Mission: Impossible Behind the Scenes - Best Tom Cruise Stunts Explained with Wade Eastwood

Mission: Impossible Stunts Explained - Stunt Coordinator and 2nd Unit Director Wade Eastwood walks us through the planning and execution of the most insane stunts in the Mission: Impossible franchise like Rogue Nation, Fallout, and Dead Reckoning.
What is a Stunt Coordinator in Film? ►► bit.ly/ht-mi
Check out the Full Interview with Wade Eastwood ►► bit.ly/fi-ea
StudioBinder Blog ►► bit.ly/sb-bl
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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to the Mission: Impossible Stunts
01:11 - The Role of Wade Eastwood, Stunt Coordinator and Second-Unit Director
04:54 - Hanging on a Plane in Rogue Nation
06:23 - Long Take Underwater in Rogue Nation
07:37 - HALO Jump in Fallout
09:35 - Helicopter Chase in Fallout
13:03 - Motorcycle Cliff Jump in Dead Reckoning
16:24 - Takeaways
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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE STUNTS EXPLAINED
It’s almost objectively true that Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible films have occupied the apex of jaw-dropping stunts for years. And now, with the 7th installment, Cruise and Co. have raised the bar…again. In this video, we had the honor of sitting down with Stunt Coordinator and 2nd Unit Director Wade Eastwood to discuss those insane Mission: Impossible stunts and the harrowing tales behind them.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE BEHIND THE SCENES - ROGUE NATION
We’ve all wondered what it would be like to hang on to the outside of an airplane mid-flight, right? Well, Tom Cruise actually did it. What’s really amazing about the Airbus sequence is that the crew had only two days to complete it - one for rigging and rehearsal, one for shooting. The only safety precautions were eye contacts to protect his eyes and a rope and harness to keep Cruise from falling to certain death. The underwater vault sequence required an entirely different set of skills. The biggest one was Cruise holding his breath for up to 6 minutes in the same shot.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE STUNTS BTS - FALLOUT
In the next film, Fallout, another plane is involved, but instead of hanging on, Cruise jumps out of it at an altitude of 25,000 feet. This was the now-iconic HALO jump, and Cruise became the first actor to complete it on camera. Because they shot it at dusk, the camera (strapped to another diver’s helmet) had a very limited depth of field which meant precise choreography and planning. In another sequence, Cruise piloted a helicopter himself during an alpine chase. To capture the actor and his surroundings, specially designed camera rigs were mounted to the helicopter.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE STUNTS - DEAD RECKONING
In this installment, the team pulled off what might be the most dangerous stunt yet. Cruise was tasked with driving a motorbike off of a cliff and then base-jumping into the canyon below. While that may not sound extreme, the number of variables and potential accidents made this a big “don’t try this at home” stunt.
As Eastwood explains, the most impressive aspect of these Mission: Impossible stunts is that Tom Cruise also has to act in character while he’s piloting a helicopter or driving off of a cliff. The thrill that the audience experiences is uninterrupted by cutting away to a stunt double. These are the reasons why Mission: Impossible stunts are a cut above the rest.
When we take a look at Mission: Impossible behind the scenes and how Mission: Impossible stunts were filmed, we find a group of professionals pushing the limits on what's possible in film.
#FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking
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♬ SONGS USED:
"Mission Accomplished" - Lorne Balfe
"Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (Music from the Official Teaser Trailer)" - Lorne Balfe
"Stairs and Rooftops" - Lorne Balfe
"Fallout" - Lorne Balfe
"Your Mission" - Lorne Balfe
"Action Drums (Instrumental)" - Rhythm Scott
"Change of Plan" - Lorne Balfe
"Cutting on One" - Lorne Balfe
"The A400" - Joe Kraemer
"The Torus" - Joe Kraemer
"Free Fall" - Lorne Balfe
"Night Driveway" - Max H.
"Good Evening, Mr. Hunt" - Joe Kraemer
"Fate Whispers to the Warrior" - Lorne Balfe
"And the Warrior Whispers Back" - Lorne Balfe
"Noah Sleeps" - James Forest
"The Manifesto" - Lorne Balfe
"The Exchange" - Lorne Balfe
"Dojo Tradition (Instrumental)" - In This World
"Should You Choose to Accept..." - Lorne Balfe
"Mission Accomplished" - Lorne Balfe
"Steps Ahead" - Lorne Balfe
"Mission Impossible - Main Theme" - Danny Elfman
Music by Artlist ► utm.io/umJx
Music by Artgrid ► utm.io/umJy
Music by Soundstripe ► bit.ly/2IXwomF
Music by MusicBed ► bit.ly/2Fnz9Zq
─────────────────────
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Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction to the Mission: Impossible Stunts 01:11 - The Role of Wade Eastwood, Stunt Coordinator and Second-Unit Director 04:54 - Hanging on a Plane in Rogue Nation 06:23 - Long Take Underwater in Rogue Nation 07:37 - HALO Jump in Fallout 09:35 - Helicopter Chase in Fallout 13:03 - Motorcycle Cliff Jump in Dead Reckoning 16:24 - Takeaways

