Children of the Corn is a midsize feature film, retelling the iconic Stephen King novel of the same name. Production spent a couple of months in Richmond, NSW, shooting in a purpose grown corn field to simulate rural America. At the time, this was the only feature film to be shooting anywhere around the globe due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After initially requesting a couple of days, XM2 were able to secure ongoing work over four weeks of shooting in Richmond, NSW.

Equipped with multiple platforms, all operated by the same crew. This served to minimise the size of the crew present while not compromising the ability to capture the shots required. As a production shooting under COVID-19 conditions, this became an extremely appealing option to production. XM2 has been introducing this style of crew to many productions of all sizes.

XM2 Tango was used to capture an aerial perspective of the corn field and the sets built within them as well as a number of stunts, explosions and pyrotechnics. 

XM2 Stealth, our electric tracking bike, was able to capture a unique point of view, that of the talent running through the rows of the corn fields. XM2 Stealth was well equipped to handle the uneven and often muddy conditions, both following and leading the actors and also capturing a point of view as they ran through the rows of the corn fields.

I loved working with Stephen Oh and his team at XM2 PURSUIT. They are extremely creative and versatile in the way they integrate with the needs of production. They have a vast array of capabilities and continued to surprise us with how such a small team could bring a large number of different skillsets and together to make some very epic shots possible. They shot from drones, from e-bikes, from car mounts, they even lit some of our eerie night shots with aerial lighting rigs. It was truly remarkable watching them work within our budget but give us maximum value of every set up.

Lucas Foster, Producer

XM2 Charlie, a remote ground camera vehicle, was utilised heavily in environments with pyrotechnics, where it would have been dangerous to place a camera operator. Charlie was able to be positioned in close proximity to the fire, which enabled tight shots as it spread. 

A custom lighting rig was employed in the corn fields to spooky, dynamic shadows. Mounted on our gimbal, the lights could be pointed in any direction remotely.

We carried out a photogrammetry survey on the centrepiece of the cornfield, a large circular grain silo. This enabled the VFX team to recreate an accurate digital model of the silo for use in post-production.

We had XM2 on our movie to bring an extra dimension to our shooting capabilities. Whilst they are renowned for their aerials, we were able to utilise the XM2 Stealth, an electric tracking bike, for numerous shots through the corn fields as well as XM2 Charlie, a remote buggy platform for low, fast shots over rough terrain. Having a single XM2 team on set that can operate multiple platforms gave us flexibility to switch quickly and easily from ground-based shots to aerials. This proved to be economically prudent for the producers during this time of COVID protocols and restrictions and proved to be a hugely creative resource that was a saviour to me.

Andrew Rowlands, Director of Photography

Find out more about:

Contact for more information:
Stephen Oh, CEO, XM2 Pursuit
+61 03 9568 8458
[email protected]