Living in the Age of Airplanes

 

Living in the Age of Airplanes is divided into five chapters and has a standalone opening with a quote from Bill Gates: "The airplane became the first World Wide Web, bringing people, languages, ideas, and values together".

The first chapter, "The World Before the Airplane", observes that ancient humans walked from Africa to Ushuaia 200,000 years ago, many died during the difficult journey. Geographically isolated, humans mapped the universe before the Earth and were unaware of other unreachable cultures. Walking remained the only transportation for over 195,000 years until the invention of the wheel. 4,500 years later came the advent of mechanical transportation which, though faster and more efficient, was still restricted by the nature of land and sea. Airplanes are considered revolutionary; where others could only travel at around 10 miles per hour (16 km/h), they could fly at speeds up to 500 miles per hour (800 km/h); they can also cross land and sea, and does not mandate airports.

The second chapter, "The Portal to the Planet", says aviation is crucial to connecting the world; it is said to be the equivalent of time travel and a bridge between cultures. Each day, 100,000 take-offs and landings occur, and 250,000 people board flights "at any moment in time". The third chapter, "Redefining Remote", depicts Maldives, a country that is now accessible with seaplanes despite being made up of small islands and shallow waters, making airports difficult to build and ships impossible to approach. Despite the difficult terrain, airplanes reach Antarctica, a remote continent, making it accessible to tourists and researchers. The fourth chapter "The World Comes to Us" depicts cargo aviation, which allows products to be quickly shipped worldwide; flowers' perishable nature had restricted shipments to just country-wide but with cargo, they can be shipped anywhere long before they perish. Thanks to air travel, Las Vegas became the largest convention hub. As the outcome of the many conventions, those who have never flown are impacted by rapidly-growing industries.

The final chapter, "Perspective", laments flying has become ordinary and has lost its joyousness, becoming frustrating. According to the film, however, "every era is a golden age, it's just a matter of perspective", using aviation as philosophy to endorse the appreciation of the present day and asking audiences to imagine a world without aviation. It then says no virtual technology can replace aviation's ability to bring people physically close. After saying "the most meaningful [place one could go with airplanes] is home", the film ends with scenes of landed passengers embracing their waiting loved ones.

In 2005, Brian J. Terwilliger released his feature directorial debut One Six Right, which focuses on general aviation from the viewpoint of pilots, under his company Terwilliger Productions.^[1] It has since gained a cult following among aviation enthusiasts.^[2] In 2007, he conceived the idea of a film focusing on the impact of commercial aviation on society. He planned the film would give context to aviation to relive its wonder and hoped audiences would "not look at flying the same way again".^[3] He described the film as a "love letter" to the aviation industry.^[4]

Terwilliger wrote the narration with Jessica Grogan, and Daniel Oppenheimer wrote additional narration.^[5] The working title was Aviation Epic, in reference to the film's large scale and ambitious nature.^[2] Terwilliger chose to show the difficulty of pre-aviation life to make the film relatable,^[6] and gave it a philosophical theme, comparing aviation to the Internet, which "could help us share ideas and communicate with other people so quickly now. We can create another [t]weet and the whole world knows what you are thinking in seconds."^[7]

According to Terwilliger, pre-production included months of getting filming permits and finding crew members who would help the filming process, such as language interpreters and drivers. He considered the logistical aspect of production the most challenging. He initially pitched the idea to National Geographic Films but decided to keep the production independent, as he had on One Six Right, to make it true to his vision, worrying National Geographic would try altering his ideas and become involved in the production process, losing his creative control. According to him, the film's budget was relatively high.^[3] The film was first announced without a title on September 15, 2014, in an interview with podcast Film Courage. Amid pre-production, a short film called Flying Full Circle, in which Terwilliger flew with the Blue Angels, was made.^[8]

 

 

 

 

The Mojave Air and Space Port, Hong Kong International Airport, Iguazu Falls, and South Pole, four of the many locations in Living in the Age of Airplanes

