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Production Notes
BEYOND THE EDGE
“It’s not the mountain we conquer – but ourselves.” ~ Sir Edmund Hillary
Exactly 60 years ago on May 29, 1953,for the first time, two men stood on the top of the
world. As news of their conquest of Mt Everest filtered out, the world was already in a mood
to celebrate as Queen Elizabeth the 11 prepared for her Coronation on June 2.
GENERAL FILM CORPORATION IN ASSOCIATION WITH
THE NEW ZEALAND FILM COMMISSION; NZ ON AIR’s PLATINUM FUND AND
DIGIPOST PRESENTS A MATTHEW METCALFE PRODUCTION
“BEYOND THE EDGE”
HAIR AND MAKE-UP DESIGNER DAVINA LAMONT COSTUME DESIGNER BARBARA DARRAGH SOUND DESIGN BRUNO BARRETT-GARNIER ORIGINAL MUSIC BY DAVID LONG
LINE PRODUCER CATHERINE MADIGAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER GRANT MAJOR DIRECTOR
OF PHOTOGRAPHY RICHARD BLUCK EDITOR TIM WOODHOUSE
SCREEN STORY BY MATTHEW METCALFE AND LEANNE POOLEY PRODUCED BY
MATTHEW METCALFE WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY LEANNE POOLEY
© 2013 GFC (EVEREST) LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
For publicity enquiries contact:
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CONTENTS:
List of key cast and crew Page 3
About the Film Page 4
Synopsis Page 7
Director’s Statement: Leanne Pooley Page 8
The Filmmakers: Producer - Matthew Metcalfe Page 10
The Filmmakers: Director - Leanne Pooley Page 10
The Filmmakers: Line Producer – Catherine Madigan Page 11
The Filmmakers: Production Designer – Grant Major Page 12
The Filmmakers: Cinematographer – Richard Bluck Page 13
The Filmmakers: Costume Designer – Barbara Darragh Page 13
The Filmmakers: Make Up, Hair and Prosthetics – Davina Lamont Page 14
The Filmmakers: Editor – Tim Woodhouse Page 14
The Filmmakers: Composer – David Long Page 15
The Making of BEYOND THE EDGE Page 16
(Production gets support of Sir Ed’s family Page 16
Casting Ed Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Page 18
Key components of the film Page 20
Recreating a true life event on location Page 21
Choosing 3D Page 22
Production Design – the look and feel Page 22
Safety and logistics of filming at High Altitude Page 25
Guy Cotter – Mountaineer and Safety Page 27
Mark Whetu – Everest Cinematographer Page 28
Peter Hillary – Edmund Hillary Consultant Page 29
The 1953 Expedition Page 30
Sir Edmund Hillary – Biography in brief Page 32
Tenzing Norgay – Biography in brief Page 34
Ed and Tenzing – forever immortalized Page 36
Hunt’s British Everest Expedition 1953 - in brief Page 37
Dangers of climbing Mt Everest Page 38
The Locations – New Zealand and Everest Page 39
Mark Whetu’s Ascent of Everest 2013 Page 39
About Mt Everest and Aoraki / Mt Cook Region Page 40
Sir Edmund Hillary and the Mt Cook Region Page 41
World’s largest Dark Sky Reserve Page 41
Credits and Resources Page 42
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About the Film:
BEYOND THE EDGE, a Matthew Metcalfe Production for General Film
Corporation, is a 3D feature film focused on one of the world’s greatest adventure
stories of all time.
BEYOND THE EDGE documents the epic true journey of the heroic and triumphant
ascent to the top of Mt Everest by Edmund Hillary, a modest bee-keeper and keen
mountaineer from Auckland New Zealand, and the very experienced Sherpa,
Tenzing Norgay, of Nepal.
This is the tale of two men from modest beginnings. Ed Hillary overcame his own
demons and battled nature’s raw cruelty to conquer the highest peak in the world,
together with Tenzing Norgay.
This is a truly experiential film for an audience to not only learn about the legendary
expedition, but to be transported into taking part in the action that is ‘re-lived’ on
the big screen in 3D as never seen before. Using original colour archival footage and
photographs from the time, seamlessly interwoven with interviews as well as
dramatic re-creations of the assault, this is a high-altitude ‘fly on the wall’ look inside
one of the most inhospitable environments on earth and man’s ability to conquer.
This state-of-the-art feature film weaves together a number of components including
dramatic reconstructions, re-enactments, colour archive footage and stills from the
1953 expedition, a number of interviews, graphics and actual newsreel footage.
The main focus of BEYOND THE EDGE is the astonishing climb itself. While the
world acknowledges that Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay “knocked the
bastard off”, few people really know the details of just how they managed it, or grasp
the dramatic moments that took place during that understated modest era of 1953.
Although they had the best mountaineering equipment available at the time, by
today’s standards the gear was relatively primitive.
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Hillary and Tenzing carried the hopes and dreams of the United Kingdom, New
Zealand, the people of the Himalaya and the entire British Empire on their
shoulders. As the world slowly recovered from the horrors of the second world
war their efforts allowed people everywhere to believe a new age was dawning.
The film is produced by Matthew Metcalfe, (GISELLE; DEAN SPANLEY; LOVE
BIRDS) and is written and directed by Leanne Pooley (THE TOPP TWINS:
UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS; SHACKLETON’S CAPTAIN).
Producer Matthew Metcalfe said, “This is an amazing story of heroism, drama,
tension, danger, thrills and spills, added to that it is one heck of a good tale. On an
emotional level, at its heart, this is not just a story about being the first to climb a
mountain, it’s the story of a shy man who not only literally conquered that mountain
but overcame his own self doubt and conquered himself.”
Director Leanne Pooley said, “BEYOND THE EDGE is a gift for a filmmaker. Like
the conquest of Everest itself, BEYOND THE EDGE is a film that pounds a stake in
the ground establishing once and for all that Sir Edmund Hillary’s triumph on top of
the world wasn’t just a huge accomplishment, but an epic story that helped to define
a nation. It is my goal to take the audience on a journey up the mountain on an
adventure that will remind them of what it is that makes us who we are.”
BEYOND THE EDGE has the blessing of the Hillary family with Sir Ed’s son Peter
commenting: “At last a chance to tell Ed Hillary’s Mt Everest story! I am delighted
that this story is finally coming to the big screen.”
The Royal Geographical Society in London (whose expedition the 1953 assault on
Everest was part of) supplied access to both photographs and original materials from
this historic event.
The Production Designer is Grant Major (EMPEROR), an Academy Award© winner
for his work on THE LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy. Director of Photography is
Richard Bluck an accomplished DOP, well respected as second unit DOP on some of
the world’s biggest motion pictures including THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy,
AVATAR and most recently THE HOBBIT.
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The Costume Designer is Barbara Darragh who has a raft of experience with both
local New Zealand and international productions including Vincent Ward’s RIVER
QUEEN and BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA for Walden Media and Disney Films.
The film has been edited by Tim Woodhouse who has collaborated with Leanne on
many of her previous documentaries including "TOPP TWINS: UNTOUCHABLE
GIRLS”.
The 3-D Post Production is being be handled by New Zealand's Digipost, who have
completed Post on many feature films including EVIL DEAD (2013), together with
the final series of SPARTACUS, which is currently airing in the USA and Europe.
The New Zealand Film Commission has invested in the production in association
with NZ On Air’s Platinum Fund, DigiFilm, TVNZ and Rialto Distribution. The
project is being made with the assistance of the New Zealand Government’s Screen
Production Incentive Fund (with finance by ANZ).
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SYNOPSIS – The story
In 1953, the ascent of Everest remained the last of Earth’s great challenges. Standing
at over 29,000ft, the world’s highest mountain posed a fearsome challenge and had
already claimed thirteen lives in previous expeditions.
Faced with treacherous winds, sub-zero temperatures and battling altitude sickness,
Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay finally achieved the impossible and became
the first men to stand atop Everest. It was an event that stunned the world and
defined an era.
Sir Edmund Hillary’s incredible achievement remains one of the greatest adventure
stories of all time; the epic journey of a man from modest beginnings who overcame
adversity to reach the highest point on Earth.
Both a classic triumph of the underdog story and a gripping, cinematic experience,
BEYOND THE EDGE is a tale of human endurance, tenacity and courage in the face
of overwhelming odds.
For the first time ever, and with the support of the Hillary family, Sir Edmund’s story
will be brought to life on the big screen, ‘relived’ using both original colour footage
and photographs and dramatised recreations of the assault in stunning 3D.
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DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT – Leanne Pooley
Mount Everest was the final frontier, the third pole. Before Hillary set foot in Nepal
there had been 15 serious attempts to conquer Everest; all had failed and thirteen
people had already lost their lives on her slopes. Many at the time believed the
altitude at her summit was beyond that which could be survived.
The ultimate villain, Mount Everest is an enormous, unfeeling, vicious killer whose
penetrating temperatures, ferocious winds, sheer cliff faces and maze-like icefalls
make her an adversary like no other. The conflict between this mammoth mountain
and Sir Edmund Hillary’s stoic, humble heroism is a David and Goliath tale of Biblical
proportions. The story is a gift for a film-maker and I don’t believe I’ve ever come
across a tale that better serves the dramatised documentary form.
The best documentaries are exactly like the best fiction features; good stories, well
told, with a strong narrative and great characters. BEYOND THE EDGE is neither a
documentary nor drama but a piece of work that authentically weaves the two into
one.
The historical components that are available to be explored are extensive.
Wonderful colour archive (moving and still) and interviews from the time provide
me with an incredibly rich bed from which to establish the film’s credibility. This
material also helped me to create a strong sense of nostalgia, reminding the audience
of a different time. An age when there were still frontiers to be explored.
