'Quantum of Solace' – Official Blog Report #12

The official Quantum of Solace blog has been updated today with another crew member from the 22nd James Bond 007 film: hair & make-up designer Naomi Donne.

‘I’m designing the hair and make-up for the Bond girls,’ says Donne on location in Panama.

‘With Gemma [Arterton], I wanted to have a sense of sort of a throwback, retro feel of how the Bond girls once were, but then giving it a very edgy look. A contemporary, edgy look, but an echo of what the Bond’s were in the 60’s and 70’s.’

‘With Olga [Kurylenko], we wanted to exaggerate the colour of her skin and bring it out to give her real South American look. We really wanted her to look very really; not done-up.’

Click on the video link above for more from Donne on how make-up affects the final appearance of a Bond film as well as several scenes from Quantum of Solace, including Camille and Dominic Greene.

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

'Quantum of Solace' To Wrap Principal Photography This Month

In a brief Quantum of Solace update, USATODAY.com carries an excellent story today on the potential Screen Actors Guild strike facing Hollywood.

According to the report, principal photography on the latest James Bond film will be completed by the time the Screen Actors Guild contract expires on 30 June.

007 fans will remember Paul Haggis turned in Quantum of Solace‘s script just days before the Writers Guild of America strike brought Hollywood to a 100-day standstill.

Casino Royale wrapped principal photography at the end of July 2006.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest James Bond news.

'Quantum of Solace' – Official Blog Report #11

The official Quantum of Solace blog has been updated today with another crew member from the 22nd James Bond 007 film: Italian line producer Guido Cerasuolo

‘I’m Guido Cerasuolo, the Italian line producer of Quantum of Solace.

‘What I do basically is that I fix problems. What we’re doing this time is shooting in three different regions in four different locations,’ Cerasuolo says. Describing the Siena location as perhaps the ‘most difficult in terms of environment,’ he explains that it’s ‘a very delicate city. Traditions are very strong.’

‘The chase in Siena has developed throughout the three levels of the city. There is the road level and then underneath, the so-called ‘bottini’, which is a system of water distribution, and the roofs, which is another spectacular level of Siena.’

Click on the video link above for some brief footage of the filming of the Siena chase as well.

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

Ocean Sky Aviation's Licence To Thrill In 'Quantum of Solace'

European private jet charter, management and brokerage company Ocean Sky Aviation today announced their involvement in the forthcoming 22nd James Bond film, Quantum of Solace.

The Bond film will feature eight jets from the company–more than any other film in the 007 franchise.

Ocean Sky Aviation Announce “LICENCE TO THRILL” With Starrng Role

Ocean Sky Aviation, Europe’s fastest growing private jet charter, management and brokerage company is thrilled to announce its involvement with the 22nd James Bond film, Quantum of Solace due out at the end of October.

EON Productions, the movie company behind the film used 8 Ocean Sky jets in total: A Bombardier Challenger 604, four Lear jets, a Gulfstream GV, a Cessna Citation V and a Hawker 800.

The film has particular significance because it will feature more jets than any other in the 46 year history of the Bond movie franchise. It is also 100 years since Bond creator Ian Fleming was born.

Head of Sales and Marketing for Ocean Sky Aviation, Niki Rokni says “It’s the perfect association for us. We pride ourselves on offering elegance and cutting edge excellence, and this is all evident in the film. We could not be happier.”

The filming was completed this year, but was not without its challenges.

Rob Elliott, Director of Flight Operations for Ocean Sky, handled the practical arrangements and also put the Ocean Sky owned Challenger, G-OCSC, through its paces for the film.

“We also really did invest time and care in making sure it was all safe, especially one landing in Panama at a place not used to our type of jets. We sent one of our senior captains, Andreas Kollberg, out there in advance and he came back with nearly 300 photographs and video of the runway. He also assessed safety hazards, which in this case included flocks of huge vultures with six feet wingspans.”

Ocean Sky’s reputation as a Hollywood friendly aviation company has spread after the James Bond filming experience. “Word has got around Hollywood and we’re now talking with two other major productions.” says Rokni.

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete overage of Quantum of Solace.

'Quantum of Solace' – Official Blog Report #10

The official Quantum of Solace blog has been updated today with another crew member from the 22nd James Bond 007 film: Tim De Zeeuw, Director General of Chile’s European Southern Observatory.

‘I’m Tim De Zeeuw, the Director General of the European Southern Observatory.

‘This part [in the Atacama Desert] is the driest desert on the planet. There is no electricity here. There is no water. There’s basically nothing’–making the location an intriguing choice for the finale of Quantum of Solace.

‘Many of our guests, when they walk into the hotel and see the central area–which is very green–they exclaim “Hey, this looks just like a James Bond set”, so we were extremely pleased when we got a letter from the Bond company asking if they could film here.’

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

Avon And Arterton Team For Bond Girl Fragrance

In another of what promises to be a long line of marketing partnerships for the upcoming James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, Avon will release a Bond Girl 007 fragrance.

