Revenant shoot hard on crews
Union boss says ‘ elite’ crew members walked away from Alberta shoot
The head of the local union representing film workers who endured the harsh conditions of Leonardo DiCaprio’s epic Alberta- shot western, The Revenant, confirmed there were safety concerns and high turnover on set after a Hollywood Reporter article released Wednesday quoted anonymous sources describing the shoot as a “living hell.”
Damian Petti, president of IATSE 212, also confirmed that 15- 20 members of his union were either fired or quit during the gruelling production.
The Hollywood Reporter article featured an interview with Oscarwinning director Alejandro G. Inarritu, who said he wanted to set the record straight about the production.
Petti took exception to Inarritu’s comment in the article comparing the crew members who left the production as out- of- tune violins in an orchestra.
“I find that offensive,” says Petti. “These are elite crew. ( They) have high skills as far as working in extreme conditions.”
The article also reports that a 22- year- old background actor may have been put at risk after a scene required him to be dragged naked along the ground.
Inarritu rejected this, insisting on- set safety was a priority and that there were no serious injuries on set.
Petti couldn’t comment on that particular incident, but said he did visit the set on three occasions to discuss safety concerns, including crew members who worked in freezing water for a long period of time.
“I will say that there were safety issues and this was an extremely
I will say that there were safety issues and this was an extremely elite crew that was very well- prepared.
elite crew that was very well- prepared, dealing with a very difficult situation,” Petti says.
Drumheller, Kananaskis Country, Dead Man’s Flats, Morley and areas near Canmore were all used for the lengthy shoot, which began in late September and ran into May. The film apparently still isn’t finished, although the production definitely won’t be coming back to Alberta. Inarritu will apparently shoot a frozen- river scene on the southern tip of South America.
Inarritu, who won an Oscar last year for the dark comedy Birdman, used only natural light for the production and long shots, contributing to the difficulty of the shoot.