Rather than simply reflecting this world however, the film will transport the viewer
into it. Using the latest technology, we have treated the archive to make it 3D and
inter-cut it with high-end dramatic 3D reconstructions and re-enactments. The
technology allows the audience to truly experience Everest, enabling the viewer to
get as close to the climb as is physically possible without risking frostbite. The
Death Zone will feel real as we gaze around an environment almost unimaginable in
its scale. We’ll look over edge of cliffs as we traverse them and up at rock faces that
seem impossible to climb. As Hillary struggles against the elements we’ll struggle
with him, wind and snow driving towards us.
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I also want people to come to know Ed the man. For this reason there are
flashbacks into the childhood of a self-conscious, insecure boy who was bullied at
school. As Ed the climber grinds his way up the mountain, we are reminded of
where he came from; the young man who suffered from self-doubt and was painfully
shy - the under-dog in many ways.
BEYOND THE EDGE is an old-fashioned thriller, a sometimes harrowing, but
ultimately inspiriting journey. Everyone should leave the cinema feeling inspired to
climb their own mountain no matter what that mountain might be. This is a great
story about a great man and I believe it will be a truly great film.
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The Filmmakers
MATTHEW METCALFE – Producer
Matthew Metcalfe is one of New Zealand’s most prolific and internationally
successful producers whose films have been nominated for thirty New Zealand Film
Awards with thirteen wins, while also being long-listed for two BAFTA awards and
being nominated for a London Critics Circle Award.
In September 2013, Matthew will have two features at the prestigious Toronto
International film Festival with BEYOND THE EDGE and GISELLE - a first for a
producer from New Zealand.
Other films Matthew has produced or executive produced have shown in the
Cannes, Toronto and London film festivals, as well as numerous others around the
world. His work includes feature films such as DEAN SPANLEY (starring Peter
O’Toole and Sam Neill), NEMESIS GAME (starring Ian McShane) and LOVE BIRDS
(starring Rhys Darby and Sally Hawkins) – films which have sold internationally to
companies such as Lions Gate, Icon, Paramount and Miramax. TV shows Matthew
has produced include prime time productions such as AIR FORCE, SOLDIERS OF
FORTUNE, VIETNAM – MY FATHERS WAR and the hit German TV drama series –
EMILIE RICHARDS.
LEANNE POOLEY – Director
One of New Zealand's most internationally accomplished and award winning
documentary film-makers, Leanne has worked for broadcasters around the World
including the BBC, ITV Channel 4 (UK), PBS, TVNZ, the Knowledge Network, and
The Discovery Channel.
Pooley's documentaries have screened in more than 100 countries and include topics
ranging from the great Antarctic Explorers to a docu-drama examining the ancient
process of Papal elections. In 1997, Pooley established the independent production
company Spacific Films in New Zealand.
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Recent documentaries include SHACKLETON’S CAPTAIN, a dramatised
documentary about Frank Worsley, Captain of Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated
Endurance expedition; THE TOPP TWINS : UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS (2009) which
has won 20 international awards including the “Cadillac People’s Choice
Award” at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival Award; the
Qantas Award winning film RELATIVE GUILT, THE MAN WHO HAS
EVERYTHING for the American Discovery Network, and KIWI BUDDHA (as seen
on National Geographic). Her first feature length documentary, HAUNTING
DOUGLAS about choreographer Douglas Wright, screened at festivals around the
world and earned Leanne the award for BEST DIRECTOR at the 2005 New Zealand
Screen Awards.
Her documentary THE PROMISE, about euthanasia campaigner Lesley Martin, won
the 2006 New Zealand Screen Award for 'Best Documentary'. In 2006 Leanne
produced and directed TRY REVOLUTION, exploring how rugby was used to help
bring down South Africa’s apartheid regime, and in 2007 BEING BILLY APPLE about
the man who became a living work of art.
Leanne lives in Auckland, New Zealand with her husband and two children. She was
born and raised in Winnepeg, Canada, immigrated to New Zealand in the mid-1980’s
and began working in the New Zealand television industry. In 1992 she moved to
England where she made documentaries for major broadcasters including BBC (1
and 2) ITV and Channel 4 as well as PBS in America.
CATHERINE MADIGAN – Line Producer
Catherine Madigan has been involved in numerous feature films, television series,
television commercials and documentaries, both in New Zealand and overseas. Most
recently she was the Production Manager on Andrew Adamson’s latest feature
Mister Pip (starring Hugh Laurie) filmed in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea and New
Zealand. She previously worked as a Line Producer on the documentary Brother
Number One, filmed in Cambodia and New Zealand.
Her most recent projects include Line Producing two of General Film Corporation’s
films GISELLE and BEYOND THE EDGE for producer Matthew Metcalfe.
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Catherine production-managed the Hollywood feature film VERTICAL LIMIT shot in
Queenstown, followed by a US feature BEYOND BORDERS in Thailand starring
Angelina Jolie. She has also produced a behind-the-scenes DVD in Las Vegas with
Celine Dion and has directed her own documentary in Sri Lanka about New Zealand
aid reaching fishing communities post-tsunami. Catherine has produced several
Tourism NZ commercials in recent years as well as the Tourism NZ International
Short Film Competition. She is currently on the NZ Film Commission LBSG panel,
the DOCNZ Advisory Board and is a member of WIFT.
GRANT MAJOR – Production Designer
The Academy Award-winning production designer Grant Major was born in New
Zealand in 1955 and went to Auckland University of Technology art school, where
he majored in graphic design.
His first job was in the design department at Television New Zealand and, after a
stint with BBC TV in London, his debut feature credit was on Jane Campion’s, AN
ANGEL AT MY TABLE (1990). He embarked on a notably fruitful collaboration with
director Peter Jackson on HEAVENLY CREATURES (1994), which also included
THE FRIGHTENERS (2006) before they went on to attempt the most ambitious film
trilogy of all time, THE LORD OF THE RINGS (The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001;
the Two Towers, 2002; The Return of the King, 2003). Grant won the Oscar for the
final instalment; he has been nominated four times.
Grant went on design Jackson’s KING KONG (2005) and Martin Campbell’s THE
GREEN LANTERN (2011). In between such gigantic productions, he has worked
closely with Nikki Caro on MEMORY AND DESIRE (1998), WHALE RIDER (2002)
and THE VINTNERS LUCK (2009) and his most recent projects are MR PIP (2012),
which is set in Papua New Guinea, and THE EMPEROR, set in the post-War imperial
palaces of Japan.
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RICHARD BLUCK – Director of Photography
Richard Bluck, who is today considered to be one of New Zealand’s best exponents
of shooting in state of the art 3D, started at Television New Zealand as a trainee
cameraman. In 1989 Bluck made a debut as director of photography by collaborating
with cameraman Grant Lahood on the classic short film SNAILS PACE. He went on
to direct music videos for hip hoppers Southside of Bombay, and went on the road
with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra for 1993 doco In Bed with the Orchestra.
Richard earned a great reputation for his Steadicam skills and worked on selected
scenes of Peter Jackson's BRAINDEAD, THE FRIGHTENERS and THE LORD OF THE
RINGS. He made his debut as a feature film director of photography two with
Jonathan King's BLACK SHEEP, which garnered a New Zealand Film and Television
Award. Other feature films include UNDER THE MOUTAIN and SECOND HAND
WEDDING. He served as second unit DOP on the epic films KING KONG and
AVATOR.
Richard is skilled in the complex art of filming miniatures: his work on THE TWO
TOWERS would see him sharing an award from an organisation of American special
effects professionals. Bluck also shot boat miniatures for MASTER AND
COMMANDER, and train scenes for Martin Campbell's THE LEGEND OF ZORRO.
BARBARA DARRAGH – Costume Designer
Costume Designer Barbara Darragh has had a life-time career costuming actors for
major New Zealand film and television shows, US cable shows and international
feature films such as BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, along with many television
commercials.
Over the past four years Barbara was costume designer for the Starz series
SPARTACUS plus numerous television commercials. She has several awards for
costume design and Emmy nominations for Spartacus.
Barbara owns an expanding costume hire business, Across The Board (ATB), to
facilitate industry designers and stylists.
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DAVINA LAMONT – Make Up, Hair and Prosthetics Designer
Davina Lamont, based in Queenstown New Zealand, is an international Film,
Television and Fashion Makeup, Hair and Prosthetics Artist, with over 19 years in
the industry.
Her career has taken her around the world where she has managed to work within
all the different elements that the makeup world has to offer, from designing
makeup, hair and prosthetics for some of the big film production companies to
photo shoots.
Davina works with Directors Peter Jackson, Andrew Adamson, Leanne Pooley, Ross
Brown and Gino Acevedo, people whose creativity continually feeds her imagination.
She was nominated for a Saturn Award in America for Best Makeup for 30 DAYS
OF NIGHT and Winner of a Moa New Zealand Film Award, for Best Makeup Design
for THE DEVILS ROCK.
Davina has worked with the following artists: Jude Law, Viggo Mortensen, Karl Urban,
Doris Roberts, Narveen Andrews, Josh Hartnett, Ashley Tisdale, Danny Huston, Tom
Cavangh, Stephan Moyer, Donna Hay, Richard Roxburgh, Ben Cross, Sam Neill, Simon
Callow, Patrick Bergin, Frances O’Connor, Claire Forlani, Kevin Nealon, Gillian Vigman,
Robert Hoffman, Lincoln Lewis, Jonah Lomu.
TIM WOODHOUSE - Editor
Tim Woodhouse is a documentary specialist who has been editing for over 20
years. During this time he has forged a strong working relationship with Director
Leanne Pooley editing many of her projects including THE TOPP TWINS:
UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS; SHAKLETON’S CAPTAIN, THE PROMISE, BEING BILLY
APPLE and HAUNTING DOUGLAS.