[@rashidmalik4583]

❤

[@tfpp1]

This guy is gonna single-handedly bring about the creation of the category of Oscar for best stunt work.

[@StudioBinder]

Let's hope!

[@_The_Archive_]

Fun Fact: For Fallout, the bathroom fight was meant to be shot in four days, but due to the complexity of the fight, it ended up being shot over several weeks.

[@LuisSierra42]

That fight was legendary ngl

[@AV.Creative]

@@LuisSierra42 fr 👌

[@StudioBinder]

Too good!

[@RockyRacoon5]

Yup, it took 1 month!

[@jasoneaton3680]

‘This isn’t mission difficult, Mr Hunt. It’s mission impossible, Difficult should be a walk in the park for you.’ Tom Cruise and a stellar crew making the impossible, possible. Outstanding cinema👏👏

[@MagneticDonut]

didn't know how insanely well prepared and executed these stunts were. Thank you SB for another amazing video analysis!

[@StudioBinder]

Cheers!

[@alejandrovargasaguilar6180]

You have not idea how much this put a smile on my face. The stunt director is my hero here, he helps to develop the story that mcquarrie and cruise wants to bring into the audiences. That passion for such extreme sequences ended up making me a fan of the saga. What cruise does is matchless to what other people. What a year for action movies, specially because most major blockbusters are pure CGI, a very horrible CGI work most of the time. Here we have pure cinema in sense of camera work and narrative. Tomorrow will see dead reckoning i am beyond excited to see my favorite action hero and movie hero.

[@StudioBinder]

Great year for us action junkies

[@clausvergara9702]

This man deserve an Oscar for his work in the stunt industry. All the people behind the fantastically stunt works, even putting their live at risk. So sad that the stunt work does not recognize as an important art.

[@Malik-Ibi]

they can start giving Oscars for best stunts with him

[@StudioBinder]

hopefully one day!

[@RohanKumaar]

Now i want to watch the film just to watch this VIDEO LATER 😆 Studiobinder rocks !

[@StudioBinder]

No spoilers in this one!

[@hbaldinr]

Tom cruise movies that have this amount of real practical scenes are the most amazing experiences you can experience in the movies. The guy and his team are a beast

[@harshdhankar3551]

The Academy has to start recognising the great and important work the stunt performers and coordinators do in films. With more and particularly impressive action movies releasing, it's high time for the Best Action / Best Stunt category...

[@StudioBinder]

Crazy there isn't one yet

[@samazwe]

Wade makes me so proud to be South African. It's very rare someone from here can make it that big in Hollywood, but it speaks to his exceptional skills and uncompromising dedication to his craft. Wade, Tom and McQ always deliver the best

[@SamuelNasta]

Someone: What if James Bond really did all those tricks? Tom Cruise: Say no more

[@StudioBinder]

And Ethan Hunt was born

[@ekal_27]

Bike cliff jump shots are stunning！

[@StudioBinder]

Too good!

