Lewis Andrews worked with the XM2 aerial cinematography unit within the 2nd Unit stunt crew in Georgia for the production of Fast & Furious 9. Utilising multiple drone units simultaneously in Thailand, Edinburgh, and Georgia, the team undertook the challenge of capturing VFX array and drone aerials for the blockbuster movie.

The essence of Fast & Furious productions lies in their unparalleled speed, scale, and unbridled indulgence in pushing technical boundaries. The sheer magnitude of the production allowed the XM2 crew to explore the wildest ideas, going to radical lengths to capture the most intense shots. Closing the entire centre of a Georgia city for one month, transforming it into a film set for radical stunts, involving cars rigged with explosives, flips, and crashes, showcased the commitment to achieving the desired shots for one 10-minute scene. Every conceivable camera system, from Fred North’s helicopter involvement to the U-Crane camera car, and ground cameras, played a role, with XM2 contributing consistently to virtually every shoot and day.

The aftermath of each shoot day painted a vivid picture – a “graveyard of disused cars” sacrificed for the making of the film, ready to be reset and shot again. One memorable element was the deployment of the Armadillo, a beat-up picture vehicle, in a scene where it executed a massive “endo” off the edge of a cliff. The innovative plan involved elevating the stripped-back front end of the vehicle to articulate the moment where an A90 Toyota Supra gets trapped under the nose of the Armadillo, causing the 40 ft vehicle to rise into the air.

Fast & Furious 9 showcases the enormous scale of the saga’s productions.