Monday, June 23, 2008

"Valhalla Rising" Starring Mads Mikkelsen and Jamie Sives Filming in Scottish Highlands

A random bit of news today regarding filming for "Valhalla Rising" starring former Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself cast mates Jamie Sives and Mads Mikkelsen. Even though we learned last week with the casting news of Sandy Morton (Monarch of the Glen) and model Lauren Tempany, the Scotsman reports there is another member on board-a boxer by the name of Alex Arthur. Now as I don't follow boxing at all, haven't a clue who this fellow is nor what role he is undertaking in the new film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, but tis always good when someone lets these little tidbits fall by the way of the press . Nordisk films also states that filming is officially underway, with Scottish actor Gerry Lewis (Billy Elliot), Refn’s usual DoP Morten Søborg and music composer Mogwai...For producer Johnny Anderson, Valhalla Rising will have a very modern feeling. “Nicolas is shooting it in continuity. he will make it like a Pusher movie,” commented Anderson, interviewed a few hours before the first clapper board."

All that is good and well, of course, but also of great interest to me is location filming for this movie. I love love love locations for films (am still toying with the idea of abandoning writing and learning more about this job in films) and am always keen to read more, and possibly visit those locales used in movie-making. Clearly I am not alone as the tourist board of Great Britain has major bucks invested in promoting this movie tours heh, but there doesnt seem to be too many in Sigma film related lolol-perhaps I need to get on that! :)) Anyway, thanks to the mighty Google alert, word today is that filming for the movie is taking place in the Loch Lomond area of Scotland, near a place called Arrochar. (tourist link here) cool!

A man, who is doing a bike ride for charity around Scotland, apparently rode by the crew while a scene was ongoing on his way in the Arrochar area, as a blogger by the name of John Peet wrote "It was another few miles before the climb started to bite, and the rain came down even harder to the point that I could see cloud hovering above the nearby pine trees. Before reaching the Rest and be Thankful lay-by, I came across a film crew in the middle of shooting a scene from a new film 'Valhalla Rising”, some delight being expressed about the authentic cloud and gloom which would otherwise have cost thousands to create artificially. So you see, one man's nightmare, is another's Valhalla."

INDEED! and not to mention a daft fangirl's delight :) So the movie, which is using Film City Glasgow as a production base, is surely underway, now if only some kind soul could snap a photo or two lol -well this is a good start, good to know that they are still inland for the time being but not sure at all how long that will last.

1 comment:

  1. Nice post - especially the lines about the man doing bike ride for charity, hehe.

    I searched youtube and found this - a diary from the set: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knq5HqlYNw8

    "one man's nightmare, is another's Valhalla." - its a good one.

    Thomas

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