[@RSG_TheMonster]

Got to appreciate that they shot all of these complicated action sequences on real 35mm film (right up till Dead Reckoning)

[@strikerbowls791]

The Halo jump and helicopter chase were digital

[@StudioBinder]

Whatever best captures the action!

[@jalenjohnson1662]

Yeah I’m curious why they finally switched over to digital for the whole film. I liked that every Mission film was shot on 35mm.

[@olabodeolujomoye]

The amazing stunts Tom does is just mind-blowing. His crew is simply extraordinary.

[@keysersoze4309]

Just watched an advanced screening yesterday. Loved the car chase scene. The cinematography was great as always. I especially loved the staging, blocking and camera angles in this one!

[@StudioBinder]

Can't wait!

[@Juliano_DJOL]

To think how T Pastrana did the moto jump back in the day is nutz!

[@StudioBinder]

🔥

[@jpl9723]

We deserve to know these behind the scene stunts of Tom Cruise! He's a legend

[@KillerTacos54]

Incredible film. Thank you for making this video

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@RogueWolfArtist]

“Don’t be careful, be confident.” Steps to living an amazing life every day.

[@TheASHLEYSMITHY]

I beleive its 'be competent' not confident

[@gudduentertains]

​@@TheASHLEYSMITHYtrue

[@Osmone_Everony]

An amazingly SHORT life that is but each to their own.

[@danielcielak9228]

Pretty sure the saying is “don’t be careful, be competent”

[@LuisSierra42]

@@Osmone_Everony yeah, not everyone is Tom Cruise

[@hossbeki9266]

You are the next chad staleski, awesome job

[@StudioBinder]

Would love to see that!

[@8KHDRVideoBySittipong]

Mission Impossible team is incredible. Love all of Mission Impossible movies.

[@StudioBinder]

The best action team in the world!

[@arshanifeb]

The dedication he put in this franchise was crazy 🛐

[@StudioBinder]

We're lucky to have both!

[@ahmedmounir469]

Amazing job by Wade Eastwood, Tom Cruise and Christopher Mcquarrie.

[@priyeahnka]

I ONCE TALKED TO WADE EASTWOOD IT WAS SO GOOD!!! I LOVE THEIR WORK❤ LOVE YA EASTWOOD

[@StudioBinder]

Got to love the stuntmen and stunt coordinators making these scenes happen

[@MiguelNdiweni]

Tom Cruise is one of the best actors in the World

[@matthewkeegan666]

Taking my sons to see this on Wednesday. Can't wait.

[@matthewkeegan666]

The new one, I mean. Obviously.

[@StudioBinder]

Should be fun!

[@GeorgeVenturi]

This is dedication to an art form in danger of disappearing

[@StudioBinder]

hopefully he inspires future actors to do the same

[@denniszenanywhere]

I just rewatched that famous practical effects scene from American werewolf in London and miss non-CGI movies. Cruise is the only one left from an old era that I think was more creative because of restraints or limitations.

[@dushyantsingh244]

Love you studio binder all team from India ❤❤❤

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@mrx1333]

Amazing stunts from Cruise, Wade, and team!

[@StudioBinder]

💯💯

[@jhoelmav7212]

Just watched the film and was spectacular!! I don’t usually watch trailers before a movie I like, and this time I’m glad I didn’t see anything. Now I’m here and it feel more thrilling than the actual film. The jump was breathtaking. Tom, Mcquarrie and staff deserves the recognition all pepople are giving them. TC is such a star!

[@StudioBinder]

Nice!

[@Juliano_DJOL]

Man! Great video! Also much respect to Tom Cruise I always wondered about Misson Impossible stuntz! Crazy he does the stuntz!

[@StudioBinder]

He's not careful, he's competent!

[@Flynja1]

This is why movies like these have such high budgets.

[@LuisSierra42]

Their budgets are not that high tbh

[@StudioBinder]

You can see every dollar on screen!

