Life of Pi, based on a novel by Yann Martel, follows the story of a young Indian boy who survives a disaster at sea by taking refuge in a small boat occupied only by a Bengal tiger. The film earned director Ang Lee the coveted best director award at the Oscars and is a visual feast for the eyes, but putting it together wasn't as seamless as it looked.
Lee and his team decided to create a massive wave tank. It was built on an actual runway at a Taiwan airport — in fact, it was carved
into the middle of the runway. After spending four months to develop, a
250-foot-long, 100-foot-wide and 9-foot-deep tank was able hold up to
1.7 million gallons of water. One wall was even movable, so they could
take advantage of sunlight.
Acting in the middle of these effects was challenging. Sharma was alone
in the middle of the tank, floating on a small boat. During an intense
wave scene, he didn't even have contact with the crew because he was so
isolated in the tank. They could only communicate with him by blasting a
loud air horn — one blast meant "cut" and two meant "go again," and
takes were filmed one after another. Sharma also had to reset the scene
himself, by replacing props after every take.
Mashable's Samantha Murphy had an insider interview with Director Ang Lee. For more on this, click here.
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