steeped in spiritualism not just livable, but alive.
Eggers, who co-wrote the script with Icelandic poet Sjón,
imagined a precise, impeccably researched Viking universe for the
gritty revenge epic. Production designer Craig Lathrop absorbed
a Cornell lecture series on the subject to prepare for the film.
"Setting it in a very real place where the locations and the sets
transport you right back to the 10th century helps tell the story,
where it feels like myth and the supernatural are just part of the
world. To the Vikings, these weren't beliefs, this was just the way
the world was. Rob likes to build worlds that feel real, which
enables him to explore the belief systems of these people in these
different times, and hopefully, it tells us a little about ourselves as
well." Eggers' production team tumbled into that world with him,
and Liston became its mapmaker.
Primarily set in Iceland, the Proto-Hamlet legend follows Amleth's
vengeful quest against his uncle Fjölnir for killing his father and
kidnapping his mother. As he crosses vast Scandinavian territories
in exile, its dramatic geography reflects the story's intensity and
drives the narrative: caverns, beaches, green pastures, sulfur pits,
tidal estuaries, sweeping plains and volcanoes reflect Amleth's
soul-journey toward his ultimate destiny.
Eggers, a well-known stickler for historical accuracy, had
reportedly considered filming entirely on Iceland's primordial
terrain. The film's producer, Mark Huffam, told the Belfast
Telegraph that Northern Ireland, with its generous tax credits, was
a better production choice for its cost-effectiveness, overwhelming beauty and accessibility. Most
of the movie would be shot there—with several scenes to be filmed in Iceland. But COVID travel
restrictions would choke off access to Iceland's unique Nordic landscape—and Liston would be faced
with—along with every other production in the world—the most creative challenges of her career.
PREHISTORY
Liston's bona fides are as solid as Torr Head's rocky cliffs: Her location management credits include
Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War in the UK and Scotland, and 10 years working on all eight seasons
of Game of Thrones in Spain and Northern Ireland where the better part of filming took place.
As a schoolkid, Liston initially wanted to work in front of the camera, but as she got older,
Courtesy of Naomi Liston/LMGI
"Robert wanted authenticity,"
she explains. "He didn't want to
be doing any VFX at all, which
meant everywhere that I was
looking at had to have 360
degrees with little or nothing
to paint out." Boasting stunning
backdrops and meticulously
researched culture, the film
drew critical praise for its
artful balance of realism and
mysticism, and that vision
became the production's battle
cry: to render an ancient world
Photo by Naomi Liston/LMGI
Photo by Naomi Liston/LMGI