[@cranny5237]

@@LuisSierra42$291 million budget filmed in multiple countries, explosions, dangerous stunts, building and destroying their own trains, Covid lockdowns its not a high budget??

[@vicentecampos2893]

I watched it yesterday, great film. MI saga never disappoints.

[@TheJoStephan]

Proudly South African, Wade! Born in Durban and still keeping that SA accent beautifully! Great career !

[@kavishprod8439]

Tom Cruise is a different breed. Wow

[@tashamiel]

Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning part 1 is sick! it’s jawdropping, heartwrenching, over the top action. my anxiety had anxiety watching the movie. Tom Cruise is undoubdtedly craaayy. also, when is part 2 out cuz I need to see it stat! 😩

[@StudioBinder]

next summer!

[@quitestiger2818]

After the MI franchise wraps up ,i want Eastwood to debut as a movie Director Imagine Eastwood joining inthe ranks with Stahelski and Leitch

[@StudioBinder]

Would be amazing if he can make the jump

[@cmd6939]

Let's see how they do outside of John Wick franchise going forward, I'm in the minority, but I thought 4 was rather awful.

[@adonysfemi]

He delivered!!

[@StudioBinder]

🔥🔥

[@strikerbowls791]

Rogue Nation is a masterpiece

[@StudioBinder]

💯💯

[@ZankitVeeEz]

Always wondered about how the HALO jump was shot and about the camera guy who shot it. Incredible !.

[@ashleylodewyk7454]

Fantastic. Loved this video. Loved your info on how they did that cliff jump sequence. 👍

[@StudioBinder]

Glad you liked it!

[@soggybawsmoto]

Saw the film last night. This is excellent.

[@Indrakusuma_a]

The opening of Rogue Nation is the best for me. I couldn't believe they put the biggest stunt of the movie for us right from the get go.

[@marcochen9117]

the only major gripe i had with part 1 was that the two cop agents served absolutely no purpose in the story but to hog 10 minutes of total screen time to obviously show how they are in a thin line between following their superiors and doing what they think is right. And how the biggest stunts in the movie of cruise jumping off a motorcycle and speed flying were cut extremely short.

[@BrushWayne47]

Yesss, definitely right! When i watch it, cross in my mind why the BIGGEST stunt that need a lot of time and source in final cut is really really short?? I don't understand and because of it that scene is not memorable, i think this part one compare to fallout is one level below it.

[@StudioBinder]

Where'd you watch it? Comes out July 12 in America

[@intothehyde]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt that way about those two things. There's great action in the film but I felt overall it was much weaker than fallout. Hard to top fallout though.

[@trnding2038]

My guess is that they came up with the stunt before they wrote the screenplay. It did not flow with the story and was not really needed. You could perhaps say that about some of the stunts in previous films as well but it was more obvious here. Still an incredible stunt though.

[@marcochen9117]

@@StudioBinder australia already had showings on the 8th

[@lucie462]

JE me repette respect a notre Tom pas juste un acteur,mais en méme tant un cascadeur exceptionnel.un homme or norme.❤❤❤❤❤👍👍👍💯💯💯💯💯

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@arghyachakraborty]

Just came back from the theatre! Tom Cruise was 🔥 as always! Don't miss.

[@StudioBinder]

🔥🔥

[@JoacoCarnero]

This guy might be the other safety guy that Matt Damon jokes about 😂

[@StudioBinder]

😂😂

[@infamous070]

One of the greatest Hollywood Star ✨ ever lived on the Earth 🌍 also appreciate the hard work of end unit director/ stunt coordinator and his team 😮❤ 🔥 I've said this 1000 times and I'll say it a million times that I can watch M:I movies till forever 🤗❤️🔥 love you Mr. Cruise 😊

[@miked1869]

