One Strange Rock
Nutopia, the production company working on Darren Aronofsky's spectacular One Strange Rock, had a rather specific brief. Find us a short sighted eagle hunter… And if you have a crazy backdrop then all the better.
So we despatched our fixers to Bayan Ulgii province in western Mongolia to weave their magic. Emily headed out into the wilderness to find hunters that fitted the brief, success, two were found although one had a broken arm but at least he appreciated impromptu visitors. Mongolian nomads have busy lives so we we negotiated good rates of pay with them to feature in the production whilst they lost valuable time tending to their livestock.
Filming took place in the bitter cold of January where battery life, condensation and camera operator's cold fingers are all challenges to overcome. By building remote ger camps and sourcing the right type of heated vehicles we were able to keep the shoot going in the adverse conditions. Another minor, yet not uncommon, production challenge was the arrival of half a ton more filming kit than planned and the internal domestic flight's inability to carry it. So we quickly deployed our drivers to make the epic 3400km winter overland journey from the capital Ulaanbaatar to the 'wild west' of the Altai mountains.
A warm Delica to defrost in
And the crazy backdrop... An eagle hunter, in his fox furs, rides his motorbike with a Golden Eagle sitting on the handlebars past the dusty, faded pastel facades of Ulgii to the open air snooker hall for a quick game.
