The Martian is a perfect example of what Ridley Scott is capable of. An eye for detail building a believable world populated by skilled actors. This is solid and skilled work down the middle, as Hollywood as it gets. And yet, the film was shot in Jordan because the story has to go to Mars and the Wadi Rim area has red sand and rocky landscape similar to the red planet. And as long as they’re already halfway around the world, the production decided to film the stage work at Korda Studios in Hungary. One stage was used as a potato farm with duplicated sets and potatoes in rotating stages of development so they’d be available when the schedule wanted to film there. My favorite technical detail is that the glass visors on the helmets were often put in digitally, which would be easier than erasing reflections of cameras, crew, lighting equipment and green screens.
Leave A Comment