Nice video - just one small point. HALO jumping does not imply a particularly low parachute opening - the "L" is just to differentiate it from HAHO jumping, where the parachutist opens unusually high. HALO and HAHO jumps are performed using modern RAM-air (rectangular) parachutes. While these canopies are great, they are more prone to malfunction than the old-fashioned round parachutes. Additionally if they do malfunction, unlike round canopies they have to be jettisoned before opening the reserve parachute. A skydiver in a belly-to-earth position towards the end of a HALO freefall is going to be falling at around 120mph, so is eating up altitude very quickly _but_ needs the parachute to open relatively slowly in order not to injure him or her through sudden deceleration - so it's not unusual for a parachute to be designed and packed so that it might take up to a thousand feet to open fully. All of this means that (unless you are BASE jumping) there is a minimum safe altitude for opening a parachute on a HALO jump, and that is definitely not below 2,000 feet. 3,000 feet is the likely minimum.

[@dangulol]

The aerial sequence was shot on a RED gemini, you can see it on the outside footage, I also know Craig who was the camera guy who shot it.

[@StudioBinder]

👌

[@debopamroy56]

Name one movie star willing to literally kill himself for a realistic film performance. There are many immortal actors I can count on my two hands, but only one Tom Cruise. He is pure cinema. Lives, breathes, flies, jumps and swims cinema. Irreplaceable. Biggest movie star of all time.

[@StudioBinder]

He loves making movies ❤

[@laurencet6183]

Tom Cruise est unique j adore❤ Merci pour votre vidéo 👍 kiss to France 🇫🇷

[@KhanAround]

Loved the movie, it's amazing in iMAX, and loved meeting Tom Cruise and the whole cast at the premiere in Abu Dhabi ❤❤❤

[@rajeevdixit4448]

Amazing is all I can say

[@rayancedrichaddad1197]

Mission Impossible Franchise makes everything Possible.

[@StudioBinder]

✔✔

[@shultzstudios]

This is so cool!

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@hackiest]

This info will come in handy for my talking head film I'm making in my garage

[@davidcottrell1308]

WOW!!!

[@shultzstudios]

Bought my tickets !

[@StudioBinder]

Us too :)

[@havemercy2742]

behind the scenes is more dramatic than actual cinema 12:29

[@StudioBinder]

When you think about how it was made, but I'm not sure it'll beat seeing the stunt in IMAX

[@user-mx6il5xo5g]

THATS FUCKING GREAT! ❤❤

[@StudioBinder]

💖💖

[@VladimirMiyazaki]

Stunts of Tom Cruise are great. It's a shame that Tom Cruise & Jackie Chan never collaborated with each other. If they ever did that then It would have been a spectacle

[@StudioBinder]

Could you imagine 🤯

[@VladimirMiyazaki]

@@StudioBinder If they collaborated then stunts & fights scenes would be exhilarating because both are perfectionist of thier craft

[@peterohara1]

I would like to see Wade direct his own movie with Tom Cruise someday

[@gregorylagrange]

Whether it's ego trying to show the experts that an actor can hang with them, or just saying that wasn't right we need to do it again because he just wants to extend his play time (which is what I would do) I have to give it to him. The Mission Impossible series have been some good movies. And despite the off screen things that do make him look like the usual hollywood dork, on screen he has represented the craft of cinema extremely well.

[@dpndvirgil]

they said they practiced the jump many times. so my question is... how much bikes did they destroy lol

[@StudioBinder]

In the practice footage, there was a cushion on the ground so not as many bikes were harmed haha

[@Tomfoolery1972]

Me: Is Tom Cruise narrating this video?!? 🤔 Man's everywhere 😂

[@michaelthirtythree]

More Tom Cruise content please🔥

[@StudioBinder]

As long as he keeps making movies, this won't be the last ;)

[@giorgiaagnese9368]

❤wow Tom take your breath sure! Tom you are unique! You are born for the risk in all ...i understand that your love is true because you hear just what the your heart saying you and make feel you good...also the dangerous situation...no limits ...fantastic...tipic of the good martial artist very good martial artist with a style and self control in everything....adrenalina pure!❤❤❤ i love you also for thise the your charter is so much impressionanti and the your passion for all you make is perfect ❤ my soulmate ❤you not it's an actor...you are a III Master's Lee ...no limits❤

[@piercelaurenzmaglantay6519]

Very good nice

[@StudioBinder]

Cheers!

