- What’s The Secret Sauce Behind ‘Top Gun’?
- It’s as real as it gets
- Insight into the bits and bobs
- Where’s ‘Top Gun’ for Climate?
I left the cinema thinking “Holy smokes, this was fucking awesome!”
Yesterday, I watched Top Gun: Maverick.
It’s a hell of an action movie. All the fighter jet scenes have been shot in real-life.
No CGI but raw cockpit footage. And oh boy, can you tell.
It’s not the story they tell. It’s how the story makes you feel.
Most importantly, it is an emotional spectacle. Something happened physiologically in my body. Must have been some serious hormone release. But what the hell, it’s just a movie.
Anecdotally, I’ve read that the original Top Gun movie resulted in a 500% increase in recruitment numbers for naval aviation at the US Navy.
A movie as a gateway drug into a profession.
Don’t believe me? Watch this segment with Dave Berke who ended up being not only a Top Gun pilot but also the senior instructor at the school 🤯
Crazy.
What’s The Secret Sauce Behind ‘Top Gun’?
This is just me trying to understand what exactly makes this movie resonate on so many levels.
It’s as real as it gets
- Real planes
- Real footage
- Real G-forces
Being in the cockpit with the actors elevates the perceived danger of the story.
The audience feels as if they are part of the journey.
Insight into the bits and bobs
Not only is it shot with real planes but all the operational sequences are realistic. It gives the audience an insight into the day-to-day of a fighter pilot.
The audience grasps the complexity of the work… but at the same time, this makes it feel “achievable” … at the end of the day, it’s just a very long sequence of tasks, executed under pressure.
It’s difficult but it’s not impossible.
Maybe this is why some people start seeing themselves in those roles and start considering this career path.
- Mr. Robot (TV Show): A realistic account of hacking - both the software as well as the social engineering side of things.
Where’s ‘Top Gun’ for Climate?
Where’s the Top Gun of our generation?
If it can be done for naval aviation, it can be done for climate action.
- Real challenge: Climate Crisis
- Real consequences: Natural Disasters + second-order effects like famine, supply chain disruptions, etc.
- Real characters: Scientists, policymakers, activists, etc.
- Real technology: Crazy ambitious endeavors to unfuck the planet.
You have everything to make an equally compelling story.
Hence, I ask again. Where’s Top Gun for Climate?