Principal photography was done in 95 locations, in 18 countries on all seven continents: Africa,^[a] Antarctica,^[b] Asia,^[c] Europe,^[d] North America,^[e] Oceania,^[f] and South America.^[g] Within the United States, they filmed in the states of Alaska,^[h] Arizona,^[i] California,^[j] Hawaii,^[k] Nevada,^[l] North Carolina,^[m] Tennessee,^[n] and Utah.^[o][5] This makes it the first IMAX film to be filmed at such scale.^[3] Filming began in 2010 when the first Arri Alexa camera was released; the crew decided to purchase its seventh iteration before the model was made available to the public.^[3][9][10] They were unable to use film cameras due to financial and logistical shortcomings.^[11] Other filming equipment included prime and zoom lenses, a triangular jib, sound equipment, and various kinds of support, which weighed over 160 lb (73 kg). Terwilliger said in the film's production notes; "Just getting to the locations could be a real challenge. One day in Costa Rica, we went to shoot suspension bridges] and ended up hiking 4.5 miles (7.2 km) in and out of the forest with all this gear. [H]alf the job is carrying equipment, the other half is actually shooting." There were four skeleton crews. Andrew Waruszewski, who had filmed documentaries for National Geographic, was engaged as cinematographer upon recommendation to Terwilliger by producer Bryan H. Carroll. Terwilliger said Waruszewski had the attention to detail and level of commitment he was looking for. Discussions about the cinematography included symmetry and tone; Terwilliger wanted every shot in the film to look "like a commercial".^[9][12]

The crew began filming in Mojave Air and Space Port, the first scene in the film,^[12] and continued to the GE Aviation and Airbus factory, where components for an Emirates Airbus A380 were being assembled.^[13] A Canon EOS 5D was used for time-lapse sequences, which were photographed by Ben Wiggins, who was of the splinter unit: at times separate from the main crew, and at times would leapfrog each other.^[3] In certain scenes, such as those featuring Hunts Mesa, he would have two 5Ds; one acting still and another doing a hyperlapse.^[14] Meanwhile, Terwilliger had Doug Allan filming the South Pole scenes for 11 nights in January.^[p] Despite his longtime experience of living in Antarctica, Allan had never visited the South Pole until filming for Living in the Age of Airplanes.^[9] Helicopters, such as the Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil,^[15] were used for aerial shots except for those in Maldives, where a chartered seaplane was used because helicopters are outlawed in that country.^[3] Other cinematographers were engaged for aerial and underwater scenes in Australia, Kenya, Maldives, and the United States. Some scenes were filmed in a Qantas Airbus A380 flying a Los Angeles-Sydney route.^[16]

In "The World Comes to Us", Terwilliger chose a flower as the primary object to depict cargo aviation because it is "timeless", culturally appreciative, and perishable.^[2] The film crew followed a shipment of roses from Kenya as they travel to an Alaskan house, transiting at an Amsterdam warehouse and Memphis International Airport.^[17] When they arrived at the house and began setting up their filming equipment, the roses arrived. Terwilliger wanted the roses to have arrived from Kenya to make the film's message genuine.^[18]

Although some shots were planned using flight data from FlightAware,^[5] some were impromptu at the cost of the crew staying in the locations for extra days. Impromptu shots include those of airplanes flying above ancient monuments, "juxtaposing the old and the new",^[3] and a shot of a Trans Maldivian Airways seaplane nearing a shipwreck, which required the crew to organize with the pilots.^[2] At times, the crew would revisit prior filming locations to reshoot. Generally, the crew stayed a few days at each location; they spent 16 days in the Maldives, with poor weather further extending it.^[7] Terwilliger considered the entire Maldivian scene the best.^[19]

In some instances, poor weather prohibited filming; in one instance, San Francisco fog filled up the Golden Gate Bridge as they intended to film it from a location they reserved for only a day.^[20] The shot of a hermit crab crawling over the Maldivian sands took two hours to film while the crew instructed the crab to move in the required direction; prior, several other crabs were "auditioned".^[10] According to Terwilliger, he and the crew felt privileged they "got to experience many things that [the] film talked about".^[7] Filming ended in 2012, lasting over 100 days.^[21] The crew filmed 260 hours of footage, only 47 minutes of which were used because IMAX theaters have hourly showtimes.^[3] According to Terwilliger; "We just shot and shot and shot, even though I know we'll never use this ... Most of the time I was right: We didn't use it. But sometimes we did. When you have those options later, it's a beautiful thing."^[2]

