“The Piccards” is based on the true story of father-son explorers Auguste and Jacques Piccard. In surreal fashion, the film reimagines the individual achievements of both men as one continuous upward journey—an odyssey across time and space—to the stratosphere and the deepest point of the ocean.

Today, the story of the Piccards goes largely untold in the United States. But their cultural impact is undeniable. As the first man to reach the stratosphere, Auguste Piccard paved the way for all subsequent commercial air travel. Additionally, he and his son Jacques have inspired well-known cultural characters like Tintin’s Professor Calculus and Star Trek’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

“The Piccards” is more than an action film. It also tells the human story of ambition spanning two generations of extraordinary men. For this reason, everything on screen was carefully considered and directed to achieve maximum emotional impact, from the surreal aspects of the film to its level of historical accuracy.

We filmed for more than 53 hours over the course of three days, during which time direction was key in capturing everything from in-camera effects to plates, action shots of scale models and the emotionally rich performances of our talent. From treatment to final color grade, the vision was clearly articulated and thoroughly achieved.