The Internet has been down in Igloolik for days: no access at all. That’s why we haven’t been posting anything new on the site this week. But a lot has been happening – and here’s some of the backlog!

Monday afternoon: there’s drama on set. A night scene is being shot in Aua’s Snow Palace. The outside of the igloo ... [read more]

Wednesday, late afternoon. We’re shooting in the biggest igloo, right in the centre of the Snow Palace. As I walk in, my first thought is that it would make a great party space – and that’s exactly right, because tonight we’re shooting a party scene.

The igloo is big enough for 30 people. All the way round the inside ... [read more]

Time works strangely in the Arctic. Minute by minute, it seems to crawl (especially when you’re standing out on the tundra, waiting for a take to finish). But the weeks are zooming by. As another Monday rolls around, I realise that we’re almost halfway through the shoot – and I still feel like I’ve only just ... [read more]

The good news first. The camera is OK. After its traumatic shut-down during the blizzard scene, it reset itself overnight and is now working fine. But will it function next time we try to shoot during a blizzard? There’s only one way to find out…

And the bad news is: we have no idea when the next blizzard might be. ... [read more]

Wednesday morning. There’s a strong wind blowing through Igloolik. It’s not quite a blizzard – there’s reasonable visibility – but the air is full of snow, and it looks like it’s getting worse.

The original plan for the day was to finish shooting Apak’s love scene, but that plan’s been abandoned, because it would be ... [read more]

It’s Monday morning, 9am, and the roof of the Igloo Snow Palace is leaking. No: it’s melting. Holes have appeared over Aua’s quarters. From each hole, there’s a steady drip-drip-drip of water. The worst is right up at the top, by the kagnirq (breathing hole), which has widened dangerously. It looks to me like it ... [read more]

Shooting a film inside an igloo poses some unique problems. Movie cameras are delicate pieces of equipment. They need to be kept dry, secure, and at a constant temperature.

Camera Assistant Felix Lajeunesse is spending a lot of time on these problems. He tells me that on Thursday night, the camera was stored ... [read more]

Friday 8 April, 2005

Shooting starts today in the Igloo Snow Palace that’s a 15-minute skidoo ride out of Igloolik. It’s an amazing piece of architecture: seven igloos, all linked together. There’s a central spine of three large structures, each big enough for a dozen people. Off the middle igloo, there are four ... [read more]

When you’re shooting a film over two consecutive nights, one of the biggest challenges is sleeping in the day between – especially when it’s a bright, beautiful Arctic day out there. I managed a very fragmented 5 hours after writing my blog yesterday. It wasn’t nearly enough, and when I found myself saying "Good morning!" to ... [read more]

9pm - I arrive at Norman Cohn’s house Tuesday evening for the first night of shooting. All the streets around his house have been sealed off by Francis Choquette and his team. They will remain sealed until the shoot finishes.

[read more]

The first thing that hit me was the light. It was late afternoon when I arrived in Igloolik, but the light was so bright and pure; the sky was the palest, clearest blue I’d ever seen. I spend a lot of my time watching movies, and movies are made of light, so I think a lot about this subject. It’s different everywhere you go. ... [read more]