 

The film's five-chapter structure was not conceived until editing began in 2014.^[2] Brad Besser, who has worked on The Pacific, was chosen as the film's editor; he and Terwilliger had "gathered clips from the Internet to build a rough video storyboard for the entire film" prior to filming.^[9] Because of the film's experimental, non-linear nature, Terwilliger described dividing it into chapters as a challenging process. There are some subtle stories—a frustrated family is seen at the beginning but is revealed at the end to be waiting for a loved one—though those were not planned.^[2]

Choosing which shots to use was also noted to be frustrating, though it was simplified by removing shots depicting poor weather.^[7] Historical footage was licensed from Periscope Films, the Mitch Dakleman Collection, UCLA Film & Television Archive, and Budget Films Stock Footage. Visual effects for the Earth and flight patterns were produced by Whiskytree, for disappearing infrastructure by Identity FX, and for the three-dimensional text tracking by Legion Studios.^[5] According to Terwilliger, the visual effects required people in creative and technical fields to form a perfectly shaped Earth, as a photorealistic Earth is subjective.^[22] The last shot of Earth features a flight pattern from FlightAware as seen on July 24, 2014.^[23]

Because the film was shot digitally, it had to be transferred to 15/70 and 65/70mm celluloid prints by RPG Productions and FotoKem, respectively,^[5] for IMAX purposes.^[24] Cinelicious did the telecine and restoration of the 16mm format.^[5] Terwilliger wanted an A-list narrator and score composer for the film, and wanted the narrator to have experience with aviation. Harrison Ford, who is also a pilot, recognized Terwilliger from One Six Right and accepted his offer to narrate the film, which was done over three days in early 2014. Ford narrated the entire rough cut of the film, watching it five times to "get into the character".^[2][3]

James Horner befriended Terwilliger in 2008 while meeting at an air show;^[25] he agreed to compose the score.^[2] His goal was to give the score a spiritual feeling to match the film's tone,^[26] thus employing the world music genre.^[27] The score mostly consists of major-key harmonies, with two cues being the only minor ones, and a score features an orchestra.^[25] Horner thought the score marries together aviation and music.^[28] The score was performed Slovak National Symphony Orchestra at the Slovak Radio Concert Hall and some parts were recorded at the AIR Lyndhurst Hall.^[5]

The film's score was released as a soundtrack album titled Living in the Age of Airplanes (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), on September 14, 2016 (the same day coinciding its streaming and home video release) to Apple Music,^[29] and through Amazon in MP3 format.^[30] It was remastered by Peter Doell.^[31] The album was released physically through Intrada Records on August 23, 2017, of between 3,000 and 5,000 copies,^[6] via Amazon.com^[32] as well as their official website.

 

Living in the Age of Airplanes contains themes of human migration, globalization, and the history of aviation.^[33] The film is self-described as "a visual journey about how far we've come and how fast we got there".^[34] According to Seginus Aerospace, the film's theme is connection because it shows how people and objects may travel more easily and quickly using aviation; according to the narration; "Everywhere we go, we find pieces of everywhere else".^[35] Philip Cosand, a volunteer critic and former projectionist at the Pacific Science Center IMAX, said the film's main theme is perspective because its main point is to shift audiences from a negative view of aviation to a positive one, and to broaden audiences with a technical view. He said it has very few technical points, as does the IMAX documentary To Fly! (1976).^[36] Blake Snow of Paste summarizes the film's moral as commercial aviation having "enhanced human life, especially [their] adventurous spirit"; although the industry is imperfect, it deserves one's perspective and gratitude.^[37]

Visually stylistic choices drive the film forward.^[38] It has been categorized as a travelogue documentary by various critics.^[39] Terwilliger said some shots have metaphorical meanings; for example, a shot of a tree in Africa represents the continent as the film's heart.^[10] Paul Thompson, writing for TravelPulse, said "Perspective" is a reference to sitting in an aircraft's window seat; "There are so many awful, divisive things going on in our world right now, that flying seven miles over it all is quite a wonderful escape sometimes".^[40]

