Gorges du Verdon
One of the most unusual locations we visited is the Gorges du Verdon, a river canyon in southeastern France that is considered to be one of the most beautiful in the world. Marked by its turquoise-green water, the Verdon River slices its way through this majestic setting and flows into the lake of Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon, only a few kilometers up the road from the village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. Also known as the Grand canyon du Verdon, once there I was taken aback by the very scale of the place. Lining the river are rock walls that tower up to 700 meters above the river and if you don’t like heights, peering down into the canyon from one of the few lookout points near the hamlet of La Palud-sur-Verdon can be a daunting experience.
We put the Gorge du Verdon on our list because it’s currently written into the film’s screenplay. A kayak scene down the river through a set of rapids could be filmed here, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. The best access to the river is upstream and would require the mounting of cameras on the shore and handheld cameras inside the kayaks themselves. Capturing the beauty of the gorge can be accomplished from on high looking downward, or from the river looking upward. If we can get these shots, it is well worth the trouble of going there, if only for a day. I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to include it in our film and look forward to learning more about the logistics of shooting a movie at the site of one of France’s natural wonders.
