War Film props

[Stav]

When a film needs a helicopter, or 50 tanks or 1000 guns, where do they get them from? Do they just go along to the Army and say: 'Here is a milllion squid, can we borrow your entire vehicle section for a week?', or are there companies out there who have loads of stuff like that just for films?

[Pinotage]

It depends. If its modern day equipment, then yes they do go to the forces who are usually glad to assist if the movie shows them in a good light. If its older equipment then they'll try a third world army that has bought up eurplus US/UK/Soviet equipment. If its really historic then there are several companies that hire out military equipment, plus collectors and military re-enactment clubs. Few films show 50 moving tanks all at one time, clever cutting can make one or two tanks seem like many, mockups can be used for background shots and of course today CGI can be used to create the effect.

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Top Gun was made with the enthusiastic co-operation of the US military, who didn't charge and found the movie was a good recruiting device. Battle of Britain movie hired WWII era planes from the Spanish air force. For Napoleon the filmmakers hired an entire army to portray soldiers in the battle of Waterloo.