Southern Chile Icefields & Grey Glacier
Location. Southern Chile has some locations that can easily double for Antartica.
Weather. Several locations offer year-round snow and ice coverage. June to September are the coldest and snowiest months. Patagonia receives a considerable amount of rain. The best locations will vary depending on the season.
Permits. Filming Chile for Antarctica is far less complicated to permit than filming in Antarctica.
Travel. To get to Grey Glacier, fly from Santiago to Punta Arenas (4hrs), then drive to Torres del Paine National Park (4.5hrs). Reaching Grey Glacier is far easier than flying to Antarctica.
Costs. Filming Chile for Antarctica is far less expenisve than filming in Antarctica.
Safety. There are several hotels and other facilities in the area of the Grey Glacier. Our local film crews are experienced in working in cold weather, glacier filming. Contact us for Chilean film and photography production support and shooting crews.
Andes (Near Santiago)
Location. The Andes Mountains, a short drive from Santiago have mountaintop plateaus that can also easily double for Antarctica looks. Santiago has plenty of crew and equipment facilities should you suddenly need them.
Weather. June to September are the best months to film snow. Generally there is still plenty of snow up there in October but it’s heading into spring conditions so the weather is usually more reliable with sunny days more likely than heavy snowfalls.
Permits. Fast turnaround time on film permits.
Travel. The closest ski fields to Santiago are only a 1 hr drive away. From there it’s a short helicopter ride to the mountaintop.
Costs. Filming near Santiago is by far the least expensive option of filming Chile for Antarctica. Santiago also has a considerable base of shooting crew. If you are looking to avoid the high costs of flying everyone in and the hassle of bringing in gear, we are able to recommend locally based crew to fit your creative brief and budget. Working with a local crew also gives them the flexibility of filming when the weather is good, avoiding any possible weather days. Contact us for Chilean film and photography production support, directors, DoP’s, videographers, or stills photographers.
Safety. Andes filming near Santiago is generally lower risk than filming in Antarctica, where emergency help is very far away.
Images courtesy of Chile Fixer.