Pole to Pole - Will Smith

Challenge

To coordinate the largest international production team (60 people) ever to film in Bhutan, one of the world's most unexplored countries. The goal was to gain access to film locations, people and cultures normally restricted to outside production crews, and in doing so, open the doors for large-scale international filming in Bhutan for the first time.

Our Approach

This 10-month project began with initial conversations about filming in Bhutan, drawing on Ant's 30+ years of experience in remote and expedition logistics. He was appointed as the lead film fixer for the National Geographic series Pole to Pole with Will Smith, tasked with helping the production team plan a unique shoot in one of the most challenging filming environments in the world. From there, the focus shifted to taking crew out to Bhutan to explore ideas through location recces and then plan and facilitate everything required on the ground.

Delivery

Ant spent a total of five months in Bhutan across the 10-month project, exploring unique and often remote regions and locations at altitudes of up to 4,000m. A first recce was organised for the production crew to explore favoured locations, followed by a second technical recce a few months later to identify filming and crew requirements at each site.

Once both recces were complete, Ant remained in Bhutan for three months between the technical recce and the shoot itself. During this time, he secured permissions from multiple government agencies and began planning location logistics. This included coordinating multiple production teams operating across the country simultaneously, building remote camps at 4,000m for 40 people with full altitude safety considerations, helicopter slinging kit into remote regions, and sourcing 30 vehicles, hotel accommodation, local crew and all necessary safety provisions.

A team of six staff from Adventure Consultancy supported Ant throughout the build-up, working alongside local teams and government agencies. During the shoot, each member of the Adventure Consultancy team managed an individual location, with Ant overseeing the entire project alongside the production team.

Outcome

The shoot was a success, filming in some of Bhutan's most extraordinary locations and enabling Will Smith to experience unique cultural interactions that had previously been restricted from outside access. The Adventure Consultancy team delivered total commitment to the project, going above and beyond to ensure the production team got everything they needed and more.

Key Results

A post-shoot review with the Film Commission of Bhutan allowed all parties to reflect on what was learned about large-scale filming in the country, from permissions and logistics to operational processes. The production set a new benchmark for international crews looking to film in Bhutan, creating a clear pathway and framework for future productions to follow.