Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag (2004)

Popularity:

Down 23% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Stephen Low

Writers:

Stephen Low (written by)
Denny Kuhr (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

2 December 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Short

Plot:

Red Flag is the international training exercise for air forces of allied countries where many of the...

Plot Keywords:

IMAX

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

John Stratton	...	Himself (as Captain John Stratton)
Robert Novotny	...	Himself (as Major Robert Novotny)
Sam Morgan	...	Himself (as Major Sam Morgan)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Randy Cason	...	Himself (as Tractor)
Michel Perron	...	Additional Voice
Charles Edwin Powell	...	Additional Voice (as Charles Powell)
Harald Winter	...	Voice (German Pilot)

Directed by
Stephen Low

Writing credits
Stephen Low		(written by)
Denny Kuhr		(story) &
Joe Stanley		(story) (as Joseph Stanley)

Produced by
Jan Baird	....	executive producer
Robert Kresser	....	executive producer
James Lahti	....	associate producer
Stephen Low	....	producer
Pietro L. Serapiglia	....	producer
Michael A. Williams	....	producer (as Michael Williams)

Original Music by
Michel Cusson

Cinematography by
William Reeve		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
James Lahti

Production Management
Lilly Antonecchia	....	production manager
Jill Kasian	....	Production Coordinator

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael A. Williams	....	assistant director (as Michael Williams)

Sound Department
Michel B. Bordeleau	....	supervising sound editor
Ed Douglas	....	sound editor
Ed Douglas	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gavin Fernandes	....	sound re-recording mixer
Natalie Fleurant	....	adr editor
Marc Gagnon	....	sound effects editor
Louis Hone	....	foley recording mixer
Goro Koyama	....	foley artist
Martin Lemieux	....	sound effects editor
Andy Malcolm	....	foley artist
Anna Malkin	....	foley recording assistant
Cory Mandel	....	sound re-recording mixer
Christopher Miller	....	sound editor
Christopher Miller	....	sound effects editor
Thierry Morlaas-Lurbe	....	sound recordist
Sylvain Richard	....	sound effects editor
Peter Thillaye	....	supervising sound editor
Don White	....	foley recording mixer

Visual Effects by
Peter 'Beak' Cvijanovic	....	digital colorist
Peter 'Beak' Cvijanovic	....	lead compositor
Patrick Faille	....	digital artist
Carl Gagnon	....	modeler
Gael Hollard	....	digital compositor
Sébastien Jacob	....	digital compositor
Jesse Lehrman	....	digital I/O
Fabio Lissi	....	visual effects production manager
Charles Marchand	....	digital compositor
Carlos Monzon	....	digital compositor
Mario Rachiele	....	visual effects supervisor
Craig Edward Rogers Jr.	....	digital compositor
Craig Edward Rogers Jr.	....	film recording
Luc Sanfaçon	....	lead animator
Jean-Sébastien Savard	....	digital artist
Jalal Tchelebi	....	digital artist
Antonin Messier Turcotte	....	digital artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Jeremy Advocat	....	assistant camera: SpaceCam
Brian Black	....	assistant camera
Carla Clarke	....	assistant camera
Joe Guzman	....	grip
Francis Hanneman	....	assistant camera
Dylan Reade	....	first assistant camera
Gary Sauer	....	grip
Charlie Tollefson	....	electrician

Editorial Department
Todd Baillere	....	post-production consultant
Christopher Loucks	....	assistant post-production coordinator (uncredited)

Music Department
François Arbour	....	score mixer
François Arbour	....	score recordist
Nathalie Bonin	....	musician: violin
Kim Gaboury	....	music designer (as Akido)
Martin Laniel	....	music editor

Other crew
Michael Barnes	....	financial legal services
Charles Heaphy	....	production financing
Hans Kummer	....	production consultant
Ivor Shier	....	helicopter pilot

Production Companies

• K2 Communications
• Stephen Low Productions

Distributors

• Stephen Low Distribution (2004) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• EuroVideo (2014) (Germany) (DVD)
• EuroVideo (2014) (Germany) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• K2 Communications (2004) (worldwide) (all media)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2009) (Australia) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Boeing Aircraft Company  sponsoring

Also Known As:

Runtime:

40 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:G | Germany:6 | USA:G

Company:

K2 Communications

Goofs:

Continuity: During a mission, Stratton calls "Break left!" and deflects his stick to the left. The following shot shows his aircraft rolling to the right.

A good opportunity missed due to dumbing down.

I was so looking forward to seeing this film, especially as it was made for the wonderful IMAX format, yet it turned out to be such a let down. If you know nothing about the subject yet want to feel that you are flying with the aircraft then by all means go an see this film. If you know something about the subject matter then you will pick holes all over the place in this film. Whilst not being a pilot I know enough about this to comment.

The film follows the story of a pilot from the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home AFB who goes to the Red Flag exercise at Nellis AFB for the first time. It took me three-quarters of the film to fully establish what aircraft type he flies because of the poor continuity this film suffers from. To start with, it implies he flies an F-15C Eagle but for much of the film we see sequences involving the F-15E Strike Eagle. It was only when I realised which squadron his neck scarf and shoulder patch represented that I knew for sure what he flew in. In the mix are sequences involving F-15Cs from the U.S. Airforce wing based in Japan (look for the "ZZ"s), all seen on the ground when our pilot was being discussed. The film must have been made during two or more Red Flag exercises, as we see Royal Navy Sea Harriers in one shot, and RAF Harriers in another (no, they were not there at the same time!). We have another sequence where the commentator talks about aircraft from other visiting nations, yet fails to mention the Israelis, whose F-16s we are viewing at the time. My view is that if they are too politically sensitive to talk about then don't even show us the images either! We then move to the flying sequences. This has quite clearly been filmed over Idaho: firstly, Nevada is not that green; and secondly it involves F-15s and F-16s from Mountain Home in Idaho, and A-10s from the Idaho Air National Guard (neither the A-10s or F-16s were seen at Nellis earlier). The flying sequences involve both snippets of poor CGI'd aircraft and internal views of a controlling E-3 AWACs, which is quite obviously inside a studio. The ground attack sequences should use the term "Fire for effect" as that is what they clearly are, poor fireworks!!! The one true sequence we see of modern munitions hitting their targets looks very different. I know much of this may seem like nit-picking but the film started out with so much promise, and then it goes on to suffer from "dumbing-down", which is a great shame as several bits are very good, especially one where a camera is slung underneath an F-15 and we get treated to some great low-level flying; and the shot of four F-15Es in close formation at a fairly low-level. I may not be able to review this film as eloquently as others do but that is down to my sheer frustration at a chance wasted here. I feel like the audience is being treated as a fool because of the appalling continuity and dumbing down for effect of this film. Top Gun may have had its faults but it is a far better film than this.