The company announced it will team with Gemma Arterton (Agent Fields in the film) to launch the product. Arterton will be the face of the fragrance, partaking in an extensive marketing campaign that will encompass print and television advertising.

More details…

Avon and James Bond Franchise Introduce Signature Bond Girl 007 Women’s Fragrance

NEW YORK, May 23 – Avon Products, Inc. today announced a collaboration with the James Bond entertainment franchise, property of Danjaq LLC and Eon Productions, to create a new signature Bond Girl 007 women’s fragrance, bringing the confident allure of cinema’s sexiest icons to Avon consumers worldwide. British actress Gemma Arterton, who plays the role of Agent Fields in the upcoming Bond film, will be the face of the new fragrance.

She will appear in TV and print advertising when Bond Girl 007 launches globally in October 2008 in conjunction with the worldwide release of Quantum of Solace, the 22nd film in the Bond franchise, which is the largest and longest running movie franchise in history.

“I’m thrilled to be working with two such iconic and established brands,” said Gemma Arterton. “The Bond Girl 007 fragrance embodies everything a Bond Girl represents – intelligence, sexiness and confidence.”

“As part of our on-going alliance strategy, we strive to bring unique equities to Avon and James Bond provides an unparalleled partnership opportunity. The iconic Bond girls are one of the most widely known aspects of the films – they’re empowered, feminine and glamorous, so we’re extremely pleased to capture that essence in our newest fragrance,” said Geralyn Breig, Senior Vice President and Brand President for Avon.

Tracy Haffner, Vice President, Global Marketing added, “Our strategy in the fragrance category is to build a strong portfolio through unique and exciting partnerships. Aligning with the James Bond franchise gives us such a great platform to develop a beautiful fragrance and connect with women worldwide.”

Keith Snelgrove, Sr. Vice President of Global Business Strategy at Danjaq LLC stated, “This was the perfect collaboration for two globally recognizable companies. By partnering with Avon to create a fragrance, we’re able to bring a piece of the Bond Girls represented in our movies into the lives of women all over the world.”

The fragrance, created by Firmenich, evokes the glamour, confidence and sensuality of the famous femmes fatale of the Bond franchise. The scent is a sexy cocktail of velvety florals, cool freshness and warm woods. It features top notes of velvety white peach and orange blossom followed by mid-notes of jasmine, calypso orchid and freesia. The drydown consists of amber, cashmere wood and patchouli. Bond Girl 007 is housed in a sleek, seductive bottle reminiscent of a woman’s body. The cap is a stealthy homage to a Bond spy gadget.

The fragrance will be featured in the Avon brochure, which is distributed through over 5 million Avon Representatives around the globe, as well as on the company’s website. It will be supported by print and TV advertising in Avon’s top markets throughout North America, Europe and Latin America.

It’s not the first time James Bond partnered with a cosmetics company; to promote 2002’s Die Another Day, Halle Berry became the face of a global marketing campaign linking Revlon with the hit Bond film. However, Casino Royale‘s Eva Green opted to flog Heineken beer.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest Quantum of Solace news.

Sneak Peek: 'Quantum' Boat Chase With James Bond And Camille

WARNING: Possible spoilers

In early April, photographs from one of the many action sequences that will be featured in Quantum of Solace made their way online.

The shots from the 22nd James Bond film featured Daniel Craig and Olga Kurylenko (Camille) being pursued on boat by several baddies off the shores of Colön, a coastal Caribbean Sea port city.

Now a video report, available to view at TV3.co.nz, has highlighted this action sequence with an even better look as to what fans can expect.

The video report, focusing mostly on how Kurylenko is handling the requirements of this particular Bond girl role, also features some comments from director Marc Forster:

‘The role of the Bond girls has changed over the years,’ he stated. ‘For this particular Bond movie, the Bond girl is almost a counterpart to Bond himself.’

‘She really has got a lot of stuff to do,’ added stunt coodinator Gary Powell. ‘You know, she’s on the boat for the boat chase, parachuting, fighting, driving the car. So she really has got to be up to speed.’

‘The actors are doing stunts on a moving boat and it’s not against the green screens so you’re always a little nervous. The performances are there and at the same time, you’re getting what you want action-wise,’ Forster said.

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete overage of Quantum of Solace.

Access Hollywood 'Quantum of Solace' Set Visit

WARNING: Possible spoilers

Access Hollywood sent correspondent Tim Vincent to the Quantum of Solace set in Bregenz, Austria to speak with the stars of the film, and, apparently, get the answer to one single question: do James Bond and Camille kiss?

Besides that question, stemming from earlier reports that Olga Kurylenko’s Bond girl breaks tradition in that she never locks lips with 007, the set visit also included an interview with Daniel Craig on stunts, the recent series of bad accidents and more.

‘I think [getting involved in all aspects] is important,’ said Craig. ‘I mean, for me, one of the things about the books that was so great was Ian Fleming’s eye for detail. And that I feel I owe to the movie. And so we have to have meetings about which gun to use; we’re using the Walther PPK in this, but we also use other guns and we set them out and compare them and see what would look good…’

‘It feels like we’re working twice as hard as last time–well, I certainly am anyway–to just make sure that while one movie is good, two movies is nice too,’ said Craig.

