The $180 million epic The Pacific is filming in the mountain range west of Melbourne and aerial photographs of the region indicate the mini-series is making no compromises when it comes to recreating some of World War II's most brutal battles.



The mini-series, a co-production involving Channel 7, US network HBO, Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks and Tom Hanks' Playtone, is the sequel to the war drama Band of Brothers.

Seven is pouring about $6 million into the production, which began shooting in Port Douglas in August.

After the You Yangs, production will move to Melbourne, where US troops camped in 1943.

The mini-series tells the story of America's war with the Japanese. The You Yangs are being used to replicate locations including Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Bomb craters, burnt-out buildings and a downed war plane have been created in the You Yangs to give authenticity.

"By nature, any film or series about war involves a significant amount of noise and carefully choreographed action sequences in order to fully replicate the realities of battle and do justice to the stories of those who fought," co-executive producer Tony To said.

Almost 4000 people, including Australian actors Gary Sweet, Sam Parsonson and Linda Cropper, have roles in the production.

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