MOUNTAIN MUSINGS - THE ADIRONDACKS: A FILMMAKER’S PARADISE ON EARTH

“Today is your day, a mountain is waiting. So get on your way!” Dr. Seuss, “Oh! The Places You’ll Go”

Imagine this hypothetical scenario perhaps worthy of a movie plot itself: you’re a filmmaker whose two passions are vivid storytelling, and the great outdoors. You aim to combine both passions into one ambitious script involving breathtaking outdoor cinematography and a historical period piece theme, say, during Colonial times. You have the budget, equipment, and a film crew ready to commence shooting. Then it dawns on you that a crucial factor is missing: a natural outdoor landscape for your shoot. You have no idea where to go for proper location scouting. Now, let’s tweak this hypothetical scenario a bit: you happen to reside in the Northeastern United States. If there’s any area in this part of the country which boasts a majestically beautiful and natural landscape, it’s the Adirondacks Mountains. 

Bingo, you’ve found your ideal film shoot location!

The Adirondacks Mountains is a filmmaker’s paradise. With its rolling hills, lush green forests, vertical mountain slopes, and countless streams, rivers, and lakes, the Adirondacks offer great on-location outdoor shooting. Since 1903, filmmakers have taken full advantage of the Adirondacks’ breathtaking terrain. These films represented the technical crudeness of their particular era; many were shot in black and white and recorded without sound. Nonetheless, these classic black and white silent movies told interesting stories. Many were mostly in the Adventure or Western genres, including “Kit Carson,” “Discovery of Bodies,” “Settlers Home Life,” and “Rescue of Child From Indians” (all from 1903). These thrilling films were all shot in the Adirondacks and made use of the region’s mountainous landscape for their settings. Other Adirondack Mountain-based films in this era ventured into Comedy (“The Camera Fiend” and “Love in a Perilous Place”, both in 1903), Drama (1916’s “The World and the Woman” and 1920’s “The Eternal Mother”), and even War (1918’s “The Woman Who Gave”). Whatever the genre, these filmmakers knew they had a great physical landscape with the Adirondack Mountains on their hands, even during the advent of the Cinema itself. (IMDB - Filming Location Matching "Adirondack Mountains, New York, USA"

Later, as films technologically progressed over the decades, filmmakers would continue to utilize the Adirondacks’ beautiful outdoor locales, including some very specific and unique areas in the region. The 1982 survival adventure film “Cold River” was shot in Adirondack Park in New York State and Paul Smith’s College in Saranac Lake, New York. The 2008 crime thriller “Frozen River” was shot in the town of Plattsburgh, NY, which borders closely to Adirondack Park. The star-studded 2012 hit film “The Place Beyond The Pines” (starring Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, and Ray Liotta), was filmed in Vermontville, NY, within the Lake Placid region. Even documentary pictures were shot to capture the Adirondacks in all its splendor. The 2000 two-part travel showcase “Adirondack Great Camps'' captured the historical and natural treasures of Raquette Lake, Saranac, St. Regis, and Santanoni. (IMDB - Filming Location Matching "Adirondack Mountains, New York, USA"

We at Adirondack Film cannot give enough praise towards our region’s natural beauty, nor the creative opportunities it can offer to filmmakers. If you are such a filmmaker and would prefer to leave the hustle and bustle of Hollywood studio shooting, consider filming your next big project in the Adirondack Mountains and capture its natural glory on camera today. For location suggestions, please call us at 518-302-1375 or email info@adirondackfilm.org.