audiences would realize the film was not a dry historical drama. Thompson agreed with this decision, saying there were enough fact-based Bicentennial films and that people needed more entertainment. MacGillivray said IMAX is perfect for the film because it "allow[s] myself as a filmmaker to impact the audience in a greater way". MacGillivray and Freeman storyboarded the film, thinking of self-coined "IMAX moments" to thrill IMAX audiences and to rely on visuals more than narration. Each scene was drawn with immersion in mind. While there is no comprehensive cast list, actress Ellen Bry is listed playing an unnamed role. Meanwhile, New York City-based actor and real-life balloonist, Peter Walker, was chosen to play the role of Ezekiel due to his comic charm. The character of Ezekiel himself was based upon Jean-Pierre Blanchard, a hot-air balloonist who in 1793 made a first-in-North-America flight over New England while reciting self-written poems, purportedly to impress young women. Walker listed To Fly! among his favorite films to star in. The film's writers include Thompson, Robert M. Young, and Arthur Zegart. Thomas McGrath wrote the narration. Seven months were spent on research, with Collins, physicist Jeffrey Kirsch, astronomer Paul Knappenberger, and aviators Walter J. Boyne and Donald S. Lopez Sr. as technical advisors. The camera assistant was Freeman's girlfriend Cindy Huston; MacGillivray's girlfriend Barbara Smith was the production assistant, craft service specialist, still photographer, and behind-the-scenes videographer; Bill Bennett and Jeff Blyth were the production managers; Brad Ohlund was the second assistant camera and assistant grip; and Phil Schwartz was the first. Other credits include Byron McKinney as executive producer, Elizabeth Howell as secretary and bookkeeper, Rae Troutman as grip, as well as John Divers as storyboard developer. Television documentarian and historian Jon Wilkman was briefly involved in pre-production. NASA, the Office of Naval Research, and the California Institute of Technology were involved in the production. According to MacGillivray, To Fly! was the most fun film that he and Freeman worked on throughout their 11 years of partnership. Filming Principal photography occurred throughout 1975 and lasted five months, as per the schedule, with a relatively small budget of $590,000. Filming was paused in June to film the action scenes of Sky Riders (1976). MacGillivray and Freeman directed and cinematographed To Fly!, frequently switching roles while working seven days a week and 14 hours a day. As firm believers of filmmaking as a collaboration, MacGillivray and