![]() When they released it, a log with spears attached, plummets towards the bear from the tree above. Charles picks up a makeshift spear and begins jabbing at the bear as he backs away. The bear swats his paw at the men several times. Charles jumps down into a hole and the bear sticks his head in and starts growling. Charles gets up and starts running for camp as the bear charges through the woods breaking branches etc. Later, Charles is seen sitting beside a stream attempting to catch some fish, when he notices the bear is watching him. The trainer used verbal commands with food and verbal praise as a reward. The scenes were shot through the fire to make appear that the actors and the bear were closer to the flames than they actually were. ![]() The stick was made out of break away balsa wood. The trainer doubled as the actor when Charles is supposedly waving the flaming stick at the bear. A dummy was used for all scenes where the bear is seen picking the man up and tossing him in the air. The bear was actually grabbing the harness and jerking it back and forth. When the bear is seen grabbing the trainer’s leg, a special stunt pad was attached to a harness that was worn on the leg area. The trainer doubled for the actor in all scenes where the bear is seen coming in direct contact with a human. As they retreat they can hear the roar of the bear echoing through the woods. Bob grabs Charles and they run through the woods attempting to put distance between them and the bear. Stephen starts to crawl away and the bear notices this and turns his attention back to his original victim. To distract the bear, Charles grabs a piece of wood from the fire and waves it at the bear which indeed attracts his attention for a short time. The bear grabs Stephen’s leg and starts tossing him from side to side. Later, the bear again catches up with the trio and attacks Stephen, killing him. The shot of the birds crashing into the front of the plane was accomplished through special effects techniques. All of the growling and snarling was inserted during post-production. This was accomplished in short distance takes. For the chase scenes, the trainer places the bear on his mark and cued him with verbal commands. The side of the ravine where the bear worked was built up to support his weight and the log is not a real log but one built to hold the weight of the large animal. With a special camera lens, the ravine is made to look much deeper than it really is. In some segments of the scene, the trainers doubled for the actor. The bear pounces on the log trying to knock him off. The bear is heard roaring behind them and then charges in Charles direction, swiping at the man as he starts across the log. The three men maneuver the log across the ravine and quickly move across. Bob notices a large log to the side and starts pulling it to the edge. The grunting sound turns out to be a bear and the three men start running in the opposite direction until they come to a large gap in the ravine. While making their way through the woods, Stephen hears a grunting sound coming from the brush. Charles, Bob and Stephen, Bob’s assistant, find themselves stranded in the wilderness. While flying to a possible photo shoot location, a large flock of ducks fly into the plane, shattering the propeller and causes the plane to crash. The area was checked and cleared of all debris hazardous to the bear and moss and sawdust were layered on the ground to cushion his footing. Several trainers were strategically positioned around the perimeters where the bear worked. For all chase scenes where the bear is seen breaking branches, twigs, small trees etc., the material used was made out of break-away balsa wood.
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