He has also cut TV drama, commercials, comedy, pop videos, short films and dance
films. He won 'Best Drama Editor' at the 2002 NZ Television Awards for
STAUNCH and 'Best Documentary Editor' at the NZ Screen Awards 2005 for
HAUNTING DOUGLAS. In 2006 he was a finalist in the documentary editing
category of the NZ Screen Awards and the Australian Screen Editor's Guild Awards
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for his work on THE PROMISE and the NZ Television Awards for ELGAR’S
ENIGMA. Documentary projects include COFFEE, TEA OR ME (with Brita McVeigh
and Gaylene Preston), TRY REVOLUTION (with Leanne Pooley), and SHEILAS: 28
YEARS ON (with Annie Goldson).
DAVID LONG – Composer
David Long composes, performs and produces music. He has worked on all of Peter
Jackson's films of the last decade. For THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
he composed, in collaboration with Plan 9, the music for the song Misty Mountains
that is sung by the dwarves in the film. Their melody was then used throughout
Howard Shore's score as a major theme and also developed into the credits song by
Neil Finn. In 2009 he composed additional score for Peter Jackson's THE LOVELY
BONES. He wrote music and created musical sound design for Peter Jackson's
LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and KING KONG (again with Plan 9 Music).
He has composed scores for THE RED HOUSE and PICTURES OF (a feature
documentary) and Robert Sarkies' feature TWO LITTLE BOYS. Other credits
include REST FOR THE WICKED and a UK mini-series ICE. He has also composed
for Weta Workshop childrens' series the WotWots which has screened in over 100
countries.
David was a founding member of the New Zealand band The Mutton Birds. He has
since produced many albums including Dave Dobbyn's Available Light (2005), two
albums for Barry Saunders (Red Morning, 2005 and Zodiac, 2009), Lucid 3's Dawn
Planes (2007) and Leila Adu's Cherry Pie (2006) to name a few. He won Producer of
the Year at the 2002 New Zealand Music Awards for Fur Patrol's Pet.
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The making of BEYOND THE EDGE
For Producer Matthew Metcalfe making BEYOND THE EDGE was more than a
passion project it was the fulfilment of a dream come true. “About six years ago I
became interested in the story of the conquest of Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and
Tenzing Norgay. I had been thinking about it and often asked myself - how do I tell
this story - what’s the best way to do it?” Matthew decided the best way to tell the
story was not to be too complicated but simply tell the story “from the bottom of
Everest to the top.” He adds, “I also felt it was an achievement story – a little like
CHARIOTS OF FIRE – so with that in mind I carried it with me for a few years and
eventually came to a point about 18 months ago where I felt that I had found a way. I
wrote a story line that outlined the story and how it would work within a feature
film narrative structure while also giving the audience an insight to the make up of
the great New Zealander”.
“I wanted to do this as a feature film within a New Zealand environment, so at that
point I started to think about doing it in what I would call a ‘Touching the Void’ style
which was a feature film documentary format I greatly admire using extensive
recreations and dramatisations to tell the story.”
Production gets the support of Sir Ed’s family
The family of the late Sir Edmund Hillary have been extremely supportive of
BEYOND THE EDGE. “The Hillary family have been wonderful right from the get
go and in fact when I first phoned Sir Ed’s son, Peter Hillary, out of the blue about a
year and a half ago and said Hi I’m Matthew Metcalfe and I’d love to come and have a
coffee with you, he was very welcoming and very warm. From that moment we
engaged with the family and they engaged with us and we started talking about how
to do this film in a way that respected both the family and the legacy of Sir Ed;
something which was very important to us as filmmakers. We felt that we had to pay
homage in the right way as we are telling a story that’s not only important for the
climbing community but is arguably the most important national narrative in New
Zealand’s cultural and social history. We had to get the story right and the only way
we could get it right was with full engagement with the Hillary family - something
they have allowed us to do from the very beginning.”
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Peter Hillary himself is an accomplished mountaineer, literally following in his father’s
footsteps, having reached the summit on Everest twice. In BEYOND THE EDGE he
lends his voice to share his father’s emotional story giving the audience a unique
insight into Ed’s heart and mind.
The Director, Leanne Pooley was very attracted to the cinematic potential of this
tale. “In terms of stories in New Zealand there’s no story that is more important or
bigger, or has stronger resonance in terms of a country’s identity – I don’t know any
filmmaker that wouldn’t be attracted to this story.”
Matthew in collaboration with Director Leanne Pooley, completed the story line and
together with Line Producer Catherine Madigan, started to get the production off
the ground.
After the screen story had been written by Matthew and Leanne, Leanne got down
to the business of writing the actual film. “We knew we had access to the archive
that came from The Royal Geographical Society who filmed the 1953 expedition and
we decided early on to frame the story and interlink the dramatic recreations we
shot on location with their material and layer the story to ensure we included the
historical context.” Leanne said. “In the year 1953 England was still feeling down
after World War II and the race for Everest was a big boost for national morale –
plus the fact a couple of New Zealanders had been invited meant a lot for New
Zealand. The fact that Queen Elizabeth II was about to celebrate her coronation was
a great morale booster”.
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CASTING Ed Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
Stepping into the legendary climbing boots of the young Ed Hillary is actor Chad
Moffit from Nelson, in the South Island of New Zealand.
In the role of Tenzing Norgay is Sonam Sherpa – who is originally from Nepal and
now a New Zealand resident living in New Zealand’s alpine region of Aoraki/Mt.
Cook National Park where principal photography took place.
Producer Matthew Metcalfe said, “After an exhaustive search we were thrilled to
discover Chad and Sonam. They were in great hands with a team of talented world-
class Kiwi filmmakers including Director Leanne Pooley, Oscar winning production
designer Grant Major and acclaimed New Zealand cinematographer, Richard Bluck”.
The job of finding a New Zealand actor who didn’t just resemble Ed but could bring
to life his stoic yet awkward personality and imposing physicality was taken on by
accomplished casting director Liz Mullane (THE LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy, THE
HOBBIT, HEAVENLY CREATURES). A nationwide search ensued as men from all
walks of life (from experienced actors to sheep farmers) came forward in the hope
that they might be given the chance to portray their hero.
Director Leanne Pooley said “There are few if any individuals in New Zealand more
loved and admired than Sir Edmund Hillary. First and foremost finding an individual
who Kiwis would believe and accept as Ed was a daunting task. We knew we needed
someone who could truly embody Sir Ed and get as close as possible to his
incredible presence. However, from the first time Chad auditioned I knew he was
special”.
Chad, who stands at 6’4”, has an uncanny likeness to the great man. When he first
wrote to the production he sent a picture of himself holding a New Zealand five
dollar note – with its profile portrait of a young Ed Hillary – this delivery had the
desired effect. Leanne and Matthew wanted to see more.
Chad Moffit said “I am honoured and humbled to have been chosen to play such an
important New Zealander of international stature.”
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Finding Tenzing Norgay was also a challenge. The filmmakers were determined that
whoever played this role should be from Nepal or Tibet. So it seemed the most
wonderful stroke of luck when they were introduced to Sonam while on a location
scout in Mount Cook in New Zealand’s great alpine region, the location of principal
photography. Director, Leanne Pooley said “Tenzing was described by everyone who
met him as the most charming, charismatic man, with an amazing smile. Sonam is
exactly the same and while relatively new to acting he was completely relaxed and
focused in-front of the camera. It just seems incredible that we found our Tenzing in
New Zealand.”
“Finding Sonam was like something out of a Hollywood movie – we were up at Mt
Cook on a reccy and Sonam was working at the restaurant at the Hermitage Hotel. I
literally looked and said “wow that guy looks an awful lot like Tenzing!” That lead
to an audition and here we are – he’s the easiest going, lovely person to work with;
he is very focused and never complains even when being hurled towards crevasses!”
Sonam Sherpa said “It’s a great honour, I never thought I’d one day be playing the
role of a national hero – an international hero – and being involved in this exciting
film industry. This is a totally new experience for me.”
“The stars aligned when we found Chad and Sonam” added Pooley.
“Together Chad and Sonam built an easy natural rapport with each other that has
been apparent from their first meeting, reflecting the same relationship the real men
had” said Producer Matthew Metcalfe. “And like Ed and Tenzing, Chad and Sonam
were ready to take on a huge challenge of their own.”
Chad had some climbing experience under his belt and Sonam is originally from
Nepal and works in New Zealand’s alpine region. So while both men don’t have the
technical skills of mountaineering they are both very familiar with high terrains,
which helped them immensely to cope with the challenging high altitude filming
conditions.
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Key Components of the Film
The multi-faceted components that streamline to make BEYOND THE
EDGE - THE ARCHIVAL MOTION PICTURES and STILLS IN COLOUR, THE
VOICES OF THE MOUNTAINEERS, CLIMBERS and INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS,
THE NEWSREELS, THE 3D DRAMATIC RECREATIONS AND SIR EDMUND
HILLARY HIMSELF.
The voices:
Through the use of original interviews, Sir Ed is the main voice of the film, guiding us
through the ascent step by step, ensuring the viewer experiences his highs and lows,
fears and insecurities, and ultimately his triumph. Mountaineering and historical
experts include Jim Whitaker – the first American to summit Mt Everest, Stephen
Venables – first Britain to reach the summit without oxygen, Peter Hillary – son of
Ed Hillary and twice summiter of Everest, Norbu Tenzing – son of Tenzing Norgay,
Peter Hackett – world’s leading authority on high altitude medicine, and Mick
Conefrey – author of Everest 1953. The voices of the entire 1953 expedition are also
used in the film alongside Sir Ed’s.
