The Last of the Mohicans - This brilliant script written and to be directed by Michael Mann was a challenge from the onset. Michael began by searching the country for an area with deciduous trees. The helicopter scouting budget was an indication of things to come, as the production was plagued by the stresses of budget, location and schedule. Thousands of re-enactor extras came from all over the country to sleep in tents and play the roles of the french and english soldiers. The fort was built out of hundreds of trees cut down to simulate the historical setting. While Washington and California were aghast at any thought of cutting down a single tree, Duke Power, which holds thousands of acres in North Carolina, simply asked us to reseed so new trees would grow. If you look at a satellite view of the location today, you'll see we made the mistake of seeding in a symmetrical way instead of arbitrary, as nature looks.