When dealing with emotional footage from combat, one should use extreme sensitivity. However, film directors at Paramount Pictures failed to practice that when developing a visual effects scene for the upcoming film "Project Almanac," reported Military Times. While the movie is about time travel and has no connection to war, a devastating scene from a 1994 B-52 plane crash at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington was used.
Scene under scrutiny
In the context of the film, the scene does not have much relevance. The news source explained that the footage is used in a part of the movie that shows the characters watching TV reports of a plane crash. This part of the film was used in a trailer promoting the movie, and families of the victims recognized what they saw. Four Air Force officers, including Col. Robert Wolff and Lt. Col. Mark McGeehan, were killed in the plane crash, and two of their families spoke out about the scene. Michael Bay, the film's producer, got word of the outrage and issued a sincere apology to the families involved.
"I let film directors make their movies at Platinum Dunes [Bay's production company] and give them tremendous responsibilities," Bay said in a statement. "Well, unfortunately a very bad choice was made to use a real crash instead of creating a VFX [visual effects] shot, without realizing the impact it could have on the families."
Understanding boundaries
The news source reported that the families are grateful for Bay's understanding and timely removal of the scene. However, this provokes a necessary question for filmmakers: Where do ethics come into play when creating a film? While it may be difficult to accurately depict an action-packed scene with interesting visual effects, using actual footage could show severe insensitivity to families of those involved. Spending the extra time to create a theatrical scene – rather than using real images – could spare families emotional distress.
The news source reported that the production company insisted the footage was from a different plane crash, but that it would be edited regardless, and the film will still be debuted at the end of the month. The scene's removal was deeply appreciated by the families, who have since made their statements.
"Mr. Bay, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your apology and your quick response to this," Whitney Wolff Thompson, a daughter of one of the crash victims, said in an email that Military Times reported on. "I appreciate your willingness to admit that this was indeed a real plane crash, and that a mistake was made in choosing to use it."