The perks of filming on-location
1091 Pictures
The trailer for Waititi’s “Ragnarok” sequel, “Thor: Love and Thunder,” opens with an in-camera, one-shot montage (this time in the form of a tracking shot) of Thor running through a forest at different ages, evoking this scene from “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.” Still, for as much as Waititi has carried over the tricks he used in his early New Zealand indie movies into his big-budget films, there’s one aspect he’s had to leave behind: The real-world locations around his native island country where he shot Ricky and Hector’s odyssey.
It’s a cliche, but the New Zealand bush really is a character unto itself in “Wilderpeople,” starting with the movie’s opening aerial shot. The film’s production designer, Neville Stevenson, talked about this in a 2016 interview with Stuff, noting that for all the challenges the unexpected snow presented, “there’s nothing like the real thing.” Stevenson added:
“It’s been amazing to be in these natural environments. On occasion, when I’ve had a moment to take stock and have a little breather – you suddenly notice Mt Ruapehu or a beautiful forest in front of you. It’s pretty exciting to have captured some of these amazing vistas. We’re very lucky to have amazing locations and lots of great nature at our disposal. We went into production embracing the fact it was going to be hard with the weather, and prepared to shoot whatever the conditions.”
As Stevenson pointed out, filming in natural environments comes with both its benefits and drawbacks, unpredictable and hostile weather being a major one. Even then, though, it can fuel creativity in a way that shooting on a set simply can’t, as it did when wintery conditions spurred Waititi to try his hand at a wild idea that ended up working in spades on “Wilderpeople.”
When Hunt For The Wilderpeople Hit Bad Weather, Taika Waititi Knew Just What To Do
1091 Pictures
By Sandy Schaefer/April 21, 2022 10:55 am EST
Waititi had this ‘big montage shot’ in his head
Part of what makes this in-camera, one-shot montage so eye-catching is that it was clearly captured via practical methods. Waititi confirmed as much in his New York Times interview, explaining that the shot combines doubles for Dennison and Neill with the actual actors. This, in turn, creates the illusion that Ricky and Hector are moving through time as the various performers pop in and out of frame, all while the camera steadily pans. “We had a fire that was going on in the beginning. Someone would run in and put that out,” said Waititi, adding that Dennison and Neill’s doubles wore different costumes to further suggest we’re seeing Ricky and Hector on different days. “So it was a real choreography.”
The perks of filming on-location
The trailer for Waititi’s “Ragnarok” sequel, “Thor: Love and Thunder,” opens with an in-camera, one-shot montage (this time in the form of a tracking shot) of Thor running through a forest at different ages, evoking this scene from “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.” Still, for as much as Waititi has carried over the tricks he used in his early New Zealand indie movies into his big-budget films, there’s one aspect he’s had to leave behind: The real-world locations around his native island country where he shot Ricky and Hector’s odyssey.
It’s a cliche, but the New Zealand bush really is a character unto itself in “Wilderpeople,” starting with the movie’s opening aerial shot. The film’s production designer, Neville Stevenson, talked about this in a 2016 interview with Stuff, noting that for all the challenges the unexpected snow presented, “there’s nothing like the real thing.” Stevenson added:
“It’s been amazing to be in these natural environments. On occasion, when I’ve had a moment to take stock and have a little breather – you suddenly notice Mt Ruapehu or a beautiful forest in front of you. It’s pretty exciting to have captured some of these amazing vistas. We’re very lucky to have amazing locations and lots of great nature at our disposal. We went into production embracing the fact it was going to be hard with the weather, and prepared to shoot whatever the conditions.”
As Stevenson pointed out, filming in natural environments comes with both its benefits and drawbacks, unpredictable and hostile weather being a major one. Even then, though, it can fuel creativity in a way that shooting on a set simply can’t, as it did when wintery conditions spurred Waititi to try his hand at a wild idea that ended up working in spades on “Wilderpeople.”
It’s a cliche, but the New Zealand bush really is a character unto itself in “Wilderpeople,” starting with the movie’s opening aerial shot. The film’s production designer, Neville Stevenson, talked about this in a 2016 interview with Stuff, noting that for all the challenges the unexpected snow presented, “there’s nothing like the real thing.” Stevenson added:
As Stevenson pointed out, filming in natural environments comes with both its benefits and drawbacks, unpredictable and hostile weather being a major one. Even then, though, it can fuel creativity in a way that shooting on a set simply can’t, as it did when wintery conditions spurred Waititi to try his hand at a wild idea that ended up working in spades on “Wilderpeople.”
“It’s been amazing to be in these natural environments. On occasion, when I’ve had a moment to take stock and have a little breather – you suddenly notice Mt Ruapehu or a beautiful forest in front of you. It’s pretty exciting to have captured some of these amazing vistas. We’re very lucky to have amazing locations and lots of great nature at our disposal. We went into production embracing the fact it was going to be hard with the weather, and prepared to shoot whatever the conditions.”