Craig also commented on the stuntwork that co-star Kurylenko has had to deal with for her role: ‘With Olga, she rehearsed and rehearsed and I think she’s done incredibly well, but, like for me [on Casino Royale], you get there on day one and suddenly it’s like “Oh, this is what they mean.” It’s very physically demanding and doing something once is alright, but you have to do it ten times and get it right ten times. So they’re long days. I’ve just been quietly encouraging her and she’s been getting it right so it’s not a problem.’

The Bond actor also briefly commented on the string of accidents that hit the Quantum production a few weeks ago.

‘We’re in a situation which is sort of devastating for all of us,’ he said. ‘What we do is make safe things look dangerous and sometimes accidents happen.’

To watch the entire Access Hollywood Quantum of Solace set visit, click here.

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete overage of Quantum of Solace.

'Quantum of Solace' – Official Blog Report #9

The official Quantum of Solace blog has been updated today with another crew member from the 22nd James Bond 007 film: executive producer Callum McDougall.

‘My job entails basically the whole organization and operation of the film. Coordinating the day-to-day running of four or five units shooting globally across the world.’

‘We’ve shot in London. We’ve shot in Mexico,’ McDougall says from the Panama set while getting a makeup touch-up by Gemma Arterton.

‘Not many films film in Panama. It’s pretty unique in that I’ve never ever been to a country where they had basically no film infrastructure whatsoever.’

‘It’s great,’ McDougall continues. ‘We’ve had a great experience and employed a huge amount of Panamanians and a lot of people who really have no experience on films. I think everyone … has had a fantastic experience here.’

‘It’s a huge operation, but a fun operation to do.’

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

Anatole Taubman On All Things Elvis

WARNING: Spoilers

Following up a recent article in which several members of the Quantum of Solace cast discussed their villainous roles, IGN has sat down exclusively with Anatole Taubman to get the lowdown on ‘Elvis’.

‘He doesn’t sing,’ Taubman began, referring to the instantly recognizable performer that comes to mind at mention of the name. ‘He’s got something with his hair. There is something funny going on with his hair that you will find out and hopefully enjoy. So that’s all in a way that he has in common with the real Elvis. Both Elvises have a lot of hair … My king is Dominic Greene, played by the fabulous, fantastic Mathieu Amalric, so I’m his tapestry. But I’m a very shiny, crazy, multi-faceted, glamorous, colorful tapestry.’

‘I didn’t even question it because I thought it was such a cool name. I didn’t even question it because I didn’t want to lose it … I just think it’s a great character name.’ – Anatole Taubman

‘[Elvis is] a Francophile,’ Taubman continued. ‘I wouldn’t say he’s French. We’re family, Dominic Greene and Elvis. They’re family so they speak French together. He’s from Europe, really. No, he’s not Algerian. He’s definitely from Europe.’

When asked further about how exactly his character ties in with Greene, Taubman detailed an interesting backstory: ‘Mr. Greene saved him really. He saved him from the streets. I would have gotten lost and maybe not even survived. Maybe have gotten killed. Elvis is a guy from the streets so at some point Dominic Greene said, “I’ve got to help my cousin, my relative and just take him along. Otherwise, he will not make it.” So I’ve been enjoying life next to him, traveling the world and ‘saving’ the world.’

‘They’re friends. One big family. It’s not really money. They have enough. It’s more about saving the world really. (laughs) But James Bond is chasing them.’ – Taubman on the relationship between Elvis and the other Quantum villains

Elvis will also apparently relate to Amalric’s lead villain in that they both won’t feature any distinguishing ‘Bondian’ traits. Describing the character’s special weapons, Taubman said: ‘Himself really. He’s very loud. Not really efficient but very loud. No guitar strings or nothing like that. People do that for him. Again, he wouldn’t really want to make his hands dirty and those times are behind him. He can if he needs to protect his king, but other than that he has other people running the violent show for him.’

‘When I read the script the first time there was already quite a bit in it where I thought I could really do something with this character. That was really important for me. I don’t think I would have taken on the part if I thought he’d be a boring, colorless tapestry so it was really important to again be the most glamorous tapestry possible.’

‘This Elvis is a bit of a goofball. He thinks he’s all that but he’s not really. … He’s not a comic guy. He definitely takes himself very serious, but maybe by his taking himself too serious he may become friendly. He’s not a psychopath.’

‘There wasn’t any backstory with Mathieu. I wrote a real long biography of Elvis, where he comes from and where he goes. I talked to Mathieu about it and we shared ideas and made up our own little [backstory]. I did quite a bit of work beforehand to know where we’re from and how we got together.’

There’s much more. Visit IGN for further comments from Anatole Taubman regarding Elvis and Quantum of Solace, including stunts, locations and the pressure of working on a 007 film.

CommanderBond.net will keep you updated with all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.