They can also help get permits, which can be straightforward
in places like ski resorts, but trickier in other locations.
A good example is Antarctica. "You can jump up and down, but
it's gonna take you six months to a year to get the permits,"
warns Palmer.
"On The Last of Us, we were filming at a national park with lots of
federal restrictions," explains Palmer. "We wanted a crew of 200
and they preferred a maximum of 30. So it required negotiating
and help from high-level political people, but we eventually
managed to get 300 in."
For productions that bring in their own crew, "We ensure
they've had experience in snow and ice. We've seen American
grips turn up in Iceland in shorts and T-shirts," says Cassata.
"Equally, we had a Japanese crew come to the Nordic region in
summer to shoot a commercial, and we told them like 10 times,
they'll just need a T-shirt and light jacket, but they turned up in
Canadian goose jackets and snow goggles," says Roberts.
Transport and logistics
Once plans and prep are in place, there's the tough task of
bringing crew and equipment in for the shoot.
Most productions base themselves in a place with infrastructure
and equipment available that's a short distance to the
mountains or glaciers.
"In Svalbard, you can stay at a nice hotel and then in no time
be in the glaciers, highlands and mountains," says Kjartansson.
It's a similar story on Alberta, Canada's Fortress Mountain.
"You don't need helicopters to get most gear in because there's
Photo by Ken Brooker/LMGI
Doug Dresser/LMGI
