<ul class="summary-list"><li>"<keyword id="174935" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Greyhound">Greyhound</keyword>" director <keyword id="6318547" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Aaron-Schneider">Aaron Schneider</keyword> told Insider how the movie was made without any water.</li><li>The movie uses a combination of CGI, photogrammetry, and gamer tech to make the ocean battles look real.</li><li>That's impressive given the entire movie is based around a battle at sea.</li><li>Schneider filmed on a partial piece of a destroyer built on a soundstage surrounded by a green screen.</li><li>He also used a program often used in the gaming world called NVIDIA WaveWorks which created an open ocean environment. </li></ul>Gone are the days when movie productions would have to film on a large body of water to tell stories set out in the ocean. But it's still rare not to use any water to make that kind of movie.Turns out that's what the <keyword id="95258" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tom-Hanks">Tom Hanks</keyword> World War II high seas movie "Greyhound" (available now on Apple TV Plus) pulled off thanks to a mix of dazzling CGI and game developer tech.Director Aaron Schneider ("Get Low") admits he's always been taken by the tech side of the business — before directing he was a cinematographer for years. But while teaming with Hanks to direct the star's script about an inexperienced US Navy captain (Hanks) whose destroyer leads a merchant ship convoy against German U-boats during World War II, Schneider got to go full-on geek.<h2>10,000 photos of the USS Kidd were taken to create a 3D model of the destroyer in 'Greyhound'</h2>Though Schneider and Hanks had been talking about making "Greyhound" since late 2017, the urgency by Steven Spielberg to make "The Post" (in which Hanks plays Washington Post editor-in-chief Ben Bradlee) put things on hold.That turned out to be a huge benefit for Schneider. He used that time to heavily research the battleships and submarines that took part in the "Battle of the Atlantic," which is what "Greyhound" is loosely based on.Instead of reading a few books and watching a couple of World War II <keyword id="406" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Movies">movies</keyword>, Schneider built a website of everything he needed to know about US Navy battleships and German submarines.<div type="image" title="Aaron Schneider Robyn Beck Getty" height="1355" width="1806" msid="76946708" hostid="261"></div>"Pictures, YouTube links, Wikipedia pages, high-resolution Navy archive photographs. I collected all these things and built a research website that was indexed and categorized in a way that as the crew came on the movie, they could take a deep dive into whatever they wanted," Schneider told Insider.Then he went a step further. The director and a friend flew to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and took around 10,000 photographs of the retired USS Kidd, which is one of the last existing destroyers still in World War II configuration.Those photos were then used to create a photogrammetry — essentially a 3D model — of the entire destroyer. Schneider used the model to figure out where he would place the camera when shooting the movie while keeping the claustrophobic feel of being on a destroyer.Finally, it was time to shoot the movie in early 2018, but the tech didn't end.<h2>'Every drop of water in the movie is digital'</h2>"Every drop of water in the movie is digital," Schneider said. "Anything you see out the window or over Tom's shoulder. In fact, most of the fire is digital, too."Typically a movie set at sea will at some point have scenes shot in a giant water tank, but that wasn't the case with "Greyhound." The chilly Atlantic Ocean, the thrilling battles between the destroyers and U-boats, and even the ice that builds up outside the ship's pilothouse was all created with CGI.Thanks to the photogrammetry of the USS Kidd, the production knew the layout of every inch of a World War II-era destroyer. That was vital in how it built the pilothouse and balconies that we see Hank's Commander Ernest Krause character navigate through most of the movie, which was all built on a soundstage surrounded by a green screen.Those scenes were then matched by CGI shots of the rest of the massive ship.<div type="image" title="greyhound 2 apple TV plus" height="1056" width="2552" msid="76946715" hostid="261"></div><h2>A program called NVIDIA WaveWorks created the movie's authentic ocean battles</h2>To really get the feel that Krause and his destroyer were at sea, Schneider used NVIDIA WaveWorks, a plug-in program usually used by game developers that provides interactive ocean simulation."It creates an open ocean and floats an object on the ocean based on the physical mass," Schneider said. "So if I type in the model type of a boat, it will float that object the way it would be on the ocean."In other words, the program provided realistic blocking for the movie's boats based on real-life physics. The location of the destroyers, merchant ships, and the U-boats and battle sequences were all done through WaveWorks."The goal was always to use real physics into believing that this was actually photographed in a real-world kind of way," Schneider said. "If you wanted a big close shot where the ship goes by, well, if you were doing that in real life you could be on a little Zodiac, but a Zodiac floats differently on the water than a big camera ship, so you tell the program, 'float me on a Zodiac' and then all of a sudden the sea is affecting your camera ship much differently but still in a physically real way."The result is a thrilling 90-minute movie of non-stop battles on the high sea. But as we've learned here, the real bit of movie magic was that Tom Hanks was dry and warm the whole time while filming his scenes."Greyhound" is currently available on Apple TV Plus.<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5Byeq_hyh2U" frameborder="0"></iframe>

