I’ve not seen this film, but I will put it on my Watchlist.
The pre-visualisation and visual effects are fascinating to experience along with the attention to detail and also the love of their craft.
Have you watched this film? Please share your thoughts below.
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I haven’t seen “Society of the Snow,” Geoff Hall, but it's on my watchlist now. It’s incredible how they made Sierra, Nevada, and the Backlot look like the Andes!
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It's an amazing film. One of the actual survivors son's acted in the film and they filmed in the actual location for realism. Definitely one of the best films I've seen in a long time.
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Have not seen it, but colleagues in the industry rave about it. Definitely on the list.
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I've almost hit "play" several times. I gotta do it. Looks great!
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Per imdb.com, it was filmed in the Andes location, Maurice.
I sampled a bit and found it to be overshadowed by the excellent 1993 film ALIVE. Also read the book from which it's adapted.
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really good cinema!
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Richard "RB" Botto you'll love it!
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if you want to hear more about the production, Society of Snow was the subject of an interview on a recent Empire Film Podcast.
https://www.podplay.com/podcasts/the-empire-film-podcast-63304/episodes/598-joel-edgerton-ja-bayona-246838925
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You're right, E Langley. The crew went to the Andes, captured background footage, then mixed the Andes backgrounds with the Sierra, Nevada, mountain background.
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Gotcha. "Spain" was the only word that registered in "Filming Locations."
When the Sierra Nevada range was mentioned, I immediately went to the California-Nevada. There are several in the world with the same name. Go figure!
D- in Geography.
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I’ve just watched it and OH MY WORD. It is such a powerful film. Harrowing is the word I’d use to sum it up. It has a pendulum swing of emotions: despair to hope, faith to the loss of faith, anger to pathos. I don’t know how anyone survived.
The cinematography is exceptional, the direction too; the music is heart-wrenching, and the actors did a magnificent job.
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Such a fantastic film!
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Nicolás Repetto indeed. I didn’t quite know what to expect, but it was fantastic!
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(Spoilers, so don't read on if you haven't seen it) I was fortunate to have seen the film in London with the director J.A. Bayona at the Q&A after the screening. There were lots of little things they exposed about the film. They wanted to cast the same Spanish speaking actors and if I remember correctly, they casted about 2000 applicants. The film is adapted from a book and the process of bringing the story to life was started in 2012. By then J.A. Bayona was directing The Impossible and he discussed the story with Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor when they were shooting that film. They also shot using 3 cameras and 400 hours of footage, with the director saying the really heroes of the story are the editors! He did not mention any other locations in the Q&A except for the Andes to give the film authenticity. They hired guides to trek up and the sound was eerie. J.A Bayona said at one point he heard what he thought was an avalanche and the guides explained it was the sound of the wind rushing down the mountain side. The wind even had a name, The Train. The actors met with the survivors of the crash, they had expressed that there was not a film that spoke of the tragedy from the lives of the dead which is what J.A. Bayona tries to depict by starting the narrative with one who did not survive. Lots of other stuff I can't remember right now. But it was such a harrowing film that when the two survivors who set off found the farmer in the hills, the elation I felt was amazing. It's not surprising the film has been recognised by so many nominations/awards. It's one hell of a ride and the characters well formed. They are of course depictions of real people who survived for 72 days on their own. It's also a sad tragedy and the real story of human perseverance in the face of certain death.
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It's on my list too Geoff! Thanks for the reminder.
Greg Wong Hi Greg, how are you doing? And thanks for your response. Yes, after all the harrowing scenes, elation (and relief) is what I felt when they eventually met with the farmer. I loved the fact that it wasn’t a sudden reveal, but that they started with a rocky outcrop with no snow, then flowing water where they have a drink and then that surging river with the farmer on the other side.
I think I will check out more of the work of JA Bayona. Thanks again and I hope this finds you well.
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Xochi Blymyer Hi Xochi, great stuff. Buckle up, it’s quite a ride.
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Geoff Hall I'm doing well, rewriting my feature after some coverage, working on a whole load of collaborations, doing short competitions and having two, potentially three, of my shorts being shot very soon. Two in pre and the third doing pre in the spring. Still continuing to go to as many preview screenings with Q&As as possible and trying to learn my craft better! I've just been roped into writing a climate story for a competition with another writer, so exciting times. Will Becher from Aardman is doing a presentation at Let's Make Film on the 1st at the the London offices of Framestore, I think they are Bristol based, IIRC?
Greg Wong Hi Greg, yes Aardman are Bristol-based. I know Nick Park from a ways back, as we were both part of the Arts Centre Group in Bristol.
I’m glad you’re keeping busy and out of mischief! ;-)
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Geoff Hall Important circles you move in! I love stop motion, it's my favourite type of animation. I'm hoping we get somewhere with the climate change animation which will give us the funds to put the story into production. If you are ever in London, drop me a line, would love to meet up and talk 'shop'.
Greg Wong a meet-up of two barely sane men in London, sounds great Greg. “Important circles’, if only I wanted to make my animated series as stop-motion. Darn it, I just can’t catch a break!
The meet-up would perhaps have to be in March. In February I have to travel up north to see my Mum. How are you fixed? I can get a train to Paddington and then let me know where you are and I can go underground for the rest of the journey.
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My schedule for weekends are flexible, though I have two shorts over different weekends to shoot. Let me know if you have any dates in mind. Let's take it off here and onto messages.
Greg Wong okay, will do.
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Greg Wong Xochi Blymyer Nicolás Repetto E Langley Maurice Vaughan Mike Boas Stephen Folker Alessio Bergamo Linwood Bell Richard "RB" Botto
Hello, dear friends. I came across this wonderful Q&A interview with JA Bayona, Enzo Vogrincic, (who played Numa in the film) and survivor Roberto Canessa, on the Netflix channel.
Bayona tells us that the film had a difficult birth and it would not have been made without Netflix’s help. That’s good to know! It also talks about a rigorous shooting schedule of over 100 days. Enzo tells us about the process of his characterisation and the words of Roberto Canessa, a survivor from the crash are so soulful, it’s all worth watching.
https://youtu.be/O_E2Pdh190A?si=JOIYO9BWDTkAergK
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Geoff Hall - I will report back!
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well done movie. the cast was wonderful, the location, so cold! Effects great. true stories like this even knowing the ending, I still get caught up in the story.
Xochi Blymyer thanks, Xochi. Now how would you have liked to be the 1st AD on this film, Xochi?!