After just a few fleeting seconds, all hope is already lost. A hellish wall of fire speeds towards a group of terrified people… but there is nowhere to go. Engulfed by the flames, they suffer a shrieking and horrible death.

The fire blazes on, devouring walls, tables and chairs and bursting windows and doors. For those still surviving amidst the pungent fumes and flying debris, the hope for rescue rapidly dims…

On the 600m2 set of “Raging Inferno”, which consists of 26 individual sets, things are heating up. Within the replica of the Berlin Television Tower, which was built almost exactly to scale, the action is being played out amidst real fire.

The Special Effects team, under the supervision of Karl-Heinz Bochnig, has created an inferno using both a special “fire paste” and the herb Lycopodium, which was known in the Middle Ages as “witch’s flour” because of its explosive properties.

Although close attention has been paid to the materials chosen to be burnt, the constant use of fire extinguishers on the set creates fumes that make it difficult to breathe, forcing the film crew to wear gas masks at all times. In preparation for all of the big fire scenes, both the set and the studio are outfitted with additional ventilation systems to remove all of the smoke and pump in fresh oxygen.

The main actors (Stephan Luca, Silke Bodenbender and Christian Kahrmann) have “Wet Gel” sprayed on their faces and in their hair to protect them against the heat, which can soar to a scorching 400°C. The cinematographer and his camera team are outfitted with the same protective clothing worn by actual fire fighters; it’s only the camera itself that suddenly starts falling victim to the dangerous heat. Parallel to the ongoing shoot, Torsten Jerabek and his stunt team are continually preparing for the safe execution of the numerous spectacular stunts.

In the 25 minute “Raging Inferno – The Making Of” special, which was produced in English, a reporter accompanies the camera crew for two consecutive days of the filming in Vilnius, Lithuania, then for half a day’s shooting in Berlin and finally one day of post-production in Munich.

The reporter conducts interviews with the main actors, the director and Wiedemann and Berg – the producers - who were recently awarded the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of 2006 for their widely acclaimed film “The Lives of Others”.

Raging Inferno: Making Of
Documentary, 1 x 25’
Directed by Rainer Matsutani
Starring Stephan Luca, Silke Bodenbender
Produced by Wiedemann & Berg Filmproduktion GmbH Co. KG for ProSieben in association with SevenOne International
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