Filming began on “Next” in spring at the Morongo Casino in Cabazon, California, which doubled for the generic Las Vegas casino where Cris gambles in the film. “Morongo was great to us,” says producer Garner. “They gave us a lot more freedom and access there, than if we had shot in Las Vegas.”

After two weeks of shooting there, the company moved to Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead for the exterior of the film’s Cliffhanger Motel, as well as its outdoor mountain sequences. Veteran producer Arne L. Schmidt (who had just produced “XXX: State of the Union” with director Tamahori) says the location was chosen because “we needed a cliffside motel with a steep slope behind it because an avalanche of sorts was going to take place there. We found a great place called The Cliffhanger Restaurant that our production designer, Bill Sandell, transformed into a motel,” says Schmidt.

Although The Cliffhanger was exactly what the script called for, the unpredictable weather was not. “The location was at the end of this precipice, at 8,000 feet. So it had its own little microclimate,” explains Schmidt. “Every day would start out sunny in the morning, and then it would get blindingly foggy in the afternoon. No other place around us was foggy. This was a nightmare. It was very disruptive for production, causing us havoc trying to match shots over several days.”

A master of adaptation, Tamahori found a way to salvage the days. “Lee was very quick on his feet,” says Schmidt.

“We had one day where Lee and (director of photography) David Tattersall shot close-ups. This way, you couldn’t see that much fog. Then for about 2 ½ hours, the fog lifted and Lee managed to fit 12 hours of filming into that small window. I don’t know many directors around who could have done that.”

The film’s avalanche sequence, in which Cris is running down a long steep slope, with the Feds and boulders, a water tower, a steam locomotive, logs and debris tumbling down behind him, took over a week to complete.

“It’s a good thing that Nic was in such good shape,” says Schmidt, “because we started filming on one mountain and continued on several different locations to create one sheer, continuous mountain. Nic not only had to run down these slopes, he also had to walk back up again and again, at 8,500 feet above sea level. It was a week of jumping, ducking and diving. And he did it without even breathing that hard.”

After three weeks of filming in the California mountains, the production proceeded to Long Beach at the Port of Los Angeles for the film’s biggest sequence which contains terrorists, SWAT teams, FBI agents, helicopters, gunfire and explosions aboard an enormous cargo ship.

Schmidt assembled a top-notch technical team for this Herculean task. “In order to make a film like this, you must have people who are really capable and experienced,” he observes. “Then it’s a question of organizing and breaking down scenes into what we can manage each day and making it look as realistic as possible.”

Renowned supervising stunt coordinator R.A. Rondell (a third generation stunt man) choreographed the scenes with director Tamahori using more than 35 stuntmen, background fighters, special effects people and helicopters for the attack of the cargo ship holding the explosives.

“It took me a few weeks to figure it out and bring suggestions to Lee. I gave him everything in the location that he might want, and some he hadn’t even thought of, and I let him choose. After all, it’s his playground, and he usually has great ideas; he has a great eye for camera, action, movement,” notes Rondell.

Tamahori and Rondell decided that they wanted to shoot the attack on the boat in a documentary style. With the help of special effects supervisor Clay Pinney (who had worked with Rondell on “The Matrix") they mapped out the following scenario: “The terrorists come aboard. They smoke bomb the area, taking no prisoners,” says Rondell. “There’s a feeling of claustrophobia, noise, effects and confinement; close-ups of people screaming, someone dying next to you, you have to take care of them and move on. We wanted it to be right in your face, not done in Hollywood broad strokes. We were more concerned with the chaos of battle, rather than the end result of a man being killed. That’s what makes it so scary.”

To make things even more realistic, Schmidt brought in Jared Chandler as the military technical advisor. “Jared is a former Special Forces guy. Plus, he understands the movie business,” says Schmidt. “Whenever there was a scene that involved tactical movement or weapons handling, he was our go-to guy. He taught the actors and extras how to carry themselves properly, dress properly, make sure their equipment was tight and right. He also helped with making sure the military dialog sounded appropriate.”

Chandler greatly facilitated the production because he knew the answers to military questions right on the spot. This and his knowledge of the logistics of filmmaking made him invaluable. “It was great to work with Jared because he gently explains how the scene is going to happen, how I should set it up, what will be the formation, how you pass a sniper rifle,” says Julianne Moore.

