There’s something undeniably festive about the image of a plucky little passenger train wending its way through the picture-postcard perfection of an Alpine landscape, brightly lit carriages filled with excited travellers heading home or away for the holidays. So when the team at King of Sunshine Productions was asked to come up with some “Christmas ideas” for Channel 4, they saw the perfect opportunity to capture some magical footage for a forthcoming documentary about one of the most scenic rail journeys on the planet, Switzerland’s delightful Bernina Express.
Managing director Sohail Shah already knew assistant producer Beth White harboured an ambition to film the train, which makes a daily sightseeing trip between the Swiss city of Chur and Tirano, in the Italian region of Lombardy. It would, however, require a considerable planning effort. “It seemed like the perfect time to dig down into the possibility,” he says. “Luckily, Beth’s tenacity, the timing and the access opportunity all aligned.”
The window was tight and the team hastily assembled. “For such a big endeavour, our team wasn’t especially massive,” comments Shah, who, along with White, was joined by series producer/director, Ben Sheldon, Basilio Longo as producer/director, PM Andy Partington and Chloe Eckersley Bell as coordinator. Nat Bullen and Bill Bartlett were on location as DoP and sound respectively, with two local runners completing the line-up.
The British team flew out on November 18th for a six-day shoot, which managed to coincide with Switzerland’s heaviest snowfall for a decade. “The day we arrived, there was no snow,” he says. “The day after, the country was covered.”
The majority of the documentary, named Alpine Train at Christmas, was filmed during a single four hour journey. Shah explains how the filming was managed, “On that journey, we had one camera filmed by Ben, one camera filmed by Basilio and one crew camera, directed by me. We were split across various parts of the train to get as much coverage as we could. The train also had 4 GoPros placed on its exterior.”
Further footage and non-sync content was captured on a second journey two days later, while the DoP crew were filming general views and externals for the wider documentary.
King of Sunshine’s previous work includes the documentary series, The UK’s National Parks, with Caroline Quentin. Shah considers the contrast between filming at home and in the Alps, during winter. “The biggest differences were language, terrain and temperature. Whilst filming in the UK, we were always fine for conversation and interviews. Filming in two countries where several languages are spoken could have been problematic. However, we were prepared with an Italian PD and some crew with German skills.”
The entire Bernina Railway is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and passes through some incredible scenery. Its 55 tunnels and 196 bridges include the breathtaking Landwasser Viaduct and the Brusio spiral, an ingenious solution avoiding the need for a switchback junction. The environment, however, posed some unique problems. “The landscapes were sometimes difficult to navigate with the extreme weather, but with the proper equipment and clothing, we managed to film what we needed. Plus the snow makes the show look beautiful and suitably Christmassy for the holidays.”
The film was shot in HD with speed of edit a major consideration. “It would have taken way longer to ingest in 4K than HD and our edit schedule was already ridiculously short, so for everyone involved, HD was better,” says Shah.
Capturing the feel of one of rail’s most romantic routes required a range of equipment. Tailoring the kit to the task, the team used Ronin4 and FX6 cameras as well as four GoPro devices (Hero10, 11 and 12). Drone footage was captured using an EJI Mavic3 Cine and Sennheiser’s MKH50, MKH30, MKH40 and MKH8050 took care of audio requirements.
There was no particular requirement for specialist equipment, although it was essential to ensure all cameras and mics had extra protection from the freezing mountain temperatures, “This also extended to the production team,” added Shah. “Many layers, hats and gloves! At its coldest, the temperature dropped to -22 degrees centigrade on a day when we were filming on a farm for one of the four vignettes featured within the show.” No VFX was used for the footage, but map interludes during the documentary were designed and provided by freelance VFX and motion designer, Lynn Tidsey.
Throughout the shoot, the team was able to fall back on previous experiences. Shah recognised the need to take a realistic approach. “With such a tight filming period, we utilised our planning skills to the nth degree. There wasn’t much room for changes, but we also knew that we would have to roll with the punches with regards to filming with contribs for the vignettes and general views. The only non movable points in the schedule were the two train trips, so we had to be as prepared as possible for those, and plan exactly what we wanted at specific points. We had to film reactions, shots and chat about landmarks along the way, so it was a one chance thing with all three cameras.”
As a popular tourist attraction, filming on the Bernina Express during a busy season presented the team with a number of challenges, as did the need to operate within the constraints of a working railway environment. “A big consideration was making sure we were as inconspicuous as possible,” says Shah. “We had a full carriage to ourselves where we were based and were able to store equipment, however, the rest of the train was a full and functioning train with paying customers. We did not want to encroach upon their experience or taint it in any way. Therefore, signs were placed at the station and on the train in multiple languages, informing passengers that filming would be taking place.
“We were especially careful not to feature anyone that did not want to be, and we avoided certain carriages completely. Only people that our team had spoken to once they had boarded were featured in the documentary. Practically, the space aboard a train isn’t especially big so the cameras are limited for positioning and angles. However, the shooters and crew did a fantastic job in capturing footage that gives the sense of being aboard the train during the journey, as well as filming beautiful postcards with people who live and work amongst the Alps.”
Shah is keen to praise the team for its achievements. “I haven’t worked with such a close knit talented team in ages. Everyone brought their A-game and I think the end product is a real testament to everyone’s abilities and consideration for the project.”
Illustrating the point, he describes a standout moment, “The hill station of Alp Grum is only accessible via train and passengers are allowed off the train for 14 minutes to observe the stunning views and to stretch their legs. Within that window, the production team split off into three groups – the DoP immediately threw up a drone to get as much footage as possible. Ben the SP darted into the hillside restaurant to film and interview the owner; and PD Basilio and I filmed with the conductor of the train, Viola, as she explained all about Alp Grum and what the passengers can do there. The co-ordination of everyone was perfect, right down to the final whistle alerting everyone to reboard the train. Time waits for no man and nor does the Bernina Express. If you don’t get on board, you are there for the night as there is only one train a day. Planning for this part of the journey was extra important for that very reason!”
Alpine Train at Christmas will be shown on Channel 4 at 7pm on Sunday, 22nd December.
