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International Locations: Mountains
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It’s a simple equation. High altitude brings bright, crisp, clear light – and expanded horizons. The end result can only be fantastic shots. Of course, there’s always weather, logistics, snow safety, and cold weather equipment issues to get in the way. But whether trekking across icy slopes or filming high above virgin mountain ranges in specially-chartered aircraft, filmmakers will always go out of their way to enhance their films with great-looking mountain shots.
Europe
The Alps have to be the obvious starting point for mountains in Europe. They extend through Austria, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and France and are on the doorstep of western Europe’s production centres. Furthermore, the numerous ski resorts up in the mountains can be adopted as bases for off-piste excursions into the mountains. Alpine locations can double for more exotic ranges like the Himalaya, if need be.
Across the Pyrenees’ white peaks and untouched valleys lies the rugged and extreme terrain of the Iberian peninsula. Literally standing above the rest is Spain’s highest mountain, Mount Teide, an active volcano rising up to 3,718 metres above sea level.
It’s necessary to gain a permit to access the last 200 metres, but the rest is approachable by public road. It affords spectacular views, having been used in music videos and in Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s feature, Intacto.
The Czech Republic hosts a variety of striking sandstone mountain regions. The Karkonosze range is the tallest of them all, containing an abundance of wildlife, with flattened, bare summits looking out on picturesque surrounding scenery. Then there’s the ‘rock cities’ of northern Bohemia at Adrspach-Teplice – pinnacle structures of rock that are completely unusual and utterly outlandish. Finally we come to the mountains of Adrspach, where some of the recent Chronicles Of Narnia feature was shot. The Czech Republic and other eastern european countries are fast becoming established as film centres. For densely-wooded mountains, the Dinaric Alps at Lika in Croatia are currently popular.
Norway’s mountains are famously wild – and this wildness is being preserved thanks to their status as National Parks. The Jotunheimen peaks are entirely unspoilt – only glaciers change things around here. Alternatively, Poland offers mountains that have been undoubtedly changed by man: the Sowie Mountains are scarred by numerous mining activities, having endured the removal of their metallic ores for at least 800 years.
The tremendous religious significance of Mount Ararat in Turkey makes it also worth considering. It rises in splendid isolation from the flat plains around it, enhancing the visual impact of its ice cap and its barren, sparse slopes.
The Americas
California is described by tourist websites as a place where people can sunbathe in the morning and ski in the afternoon. Given the proximity of the Central Valley to the surrounding coastal mountain ranges, that’s certainly possible (though don’t tell your film crew). Different mountain types rise up along the coast: the granite Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range of volcanic origin, and the southern Tehachapi Mountains which Mount Whitney, at 4,421 metres, towers over.
In America’s Midwest, Montana exhibits wonderful glacier-carved formations. The state’s centre is made up of plains interspersed with so-called ‘island’ mountain ranges that break up the landscape. Granite Peak stands as the highest mountain in this region. To the south lie Wyoming’s boulder-strewn mountains, the majestic setting of Brokeback Mountain.
Then there’s the magnificent Rocky Mountains, which begin in North Mexico and sweep up through the western states to British Columbia in Canada. Grassy valleys and ravaged peaks provide a habitat for thousands of species. And with the Trail Ridge Road in Colorado winding 3,600 metres upwards - making it the highest paved road in the United States - they’re also accessible as a filming location.
In South America, the Andes stretch along the west coast for over 7,200 kilometres. Passing through several climate zones their character changes progressively: from the rainforest-clad lower slopes in the north, to the mild central section, to the cooler, sparsely-inhabited southern Andes. Touching The Void, the emotional true story of two climbers, was filmed in Siula Grande, Peru.