Pulling all the threads together…. Metcalfe explains, “Our aim to bring together
the multiple elements that make up the film into a seamless story was a challenge
that I think we’ve mastered quite well. There are four key elements to this film:
firstly you’ve got the original footage from the 1953 expedition – fortunately it’s in
colour – which was shot on 16mm film and has been brilliantly preserved and
recently restored so it’s a wonderful medium to use. Secondly, the Royal
Geographical Society has over 1,000 35mm colour stills taken by Alf Gregory on the
expedition. Further we have all the interviews that each member of the expedition
took part in once they came down from the mountain – something they also
continued to do for many years afterwards. There’s a wide variety of this archival
material available. Then finally we have our dramatic re-creations directed by Leanne
and filmed on location around the Southern Alps.”
Another interesting aspect the filmmakers adopted that sets this film apart was to
not include ‘talking heads’ in this film. Leanne Pooley commented “We only use the
actual expedition members themselves to provide a narration – like a voice over to
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their story. We then match the colour footage and the colour photographs from
1953 with what we’re doing so that they seamlessly integrate with an end result that
perfectly comes together and compliments itself with the old footage and the new,
combined with the narration of the original expedition members. We want to give
the audience a true and unique story-telling experience”.
As per the Producer’s brief, Leanne also wanted to concentrate the story on the
climb itself, “In terms of Ed Hillary’s life the film is not about what happened after
the climb, it’s about the moment in his life that became the impetus that leads to all
those other things; the movie finishes at the top of the mountain rather than
following on. This was a very important driver for producer Matthew Metcalfe. The
filmmakers didn’t want to tell Ed Hillary’s life story, they were telling the mighty
story of the conquest of Everest as well as exploring the emotional threads that
made up this great man. “This is also the story of one man’s journey from a simple
boy who grew up in a small town outside of Auckland, who was painfully shy who
became the man who not only conquered the mountain but conquered himself” said
Metcalfe. “In fact in the words of Sir Edmund Hillary ‘it’s not the mountain that we
conquer but ourselves’ – and that’s really what this movie is about – conquering
yourself and achieving your own dreams.”
Recreating a true-life event on location
Recreating a true-life event on location in the Southern Alps was not so much a
challenge but a fun experience for Director Leanne Pooley. With her extensive
background in documentary filmmaking, Pooley said, “Directing true-life events is all
I’ve ever done to be honest. The challenge of combining drama with it was actually
less of a challenge and more fun because it means I have control over those dramatic
elements. For the moments of the story that have no archive footage or
photographs, I can recreate and control. In a way it’s not a challenge, it’s a gift, and
it’s such an amazing story that the gifts are sort of multi layered. There’s all this
wonderful archive and incredible photographs, and we’ve got hundreds and hundreds
of hours of interviews with the people who were actually there so we’re using those
people to tell the story with the dramatic moments we shot on the Tasman Glacier.”
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Choosing 3D
The use of 3D is very deliberate as Matthew Metcalfe explains, “3D works best in
two environments: firstly in an environment where you have depth of field and
secondly when you have a reason to use it, and the reason we’re using it is that it’s
experiential for the cinema-goer. 3D helps you to ‘be there’ and right from the start
we said we want the audience to come with us on the journey from the bottom to
the top of Everest. 3D helps us achieve that.”
Director of Photography, Richard Bluck, is one of New Zealand’s foremost
authorities on 3D shooting. Richard was second unit DOP of AVATAR, THE
HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy.
PRODUCTION DESIGN – creating the authentic look and feel
Academy Award winning Production Designer Grant Major just happened to be
walking the Himalayas, (as you do!) when he took a call from Leanne Pooley’s
researcher, Keiran McGee, with whom he’d worked with in the past “They heard I
was wandering about up there and said … “right on, you could be the guy for the job!”
The job intrigued the LORD OF THE RINGS production designer as it presented a
new ‘genre’ for him. “It was very interesting for me because I’d never done a
dramatised documentary before. One of the things about my job is to know about
time and place and the environment for a given drama and script and of course in
this instance there’s a very specific time and a specific place with a lot of imagery and
knowledge about what actually happened there. My duty was specifically to do with
recreating with a lot of fidelity, all those details, so that it looks just the same as the
real thing.”
The brief from the Producer was for authenticity all the way. From his point of view
he wanted a sort of stylisation while maintaining the authenticity, offering a very
exciting design opportunity. “It’s a break from tradition to have a designer on a
documentary,” said Grant, “ I like to think that with my skills I bring a certain
amount of stylisation I suppose. It’s a very factual story but it has look, which I
think is quite a groovy look. When you look at the material – even though it’s 60
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years ago now – all these individual climbers had their own style, a certain ’50’s style,
a certain mountaineering style. I was very interested in that period look. There was
also a lot of graphic work to happen in the film and so collectively with the archival
things and the things that I can bring in from a design point of view, there’s quite a
lot of material to formulate and turn into a ‘designed’ look.”
Objects like the oxygen gear and tents are actual archival objects that still exist in
the Royal Geographic Society and there are some elements of that expedition in
various New Zealand Museums. Grant said, “One of the great things about it is that
I was actually able to go to the museums and measure up, photograph and do a
survey of all the things I could get my hands on. We also had a researcher in
London who could go to the Royal Geographic Society and do a really good photo
survey of their objects there, so collectively we had a lot of good stuff to work
with.”
Grant started researching in early November 2012, five months before principal
photography commenced. “That was quite a while given that we’re only really
recreating 20 to 30 minutes of actual drama”. As the research started pretty much
straight away Grant and his team could find out what items they had to acquire from
overseas, which can take some time to get to New Zealand, and what things they
had to make. They made the oxygen sets and all the tents with a lot of detail
following their intensive research, “I’d like to think that all the intercutting between
what we’ve made and the actual things on the archival footage is pretty seamless.
That takes time and a skilled team”.
For Costume Designer Barbara Darragh, being able to research the actual
archival pieces in the Canterbury Museum was a great place to start. “We were able
to look at their original pieces that came back from Everest, including the padded
jackets and boots that were lined with Kappock at the time, plus the actual mittens
and the oxygen helmets. It was a really good start for us to get a scale of how they
were built. Most of them were designed in Farmborough”.
The challenge of matching the recreation with the actual film footage was an
enjoyable aspect for Barbara, “It was really interesting trying to make the colours
and the shapes seamless between the original footage from 1953 and now. It took a
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lot of dying – a lot of cloth was dyed and over dyed until we got the correct
colouration and aging process. I did try to use the cottons and nylons which is what
the fabrics were at the time. All the green jackets do have down in them and all the
boots have been constructed very similar to the time. With combat soles, we have
left the padding out because we had to try and fit existing crampons.”.
Dealing with the 3D impact was a challenge, “If you have anything white or a strong
contrast and it moves in front of the performer it’s really distracting so a lot of the
toggles and the ties were taken down a lot darker in colour than what they would
have been at the time”. Because the members of the expedition were issued all
these garments at the bottom of Kathmandu they were like new. When you look at
the original footage on some of the garments you can still see the packaging lines on
them, however we were trying to get away from that and make them feel like
they’re also going to the top so they are aged and ripped and torn – we did notice
that the boot covers ripped pretty quickly on the rocks in New Zealand during the
shoot!”
Barbara found it fascinating to have an insight into what they would have gone
through, “They slept in their down jackets for wind protection. They all had their
own eccentricities – of course Ed with his striped cap that was made, we
understand, by his sister, with scraps of fabric. That actual hat was in the museum –
we recreated it. I had all the stripes reprinted again and we stitched it just as it was
– which was a very cool thing to do as the cap is so iconic. Ed also had this sweater
which, the more we studied it, we found it was knitted ‘off kilter’ - it’s not
symmetrical – so we recreated it exactly the same.
Make Up, Hair and Prosthetics Designer Davina Lamont was working in
London with Jude Law at the time in October 2012 when she received emails and
phone calls from Director Leanne Pooley. “Leanne asked me would I be keen to
take on this job and of course anyone would be stupid if they didn’t say yes – so of
course I said “I’d love to ‘create’ Hillary.” On my return to New Zealand Leanne
asked me to be involved in the casting and showed me Chad Moffitt first up. I said
they’d be crazy if they didn’t take him on, I said he’s got everything that looks like
Hillary. There’s obviously a bit of an age difference but with a little bit of extra help I
think he’ll be amazing!”
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“Chad is actually older than Ed when Ed ascended Everest but Chad has been
indoors for a few years and didn’t have the aging or the weathered look that our
lovely Ed had so we had to add it. I had a list of stuff that I gave to the producers of
what I thought Chad would need to play Hillary. We didn’t want to make him
exactly like Ed which I thought was a great idea and so we kind of went for aging
weathered prosthetics around his eyes and a little bit on his forehead. We changed
the length of Chad’s teeth so he has just the top teeth in and we also pushed out his
gums a little bit just to open up his mouth. We then we added in his beard and
stubble and weathered it up, and with him in costume and make up he looks
amazing.”
SAFETY AND LOGISTIC when filming at high altitude
Filming at high altitude posed many challenges including the obvious safety hazards,
which impacts upon and slows down the pace of shooting.
Director, Leanne Pooley said, “I have shot in the mountains before and safety has to
be the number one issue so in order to make everyone safe, each person has to be
clipped in and harnessed. That creates its own what I call “dog park dance” where
we’re all clipped in like dogs in a dog park, tripping over each other in the snow.
There’s no way to avoid that because you don’t want to take the risk of someone
getting hurt. It’s a ‘live’ environment – a dangerous environment – so it’s slower
because of that; there’s just no way around it”.
