High Speed Filming

Here is how this works in practice. We supply high-speed camera kits and the pro operators who run them, capturing ultra-slow-motion at frame rates from a few hundred up to many thousands per second with cameras such as the Phantom range. High-speed work is light-hungry. This makes Iceland a planning challenge our crews address head-on: the brief, low midwinter light needs heavy supplementary lighting, while summer's long Midnight Sun is more forgiving, and our gaffers and operators plan exposure and lighting together. We manage the large data rates and fast storage that high-speed capture demands.

Here is the short of it. We plan the precise timing and triggering an unrepeatable moment needs — a geyser eruption, a wave breaking, ice calving. Cold-weather discipline runs across: warmed batteries, condensation control on sensitive sensors, weather protection against spray and wind. Our operators integrate high-speed coverage with the main unit so it cuts cleanly. We staff from the skilled Reykjavík crew base and bring in extra high-speed camera kits and pros from the UK and mainland Europe under ATA carnet for larger shoots.

Here is the breakdown. Iceland gives high-speed cinematography subjects that few countries can match. A subarctic island on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, it is full of fast, dramatic natural events ideal for slow-motion: the powerful surf and basalt sea stacks of Reynisfjara, the regular eruptions of the Geysir geothermal area, the spray of waterfalls such as Gullfoss, Skógafoss and Dettifoss, and ice calving at the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon.

Here is what that looks like on the ground. The country's fast-changing subarctic weather is the central scheduling factor, specific for the light a high-speed shot consumes, so our crews plan around forecasts and the seasonal light window. Filming in covered areas such as the Geysir area and Þingvellir National Park is set up with the Environment Agency of the country. Eligible crew and gear spend can count toward the country's production reimbursement of 25 per cent, rising to 35 per cent for qualifying projects, administered by Film in the country.