. They both took one deep breath and sounded. What we witnessed were two whales in a very private and erotic moment - all caught on film.
13. Do you have any favourite memories - Anything special that was more fun to do ?
Most of our work involved working in the desert, which was usually hot and dirty. Once during the 2nd season we went to Catalina Island, which is located 26 miles across the sea from L.A.. This wouldn’t normally be exciting, but for the Airwolf crew, we felt like we’d won a trip to Tahiti. The shooting was routine however.
14. The 1st-Season started on CBS in January ´84, and finnished in April. Did you film most of the aerial-scenes as the show progressed, or did you have alot of stock footage allready made at the end of 1983 ? Did you make all the ´Airwolf flying-around´ scenes (non combat, who could be cut into any episodes) in 1983/84, or did you keep on filming scenes like that all 3 years ?
The first season consisted of 13 episodes, and we did shoot a lot of footage that was used for the next two seasons, and for the "Airwolf II series in Canada". Sometimes we were shooting specific scenes that where borrowed time and time again throughout the life of the show.
15. I have talked to Tom Yantis who together with Larry Jolly was responsible for the Airwolf scale-models. Did you film those models as well? He said they were shot at 48 frames per second to give the illusion of real weight and aerodynamics. There is once scene I wonder about. We see Airwolf from behind flying *very* low in Monument Valley, making turns, and flying very close to the terrain. I think this was only shown on the end-credits a couple of times. This has to be one of the Airwolf RCs ? Was Larry Jolly (or another R/C guy) sitting in a helicopter flying behind the Airwolf-model and controlling the R/C while you were filming it ? I just can´t figure this out...
There were very few minatures what so ever. I know Pete Slagle who built one of the miniature models, and I don’t recall when it was used except for the shot from underneath as it flies vertically out of the lair. I never saw any other miniatures, and actually I don’t recall any scenes where they were used. I’ll ask some of the pilots if they recall any. I think I know the scene. Is it where Airwolf banks a lot as it comes close to camera, then right over the top? We were on a cliff using a 250mm lens and shooting at 12 FPS. At 12 FPS the two main rotor blades look blurred instead of choppy as they do at 24fps. None of the actual flying scenes were minatures - I can guarantee that.
16. Any news with any of the crew-members ?
Yes, last month I presented the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Operating Cameramen to David Jones for his carreer as a movie pilot.
17. Did you ever meet Donald P. Bellisario during the shooting of aerial scenes for Airwolf? Did he instruct you on how you should capture the shots when he was directing episodes?
I met Don while working as an assistant cameraman, and later as the aerial cameraman on Magnum PI and Tales of the Gold Monkey. Don kept me and pilot David Jones aware of Airwolf, even while he was writing his first draft. David Jones was the main pilot and 2nd unit director. Don would tell or show us what we needed, however we were on our own during most of the shooting. Don got his helicopter license during Airwolf and he´d ocassionally fly out and see how we were doing. It was a great excuse to get out of the office.
18. Could you mention some of the places where you filmed aerial scenes? (They can´t all have been shot near brawley and in monument valley?)
Most locations were at Indian Dunes in the Santa Clarita Valley. We also used Palmdale, Lancaster, and Mojave. We only went to Monument Valley twice. It snowed the first day on our first time there, so we went back a few weeks later after it warmed up a bit.
19. I have heard rumors that Airwolf didn´t really crash in Germany. I know it is very likely that you don´t know any more than i do on this matter, but i am going to ask it anyway: Have you gotten any information on the destiny on Airwolf after the series ended?
I only heard of the crash from Haakon Kjole. I know it was sold and went to Florida, but the Bell222 has ended up being an unpopular helicopter and I see very few around, which means they´ve either been sold over seas or crashed.
20. Could you tell me how often real air-stock footage was used, and how often rc helicopters were used in the show? I have heard that only the explosions and the helicopter flying through the tunnel was performed by rc-helicopters, but surely more scenes was filmed using rc choppers?
You are correct in that the only RC shot I know of is where Airwolf is seen from underneath as it climbs up and out of the lairs chimney.
21. Do you keep in touch with any people you met on the set?
Those pilots I keep in touch with include David Jones, Peter McKernan Jr, Dirk Vahle, Larry Kirsh, Rick Shuster, Steve Hinton, Jim Deeth and Kevin La Rosa.
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| This concluded our Q&A with Stan McClain |
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