Producer Matthew Metcalfe explains the logistics of filming on the
mountain: “The mountains have got to be one of the hardest places to film. A
typical day for us started with most of the team rising at 5am – we have breakfast
between 5:45 am and 6:00 a.m. – get the latest weather reports, and from there we
grab our kit and head down to the airport at Mt Cook or go to the studio if weather
is bad. If we fly, which was more often than not during the shoot, the first choppers
are usually in the air at first light and it’s normally a two-hour process to get all the
loads up to the mountain. Those loads usually involve about eight helicopters to get
us from the bottom to the top and then of course from the top to the bottom and
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we have to break that down into passenger loads and also bin loads. The bin loads
require the more powerful helicopters; the Squirrel B3 is usually used here and they
bring up to about half a tonne of equipment with them and we need three of those
per day. In a nutshell every day we’ve got to bring about 24 people and 1.5 tonnes
of equipment up to about 8,500 to 10,00 feet at the top of the Tasman Glacier.
Because safety on the production was paramount the producers ensured
the best possible practices were in place at all times and engaged some
of the world’s best mountaineers and safety experts who also had
extensive experience working on feature films.
“On any film safety is important and I have a personal mantra which is: we all treat
our work like we’re trying to get a rocket to the moon, but at the end of the day it’s
just a movie, it’s not even worth a cut finger, and on this film that applies in
triplicate. So we said to everyone right from the get go – the budget is always tight
but not for safety, on safety we don’t scrimp and we don’t save”. Production
ensured they had everything they needed safety wise and were strict about it,
“Everyone respected that and everyone has gone out of their way to look out for
each other and operate as a true team. We’ve been greatly helped by Adventure
Consultants, led by Guy Cotter who is one of the world’s foremost experts on
filming in the mountains. Guy has been able to set up a situation whereby we can
operate safely and do our job knowing that someone has got our back and that
hopefully nothing is going to happen to us”.
There were no incidents on the mountain during principal production.
“We had the most amazing safety crew, in fact some of them have been up Mt
Everest six times for example. I have no idea what the collective Everest summits are
in our safety team but it’s got to be somewhere between ten and fifteen and even
for those who haven’t summited Everest, they’ve gone to the South Pole, they’ve
climbed K2, they’ve climbed the worlds top eight peaks. We’ve literally got the most
experienced guys in the world looking after us and I tell you what on a daily basis, it
shows!” Matthew concluded.
Director Leanne Pooley actually had a slight aversion to heights! The well-respected
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and much liked Director never complained about the dangers and later said “I’m
absolutely certain that if I wasn’t attached to a mountain-man I would have fallen
down some hole by now, so it’s pretty good that they’re here. I feel like I’ve
conquered it because I literally sat on a ledge and it was, hmm I don’t know, about 4
meters wide with what seemed like a 4000 meter drop and I felt fine because I trust
them all. I don’t mind helicopters at all but heights have never been my thing, so I’ve
hung myself over a couple of these ledges and I feel kind of proud of myself – haha -
it won’t impress my kids though!”
GUY COTTER – Coordinator of Safety and Locations on Beyond the
Edge is one of the world’s foremost mountaineers.
Highly respected Adventure Consultants (originally founded by the late Rob Hall) is
directed and owned by Guy Cotter. He is a IFMGA Mountain and Ski guide with a
wealth of experience in all things climbing, especially high altitude mountaineering at
a professional level. Guy's whole life has been spent in the mountains - in New
Zealand, the Himalayas and many other mountain ranges around the world. He has
been the director of Adventure Consultants since 1996 and prior to that he had
been intricately involved with the company since its beginnings in 1992.
Born in southern New Zealand, Guy was introduced to the outdoors at an early age
where a fascination for the mountains was fostered. At 11 years of age Guy started
his climbing career accompanying his father on climbing trips and at 15 years old he
completed a traverse of New Zealand's wild Southern Alps from Arthur's Pass to Mt
Cook. One of his companions on that trip was Rob Hall, the founding director of
Adventure Consultants.
Immediately after taking on Adventure Consultants he led expeditions to Everest,
Gasherbrum II, Gasherbrum I, Ama Dablam and Cho Oyu and reached the summit
of each with clients (except Gasherbrum I). This meant that in 1997 he became the
first westerner to guide clients to the summits of three 8,000 metre peaks in one
year, as well as guiding and climbing Vinson Massif in Antarctica in December of that
year. The pace didn't slow down in 1998 with Guy leading expeditions to Dhaulagiri,
Muztagh Ata and Vinson again, this time also staying behind to climb Mt Slaughter in
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Antarctica (a first ascent). Since then he has led successful expeditions to Aconcagua,
Makalu, the Mustang region of Nepal, Kilimanjaro, Mt Kenya, the
Antarctic Peninsula and Elbrus. In 2005 he climbed Denali, which completed his
Seven Summits. He led Everest Expeditions in 2006 and 2007, so has now summited
Everest four times. In 2010 he led the first Ski the Last Degree South Pole
expedition and in 2012 he led the successful Manaslu expedition as well as a trek to
Mustang in Nepal and in 2013 led the successful Lhotse expedition. In total, Guy has
summited six 8,000m peaks.
Other recent projects, apart from guiding and leading Adventure Consultants
expeditions, have been as diverse as working on the Hollywood movie about
climbing K2, THE VERTICAL LIMIT, filmed in New Zealand's Southern Alps during
1999; giving lectures and slide shows throughout Australasia, Asia and North
America and rigging the courses for the Eco-challenge multi-sport races in New
Zealand and Fiji.
MARK WHETU – Mt Everest Cinematographer
Mark Whetu summited Everest in May 2013, as Mt Everest Cinematographer for
BEYOND THE EDGE and was a pivotal member of the Mountain Safety team on the
upper Tasman Glacier during principal photography in March 2013.
Mark Whetu is a New Zealand Mountaineer, specialising in high altitude filming,
Rigging and Crew Safety. His filming exploits have put him in the wildest locations
possible, providing exclusive footage for productions internationally.
He has climbed in the Himalayas since 1983; including two ascents of Mt. Cho Oyu -
filming on Cho Oyu's summit both times and two ascents of Mt. Shisha-pangma (he
made an early ski descent off Shisha-pangma – a New Zealanders first ski ascent of
an 8,000m mountain).
Mark has summited Mt. Everest 7 times from Nepal and Tibet, filming on the planets’
high point 5 times and capturing unique footage for various Production Companies.
He has rigged and filmed in northern Russia during winter, active volcanoes in
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Ethiopia and the Pacific, 'Cat 5' Hurricanes in Mexico as well as scientific projects in
Antarctica.
Mark has documented countless achievements in New Zealand's Southern Alps,
including the first double amputee (Mark Inglis) ascent of Aoraki/Mount Cook. He
also filmed Inglis' ascent of Mt. Cho Oyu, as well as his amazing ascent of Mt Everest.
He became the subject of his own documentary in THE FATAL GAME after
spending the night out, 100m from the summit of Mt Everest in an attempt to save a
fellow climber.
At the time it was the highest recorded bivouac, without oxygen and suffering
frostbite, descending alone from the ordeal.
Marks’ other recent work includes: Search for Mallory, BBC; ANZAC's on Everest,
ABC; Global Extremes: Mount Everest , US Outdoor Life Network; No Mean Feat,
TVNZ 2003 Award for 'Best NZ Documentary'; Dangerman Series, Nat History NZ
for Discovery Channel; 3 seasons of Everest: Beyond the Limit, Discovery Channel;
Aoraki; Ski Extreme: Mt Cook Ski Descent, Red Bull, Austria; Dying for Everest, TVNZ;
Miracle on Everest, Nat. Geo - USA, ABC and France 5
PETER HILLARY – Ed Hillary and Mountaineering Consultant
Peter Edmund Hillary was born in Auckland, New Zealand in December, 1954. He
had two younger sisters, Sarah and Belinda, and was the eldest of the three children
of Sir Edmund Hillary and his first wife, Louise. Peter Hillary received his education
at King's College, Auckland and at Auckland University.
Peter has been to Everest five times, once reaching 8,300metres on the West Ridge
and twice reaching the summit by the South Col route. With his first summit of
Mount Everest in 1990, he and Sir Edmund became the first father and son to
achieve the feat. His second ascent in May 2002 was part of a National Geographic
Society expedition to mark the 50th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing
Norgay's historic first ascent in 1953. The anniversary expedition brought together
Peter Hillary, Jamling Norgay and Brent Bishop, the sons of Sir Edmund, Tenzing
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Norgay, and Dr Barry Bishop, a member of the first successful American team to
reach the summit in 1963. The 1990 expedition was led by veteran Everest climber
Pete Athans, who holds the record for the most summits of Everest by a Western
climber.
Peter devotes most of his time to fundraising in support of his father’s Himalayan
Trust, which was established in 1961 to fund capital projects in the Khumbu Valley
region of Nepal. He is also a director of the Australian Himalayan Foundation.
Peter is the patron for the Everest Rescue Trust, a non-profit, independent trust set
up to operate and manage a self-funding rescue helicopter service for the high
altitude regions of Nepal.
The 1953 Expedition
Base camp was established on April 12 1953, and then a series of camps were
created as the climbers moved slowly up the mountain. First the Khumbu Icefall lay
ahead – a pivotal feature – renowned as one of the most treacherous of the ascent.
This constantly shifting ice river with huge crevasses and frozen blocks of rock and
ice was a huge obstacle to overcome. A series of camps continued to be created,
slowly moving higher up the mountain. Camp 2 at 5,913meters (19,400 ft), was
established by life-long friends and fellow Kiwis Ed Hillary and George Lowe, a
school teacher, together with Englishman, George Band, a Cambridge University
graduate.