The first trailer for Living in the Age of Airplanes was premiered on July 19, 2014, under the initial release title Aviation: The Invisible Highway, at the 2014 Global Business Travel Association convention.^[41] It was later released on YouTube on July 29.^[42] Two months prior, test screenings were conducted, gaining generally positive responses.^[43] On December 12, it was announced the title had been changed to Living in the Age of Airplanes and its release date was confirmed.^[44]

National Geographic Films acquired the rights to the film on December 15; president of distribution Mark Katz said t is on par with their "mission to inspire, illuminate and teach".^[45] Cosmic Picture acts as sub-distributor.^[46] The film's YouTube channel released two of its trailers on December 16, 2014, and April 3, 2015; the second trailer is sorter and has excerpts of Ford's narration, while the first has an edited version of the Invisible Highway trailer,^[q] and includes used texts and shots unused in the film, and the song "Outro" by M83 playing in the background.^[34][47] The poster was unveiled on March 7, 2015,^[48] with the tagline; "A mile of runway can take you anywhere".^[49] It emphasized Ford's role.^[48]

 

Living in the Age of Airplanes premiered on April 6, 2015, on an exclusive Emirates Airbus A380 flight with the flight number EK/UAE1400, which took off from Los Angeles International Airport, flew over Hollywood, circled over the nearby Pacific Ocean, and landed at the same airport.^[51] GE Aviation was among the invitation senders,^[52] and the film's social media team did a sweepstake.^[53] Following a press conference at the airport's Emirates Lounge,^[50] attendees, including aviation enthusiasts, museum staff, and media, were able to watch it on the aircraft's entertainment screens^[54] as well as interview Terwilliger and Horner; Ford was unable to attend after being injured in a plane crash,^[49] which National Geographic reported created more interest in the film.^[55] Terwilliger also clarified that Emirates did not sponsor the film.^[3] Harriet Baskas of USA Today praised the premiere, calling it "fun and appropriate",^[1] and Mikey Glazer of TheWrap called it the "coolest movie premiere ever".^[50] Living in the Age of Airplanes then premiered theatrically at the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater^[56] at the National Air and Space Museum on April 8.^[57] Terwilliger chose the venue in remembrance of watching To Fly! in the same place. Living in the Age of Airplanes was played three times a day until 2016.^[4] Premiere attendees included Congressional staff, NASA personnel, as well as members of other federal agencies.^[58]

It was later released on April 10 in IMAX, Omnimax, digital, and museum-located cinemas^[26][59][60] throughout the United States and Canada,^[61] beginning with 15 venues.^[26] Whether or not an IMAX documentary film gets screened is up to individual theaters; thus, the film's public-relations team rely on the general public to contact their nearest appropriate theater in order to expand screening venues.^[62] In Montreal's Canadian Museum of History, the film was translated to French. retitled Vivre À L'ère des Avions.^[63] It was supported by Aéroports de Montréal, and a French dub track by Guy Nadon was also made.^[64] The Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts' Michelle & Kevin Douglas IMAX Theater screened the film free-of-charge for students of USC School of Cinematic Arts.^[65] It was also screened for attendees of the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.^[66] The film also played in Franz Josef, Vilnius, and Valletta.^[67] Screening continues long after; in December 2, 2017, the TCL Chinese Theater screened the film and hosted a question-and-answer session with Terwilliger.^[68]

On September 14, 2016, National Geographic released Living in the Age of Airplanes on DVD and Blu-ray formats. The releases include a small booklet with a scene guide,^[24] which includes an online password to three of the film's Easter eggs as well as a preview of One Six Right.^[69] Special features include three aviation B-rolls, a deleted scene set in Hawaii, five behind-the-scenes videos, a video of the Emirates premiere, and the second trailer. Possibly due to product placement, there are nine videos by Airbus, GE Aviation, and FedEx that tour their works.^[24] There is also a DVD+Blu-ray edition, with higher discounts as more of them are purchased.^[70] Terwilliger Productions also released the film on their VHX website, including access to the special features.^[71] The film was also released for streaming on iTunes and YouTube Movies; Juice Distribution distributed it on the latter,^[72][73] and the special features were also accessible via iTunes.^[74]

