La Vie Nous Appartient

Formed from the remains of an ancient ocean, the cliffs of Peilstein have inspired a sense of wonder and awe since prehistoric times. Originally home to Druids who worshiped nature from on top of the massive stone cliffs, Peilstein now hosts scores of rock climbers who travel from around Europe to test themselves against the area’s 400 plus climbing routes. This week it has taken on a new role hosting the cast and crew of “La Vie Nous Appartient” as filming finally got underway.

It’s not hard to see what makes this region a perfect setting.

Axel

While this dramatic location makes a perfect setting for “La Vie Nous Appartient”, having to film on top of shear faced cliffs presents a number of challenges, not least of which

include keeping the team safe. This is especially the case with scenes that force the team to push up close to an edge. Fortunately for us Axel Bierbaum, one of our camera assistants, is also a certified mountain guide and is on hand to ensure everyone’s safety. Armed with a harness and an impressive collection of clips and other gear, he can be found at either end of a rope depending on whether he’s securing one of the actors or suspended behind a crew member whose back is to a ledge.

You can’t see him but just behind the rocks Axel is holding the rope that makes shots like this possible.

Aside from safety, another regular challenge is finding the right place to set up the camera. This time it’s Marco Zimprich, our director of photography, who rises to the challenge. Marco, who will stop at nothing to capture the perfect shot, is fearless if it means getting the perfect angle. He is more than willing to reach out into the abyss, even with his state-of-the-art Sony F65 in tow. Actually, sometimes I think he’s more worried about the safety of his camera than himself!

Look closely and you’ll see another climber on the cliff in the distance, only he isn’t carrying movie camera!

Of course Peilstein is only one of the many beautiful spots in Lower Austria (Niederösterreich). For the rest of the week we will be exploring some other great locations that include everything from caves to castle ruins. I’ll be posting photos of those locations shortly, but until then here’s one more still. This one is a close-up of Sarah who in this scene is distractedly playing her guitar while resting on top of the same cliff pictured in the still above.