[@johnmeldrickalicpala5776]

I remember that day when it was lockdown and the got shooting in middle of pandemic and some crew member was break and protocol quarantine and tom cruise get mad and shouted to the crew who break the protocol quarantine and the whole production get shut down after that they got continued shooting after pandemic finished

[@StudioBinder]

yup that happened

[@abduhhudzaifah406]

Damn that's good

[@StudioBinder]

💯💯

[@TooRissky]

Could you please do a "how they shot it" for Amazon's Fallout?

[@stevenharsono9911]

ALTHOUGH SEEING TOM'S ACTION SCENES IS GREAT , SEEING REBECCA FERGUSON'S CHARACTER LYING DEAD AND BECOMING A CORPSE ON THE VENICE BRIDGE IS HURT AND HEARTBREAKING

[@ShauryaNSingh-qp6lx]

nice

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@spyder5876]

What a fuckin legend.

[@Happymali10]

1:38 I **SWEAR** if the poor Fiat dies I'll riot.

[@StudioBinder]

only one way to find out haha

[@cinephile_shorts]

Please make a video on sanjay leela bhanshali and Rajkumar hirani greatest director of Indian cinema

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@brain_respect_and_freedom]

😜 Sky isn't the limit for this team👍 They deserve a better idiom.

[@StudioBinder]

Tom Cruise will probably shoot in space at some point

[@MwayiComfort]

I miss narrator dad kkkkk

[@StudioBinder]

he's working on more vids with us!

[@zozefinoulis4]

imagine... 15:56 an FPV cameeera follow up!

[@StudioBinder]

Crazy

[@tekyfilms]

Oh my God

[@StudioBinder]

?

[@thefiveminutestory]

Please check your time line of the video.

[@thoungsareth5141]

ohh my god

[@StudioBinder]

Glad you liked it!

[@marcianpetrescu]

So, Tom brought another safety guy... 😉😉😉🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👍👍👍👍 if you know what I mean... 😉😉🤣🤣🤣

[@JCarrera27]

🧨

[@StudioBinder]

🏍🏍

[@user-hb2ly7qu7x]

Please does anyone know the music at 14:07

[@StudioBinder]

music is listed in the description!

[@Jhon_wick03]

​@@StudioBinderthank you

[@haryvicky6947]

❤

[@StudioBinder]

💖💖

[@SomewhatAbnormal]

I’m always blown away by Cruise’s stunt work. Too bad he’s such a weirdo.

[@StudioBinder]

🤷‍♂

[@louisnemzer6801]

"Just hold your breath longer"

[@StudioBinder]

😂😂 easy solution

[@FloydTaylor]

bring back the old guy voice over. he's 100x better

[@walterroux291]

🙏 🙌 preach, hopefully he's on holiday.

[@StudioBinder]

Working on more vids with us!

[@WataGuy]

NEW found respect for Tom Cruise

[@StudioBinder]

a true cinephile and filmmaker

[@raymondsosa9271]

Tom Cruise is the man

[@StudioBinder]

setting the standard always!

[@nigelcarren]

The one thing Tom Cruise doesn't do is Cruise! Guy is a machine 🇬🇧🏆🇺🇲

[@StudioBinder]

But he keeps all his projects on Cruise control

[@MwayiComfort]

Is he related to Clint Eastwood?

[@StudioBinder]

he is not

[@venkatakrishna8098]

born only for movies

[@StudioBinder]

🎥

[@luispaulovi]

I miss the previous narrator and style of videos; but It's fine.

[@StudioBinder]

What's changed in the style of videos?

[@reef363]

Am I the only one who want to know what happened to those bikes? Did they have their own parachute or they just totaled all the bikes for all the shoots?

[@filmreviewer117]

I clicked on this video when I saw it was stunt video on Mission Impossible.

[@junaidaliqazi8180]

This TOM never fails bcz he doesn't have Jerry near him.

[@StudioBinder]

He has the perfect team