In Australia, Living in the Age of Airplanes earned US$7,787 at the IMAX at Melbourne Museum (first released February 3, 2017), and in the United Kingdom, it earned US$224 at the BFI IMAX (first released October 15, 2015); thus earning a total of US$8,011 according to The Numbers. The film appeared on several charts, gaining 17th place at "All Time Worldwide Box Office for National Geographic Entertainment Movies".^[61]

As of October 30, 15,359 Blu-rays were sold in the United States, earning US$460,460 and reaching number 13 on the daily sales chart. Overall, DVD sales earned US$241,093 and Blu-ray sales earned US$1,476,672, for a total of US$1,717,765, according to The Numbers.^[61]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Rotten Tomatoes	57%[r][75]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Blu-ray.com	[s][76]
Common Sense Media	[77]
High-Def Digest	[t][24]
Quad-City Times	[39]
Times Colonist	[78]
The Seattle Times	[79]

Film critics were polarized on the contents of Living in the Age of Airplanes; many praised it as a celebratory and insightful look at aviation^[80][81][82] while others panned it as an endorsement of the industry,^[83][84] although Snow thought that is not a bad thing.^[37] The film drew praise from voice actor Roger Craig Smith, journalists Jon Ostrower and Amelia Rose Earhart, personality Jason Silva, and Jason Rabinowitz, host of Flightradar24's podcast AvTalk.^[85]

Several critics thought it succeeds in showing the difficulty of life pre-aviation and the subtle impacts of aviation, making it an overall emotional experience;^[39] Paula Fleri-Soler of the Times of Malta called it "An ode to planes".^[82] Its ending was praised as a tearjerker.^[38][39][86] Sandie Angulo Chen of Common Sense Media recommended it as an add-on to a museum admission, especially for aviation enthusiasts, citing its rich visuals and educational value.^[77] Tiffany Lafleur of The Concordian noted the flawless transition between topics with no fillers and recommended it for documentary fans.^[81] The quality of Ford's narration received polarizing opinions; some reviewers called it stiff and overblown,^[49][78] though it was also labeled awe-inspiring^[80] and personal.^[76] Michael D. Reid of the Times Colonist credited much of the film's success to Ford, calling the line "The airplane is the closest thing we've ever had to a time machine" the most-powerful of the film.^[78] Cosand said the narrative is similar to that of Rocky Mountain Express (2011) but with more landscape cinematography.^[36] Aviation publications said Living in the Age of Airplanes will most like appeal to a wide audience rather than a niche aviation community,^[23][52][54] though Fleri-Soler said otherwise.^[82] Some critics stressed the importance of viewing the film as if one has never heard of aviation because Ford's narration instructs early on; "for only with a blank canvas can one truly appreciate the significance of this film".^[74] The film was also endorsed by prominent figures in the aviation industry,^[43][87] and was used in a 2018 event in collaboration with several United States airlines in response to the decline in the number of pilots.^[88]

Other critics were dismayed by the film's lack of historical content; pioneers like the Wright Brothers are not mentioned. The film also omits the disadvantages of aviation, such as its status as a major contributor to climate change, and was accused of glorifying the industry,^[79][84] although the film's narration states aviation is far from perfect.^[89] Daniel Eagan of Film Journal International noted that "The World Comes to Us" shied away from topics of capitalism and underpaid labor when depicting shipping.^[84] The uncertainty over the future of aviation is also not covered, though John Hartl of The Seattle Times called the film a "modest" and a "nearly seamless, [...] sunny depiction of what to expect and [has] been accomplished".^[79] However, Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter stated the film "doesn't shy away from pointing out the many inconveniences suffered along the way".^[80] Chen criticized Ford's narration for "accusing" travelers of not enjoying flights without mentioning the origin of the problem.^[77] Ronnie Scheib of Variety said that "The World Before the Airplane" is the only good segment; he deemed the travelogue nature inappropriate and the editing confusing.^[83] Scheck called the film a publicity stunt for the aviation industry, which was experiencing many accidents and incidents.^[80] Cosand said criticisms of the film not being technical enough are invalid; he recommends the IMAX documentary Legends of Flight (2010) for those who seek technical information.^[36] Jonathan Turner of The Dispatch-Argus said the film's purpose is not to educate about aviation but is rather "an ardent fan's love letter to flight" and nature.^[86] The School Library Journal said the film has low potential for being an educational tool and only recommends it for public library collections,^[90] though NASA and The Henry Ford made a curriculum guide for it.^[91] Some critics lamented the film's short running time.^[92][76]