The director of 'Greyhound' says his WWII movie about an ocean battle was filmed without a single drop of water

<ul class="summary-list"><li>"<keyword id="174935" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Greyhound">Greyhound</keyword>" director <keyword id="6318547" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Aaron-Schneider">Aaron Schneider</keyword> told Insider that he doesn't have a problem with the movie not being in theaters.</li><li>Recently, the movie's star, <keyword id="95258" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tom-Hanks">Tom Hanks</keyword>, said it was "an absolute heartbreak" that the movie won't play in theaters and instead will be on <keyword id="7463039" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="apple-tv-plus">Apple TV Plus</keyword>.</li><li>Schneider sees things differently.</li><li>"Audience is a rare commodity right now and I'm grateful to have one," Schneider told Insider.</li><li>"Greyhound" is available on Apple TV Plus beginning Friday.</li></ul>The Tom Hanks World War II movie "Greyhound" is the kind of story that's perfect for the big screen. There are huge battles between destroyers and U-boats. And it's all happening on a chilly, choppy ocean that goes on for as far as the eye can see.Sadly, that's never going to happen because of the coronavirus pandemic. And the movie's director says he's OK with that."I see it as this is the way the world works right now," "Greyhound" director Aaron Schneider told Insider over the phone on Tuesday.In an unprecedented time where Hollywood has to figure out what <keyword id="406" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Movies">movies</keyword> to make available to stream and others to hold and show in movie theaters when they reopen, "Greyhound" found itself being placed in the streaming pile. Its studio, Sony, <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/05/tom-hanks-greyhound-apple-tv-wwii-action-film-apple-wins-auction-1202938467/">sold the movie to Apple TV Plus for around $70 million</a> and now will be available to its subscribers this Friday.Hanks, who is also the screenwriter on the movie and one of its producers, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jul/06/tom-hanks-on-surviving-coronavirus-i-had-crippling-body-aches-fatigue-and-couldnt-concentrate">recently told The Guardian</a> that the movie's release on a streaming platform is "an absolute heartbreak." <div type="image" title="Aaron Schneider Robyn Beck Getty" height="1355" width="1806" msid="76856634" hostid="261"></div>However, Schneider, who admits he had little say in the decision to sell the movie to Apple, sees things differently."When theaters come back there will be a big bottleneck of films waiting, but theaters won't be able to sell as many tickets so this all won't end until everyone's eating popcorn next to each other shoulder to shoulder. Audience is a rare commodity right now and I'm grateful to have one."And the reality is, it's hard to project when movie theaters will reopen.For months, July was the target the industry had for things to begin to move back to normalcy with the release of Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" and Disney's live-action version of "Mulan." However, both movies are now slated to open in August (August 12 for "Tenet," August 21 for "Mulan") following spikes in coronavirus cases in states like Florida, Texas, and Arizona.That has now caused other states to pull back its indoor reopening plans, including New Jersey. On Tuesday, <a href="https://variety.com/2020/film/news/movie-theaters-sue-new-jersey-claiming-first-amendment-right-to-reopen-1234699923/">the governor of the state was sued</a> by a group of theater chains — including the biggest in the country, AMC, Cinemark, and Regal — claiming a First Amendment right to reopen.Getting back to the theaters doesn't seem to be something that's going to happen soon, so Schneider has no issue with how "Greyhound" will be seen this weekend."As filmmakers, we don't make movies for ourselves we make them for audiences, and the world is telling us right now that there are no audiences in the theater," Schneider said.

