Prerna Singh
‘The Midnight Sky’ is a science-fiction film directed by George Clooney, who also plays the lead character, Augustine. The film is based on the novel ‘Good Morning, Midnight’ by Lily Brooks-Dalton. Augustine (Clooney) is a lonely scientist in the Arctic who must stop another spaceship from returning to Earth due to a global catastrophe. The film includes surreal scenes from a spaceship and the frozen Arctic, which enhances the themes in the film. Want to know where it was filmed? We’ve got all that you want to know right here!
The Midnight Sky Filming Locations
‘The Midnight Sky’ was filmed in multiple countries, including England, Spain, and Iceland. The movie commenced filming in England on October 21, 2019, and wrapped up on February 7, 2020, before the catastrophe hit the planet (Coronavirus). Let us take you through the details!
Surrey, England
Several scenes in ‘The Midnight Sky’ were shot in Surrey, one of the home counties of England that surround Greater London. The space scenes in the film were shot at Shepperton Studios, located at Studios Road, Shepperton TW17 0QD. The studio, previously known as Sound City, is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group.
Shepperton Studios is situated close to Heathrow Airport and is only 18 miles from Central London. The property is built around a manor house and has 14 stages, 10 acres of backlot, and vast workshop space. Some of the films shot here include ‘Love Actually,’ ‘Gladiator,’ ‘Harry Potter’ film series, and ‘Troy.’
Province of Santa Cruz, Spain
The Province of Santa Cruz comprises the western part of the Canary Islands in Spain. The actor-director, George Clooney, had started scouting for locations in 2019 and decided upon Tenerife and La Palma, which are both a part of the Spanish province. The Midnight Sky was filmed in La Palma for four days, for which 200 people traveled to the island. The team also relied heavily on local companies for vehicles, machinery, construction companies, and road conditioning.
Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in Garafia is a significant filming location that features in the film, which you may recognize as the great dome where the filming of a good portion of the plot takes place. Visual effects made the mountains look like they were covered in snow. Other locations that feature in the movie are Los Tilos Recreational Area, Llano del Jable, and the Fuencaliente Lighthouse.
Iceland
The Arctic outdoor scenes were filmed in Iceland, which was the “hardest shoot.” An important but unpredictable element that the team had to work with was the weather. Although they required harsh weather for the scenes, many a time, they would be surprised by clear skies and good weather. The filming was further complicated because the scenes included the child actor, Caoilinn Springall (who plays Iris).
The scene where Iris and Augustine are separated was filmed in a snowstorm, with temperatures dipping as low as -40 degrees. Given the rough conditions, the scenes could only be shot in one-minute takes since Clooney’s face would get covered in snow. They needed to take breaks to thaw his eyelashes using a hairdryer. Elaborate preparation was required, especially because the shooting window was very narrow. The day would break around 11 am, and it would start getting dark by 3 pm.
That's a wrap! THE MIDNIGHT SKY, from director and star George Clooney, is coming later this year. pic.twitter.com/51aMNjelF9
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) February 21, 2020
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