JUSTIN WHITING
Filmmaker | Director | Author
Behind The Scenes
Climbing Icebergs
Disko Bay, Greenland with Ice Climbers Klemen Premrl and Aljaz Anderle
The Climbing Icebergs film was one of the greatest adventures I have ever been on. Our production crew was only myself, Zak Shelhamer (GoPro Creative Director), and the athletes; Klemen Premrl and Aljaz Anderle. We spent ten nights on the boat exploring Disko Bay and looking for icebergs to climb.
Each day we were treated with stunning views of icebergs of all shapes and sizes. Each iceberg was completely unique and quickly changing. As we sailed by we would see sections collapse and even witnessed one of them flipping over entirely in the water. At night we could hear the ice cracking and breaking as we tried to sleep. It was both beautiful and terrifying. But it never seemed to phase Klemen and Aljaz. They focused on finding the icebergs they felt were most climbable, and when it came time to climb they didn't even bat an eye.
The first few icebergs they ventured onto were quite secure and it quickly lulled us into a false sense of security. Eventually, one partially broke apart while Klemen and Aljaz were half way up the side of the ice. They were able to safely return to the boat, but it definitely changed the vibe of the adventure. We had to completely change our approach. We started looking for icebergs that were anchored or touching the ground so they would move less. After that we would do a "sound test." We would pull up next to the iceberg and do a few test hits with an ice axe. If there was lots of popping or cracking, then we moved on. Even the crumbling iceberg couldn't stop Klemen and Aljaz. We kept looking for the perfect iceberg.
We found a few suitable icebergs, but none of them were very large or impressive. One was very secure but also rather small and flat. This one I took the chance to venture onto the ice with the climbers. Standing on the iceberg was an amazing but rather unsettling experience. It somehow felt very solid and about to fall apart at the same time. Even with the smaller, solid iceberg I could hear some cracking and popping in the ice and a gentle swaying kind of like being on a large ship. As amazing as it was to film on the iceberg, for the rest of the trip I left the ice to the professionals.
Eventually we found the perfect iceberg. It was big, as secure as possible and visually stunning. We dropped Klemen and Aljaz off at the bottom and retreated to a safe distance for filming. Our hearts raced as they made their way up the side of sheer face of the ice. When they were nearly at the top, a portion of the ice below broke off into the water. The boat swayed violently with the large wave so I can only imagine how it must have been on the side of the ice. The climbers paused for a moment, then decided to continue on. They quickly finished the climb and reached the top.
We had a few days of sailing to get back to the town. I spent most of the time sitting on the deck watching the icebergs pass by with a newfound respect for their power.
Watch the behind the scenes video below for more stories from the production.
Cascadia
Gran Canaria with Danny Macaskill
Danny Macaskill's Cascadia was one of the most complex GoPro productions ever done. It took six months of prepping, planning, scouting and jumping on roofs in the Canary Islands. Luckily, we had an all-star crew who put in the extra hours and pulled it off.
One of the hardest shots to get for Cascadia was the final jump into the ocean. Originally we had discussed jumping from the top of the buildings. It was impressively high and the crew was skeptical, but Danny was keen. We reached out to the Red Bull Clif Jumping team and asked for some details about water depth and jumping into the ocean. At the same time we hired a scuba diver to test the depth at different distances from the shore. Ultimately, it turned out to be too shallow to jump from the highest point.
Instead of jumping from the top we decided to build a run in and ramp from the street level so he would jump over the large rocks instead. It was still a very high jump and it was a narrow alley right next to many houses. We found a local company that could build the scaffolding, and Danny had his build team with him to help get make the ramp perfect, but we were very tight on time as it was the last shot to get on the last days. Without the shot we didn't have an ending and it was the perfect ender.
The morning of the shoot day, the scaffolding arrived late and the builders didn't all show up. On top of the problems with the scaffolding, the weather was not agreeing with us. Everyone on the crew pitched in to help carrying, building, or just organizing the construction. It was starting to look like we wouldn't be able to get everything done in time, when the neighbors came out to help. Lots of locals from the small town all came out to support us and we were able to get it completed.
Finishing the ramp wasn't the only hurdle; Danny still had to do the jump. After some last minute adjustments to the ramp, Danny was ready but he was struggling with the jump. He would look at his landing and the waves were moving so his eyes would follow the wave and then he wouldn't be aimed right by the time he was into the ramp. After many tests, we were nearly out of light and Danny hadn't jumped. The sun just set behind over the horizon and Danny jumped for the giant front flip into the ocean in the last light of the day. The shot was perfect and we got the perfect closer.
Watch the behind the scenes video below for more stories from the production.