Establishing a route through the Icefall took several days. Thereafter it had to be
kept open for a constant succession of men and equipment. The team established
nine camps from the Khumbu Glacier, through the Icefall, up the Western Cwm and
on to the now South Col route of Everest. For several weeks Sherpas busily moved
supplies ever further up the mountain. By May 21, Wilfred Noyce and Sherpa
Annullu had reached the South Col, a crucial achievement. Then on May 26, the first
assault party of two English mountaineers Tom Bourdillon, the physicist who had
developed the closed-circuit oxygen apparatus and Charles Evans, the deputy
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expedition leader and a physician, set off for the south summit using Bourdillon’s
innovative closed-circuit oxygen equipment. Unfortunately, at the south summit they
realised that they would not be able to reach the summit due to lack of time and
failure of the closed-circuit apparatus. They had no choice but to return defeated, to
Camp 8.
On May 28, the second assault party chosen by Hunt, comprising of Edmund Hillary
and Tenzing Norgay made their bid. Together they set off, establishing Camp 9 at
8,503meters (27,900 ft) before spending a bitterly cold night trying to sleep during
the coldest and windiest weather of the expedition thus far. Tenzing later described
the night, “The winds grew even stronger than usual. When light came it was
roaring like a thousand tigers”. At 4 a.m. they began preparations for the day ahead.
Pushing off at 6:30 am and using open-circuit oxygen equipment they steadily
climbed. Remarkably reaching the south summit at 9 a.m. they carried on into the
great unknown.
As Hillary later stated: “I continued hacking steps along the ridge and then up a few
more to the right … to my great delight I realised we were on top of Mount Everest
and that the whole world spread out below us”. It was 11.30 a.m. on May 29, 1953.
Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary had reached the highest point on the earth.
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SIR EDMUND HILLARY: brief biography of a great New
Zealander, Mountaineer, Explorer, Philanthropist,
Humanitarian and Legend.
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary was born in New Zealand on the 20th of July 1919 and
passed away in Auckland on the 11th of January 2008.
Ed was a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE), Knight of the
Order of the Garter (KG), Member of the Order of New Zealand, (ONZ) and a
recipient of India’s second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, which was
awarded posthumously in 2008. He was a much loved New Zealand mountaineer,
explorer, humanitarian, philanthropist and an international legend.
Ed became interested in mountaineering while in High School and in 1939 he made
his first major climb reaching the summit of Mount Ollivier, a 1,933m (6,342 ft)
mountain in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand.
He served as a navigator in the Royal New Zealand Air Force during World War II.
Prior to the successful 1953 Everest Expedition, he had been part of the British
reconnaissance to Everest in 1951 as well as an unsuccessful attempt to climb Cho
Oyu in 1952.
Following his ascent of Everest, Ed founded the Himalayan Trust that went on to
build many schools and hospitals in impoverished Nepal.
In 1958 Hillary reached the South Pole overland and subsequently reached the
North Pole, making him the first person to reach both poles and the summit of
Everest (often referred to as the ‘third pole’).
Ed grew up in Tuakau, south of Auckland, in New Zealand. Unbelievably, the young
man who later grew to be 6’ 5” was initially smaller than his peers at school and was
often bullied. He attended Auckland Boys’ Grammar School, which was a daily train
journey, two-hours each way. He took the opportunity to read and gained
confidence by learning to box. His interest in climbing began at age 16 and Ed found
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he was physically strong and had great endurance. He studied mathematics and
science at the University of Auckland and in 1939 completed his first major climb.
He and his brother Rex became beekeepers, a summer time job that enabled him to
climb in winter. Hillary climbed ten other peaks in the Himalayas between 1956 and
1965.
Soon after the ascent of Everest he married Louise Mary Rose. They had three
children: Peter (born in 1954), Sarah (born in 1955) and Belinda (1959-1975). In
1975, while en route to join Ed, in the Phaphlu where he was building a hospital, his
wife Louise and youngest daughter Belinda were killed in a plane crash near
Kathmandu.
In 1989 he married June Mulgrew, the widow of his close friend Pilot Peter Mulgrew
(who was killed in an airplane crash at Mt Erebus, Antartica, in 1979).
Sir Edmund Hillary’s famous profile is on the New Zealand five-dollar note.
In 2005 he was named by Reader’s Digest as New Zealand’s most trusted individual,
beating an Olympic Gold Medalist cyclist Sarah Ulmer and multi Academy-Award ®
winning film director Sir Peter Jackson.
When Sir Edmund Hillary passed away in hospital in 2008 at the age of 88, his death
was announced by NZ Prime Minister, Helen Clark. She stated that his death was a
“profound loss to New Zealand”. The nation came to a stand still during this state
funeral, which was held on 22nd of July 2008.
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TENZING NORGAY – Legendary Sherpa and Mountaineer
Tenzing Norgay was born the eleventh of thirteen children in May of 1914. His
parents named him Namgyal Wangdi, but a Buddhist lama later suggested he change
it to Tenzing Norgay ("wealthy and fortunate follower of the teachings"). The exact
date and circumstances of his birth are disputed. Although in his autobiography,
Tenzing claims to have been born in Nepal to a Sherpa family, it seems more likely
that he was born in the Kharta Valley of Tibet. When the family's yaks died in an
epidemic, his desperate parents sent Tenzing to live with a Nepalese Sherpa family as
an indentured servant.
At 19, Tenzing Norgay moved to Darjeeling, India, where there was a sizable Sherpa
community. There, the British Everest expedition leader Eric Shipton noticed him
and hired him as a high-altitude porter for a 1935 reconnaissance of the northern
(Tibetan) face of the mountain. Tenzing would act as a porter for two additional
British attempts on the northern side in the 1930s, but this route would be closed
off to westerners by the 13th Dalai Lama in 1945.
Along with Canadian mountaineer Earl Denman and Ange Dawa Sherpa, Tenzing
snuck over the Tibetan border in 1947 to make another attempt on Everest. They
were turned back at about 22,000 feet (6,700 meters) by a pounding snow-storm.
In 1950, China invaded Tibet and asserted control over it, strengthening the ban on
foreigners. Luckily, the Kingdom of Nepal was beginning to open its borders to
foreign adventurers. The following year, a small exploratory party made up mostly of
Britons scouted the southern, Nepalese approach to Everest. Among the party were
a small group of Sherpas, including Tenzing Norgay, and an up-and-coming climber
from New Zealand, Edmund Hillary.
In 1952 Tenzing joined a Swiss expedition led by the famous climber Raymond
Lambert, as it made an attempt on Everest. Tenzing and Lambert got as high as
28,215 feet (8,599 meters), less than 1,000 feet from the summit, before they were
turned back by bad weather.
In 1953 another British expedition, led by John Hunt, set out for Everest. Tenzing
Norgay was invited to put a team of 20 Sherpas together and was later hired as a
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mountaineer, rather than as a Sherpa guide - an indication of the respect his skills
engendered in the European climbing world. It was Tenzing's seventh Everest
expedition.
Tenzing and Ed quickly learned to respect one another as mountaineers. Tenzing
even saved Ed’s life in the early stages of the 1953 expedition.
The two were roped together, making their way across the ice-field at the base of
Everest, the New Zealander leading, when Ed jumped a crevasse. The icy cornice he
landed on broke off, sending the lanky mountaineer tumbling down into the crevasse.
At the last possible moment, Tenzing was able to tighten the rope and prevent his
climbing partner from smashing onto the rocks at the bottom of the crevasse.
Push for the Summit: The Hunt expedition made its base camp in March of 1953,
then slowly established eight higher camps, acclimatising themselves to the altitude
along the way. By late May, they were within striking distance of the summit.
The first two-man team to make the push was Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans,
on May 26, but they had to turn back just 300 feet short of the summit when one of
their oxygen masks failed. Two days later, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary set
out at 6:30 am for their attempt.
Tenzing and Hillary strapped on their oxygen masks on that crystal-clear morning,
and started kicking steps into the icy snow. By 9 am they had reached the South
Summit, below the true summit. After climbing the bare, 40-foot vertical rock now
called the Hillary Step, the two traversed a ridge and rounded the last switchback
corner to find themselves on top of the world.
The newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth II knighted Edmund Hillary and John Hunt, but
Tenzing Norgay received only the British Empire Medal rather than a knighthood. In
1957, the Indian Prime Minister threw his support behind Tenzing's efforts to train
South Asian boys and girls in mountaineering skills and provide scholarships for their
studies. Tenzing himself was able to live comfortably after his Everest triumph, and
he sought to extend the same path out of poverty to other people.
After the death of his first wife, Tenzing married two other women. His second wife
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was Ang Lahmu, who had no children of her own but looked after Dawa Phuti's
surviving daughters, and his third wife was Dakku, with whom Tenzing had three
sons and a daughter.
On May 9, 1986, Tenzing Norgay passed away at the age of 71. Different sources list
his cause of death as either a cerebral brain hemorrhage or a bronchial condition.
Thus, a life-story that begins with a mystery also ends with one.
Tenzing Norgay's Legacy: "It has been a long road...From a mountain coolie, a
bearer of loads, to a wearer of a coat with rows of medals who is carried about in
planes and worries about income tax." ~ Tenzing Norgay. Of course, Tenzing
could have said, "From a child sold into servitude," but he never liked to talk about
the circumstances of his childhood.
ED and TENZING – Immortalised forever in history
It was an incredible day on the summit of Mt Everest, 60 years ago, on May 29 1953,
when two humble men fulfilled a dream. After years of dreaming and seven weeks
of climbing they became the first to people ever stand on top of the world!
When four days later – on June the 2nd – the news of Everest’s crowning glory finally
reached the UK, the Commonwealth and the world, it was on the very day of
Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation.
The news was greeted by millions of people already in the mood to celebrate, as
Queen Elizabeth II was about to ascend the throne as the new monarch of the
British Empire.