The director of 'Greyhound' is happy it's getting released on Apple TV Plus: 'Audience is a rare commodity right now'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Movie studios have sought alternative release strategies for <keyword id="406" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Movies">movies</keyword> amid the pandemic, such as premium-video-on-demand and <keyword id="572624" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Streaming">streaming</keyword> services.</li><li>These alternatives methods benefit low-to-mid-budget movies more than big-budget tentpoles, which generate significant revenue from the worldwide box office.</li><li>Business Insider spoke with three filmmakers whose mid-budget movies have skipped theaters this year for PVOD and streaming.</li><li>"You have to ask yourself what's the best thing for the movie," said Ric Roman Waugh, the director of "Greenland."</li><li>This embrace of digital and streaming could have long-lasting ramifications after the pandemic, the filmmakers said.</li></ul>Director Ric Roman Waugh was already working on his next movie in Saudi Arabia when he got a call last month that he said left a pit in his stomach. It was about "Greenland," his apocalyptic thriller starring Gerard Butler that was set for theatrical release this year.The movie, about a deadly comet hurtling toward Earth, was the latest to skip theaters in the US for a digital release amid the coronavirus pandemic. It will debut on premium video-on-demand (PVOD) platforms on December 18 and then be available to stream on <keyword id="7849400" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="HBO-Max">HBO Max</keyword> in 2021.Waugh told Business Insider that he had a "tremendous amount of anxiety" before the deal closed. While he would have liked to see "Greenland" on the big screen, it became clear that wasn't in the cards. All he could hope for was that the movie found a proper home."You have to ask yourself what's the best thing for the movie," Waugh said. "This pandemic isn't going anywhere anytime soon."It's a tough reality that many filmmakers have faced this year as the pandemic shifts the theatrical release calendar, forces many movie theaters to shut down, and pushes studios to rethink distribution strategies. Even big-budget tentpoles like Disney's "Mulan" and "Wonder Woman 1984" have pivoted to streaming releases on Disney Plus and HBO Max, respectively.But these movies, in normal times, rely on the profits made from worldwide box office and "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-wonder-woman-hbo-max-release-means-for-black-widow-2020-11">nothing has changed on that front</a>" despite a newfound focus on digital and streaming, said Shawn Robbins, the Box Office Pro chief analyst. And while the <keyword id="2370" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="hollywood">Hollywood</keyword> blockbuster will survive the pandemic, it has already transformed the industry in ways that could have long-lasting ramifications for low-to-mid-budget movies like "Greenland," which cost $35 million to produce."Even before the pandemic, the mid-budget movie was becoming a tougher marketplace theatrically," Waugh said. Business Insider spoke with filmmakers of mid-budget movies that have had their planned releases upended by the pandemic. They were generally optimistic about the theatrical experience, but acknowledged that the pandemic could have longterm effects on Hollywood and make streaming deals more important.<div type="image" title="greenland movie" height="1178" width="2398" msid="79413465" hostid="261"></div><h2>PVOD and streaming could benefit mid-budget movies even after the pandemic</h2>When theaters are fully operational again, there are signs that studios will continue to embrace PVOD and streaming.For instance, Universal Pictures has struck deals with several theater chains to shorten the theatrical window (movies that have bigger opening weekends will typically have longer windows as part of the deals). This could foreshadow a bigger trend and a change for low-to-mid-budget movies in particular."As much as I'll mourn the loss of the long window, the reality is that the world is just a different place today," said Adam Goodman, a producer on the upcoming straight-to-PVOD movie "Songbird" and cofounder of the production company Invisible Narratives."Songbird," which was the first movie to film in Los Angeles this year amid the pandemic, will debut on PVOD services on December 11 and then a yet-to-be-announced streaming service, similar to "Greenland" (both movies were produced by STX Films). "We obviously had hoped to be in theaters, not just for the theatrical experience but we wanted to be out of the pandemic," Goodman said.When it was obvious that that wouldn't be the case, the movie shifted gears. Goodman said that the movie is "budget-minded" for PVOD, but didn't disclose the movie's exact production budget. In other words, it's a low-to-mid-budget movie.Aaron Schneider, the director of Apple's