In an ongoing series, we will look at filmmaking in North Dakota. North Dakota has not been a prime area for filmmakers to shoot on location. While many documentaries have been made here (Devils Lake was featured in the Oscar-winning “Jesus Camp”), major films are much less prevalent. You might think the film “Fargo” is a North Dakota film, but it barely is. Most of it was shot in Minnesota, with only some shots being filmed here.
“On ‘Fargo,’ we had problems with the weather because we needed snow, but the winter when we shot the film was particularly mild and dry. We had to work in Minneapolis with artificial snow. Then, because the snow didn’t always work out, we had to travel in the end to North Dakota to shoot the large-scale exteriors,” “Fargo” director Ethan Coen said in a previous interview. “There we found exactly what we were looking for: a sky with a very low ceiling, no direct sunlight, no line marking the horizon, only a neutral and diffuse light.”
His brother Joel, elaborated. “The landscapes we used were really dramatic and oppressive. There were no mountains or trees, only desolate flatlands extending into the distance. That’s what we wanted to put on the screen.”
In the first piece, we will look at the film “Tankhouse” talking to director Noam Tomaschoff, which was filmed in Fargo.
The second piece will feature an interview with Goran Rušinović who made “Buick Riviera” in Fargo in 2008.
The pieces will look at what makes North Dakota a unique place to film as well as difficulties, hurdles, and recommendations for any filmmakers who may want to film here.
