Is the Fire in The Lost Bus Real or CGI?

In Apple TV+’s ‘The Lost Bus,’ an insatiable streak of wildfire rages through the town of Paradise, California. While the story mainly takes place in Paradise, it is not the only town to suffer the wrath of the fire. The film focuses on the efforts of the fire department as they try to find ways to stop any more damage, while following a bus carrying 22 children and a school teacher, Mary Ludwig, driven by Kevin McKay. Being an important element of the story, the fire is present in the movie from the opening scene to the final one. This made it extremely important to get it right, and director Paul Greengrass decided to portray it as authentically as possible.

The Lost Bus Director Used Real Fire to Create the Effect of the 2018 Camp Fire

Initially, Paul Greengrass thought of filming ‘The Lost Bus’ on stage at the Sphere Las Vegas because he thought it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get the eclipse-like haze of smoke and fire when it surrounds everything in sight. However, he changed his mind when an abandoned arts college was scouted in the town of Ruidoso in New Mexico. Not only did the town present a vibe similar to Paradise, California, but the college campus allowed the filmmaker and his team access to the roads that would allow them to make the movie without any need to turn towards public roads for filming. It was a logistically sane decision, but that’s not the only advantage it provided to the movie.

Greengrass decided to use real fire for the movie, and the abandoned nature of the location meant that the crew had more control over how to play it out. To prevent the possibility of causing a forest fire, it was decided to use gas burns to create the fire for the scenes. This meant laying down gas lines and using fire plumes, so that the environment would be contained. This tactic was used for filming scenes featuring actors. However, it was also necessary to show the grand scale of the wildfire consuming the forest. For this, the footage of real fires was used. It was augmented and touched up with effects to give it the menacing look required for the movie. Greengrass described it as “a meticulous process of augmenting reality with what was real.”

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Paul Greengrass Used an Important Time Window to Get the Desired Look for the Fire

Another major thing that Greengrass decided upon was the use of the magic hour, where the sky gains an “eclipse-like” glow necessary for the later scenes where the fire is supposed to have engulfed everything around the characters. The director wanted the “strange, occluded light” which becomes “dense and dark” as the smoke covers the sun. At the same time, he also needed the lighting to be just perfect so that the shots weren’t too dark and were visually striking while also being aesthetically correct. This meant making full use of the magic hour, which meant that the cast and crew had to be incredibly prepared.

Because of such a short time window, all the preparations were made beforehand. The gas burners and traffic pieces in the scene were set down. The scenes, especially the stunts, were rehearsed to the point of leaving almost no room for error. The kids, too, had to be prepped, considering that it could be an “intense experience” for them as young actors. “We would get three long takes basically, that’s it. And that gave us the intensity of a theater stage—you can only play it once,” he said. Fortunately, everyone was up for the task, and they gave their best.

One of the inspirations for the film, in terms of the tone, was John Ford’s 1939 film, ‘Stagecoach.’ While that helped Greengrass figure out a way to keep things moving and interesting, he also turned towards Steven Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’ to borrow the villainous element with which he presented fire. Like sharks in ‘Jaws,’ he decided to make fire a character in ‘The Lost Bus,’ which led him to add shots where we see fire slowly making its way towards the bus. It allowed him to present the fire’s “voracious appetite and insidious character,” adding a new layer of danger and intrigue to an already compelling storyline.