Society of the Snow is already a fantastic film, and these 10 incredible behind-the-scenes details make the movie so much more impressive. Due to the success of Netflix’s Society of the Snow, more and more details have been coming out regarding the making of the film, showing how far J.A. Bayona, the actors, and the rest of the film crew went to recreate the story of the Miracle in the Andes. Society of the Snow is an incredibly accurate movie with a lot of backstory behind it, and its production and development make the film worthy of even more praise.
J.A. Bayona’s Society of the Snow is already one of the most talked-about movies of 2024, but the recent reveal of these BTS details will give the film even more buzz. Netflix has just released a Society of the Snow behind-the-scenes documentary titled Society of the Snow: Who Were We in the Mountain?, with the film featuring interviews with Society of the Snow‘s directors, actors, stunt coordinators, and more members of the film crew, as well as several of the real-life survivors. The documentary reveals a lot of interesting facts about the making of the film, including these 10 details.
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10 Society Of The Snow Uses Almost Completely Unknown Actors
Bayona Cared More About Personality Than Stardom
One of the most impressive aspects of Society of the Snow is its cast of characters, with the Netflix film using almost completely unknown actors. As the documentary explains, J.A. Bayona didn’t want to use well-known stars when casting the film, with him instead opting to look for lesser-known actors. He mainly wanted actors who already had the personalities of the real-life characters that they were portraying. The documentary also features the moment that several of the Society of the Snow stars discovered that they had gotten the part, much to their excitement.
9 The Survivors Gave J.A. Bayona Complete Creative Freedom
They Trusted Bayona’s Vision
Society of the Snow has been praised for just how accurate the film is, with it making very few changes or departures from the true story. This is made even more impressive by the fact that the survivors of the real-life tragedy gave J.A. Bayona complete creative freedom when writing the script, as one of the interviewed survivors explains in Society of the Snow: Who Were We in the Mountain?. Movies based on real people oftentimes struggle when the real-life person is involved, so it’s great to see that the survivors were willing to see Bayona’s creative vision through.
8 The Film Crew Dealt With Almost As Much Snow As The Survivors Did In 1972
1972 Was A Record Year For Snowfall
Society of the Snow: Who Were We in the Mountain? explains that the film crew made a trip to the Valley of Tears, where the real-life Rugby team crash-landed and survived for 72 days. According to the documentary, the film crew dealt with almost as much snow during this scout as the actual survivors did back in 1972. The documentary also explains that 1972 was “one of the snowiest years on record for the area,” with the comparison between snow levels highlighting just how difficult the shoot was.
7 Five Sets Of The Plane Wreckage Were Built
They Each Had A Different Purpose
The plane wreckage is the main set throughout Society of the Snow, and the BTS documentary goes into detail about how the shelter that the survivors lived in was recreated for the film. As it turns out, the wrecked plane fuselage was actually built five different times, giving the film crew a variety of possibilities when shooting the plane scenes. These sets were brought to various shooting locations, with one even being attached to a gimbal inside a sound stage in order to create realistic movement for the crash scene.
6 One Plane Fuselage Model Had To Be Transported To The Top Of A Mountain
Getting It There Was A Challenge
While most of these five plane sets were kept in easily accessible locations, one of the plane fuselages actually had to be transported to the top of a mountain. As the documentary explains, the film crew built the fuselage model in Madrid, with them then transporting it to Sierra Nevada, Spain in one piece. Once there, the fuselage had to be broken into three pieces in order to be brought over 9,000 feet up the mountain. Then, the fuselage was put back together and left in the snow, with it being seen in the final film.
5 Society Of The Snow Took 140 Days To Film
Much Of This Was Spent On A Mountain
Filming Society of the Snow was undoubtedly a grueling process, as the behind-the-scenes documentary points out. According to the documentary, Society of the Snow took 140 days to film, meaning that the film crew had to undergo some pretty difficult hardships for an extended period of days. While not all of the 140 days were spent in real snow, a significant chunk of the making of Society of the Snow was, with the film crew spending a lot of time in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
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4 Society Of The Snow’s Actors Really Lost Weight
Bayona Wanted It To Be Gradual
Throughout the timeline of Society of the Snow‘s Miracle in the Andes, the real-life survivors lost a lot of weight due to the lack of food and the immense amount of calories that they were burning due to the harsh conditions. Thus, director J.A. Bayona wanted the actors to lose weight over time in a similar fashion to the real-life survivors. Because of this, the actors were on a strict diet throughout the film, allowing them to gradually lose weight throughout filming. One actor even mentions that he lost 44 pounds, showing just how extensive the cast’s weight loss was.
3 J.A. Bayona & The Actors Had COVID When Filming Started
COVID-19 Made Society Of The Snow Even More Difficult
Another interesting detail that was revealed in the BTS documentary was that J.A. Bayona and most of the main actors had COVID when filming started. On day one of shooting, most of the actors were out sick. Because of this, the shoot began using body doubles, with Bayona directing them remotely from a secluded booth.
2 Society Of The Snow Filmed At An Incredibly High Elevation
It Was Shot At Over 9,000 Feet
As has already been mentioned, one of the main filming locations for Society of the Snow was the Sierra Nevada mountains in Spain. In the documentary, it is specifically mentioned that much of the film was shot at an elevation of 9,842 feet. It is incredibly difficult for a normal human to operate at this altitude, and even more so for an entire film crew operating heavy equipment for an extended period of time.
1 All Of Society Of The Snow’s Backdrops Are Real Footage From The Andes
These Background Shots Really Immerse The Viewer
The documentary also explains that Bayona does not like digital effects in his films, with this also extending to the backgrounds of each shot. As it turns out, all of the backdrops in Society of the Snow are real footage from the Andes that the film crew actually shot, making the film even more realistic. This does a great job of putting the viewer in the scene alongside the characters, with it being one of the many reasons why Society of the Snow is so impressive.