Asia/Middle East
The most famous mountain range in Asia is the Himalayas. Nepal has several film companies who are prepared to recce locations high up in the mountains and are very enthusiastic about catering for your every need – porters, guides, recommendations – all will be dealt with. The Nepalese transport infrastructure is not highly developed and it is necessary to trek for several days through the extensive foothills, even helicopters are not recommended in the thin mountain air – but when you reach the truly spectacular mountain sites it really is worth it. The Kingdom of Nepal is a land of sublime scenery and the journey to Everest Base Camp is regularly described as one of the greatest in the world.
In the Persian Gulf lies the massif of Jebel Hafeet, on the outskirts of Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. At its summit, over 1,000 metres above sea level, are beautiful vistas, especially at sunset. The area also offers an extensive system of natural underground caves and pools which bubble up as hot springs in the Green Mubazarrah, in the foothills.
Another geographic leap along the Pacific rim – this time to the Bukit Barisan Mountains which form the backbone of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. A volcanic history has created a fertile and sumptuous land with glorious views towards the swamp plains opposite. If you’re after an active tropical volcano, then Anak Krakatau, which famously errupted in the nineteenth century and has been sporadically burping ever since, is perfect. Situated near the island of Rakata, the island on which it stands is less luscious than other mountains in the region, but equally dramatic. Don’t forget to pack your seismograph – camera shake can be a terrible pain.
Australasia
Australia’s unusual geology has produced a range of slightly off-the-wall mountain types. In Western Australia’s Purnululu National Park are the unusual Bungle Bungle rock formations – absolutely out-of-this-world clusters that resemble a lumpy, mouldy Emym Muil (Emyn Muil can of course be found in the Taupo region of New Zealand). Then there’s the tablelands of Cairns, Queensland, a mixture of wet rainforest at altitude, and the picturesque sandstone Blue Mountains, 100 kilometres west of Sydney. These would be perfectly normal – if it wasn’t for the blue haze emitted by the eucalyptus trees which densely cover them. They enjoy hot and sunny summers and cool, but relatively mild, winters.
The climate varies widely across the country, from the humid northern rainforests to the arid desert, but mountains can be found in almost every state. Popular sites include the Dandenongs, Mount Bulla and the Grampians in Victoria and the Bridabell Ranges in Canberra. The most significant mountain range in Australia is the Great Dividing Range or ‘Eastern Highlands’ which incorporate the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales.
Some of the most famous silver screen images can be traced back to New Zealand. Take, for example, the amazing scenery in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy or the epic battle scene in director Andrew Adamson’s Chronicles Of Narnia. The Lindis Pass on the South Island is reachable by car, with the South Alps (the Misty Mountains) extending down to the Canterbury Plains. Both productions were filmed in this area, whose striking landscape was carved by glaciers at the end of the last ice age.
Africa
The wild and remote Atlas Mountains in Morocco separate the country’s Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts from the Sahara region. Jbel Toubkal, the highest, reaches 4,167 metres, but don’t be fooled by pictures of snowy peaks – by summer, temperatures averaging 46 degrees centigrade in the valleys have scorched any snow-caps that might remain.
Mountains along the west African coast include the volcanic Ethiopian Highlands and the heavily forested Aberdare range of uplands in Kenya. Mount Kenya is set apart and offers fantastic views, but cannot compete with Mount Kilimanjaro just across the border in Tanzania - the highest freestanding mountain in the world. It is the perfect snow-capped mountain - but anyone wanting to capture the ice fields on the summit plateau had better hurry, for scientists predict that global warming will have permanently removed them within 20 years.
Finally, South Africa. The Magaliesburg in Gauteng Province is a 120-kilometre strip containing one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world and lies about an hour’s journey by road from both Johannesburg and Pretoria. It is a beautiful rugged area of forests, crisp streams, rolling hills and farmlands. Locals flock here to spend their holidays, and it’s not hard to see why.
At the very southern tip of Africa lies Table Mountain. As the name suggests, the mountain is really a three-kilometre wide sandstone plateau rising up above the Cape Flats. The steep cliffs and rocky outcrops of the mountain are home to a number of plants and animals - around 1470 species of plants alone, which is more than is found in all of the UK.
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