All this exciting news was a tonic for a beleaguered world that in 1953 was still
reeling from the aftermath of the Second World War that ended only 8 years
earlier. In the United Kingdom it was a sobering and somber time - rations still
existed and times were tough. The Coronation and the conquest of Everest
entwined as events that excited and elated the world.
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Ed Hillary, an extremely strong man towering 6’5” (195cm), and the powerhouse
that was Tenzing Norgay, a 39-year-old Sherpa from Nepal – a self confessed ‘simple
man of the mountains’ – had together achieved the ‘impossible’ and became
immortalised in history forever.
Further notes: When Hunt and Hillary returned to Kathmandu a few days later they
discovered they had been promptly knighted. Tenzing, a Nepali citizen of India, was
granted the George Medal of Great Britain. Famously – when Sir Edmund
descended the mountain the next day, he greeted his close friend and fellow New
Zealander George Lowe with ”Well, George, we knocked the ‘Bastard’ off!”
HUNT’S BRITISH EVEREST EXPEDITION OF 1953 – the first
confirmed ascent of Everest
A new British party led by Colonel John Hunt was established in 1953 and marked
Britain’s 9th attempt at Everest. With Hunt were the pick of 11 of England’s best
mountaineers and two from New Zealand, one of whom Edmund Hillary had been on
both the 1951 Everest reconnaissance and the Cho Oyu expedition of 1952.
The party totaled over 400 people, including the 11 English and two New Zealand
mountaineers – (Ed Hillary and George Lowe). Tenzing Norgay was invited to join,
and helped pick and eventually lead the Sherpa team of 20 experienced men. (Norgay
was attempting Everest for the 6th time and was considered the best-known Sherpa
climber and one of the world’s leading mountaineers).
There were 362 porters who were vital to the success of the expedition as they
collectively carried the party’s 10,000 lbs of baggage.
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The Dangers of Climbing the Highest Mountain in the World
Before Hillary and Tenzing, the world didn’t know if a man could survive at the top
of Everest. While BEYOND THE EDGE doesn’t dwell on the issues such as the
contentious debate following so many failed attempts and loss of life in earlier
expeditions – such as was it literally worth the risk of life and limb – the producers were
mindful to present the dangers the climbers faced, which can’t be underestimated in
todays world.
Climbing Mt Everest is extremely dangerous. Besides the freezing weather (which
puts climbers at risk of extreme frostbite) and the obvious potential for long falls
from icy cliff faces and into deep crevasses, climbers of Mount Everest suffer from
the effects of the extreme high altitude, often called "mountain sickness."
At high altitude the human body struggles to get enough oxygen to the brain and is
put under great distress, which causes a condition called hypoxia. Any climber who
climbs above 8,000 feet could get mountain sickness and the higher they climb, the
more severe the symptoms might become. Most climbers of Mt Everest suffer from
headaches at the very least, thoughts can become cloudy which impacts on decision-
making. They also suffer from a lack of sleep, severe fatigue and no appetite.
If a climber hasn’t acclimated properly, then acute signs of altitude sickness can
present including dementia, delusions, the wobbles, a lack of physical coordination
and possibly induce coma.
To prevent the acute symptoms of altitude sickness, climbers have to slowly
acclimate their bodies to the various stages of high altitudes. This is the reason why
climbers can take many weeks to climb Mt Everest.
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THE LOCATIONS – New Zealand and Mt Everest
Filming for BEYOND THE EDGE took place in the high altitude climbs of the
Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park region, located in the centre of New Zealand’s
Southern Alps, and at Mt Everest in The Himalayas.
For 21 days in March 2013, the principal photography of the re-enactments took
place in and around the magnificent key locations of Mt Hopkins at the head of the
Dobson Valley, the Tasman Glacier ice-falls, Mt Hochstetter ice fall and locations on
The Minarets.
In May 2013, Mark Whetu, an experienced New Zealand mountaineer and high
altitude cameraman led a second unit team and shot footage for BEYOND THE
EDGE as he summited Mt Everest in The Himalayas.
Mark Whetu’s Ascent of Everest 2013
At 10:00pm on May 19, 2013, experienced Kiwi mountaineer Mark Whetu
departed the South Col, and summited Mt Everest at 6:40am on May 20.
BEYOND THE EDGE has been a unique opportunity for Mark Whetu, “It’s been an
honour, not only to be involved with and contribute to the production but also to
celebrate by climbing Mt Everest during the time of the 60th anniversary.
This particular expedition was one of the more enjoyable projects that I've worked
on. Essentially we had superb weather and therefore climbing conditions were very
favourable. It was great to be involved in a New Zealand project, on a New
Zealand-lead expedition, shooting a story about our most famous New Zealander.”
Whetu is a New Zealand Mountaineer, specialising in high altitude filming, rigging and
crew safety. Mark's filming exploits have put him in the wildest locations possible,
providing exclusive footage for productions internationally.
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This was Mark’s 7th ascent of Everest. He began the expedition in early April and
spent six weeks acclimatising and filming the lower mountain.
On the expedition were 49 Sherpa staff with 20 Climbing Sherpa for Everest (16
were summit day Climbing Sherpa), and 4 Climbing Sherpa for Mark Whetu's film
project. The rest of the Sherpa were at Base Camp or were cook staff.
There was in excess of 10,000kg of equipment which was all transported to Base
Camp by either porter or yak. A porter normally carries 30kg and a yak
60kg+. There were more than 100 porters and about 90 or so yaks. Once above
Base Camp, loads were carried by the expeditions’ climbing Sherpa (who carry less –
normally about 15kg depending on how bulky or cumbersome the load is).
About Mt Everest in the Himalaya Region:
The Himalayan mountain range in Asia separates the plains of the Tibetan Plateau
from the plains of the Indian subcontinent. It is home to some of the highest peaks
on earth, with over a hundred mountains exceeding 7,200metres (23,600 feet), the
highest being Mt Everest with a peak of 8,848metres (29,029 ft) above sea level.
Today the mountain attracts relatively large numbers of adventurous and highly
experienced mountaineers as well as ‘capable’ climbers – willing to challenge the high
level of danger such as altitude sickness freezing temperatures, extreme weather
conditions and wild wind.
About Aoraki/Mt Cook Region:
The mountains of Aoraki/Mt Cook region are renown to be very similar to the
Himalayas, with similar textures, ice cliffs and terrain, but the main difference is of
course the much lower altitude. The lower altitude makes this ‘match’ a real asset
for the Mt Cook region to enable filming of projects like BEYOND THE EDGE and
others. It’s also an ideal training ground for New Zealand mountaineers who can
transfer the skills they learn to the Himalayas.
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Aoraki/Mt Cook, located in the centre of the South Island is New Zealand's great
alpine park consisting of 70,696 hectares. It has the highest mountains and the largest
glaciers in New Zealand. Mt Cook itself is the highest peak in New Zealand reaching
3,754 meters (12,316 ft).
Sir Edmund Hillary and Mt Cook
Sir Edmund Hillary had a longstanding connection with the Aoraki/Mt Cook region.
The Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre hosts a treasure trove of information about
the great mountaineer and hosts a gallery that touches upon his achievements,
expeditions and life’s work. It was here at Aoraki Mt Cook that a young Ed Hillary
climbed his first major mountain and achieved a number of impressive first ascents
including the difficult south face of Mt Cook, and also trained for his Everest and
Antartic expeditions.
Aoraki/Mount Cook was formally established as a national park in 1953, the same
year Hillary and Tenzing reached the top of Everest. The park was formed
from reserves that were established as early as 1887 to protect the area’s significant
vegetation and landscape.
A popular tourist destination, it is also a favourite challenge for mountaineers from
all over the world. Aoraki/Mount Cook consists of three summits lying slightly south
and east of the main divide, the Low Peak, Middle Peak and High Peak, with the
Tasman Glacier to the east and the Hooker Glacier to the west.
This magnificent alpine wonderland is also famous for its majestic locations in Sir
Peter Jackson’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and THE HOBBIT.
Special Interest : World’s Largest Dark Sky Reserve
The Mt Cook National Park is home to over 4,300 km² of the region’s
Mackenzie night sky in the Southern Alps. This reserve has been recognised as an
International Dark Sky Reserve - the largest such reserve in the world and one of
the best stargazing sites on earth.