Most reviewers praised the visuals, called "inventive" and "consistent".^[78] Luke Hickman of High-Def Digest said the film blurs the line between digital and IMAX, comparing it to Planet Earth (2006). He also noted some shots, such as zooming out from a jet engine and flying across a savannah, appear illusionary and three-dimensional.^[24] The film's aesthetics were also compared to the writings in the book The World is Flat (1976).^[49] Scheib praised the film for nicely conveying the intended messages of each scene.^[83] Thompson said the combination of shots represents a love of aviation.^[92] According to Scheck, the visuals play a large role in Living in the Age of Airplanes; without it, Ford's narration would mean nothing.^[80] Some said the film's visuals alone are worth paying for.^[40][77] Reviewers of the Blu-ray release noted minor color banding during a montage of planes landing at night and tiny aliasing on certain shots but said these are not severe, Hickman calling it "reference quality".^[24][76]

Horner's score received universal acclaim for its ambiance and rich tone;^{[80][39][86][93]} Hickman said it is better than most film scores.^[24] While it was said to be "a bit schmaltzy", it is spirited and makes a "lovely" album.^[94] Cosand called "Home" excessively dramatic, albeit appropriate in context to the film.^[36] The score was considered a good representation of Horner's style but its relative brevity compared to his other works was noted. Nils Jacob Holt Hanssen called "History of Transportation" the best track, with "The Golden Age is Now" being the runner-up, and "Flowers" being the most atypical and humorous.^[27] The film's sound design was praised for its clarity, nuance, and balance.^[24][76] Scheib and Eagan, however, panned the score as excessive.^[83][84]

Terwilliger responded to audiences who criticized Living in the Age of Airplanes for not being similar to One Six Right, stating the core audiences are not them and that he felt One Six Right portrays general aviation as it should, leaving no need for a follow-up. He stated the criticism was expected and that some One Six Right fans expressed awe at the difference between One Six Right and Living in the Age of Airplanes.^[19]

In a 2016 interview with Tom Hudson of James Horner Film Music, also in response to Horner's death in a plane crash shortly after the film's release, Terwilliger said:^[6]

The issues [in aviation] are in the news: they are talked about, they do get their screen time. [This film] is meant to take the things we don't think about and put them front-and-center. The advertisement ... is, 'It's a beautiful thing that we're living in the age of airplanes'. It's a celebration of that. It makes no excuses. It's not a propaganda film. It's not a Wright brothers film ... we don't mention any of the milestones of aviation. It's very big, ... 35,000-f[ee]t view of aviation.

[T]he tragedy is incalculable, and the loss, for sure. It doesn't change aviation for me, in terms of my love of it, in terms of the message in the film. [I]s it perfect? No. Is there some risk? Yes. Is there more risk in small planes and [private flying than in big planes and commercial flying? Yeah. Those facts haven't changed, and it's very unfortunate, but it doesn't impact my love or enthusiasm at all for it. Ever since I was a kid, I think it's a beautiful thing.

• Winged Migration (2001), a documentary also shot on all seven continents

 

Wikiquote has quotations related to Living in the Age of Airplanes.

• Official website
• Living in the Age of Airplanes at IMDb
• Sensory-friendly screenplay by the Science Museum of Minnesota (archived at the Wayback Machine)
• Living in the Age of Airplanes at Metacritic  
• Archive of the Aviation: The Invisible Highway website at the Wayback Machine
• WorldCat list of libraries with the DVD-Video or Blu-ray in stock