NBC didn't skimp on explosives, either. During production, Nicholson's visual-effects company, Stargate Films (Ghostbusters II, Twister), burned through 40,000 gallons of liquid propane (for fire effects), 2,000 gallons of liquid nitrogen (for steam), and 500 black-powder bombs. But there were more serious costs. "I don't think any of us knew how daunting a task this was going to be," sighs exec producer Davis, of several close calls for crew members. "Thank God no one was killed. But we ended up with stuff you never see in movies made for TV."
One of the 200-member Stargate crew had to be treated for burns after the set heaters prematurely ignited a bomb; another wound up with "an oily, smoking head of hair," says Nicholson, when a machine blew up in his face yet did not injure him. Nicholson nearly bought the farm when a 200-foot fireball from a detonated house just missed his hovering helicopter.
Fitting this big-bang effort into a small-screen schedule provided additional challenges. Asteroid's principal photography took less than 60 days--in L.A. and Denver--with only 60 more devoted to postproduction, right up to airdate. In comparison, postproduction on effects-heavy feature films can take six months. "It's like an elephant sitting on my face," notes director Bradford May. "A male elephant."
Here's an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at some of the toughest--and most spectacular--sequences, shot primarily at Stargate's Burbank studios:
--The pre-pulverized version of a Dallas business district, a 30-foot- by 50-foot model (a portion of which can be seen on page 29), required eight weeks to construct. Lined with small explosives, the set was built on a carpet suspended above a rolling contraption designed to simulate ground-rippling shock waves from an asteroid smash. (By the way, the prop asteroids, which weighed anywhere from 50 to 700 pounds, were made from lava and prettied up with pumice, glitter, and iridescent paints.) This sequence had to be shot twice because the roller hit a snag during the first run, "destroying" only half the model. (It took another week to refurbish it for a reshoot.) What the viewer will see, says May, "are cars flipping and exploding, people running on fire, people blowing out of windows of buildings, and just overall hell on earth."
--The giant crater and fire-baked Dallas--post-impact (below, left)--required a second intricate model that also took eight weeks to build. Made of wood, steel mesh, and fotex (a flameproof plaster), it's wired to leak smoky liquid nitrogen. "Everybody kept sliding into the hole because it was so steep. We all had crater-burn skid marks," says Nicholson. Shooting lasted for two weeks inside the crater, though this wasn't live action; actors were filmed in front of green screens and later edited into about 80 shots. "When you're throwing yourself off balance, pretending to be on a building shaking in an earthquake, it looks ridiculous," notes Biehn. "I'm always amazed how good it turns out, because while you're doing it with no set behind you, you're thinking 'God, this is silly.'"