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BEYOND THE EDGE Credit Information
FEATURING Chad Moffitt as Edmund Hillary Sonam Sherpa as Tenzing Norgay 1
st Assistant Director Hamish Gough
Consultant for Ed Hillary and Mountaineering Peter Hillary Casting Director Liz Mullane Researcher Keiran McGee
CAST Edmund Hillary Chad Moffitt Tenzing Norgay Sonam Sherpa John Hunt John Wraight George Lowe Joshua Rutter Tom Bourdillon Dan Musgrove Charles Evans Erroll Shand Ang Nyima Phurenje Sherpa Pemba Jimmy Kunsang Alfred Gregory Callum Grant Wilfred Noyce Matthew Metcalfe Sherpa 1 Pasang Dawa Sherpa Sherpa 2 Nima Wangchhu Sherpa
CREW Stereographer Sean Kelly 1
st AC Dean McCarroll
2nd
AC Garth Michael Video Split Operator Jason Naran Digital Technician Chris Rudkin Script Supervisor Sarah Hinch Key Grip / 3D Engineer Dion Hartley Gaffer Jamie Couper Grip / Lighting Technicians Kevin Matthews Ben Vere Jones Production Co-ordinator Donna Pearman 2
nd Assistant Director Thea Govorko
Director’s Assistant Belinda Cumming Financial Controller Di Magee Art Directors Sam Storey Ken Turner Jill Cormack Props Buyer Grace Mok Standby Props Alexandra Turner Standby Assist / Special Effects Mike Appleby Construction / Special Effects Kevin Butson Ethan Gabriel Special Effects Technicians Tom Brown
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Pete Jansen Set Painter Andy King Graphic Designer Alistair Gillies Storyboard Artist David Gunson Make Up Assistant Michele Barber Costume Assistants Heidi Watson Costume Breakdown Artist Matthew Kleinhans Costume Cutter Marion Olson Costume Builder Rosemary Gough Knitter Jo Hawke Boot Makers Lastrite Footwear Mountaineering Consultant Guy Cotter Mountain Safety / Riggers Brian Hall Dave McLeod Mark Whetu Charlie Hobbs Mark Morrison Callum Grant Andy Tindall Edmund Hillary Climbing Double Jim Spencer Tenzing Norgay Climbing Double Phurenje Sherpa Set Medic / Unit Manager Richie Hunter Mountain Location Manager Guy Cotter Location Scout Phil Turner Set Runner Jane Ovenden Stunt Co-ordinator Steve McQuillan Stunt Rigger Aaron Lupton Edmund Hillary Stunt Double Mana Davis Tenzing Norgay Stunt Double Tim Wong Helicopter Pilots Mark Hayes John Haora Richard Hayes Nick Nicholson Scott Theyers Chris Green Sam Gawith Helicopter Coordinator Trish Knox
MT EVEREST CREW Mt. Everest Cinematographer Mark Whetu
Mt. Everest Aerial Pilot Jason Laing Mt. Everest Operations Coordinator Caroline Blaikie Climbing Sirdar Lhakpa Dorje Sherpa Climbing Sherpas Namgyal Sherpa
Lhakpa Tenzing Sherpa Datuk Bhote Pasang Bhote
ADDITIONAL CREW 1
st AC Ben Rowsell
Key Grip / Gaffer Adrian Greshoff Technical Assistants Ben Marshall
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Jason Tidswell Assistant Production Coordinators Kylie Gaudin David Boden Research Assistants Anna Maloney Annie Bates Art Department Assistant Bevan McDonald Make Up Artist Natasha Lees Safety Officer Robert Gibson
POST PRODUCTION BY DIGIPOST, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND Digipost Executive Directors Garry Little Greg Fay Post Production Producer Roger Grant VFX Producers Lucy Bowey Fiona Webb VFX Supervisor / Compositor Stuart Bedford VFX Compositors James Cordon Jesse Parkhill Matt Westbrooke Nick Hurst Oliver Faldo Richard Betts Kim Fogelberg Digital Matte Artist Peter Baustaedter 2D Graphic Design Grant Major 3D Animation Greg Smith Dan Taylor Ivan Leong Mike Blennerhasset Glenn Darwick Digital Colourist Pete Williams Archive Restoration Dave Gibson Gerard Ward Pete Williams Smoke Artist / Ocular Stereoscopic Matching James Schoning Supervising Sound Editor/Re-recording Mixer Bruno Barrett-Garnier Sound Editor Bruce Langley Assistant Sound Editor Chay McLaren Additional SFX Recording Andy Salek Dave McLeod John Patrick Maxwell Scott Foley Artists Amy Barber Gareth Van Niekerk Digipost Audio Facilities Kylie Green Cinetape Services Edward Sampson
John Bakker DCP Mastering Matt Cunningham Digipost IT Terry Blow Benn Morrison Assistant Editor Jonathan Stevenson Assistant VFX Editor Anu Webster
SOUNDTRACK Orchestra Conductor Hamish McKeich Orchestral recording and mixing Graham Kennedy All other recording Mike Gibson Orchestration Ewan Clarke
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Music mixed at Park Road Post, Wellington, by Graham Kennedy Percussion Riki Gooch Viola Campara, Feedback David Long Harp Natalia Mann Taonga puoro Richard Nunns
Strings Emma Barron Megan Molina Matt Cave Rowan Prior Alexander Gunchenko Rebecca Struthers Sally Isaac Andrew Thomson Andrew Joyce Belinda Veitch Vesa-Matti Leppänen Anna van der Zee Haihong Lui Kristina Zelinska Alan Molina
Woodwinds Bridget Douglas Phil Green Peter Dykes Robert Weeks
Horns Dave Bremner Andrew Jarvis Mark Carter Sam Jacobs
Original Music and Recordings by David Long © 2013 Native Tongue Music Publishing Ltd.
"Only To Be"
(J. Fraser/M. Walters) Control
Performed by Six60 Courtesy of Massive Entertainment Ltd
3ality Technica 3D Rigs Wingnut Cameras Lighting Equipment Portsmouth Rentals Grip Equipment Filmtec 3D Licences 3ality Technica Legal and Business Affairs Matt Emery (Emery Legal) Insurance Crombie Lockwood Completion Bond Services Film Finances Australia
Anni Browning Auditor PriceWaterhouseCoopers Corporate Accounting Services Leonard Knight Ltd.
Dave Johnston SPIF Lending ANZ Bank ANZ Lending Manager Grant Watson
Publicist Diana Goulding EPK Crew Jay Berryman
Lyn Hamilton Stills Photographer Matt Klitscher Mark Whetu
FOR THE NEW ZEALAND FILM COMMISSION Chief Executive Graeme Mason Deputy Chief Executive Mladen Ivancic Head of Business Affairs Naomi Wallwork
FOR NEW ZEALAND ON AIR Chief Executive Jane Wrightson
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Television Manager Glenn Usmar Television Contracts Executive Benedict Reid
FOR ALTITUDE FILM SALES Chief Executive Will Clarke Co-Chief Executive Andy Mayson Managing Director, International Sales Mike Runagall International Marketing Manager Robin Andrews International Sales Executive Vicki Brown
INTERVIEWEES: Broughton Coburn Mick Conefrey Ed Douglas Dr Peter Hackett Peter Hillary
Dr. David Shlim Norbu Tenzing Simon Thompson Stephen Venables Jim Whittaker
Archive Interviewees: Edmund Hillary
George Band Alfred Gregory John Hunt
George Lowe Mike Westmacott Charles Wylie
THE CONQUEST OF EVEREST (1953) COURTESY OF
Studiocanal Films Ltd. British Screen Finance Ltd.
1953 Everest expedition filmed by
Tom Stobart George Lowe
ARCHIVE COURTESY OF
T3 Media Sound Archives / Ngā Taonga Kōrero
Archives New Zealand / Te Rua Mahara o Te Kāwanatanga Keirfilm Productions Ltd
Australian Broadcasting Corporation Library Sales Global ImageWorks, LLC.
Everest The Ultimate Challenge 1922-1982 / Quarry Lane Productions Eddie Bauer, LLC
Archwood Protection Ltd. NHNZ Moving Images
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Archive
“The Everest Expedition” by Sir Edmund Hillary from the recording entitles Interview with Sir Edmund Hillary: Mountain Climbing, courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. © 1974. Used by
permission.
STILL PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF Royal Geographic Society (with IBG)
The Hillary Family Auckland War Memorial Museum George Lowe Collection Guy Cotter, Adventure Consultants Kynan Bazley & Hedgehog House NZ
Eric Shipton (RGS) Alfred Gregory (RGS) Edmund Hillary (RGS) George Lowe (RGS) John Hunt (RGS) Charles Wylie (RGS)
THANKS TO
Susan Band Theresa Graham
Susan Leyden Mary Lowe
Jan Morris Sally Westmacott
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Auckland Boys’ Grammar Pete Athans Dave Bamford Ray Bellringer Connor Bradding Canterbury Museum Jim Clash Claude Desan Andy Faulkner Kerry Fowler Luca Gibb Patric Giclas Glentanner Station Goal Zero Australia Norman Hardie Richard and Carol Hayes Jochen Hemmleb Brian Hill Shaun Higgins Sonny Hopkins Harrison Hoskin
Frank Jasper Jacob Johnson Alexa Johnston Leonne Kassler Colin Kelly Chris Lambourne Jacob Lerner Dr Huw Lewis-Jones Matt Logan Stephen Lovatt Colin Luke Sam Newton Hugh Major Lloyd Major John Martin Meek William McCartney Kirsten McDougall Margaret McMahon Edward Moody Mountain Heritage Trust Mount Cook Backpackers
Tim O'Connor Jamie Owen Adam Pavis Paul Paton Dylan Pharazyn Rotary International Audrey Salkeld Douglas Scott Murray Stott The American Alpine Club The Explorers Club The Hermitage Hotel The New Zealand Alpine Club Simon Thompson Gilly Tyler Walt Unsworth Edmund Viesturs Greg Walker White Studio Justin Winters Wireless Warehouse
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Royal Geographic Society Peter Hillary Sarah Hillary Lady June Hillary John Hillary June Carlisle Alistair Carlisle Hilary Carlisle
Norbu Tenzing Jamling Tenzing Elizabeth Metcalfe Benjamin Metcalfe Dean Pooley Ella Pooley Grace Pooley
The Filmmakers would also like to thank the people of Ngāi Tahu, the people of Aoraki Mt. Cook Village
and the wider New Zealand community for making this film possible.
Filmed on location in Aoraki Mt. Cook National Park, New Zealand; Auckland, New Zealand
and Mt. Everest, Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal
Produced with the assistance of Aoraki Area Office of the Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai New Zealand
Mt. Everest filming assisted by Adventure Consultants
The Himalayan Trust was the work of Ed Hillary’s life. This was how he helped people reach their own summits!
www.himalayantrust.co.nz (Himalayan Trust Logo)
LOGOS FOR: Adventure Consultants, Eddie Bauer, Lonza, Goal Zero, Dermalogica, Heliworks, M.A.C.,
ANZ, Scruples
COMPANY LOGOS FOR: GFC, New Zealand Film Commission, Digipost, NZ On AirAltitude
Copyright 2013 GFC (Everest) Ltd All Rights Reserved
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