No Small Feat(ures): Hero Productions’ Five Most Ambitious Projects To Date
From seafaring reality TV, to indie body-horror, to immersive scenic simulation, there’s nothing the fearless filmmakers at Hero Productions won’t take on. Based out of Reykjavik, the high quality, full-service production delivered by this enterprising Icelandic company is unmatched. Proudly functioning like a filmmaking family, trust and technical prowess take precedence on every production, with the objective of everyone leaving each job feeling fulfilled.
Due to the ethereal natural scenery associated with Iceland, it has become a popular destination for TV, film and commercial shoots. With a comprehensive understanding of national laws and strong relationships with landowners and local businesses across the country, Hero Productions have gained the trust and confidence of big name clients from around the world who wish to work in Iceland. Over the last decade, the team has proven to be capable of handling any and every kind of project imaginable, having conquered complex creative challenges on behalf of major global brands such as Samsung, Apple, Sony, Hallmark and Mercedes.
Here, founder and producer, Bui Baldvinsson, talks LBB’s April Summers through the biggest technical and creative feats they have conquered in the last few years, what the hard-working team has learnt as a result, and how an aerial shoot for Apple TV turned into a rescue mission to retrieve an injured hiker from the Icelandic highlands.
5. Sony Alpha
LBB> What was the brief from Sony for this short film?
Bui> The first email from the producer of the commercial for Sony was extremely straightforward. In short, it was to be a road trip featuring certain elements of Icelandic nature, all of which is amazing. At the time, Iceland had an active volcano that would play a large role in the commercial.
LBB> What was your favourite part about this production?
Bui> Getting the opportunity to work with talented crew and inspiring people in this production was one of the biggest highs of this campaign. We also enjoyed utilising the full scale of Icelandic natural elements, to create what was needed for the production. Having an open mind regarding the elements and nature, making use of every aspect of what the country has to offer, as opposed to building sets and fake setups, is something I personally cherish a great deal.
LBB> The film is produced in collaboration with talented creatives from all over the world - how would you describe the unique collaboration?
Bui> It was a uniquely collaborative creative process, with photographers and content creators from all over the world taking part in the shoot. Each creative was tasked with capturing real life in their selected country - the finished film takes you on a journey!
4. It Hatched
LBB> This is an independent feature-length film financed by Hero Production capital – when did you first hear about the project and how did you know you wanted to be involved in the production?
Bui> It Hatched was a horror film project created by a group of young, recently graduated talent from the Icelandic Film Academy. From the beginning of the creative process I followed the shoot and was taken by the sincere passion of the crew. As a fully independent film, everyone was dedicated to adding great value to their post, and I felt compelled to help them in any way possible. They were creating their own SFX and props, teaching themselves by reading up on the craft and using their imagination. Slowly the film became a joint venture between them and Hero, as we supported the project. We are so proud of the film, which is being shown at festivals around the world including Portland Horror Film Festival, Soho Fantastic Film Festival, Shockfest in the US and Nót Film Festival in Italy. It has been doing quite well, having been nominated for awards for best cinematography, best international film and best cult film.
LBB> The film is a gory body horror but there are lots of funny moments throughout – what did the team enjoy most about working on this unique project?
Bui> The crew greatly enjoyed working on something that each member of the team was equally involved and invested in - everyone adding their input to make sure the film was well executed. The crew always becomes a family on projects like this, it quickly becomes personal.
3. Ice Cold Catch
LBB> Ice Cold Catch is set on a longline fishing vessel at the height of winter in Iceland – how did these unique conditions create a unique shooting process? Did you utilise any new technology to capture the rough seas as the narrative unfolded?
Bui> Filming on a fishing vessel that has limited space for the crew and equipment was a real challenge. We were tasked with setting up small cameras on the walls to cover certain angles and constantly record everything that goes on. I am sure this is just like shooting a Big Brother episode, with the camera recording almost constantly. The vessels are designed to accommodate a certain number of people, so we had to find a way for the crew to be on board in a safe and practical way. A limited number of people were allowed to be onboard to film, as there was simply no space for extra bodies on the ship, which meant we had to carefully select the crew members that were crucial to the shoot.
LBB> Why did it take two years to shoot the show? What obstacles laid in your way and how did you overcome them?
Bui> Covid came and made things difficult during the early stages of the production. The main task during pre-production was to earn the trust of the fishing companies in Iceland in order to convince them to allow this show to be shot on board one of their vessels. It was a big ask, because suddenly having an entire film crew onboard - many of whom are new to fishing at this scale - in fact slows things down and makes it difficult for the actual fishing crew to make their earnings. The fact a local company like us was conducting the research and meetings with the fishing companies, in order to get their permission and cooperate with our filming, proved critically helpful. If Covid infections had happened on the shoot, the whole crew onboard would have needed to be quarantined, and then the whole fishing trip would be lost. This would have jeopardised the wages of every single member of crew onboard – the fishing industry is so large and the earning of one vessel can be astronomical!