Tom Hanks-starring World War II movie, "Greyhound," noted that the pandemic could cause a crowded release schedule once circumstances are back to normal, one in which movies that aren't "events" could struggle to break through. That makes digital and streaming deals essential."Nobody wants to see the theatrical industry harmed, but studios need audiences," Schneider said. "Imagine a world without streaming. The theatrical pipeline right now is like people standing outside the door for Black Friday. The doors open and there's only so many cashiers. It's the same for theaters. There's only so many screens and so many theaters. All of these films will be standing in line for their turn once all this is over."Many movies, from "Greyhound" to "Greenland," already dodged that bullet.<h2>Streaming services are looking for new content</h2>Several major services jumped into the streaming war either just before or during the pandemic, from Disney Plus to <keyword id="7463039" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="apple-tv-plus">Apple TV Plus</keyword>, and HBO Max to Peacock.These, along with the surge in digital rentals, created options for movie studios amid the pandemic that otherwise would have ground Hollywood to a halt. Studios have even experimented with a mix of both PVOD and streaming; Disney Plus debuted "Mulan" for an additional fee and "Wonder Woman 1984" will eventually head to PVOD after its HBO max run.The streaming space has created a competitive landscape where companies are looking to snatch up content that might attract subscribers, like "Greyhound."The movie, which debuted exclusively on Apple TV Plus in July, cost $50 million to produce and Apple bought it for $70 million after a bidding war between streaming services, according to <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/05/tom-hanks-greyhound-apple-tv-wwii-action-film-apple-wins-auction-1202938467/">Deadline</a>.It seems to have worked out well for Apple. The movie's premiere generated the most sign-ups to Apple TV Plus this year, according to analytics company Antenna (Apple has not said how many subscribers Apple TV Plus has).<div type="image" title="antenna apple tv plus chart greyhound" height="1314" width="2356" msid="79413467" hostid="261"></div>"Were we disappointed it didn't go to theaters?" said Schneider, the "Greyhound" director. "Sure, we made it for theaters and we work in the theatrical motion picture business. But we were equally thrilled in the middle of a pandemic that we found a way to get the film to an audience. It boiled down to what's the most available audience for the film.""Greenland" cost $35 million to produce and has earned $43 million from international markets where it opened in theaters. But as coronavirus cases surged in the US, the movie's production company, STX Films, decided it couldn't keep stalling and changed strategies.HBO spent between $20 million and $30 million for the pay TV and streaming rights to the movie, according to <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/10/gerard-butler-greenland-pvod-hbo-hbo-max-movie-theaters-coronavirus-1234588617/">Deadline,</a> which will start in early 2021. Waugh didn't discuss deal terms, but said he was happy with the deal. HBO declined to comment on deal terms and STX did not respond to a request for comment."You hope that if it goes to streaming that it doesn't just get dumped," Waugh said. "You wonder how it cuts through the clutter. But I was relieved to see a phenomenal deal. HBO will have to get behind it for how much they paid for it."These streaming deals will continue to be important for mid-budget movies after the pandemic.As next year's (and maybe even beyond) theatrical calendar is weighed down by tentpole "event" movies, PVOD and streaming alternatives could continue to be a safe haven for more cost-friendly fare. The recent windowing deals Universal has struck with major theater chains like AMC and Cinemark signal as much, and it's possible that more studios look to land their own agreements with exhibitors. Studios will continue to weigh what's best for theaters and PVOD (or streaming) on a movie-by-movie basis."After the dust settles, a new ecosystem could arise," Schneider said. "Movies may look and feel different for a while."

Filmmakers behind 'Greyhound,' 'Greenland,' and more say streaming and digital rentals rescued their mid-budget movies amid the pandemic — and it could lead to lasting change in Hollywood

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The director of 'Greyhound' says his WWII movie about an ocean battle was filmed without a single drop of water

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The director of 'Greyhound' is happy it's getting released on Apple TV Plus: 'Audience is a rare commodity right now'

Jason Guerrasio

Filmmakers behind 'Greyhound,' 'Greenland,' and more say streaming and digital rentals rescued their mid-budget movies amid the pandemic — and it could lead to lasting change in Hollywood

Travis Clark