To add yet another layer of authenticity, the production utilized the services of Jody Hart’s Combat Casting Company, former military men, SWAT team members and policemen who are comfortable using firearms like M4s and AK47s.

“Next” also has several helicopter action sequences, for which the production brought in aerial coordinator Cliff Fleming. “Cliff is one of the best pilots in the business and the world,” says Schmidt, who had previously worked with the aviator on “Rules of Engagement” and “We Were Soldiers.” “When he’s not doing movies, NASA hires him to retrieve satellites for them.”

Moore appreciated Fleming’s presence and supervision. “We had a helicopter without any doors during the sequence when we land at the Port of Los Angeles, and I’d never been in a door-less helicopter before. It can make you feel a bit unstable. But Cliff and his crew showed me how to get Nic into the helicopter first, check his seatbelt before I did my own, and alerted me to the fact that it would take off immediately. They were so supportive with their instructions and very mindful of everyone’s safety, but they were also concerned that we looked like we knew what we were doing.”

With the sequence so meticulously planned and laid out to be technically perfect, now it was up to Tamahori and his cast to make it crackle. As producer Golightly observes, “That’s why we were so excited about Lee directing this film. He has that rare ability to work both ends of the spectrum, from large action films to small, intimate character-driven pieces. ‘Once Were Warriors’ is one of my favorite films and one of Nic’s as well. He achieved great character work and plotting on that film, and great action skills in the Bond film, for example. So naturally, we thought if both those Lee Tamahoris exist it would be fantastic if we could harness them and put it all into one film with incredible action set pieces, amazing characters and a unique plot.”

Filming concluded at the Havasupai Indian reservation, located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, for a scene in which Liz teaches the Native American children and exposes Cris to the natural wonders of the surroundings. The idea to use this remote location came from the ever-romantic Cage, who had taken his wife Alice there on their first date. “We were dropped off by helicopter at the bottom of the Canyon, and we went for a hike. And I met all these wonderful Native Americans. It was the most beautiful place I’d ever seen,” he says. “And I thought, ‘no one’s ever seen this area, its gorgeous waterfall and fantastic rocks, and it’s right in our own backyard.’ So, I wanted to share that with the audience through this film.”

Logistically, however, it was not a backyard shoot, and Schmidt says it all had to be carefully planned. “We took a third of our normal crew, about 54 people,” says Schmidt. “A limited amount of crew stayed at a small hotel, about an hour’s drive away, and then we helicoptered them down to the location. The remaining cast and crew stayed in Las Vegas, and would helicopter in from there (a 1 ½ hour ride in choppers holding six or seven).

Aerial coordinator Cliff Fleming not only handled the people-moving, he also brought in lighting equipment, food and water. “It was 105 degrees at the bottom, so we went through plenty of water,” notes Schmidt.

Another constraint was the steep walls of the Canyon. The morning light wasn’t suitable for filming until around 10:00 a.m. and started to disappear as early as 5:00 p.m. “This really restricted our day on top of everything else,” says Schmidt. But it was worth it, he notes, because of the natural beauty and unique terrain. “No other movie has ever been shot there,” he notes. “In fact, the Havasupai people, in general, don’t like to be photographed,” says Schmidt. “But Nic had been there several times before as a tourist, and he’d bonded with them. I’m sure that’s why their tribal council gave us their permission.”

In turn, the production cast all the Havasupai who wanted to work (50-60 adults and the 11 children who played Liz’s students at the waterfall). The tribal Chieftain played a wise old shaman in a sequence in which Cris performs magic trick for the kids.

In all, the company shot two days on the canyon floor, a day and a half at the glorious waterfall nearby and a halfday in the little town on the Havasupai reservation. “When we were near the end of our time there, the Havasupai and their 11 year-old tribe princess did a special dance for us in their traditional garb. We all got in a circle and danced with them. It was a wonderful, spiritual experience,” says Schmidt.

By the end of production, Cage was convinced that he had realized his ambition, both as an actor and creative producer, on “Next.” “I enjoy romantic films, and adventure movies and action. The best is when you can combine them as we did on this movie,” he says. “It has unique characters. I’m hopeful ‘Next’ will provide as interesting an experience for audiences as it did for those of us who made it. And I believe it will.”

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Production Information
Johnson can see a few minutes into the future, an extrasensory talent that comes in handy for his job as a magician and mentalist in a seedy Vegas club where he performs nightly. It also has its uses at the blackjack tables when Cris needs some extra cash.