This video was shot by Issimo Productions, a Utah-based media company, in numerous scenic locations in Southcentral Alaska, including Colony Glacier, Girdwood, Portage, Eagle River, Talkeetna, and Denali State Park, to capture the otherworldliness of the frozen landscape. Hired to create a holiday video loop for a Jumbotron screen, Issio Productions director Bryce Gandy went in search of wide open winter scenes that would fill a wide aspect ratio screen. Since Utah was lacking the amount of snow needed to create a wintry vision, Gandy decided to take his crew to Alaska.
"The scenery was breathtaking, and we enjoyed the clear skies, snow, ice and spectacular hoar frost. The sun, which stayed low in the sky all day long, made for some beautiful light no matter what time of the day we were shooting," Gandy said.
The aerial footage was shot from a helicopter at 90 frames per second in slow motion and then retimed and motion stabilized. They also used a motion-controlled dolly system for the rest of the footage.
"We were surprised at how well our batteries, and the RED Epic camera, performed at temperatures like (19 below) all day long. It sure is a well-built and rugged camera," Gandy said.
They did have a lens filter and come cables shatter from the cold, but for the most part the production went smoothly. The RED Epic camera shoots in 5K resolution, which gives this video the detail and depth not seen in most standard HD videos.