China documentary production
Sky River of the Himalayas
Local production support for a natural history shoot in Tibet, from route and transport planning to coordination in the field.
Alchemist Films handled local preparation and field coordination in Tibet for pre TV’s natural-history series. In 2016, we worked with the Austrian producers, Chinese partners, guides and drivers on the western route and preparations for a separate gorge team.
- Production partner
- pre TV · Austria
- Alchemist’s assignment
- Local preparation & field coordination
- China production
- Tibet · 2016
- Series broadcast
- 2017 · Three parts
01 / Preparing the departure
Getting the Tibet crew ready to leave.
The series follows the Brahmaputra from Tibet through India to Bangladesh. The Tibet crew needed a route, permissions and arrangements for its people and equipment before setting out. In April 2016, pre TV was revising the schedule and equipment list while waiting for regional approval to confirm flights.
Confirmation arrived in May. Our schedule for the few days in Lhasa included meetings with partners and guides, proposed discussions with experts and time to pack the vehicles. The producers continued to revise the schedule with us as the crew’s arrival approached.
CITVC and local collaborators handled much of the work to secure permissions and locations. Our team coordinated travel, equipment and field preparations with them and the Austrian producers.
02 / Planning for the terrain
The camera needed to be within reach.
Reports of melting ice on the planned route affected discussions about the vehicles. Our producer relayed the local team’s assessment to pre TV, including the guides’ proposals for distributing camping gear and camera equipment.
The crew needed to be able to reach a camera during the journey. We described a proposed loading arrangement that kept camping supplies separate from camera gear, with protection for the equipment and access from the pickup. We considered how the vehicles would be packed as we discussed which ones to use.
The producers asked for time in Lhasa to load the vehicles and check the available space. We included this in the preparation schedule so the crew could test the equipment list against the actual vehicles before departure.
From the programme
03 / From Lhasa into the field
Coordination continued on the journey.
Our producer checked the incoming equipment’s cargo timetable and collection window in Lhasa before the crew arrived. People and cases were travelling separately, so we had to allow for both arrivals when planning the preparation days and vehicle packing.
By late May, our producer was travelling on the western route and reporting back to the producers. We continued to coordinate guides and supplies during filming, with further updates from camp in June.
During preparation, a power shortage in Lhasa interrupted a planned internet call. We offered telephone contact so the production could still reach us.
04 / A separate field operation
Preparing the gorge team.
For the Chinese gorge team, our producer relayed a list of equipment needed to move cases through steep terrain. pre TV’s production manager asked for the specialist equipment to be chosen locally with the people who would use it.
Food supplies had to cover both teams. We asked how many meals the mountain-food supply would provide, and the production manager asked for a share to be kept for the western route.
Guide and porter arrangements depended on the crew’s arrival dates. We followed up with the producer about preparations already under way and the effect of the changing timetable, then coordinated the next steps.
05 / After the field work
Getting the equipment home.
During the shoot, pre TV asked us to check how the equipment could return from Lhasa through Beijing before the international flight. They needed to know where the cases could be collected, who would handle them and how much time to allow between cargo collection and airline check-in.
We contacted the cargo company and passed on the collection arrangements. The proposed schedule allowed for a delayed domestic shipment. We also discussed alternative handling options with the production and Chinese partners, including how to transfer the cases from cargo to the passenger flight.
By July, the producer and director were reviewing footage from the western plateau and gorge teams. pre TV thanked our producer alongside the guides, drivers, CITVC and local access partners. The series aired on Austrian television in 2017.
Scenes from the programme
Life along the river.
Landscape, wildlife and daily life along the river, in frames from the finished programme.
The programme
Sky River of the Himalayas
A three-part natural-history series following the Brahmaputra from Tibet through India to Bangladesh, exploring landscapes, wildlife and life along the river. The first episode, From the Source to the Gorge, was directed by Klaus Feichtenberger.
- Series
- Sky River of the Himalayas · 2017
- Episode I director
- Klaus Feichtenberger
- Produced by
- pre TV, dreiD.at Filmproduktion & EOS Films.tv, in association with CITVC
- Co-production
- ORF, CCTV-10 & ZDF, in association with ARTE France & ORF-Enterprise
- China case study
- Alchemist Films · Local preparation & field coordination, 2016
More from the programme 4 frames
Additional frames from the wider series, following the river through Tibet, India and Bangladesh.
For your next documentary
Preparing a remote shoot in China.
Our work on Sky River involved planning routes with local teams and working out how to get equipment to and from remote locations. Alchemist Films can help visiting documentary crews prepare for these demands when filming in China.
Tell us what you want to film.
Share the places and subjects you have in mind, how long you expect to spend in each area and what the crew will carry. If a camera needs to be ready during the journey, include that in the brief. It affects vehicle choice, packing and preparation time.
Brief each field team.
Set out who and what travels with each unit, including any shared equipment or supplies. Ask local specialists about their requirements. When arrival dates change, update the guides and transport teams preparing ahead.
Plan the equipment transfers.
Work through collection and handover points alongside crew travel. Confirm who will be at each transfer, what needs checking locally and how the return fits the international departure. Keep track of timings that still need confirmation.
Send us your documentary brief, proposed locations, crew outline and equipment plan. We can discuss the research and local production coordination your China shoot will need.
Documentary production in China
Preparing to film
in remote China?
Share your proposed locations, filming brief and dates. We can discuss the local production support your China shoot needs.
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