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International Locations: Grasslands and Hills
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Austrian hills were alive with the sound of music fifty years ago – such a memorable use of location remains an impressive example of how to use wide, open spaces to the filmmaker’s advantage.
Europe
Europe is a crowded place, but there are nevertheless many areas of wilderness remaining. And there are many sparsely populated, gently rolling hills in all European countries (with the exception of the Netherlands, of course). One example, among many, is France’s Massif Central in Rhone-Alpes and Midi-Pyrenees used as the main location for A Very Long Engagement.
For never-ending wheatfields, try ‘Russia’s granary’, provided by the black fertile soil of the modern-day Ukraine. The Russian steppes extend into the central Asian republics, but the best place to film them lies around the north and east coasts of the Caspian Sea. The Czech-Moravian Highlands and hills of Lower Silesia are recommended for their peaceful green fields tracked with tree-lined avenues which follow the private roads. Norway’s hills offer delicate breezy landscapes in the south and harsh edgy countryside in the north: the granite base of Rogaland, for example, stretches into the high plateau of Hardangervidda, used as fierce ice planet Hoth in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Spain and Portugal naturally have that mediterranean feel to them. The Sierra Sur and Sierra Norte are full of protected regions, featuring humid areas with lakes, olive groves and typical hills dotted with mediterranean flora. The valleys and hills of the Costa Verde in Portugal’s north west region are covered in varied shades of luscious greens from the frail grass fields to the top of rich tree crowns.
The Americas
Any film crew considering lengthy filming in an African savannah location, where trees and shrubs dot the grassland can perhaps travel to the south-eastern coast of the United States. Here native Americans created artificial, subtropical savannahs by periodically burning several species of trees, creating a very African feel. The city of Savannah, Georgia, is named in acknowledgement of this ancient practice.
British Columbia in Canada has the foothills of the Rockies, where winter sports are regularly practised on the snow-covered slopes as well as the hills and valleys of the dazzling wine-growing region. The western provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba are prairie grasslands, with tall grasses, in largely unspoiled countryside with crispy mountain air – northern extensions of the Great Plains of the US states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa.
The vast Appalachian mountains extend in a series of ranges across most of North America, presenting the eastern seaboard with the natural inland boundaries that created the initial growth of the United States. The range of locations these offer are unprecedented and all are beautiful, notably offering rugged terrain which rarely exceeds 1,200 metres.
The South American temperate grasslands, known as the pampas, cover the Argentinian provinces around Santa Fe and Buenos Aires, virtually all of Uruguay, and the southern region of Brazil. The Argentinian pampas are a picturesque crop-growing and cattle farming area, although prone to dramatic flooding during periods of extended rainfall.
If you’re looking for something other than grasslands, going to the Páramo of the Andes Mountains, which stretches from northern Peru to Venezuela, is the thing for you. Here rolling glacial valleys and hills merge into wet, marshy grassland, mingling with patches of shrubland and moist forest.
Africa
African hills are strongly atmospheric, with many films embracing the mood of the hot landscapes and the exotic scenery. There is an air of mystery and intrigue surrounding the dry, arid Tsodilo Hills in Botswana, which the indigenous San bushmen believe to be the site of the first Creation. The area is replete with their ancient rock paintings, adding to the magical, other-worldly character.
Nearby, just outside Johannesburg and Tshwane in the South African Gauteng province, a number of protected nature reserves can be found, most of which are privately owned. The hills around Stellenbosch, Frankhoek and Constantia, in the Cape region, are dotted with furrows and oak trees, and with two oceans framing this region, it offers a mild climate with cooling breezes. Near Durban the Draknesburg peaks surround the well-known Valley of a Thousand Hills, famous for its ethnic earthiness and dramatic views over the stunning landscape.
Far away in Morocco, hills are covered with olive trees, with recommended locations to be found in Ghareb, Saiss, Chaouia and Doukkala. Typical of these is Ouirgane, located in the foothills of the Atlas mountains with a gentle winter climate and moderate summer. Here, in the heart of Berber country, picturesque villages and hamlets, forests, fruit trees (orange, lime, lemon, grapefruit), and rose gardens abound.
Asia/Australasia
Queensland’s Gold Coast Hinterland is stunningly beautiful, with mesmerising hills conveniently close to the Movie World Studios, suggesting the perfect location for the Indiana Jones adventure. Canungra and Mount Tamborine, as well as Murwillumbah in the Tweed Valley, are all popular destinations for breath-taking views from the mountains overlooking the Gold Coast in one direction, and miles of endless countryside in the other. Further south, the Western Plains of New South Wales offer a temperate, old western-style landscape which filmmakers often utilise from bases in the town of Dubbo. Gippsland in Victoria has a whole host of different styles – from rugged, sharp peaks to smooth and gently undulating ground. Perth’s hills in Western Australia are within half an hour’s drive of the city and offer wavy hills and valleys of native bushland and orchards.
An alternative African-style landscape can be found on the Indonesian island of Java in the wildlife park near Bogor, Taman Safari Park. 400 acres of mountainous terrain situated near local peak Mount Arjuna, giving the African-looking landscape a striking tropical mountain backing. That is, if you don’t want to use it for what it is: lush green hills with hints of volcano and echoes of Dutch colonisation.
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