LBB> Can you tell us a bit about your relationship with Marc Heffernan, director of Ice Cold Catch? How did you work together on this show?
Bui> Marc Heffernan is very talented and a great showrunner. His vision and ability to keep going the whole time was inspiring. He maintained a positive attitude throughout, and had a full understanding of the relationship that needed to be established between the local fishermen and the foreign crew. The key to the success of this project was Mark’s trust in Hero Productions to make this happen.
2. FlyOver Iceland
LBB> FlyOver Iceland is an immersive experiential project unlike any other. Can you talk us through the technical process of shooting from an aerial flight?
Bui> The preproduction of FlyOver Iceland took long and careful planning in regards to logistics. We had to get permits from the government and landowners, as well the FAA, to fly low and carry out the aerobatic manoeuvres needed to make those shots. In one of the shots the helicopter is flying through a hole in a cliff above the ocean, and even though it had been done in the past, this was the first time a permit from the authorities had been issued to approve this type of shot.
The success of the shoot relied on Jon K. Bjornsson, the helicopter pilot from Nordurflug, having a good rapport with the team. Having a talented pilot like Jon involved in the project, with all of his experience flying in film, as well knowing every single part of the land and weather, made all the difference.
LBB> How did Hero Productions help navigate the location logistics of planning and acquiring permits for this project?
Bui> Every single thing in those shots were planned, including the people, vehicles and even the animals, who had to be lined up before each shot. For various shots we had to set up specific scenes; a nature wedding in the middle of nowhere, climbers on top of a mountain, horses running in frame – everything had to be in the exact place at the right time. Our long-standing relationships with local landowners, as well as an understanding of local authorities, helped build the foundations of this project. It was a very weather-dependent project, but we were incredibly lucky as we almost never needed to change our plan, as the weather gods were on our side most of the time. Shooting for over 30 days and having good weather almost all of the time was a miracle!
LBB> What are you most proud of about the finished product?
Bui> FlyOver Iceland is one of those projects that makes us extremely proud. It gave us the opportunity to show off Icelandic nature in a never before seen way, that you would likely never experience unless you are part of the 1% that can afford a flight like this. It’s an honour and a privilege to say Hero Productions made this. I have to admit, every time I go to the FlyOver Iceland show I tear up from both the pride and the sheer beauty of Icelandic nature.
1. Apple TV
LBB> You produced a similarly stunning aerial shoot for the Apple TV screensaver project. How does it feel to have captured Iceland in all its glory to be enjoyed globally by users of the streaming platform, Apple TV?
Bui> For many years I was jealous of all the beautiful imagery from all over the world that was displayed on the Apple TV, but there were never any shots of Iceland. Then in early 2020, Carmen Bosley contacted me about a helicopter shoot for an “unknown” client. After a small chat with her, I started giggling to myself as it felt like our time had finally come, and I was ready to do this job for free if it meant promoting the beauty of my country.
When Covid hit, Carmen informed me that the shoot was off, but she said that of all the countries they planned to capture on film, Iceland would never be off the table for a future shoot. Thankfully, in 2021 the shoot was back on, and I was overcome with excitement about this finally happening – and now the finished project is being displayed all over the world!
LBB> How many different locations did you shoot for this project?
Bui> The aerial shoot took 8 days and we filmed in 9 locations, but I think they are displaying 6 locations on the Apple TV so others might be added at a later date.
LBB> Did you encounter any major problems during production? If so, how did you overcome them?
Bui> On this shoot we encountered two major problems. We had perfect weather all the time but this meant that on one of the days we had to cancel the shoot as there was not a single cloud in the sky anywhere in Iceland. This was actually the first time in history where a satellite image was taken of the Vatnajokull glacier with no clouds. As far as problems go, it was a pretty nice one - that day we barbecued and relaxed in the great weather!
The second problem was also pretty unique! I received a call from the CEO of helicopter company, Nordurflug, who wanted to know if we were filming because there had been an accident in the highlands in which a hiker had broken her foot. The rescue team were hours away from reaching her, as at that time the Icelandic rescue helicopters were being repaired in a hangar. As we were filming only a 20 minute flight away from the injured person we took a short break to fly to them and ferry the injured hiker to the rescue team. After that we went back to filming… I’m glad we were there to assist in a time of need!
LBB> Do you have a favourite shot?
Bui> One of my favourite locations filmed was over the Landmannalaugar area where the earth colours and the rivers display Icelandic nature at its best.
