#The Plane Crash In Tenet Was More Real Than You Think

When do you decide that buying a real plane and crashing it is more efficient than using CGI? Probably around the time you’re told you have a $200 million budget for the film you’re making. That’s how much Nolan had approved for “Tenet,” but the director still initially had plans to use other methods. After all, miniatures had served him quite well in the past with “The Dark Knight” and “Interstellar.” But a fateful bit of location scouting in Victorville, CA, near a plane lot changed all that in a heartbeat.

“I planned to do it using miniatures and set-piece builds and a combination of visual effects and all the rest,” Nolan told Total Film, continuing:

“We started to run the numbers… It became apparent that it would actually be more efficient to buy a real plane of the real size, and perform this sequence for real in camera, rather than build miniatures or go the CG route.”

We’re not sure if “efficient” translates exactly to “cheaper” the way Nolan is using it. But if you can afford to buy a plane and crash it for your movie, then you buy a plane and crash it for your movie. There’s a reason the scene sticks out in a film filled with mind-bending moments that strain your sensory understanding of time and physics. Nolan knew no amount of backwards moving boats, cars, or people could out-awe the sight of a very real, non-CGI plane smashing itself into the side of a building.