We met Kiwi filmmaker Nathaniel Jackson following the world premiere of Ice Maiden at Doc Edge 2024, which chronicles Lisa Blair’s attempt at a solo, non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation of Antarctica.
On May 25th, 2022, Lisa Blair became the fastest person in the world to sail solo, non-stop, and unassisted around Antarctica. This remarkable feat is obviously achievable only by the boldest, most courageous, persevering, and resilient among us. Lisa Blair in one of them. The Australian sailor made a stop in Christchurch this week to attend the world premiere of Ice Maiden at the 19th Doc Edge Festival. The film focuses on Blair’s first attempt to break the speed record for circumnavigating the icy continent, which is twice the size of Australia. Directed by New Zealander Nathaniel Jackson and co-directed by James Blannin-Ferguson, the film vividly, precisely, and emotionally chronicles Blair’s highly eventful, perilous, and exhilarating journey toward her achievement. Before a captivated and sold-out audience, Blair and Jackson had the pleasure of presenting their thoughtfully constructed film for the first time, built from footage shot by Blair herself on her boat, testimonials, and particularly successful reenacted scenes.
In addition to visiting the International Antarctic Center in Christchurch with Blair and Jackson, thanks to the Doc Edge team, we were delighted to talk with Nathaniel Jackson about the making of Ice Maiden.
A Mountain of Footage
Jackson reflects on his first encounter with Blair’s extensive footage: “The first feeling we had when we went through the footage was just how much footage there was. It ended up being a 100 and something day journey for her. So there were just terabytes and terabytes of footage.” This vast amount of footage required Jackson and his team to understand the visual language of storms, waves, sails, and Blair’s experiences on the boat.
Blair’s video diaries and blog posts provided a framework for the filmmakers, helping them navigate through the immense footage without getting lost. “Thankfully, Lisa had done a lot of video diaries and she’d also written a blog. So we had a framework that we could use to cross-reference the footage and not get lost too much.”
Meeting Lisa Through the Lens
Jackson’s first impression of Blair through her footage was striking. “Lisa, as you know her, is a positive, motivated, energetic, no-nonsense woman who pushes things forward,” he noted. However, the initial clips they reviewed showed a different side: “She was dejected, tired. She had some awful flu or cold.” This stark contrast highlighted the grueling nature of her exceptional journey and the resilience she exhibited throughout.
Crafting the Reenactments
To immerse the audience even further in Lisa Blair’s adventure, especially during critical moments when she was in grave danger, caught in violent storms for example, the filmmaker opted for reenactments, which are a significant aspect of the film, designed to seamlessly merge with Blair’s footage and the interviews. Jackson acknowledges: “The reenactments can be really risky because sometimes they’re not done very well or they take away from the story or take away from the authenticity.” To achieve this seamless integration: “We needed to match the movement of what was happening in the footage Blair’s GoPro recorded. So we had to go with a handheld look that matched the motion of either the ocean or the boat or Lisa.”
The process of recreating Blair’s experience was required a blend of practical effects and thoughtful camera work. Jackson explains, “Sometimes that meant, when Lisa is spinning a winch, we’re on the camera moving it in circles, matching this sort of body movement of Lisa.” This meticulous attention to detail allowed for a remarkable symbiosis between Blair’s footage and the reenactments, keeping the viewer captivated from start to finish.
Recreating the intense conditions Blair faced involved filming in both controlled environments and real locations. Jackson recounts the difficulties: “On Lisa’s boat, it’s either in her Marina docked, in which case we’re backlit using rain machines, throwing buckets of water at Lisa and shooting reasonably tight. Or we took it all the way over to Woolwich Dock where they were super helpful and they used a crane to pull the boat onto a 45° angle.”
Jackson reflects on the emotional toll the reenactments took on Blair: “I almost feel like we gave her PTSD a second time because, like, we’re fine, we’re behind the camera, but she’s in the middle of winter in Sydney Harbour, throwing buckets of water, just pummeling Lisa with these rain machines that we had built.”
Authenticity and Emotional Depth
One of the critical aspects of making Ice Maiden was ensuring that the portrayal of Blair’s story remained authentic. Jackson emphasized the importance of maintaining the essence of Blair’s experiences while crafting a compelling narrative. “There’s a balancing act of telling something that’s authentic to Lisa and not just co-opting the story,” he reflected. Despite the occasional disagreements during production, Jackson was proud that Blair was “ecstatic” with the film and felt it accurately represents her journey.
A Journey of Perseverance
Jackson also candidly discussed the production hurdles, from managing terabytes of footage to dealing with different formats in post-production. “We had a nightmare of a time going from Adobe Premiere over to Davinci Resolve,” he admitted, detailing the painstaking process that took weeks instead of hours, given the different types of materials used by the filmmakers. The film’s production, spanning 4.5 years and including the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and personal milestones like the birth of two babies, added to the epic journey the filmmakers went through themselves.
A Tribute to an Extraordinary Journey
“We definitely had our own ups and downs,” Jackson shared, drawing a parallel between his journey as a filmmaker on Ice Maiden and Lisa Blair’s record-breaking sailing feats. “It’s been a long, tough journey and I’m grateful for everyone who’s stayed with us from start to the end and has been supportive,” he added, acknowledging the contributions of his team, including co-director James Blannin-Ferguson, camera operator Evan Drinkwater, sound designer John Hresc, colorist Johan Earl, and composer Kenneth Lampl, among others. As Jackson acknowledges, Blair taught him perseverance during this whole process: “If you do one small thing every day, over time you will get things done. Lisa taught me the value of persistence.” And Jackson aptly put it, “What looks like a grey, miserable day is beautiful once you know how to see it.” The end of this long and tortuous production journey concluded this week for Jackson, with the first presentation of the film.
World Premiere at Doc Edge 2024
Premiering Ice Maiden at Doc Edge 2024 was a deeply meaningful experience for director Nathaniel Jackson. “I’m a Kiwi. I miss New Zealand constantly,” Jackson shared. “My family’s all over here. So it was really great to premiere at Doc Edge.”
Doc Edge’s status as an Academy accredited film festival added to the significance. “It’s a big deal. It matters to filmmakers,” Jackson noted. The festival provided a platform not only for the film but also to highlight Lisa Blair’s record-breaking achievements. “She’s broken three or four records just on this trip alone,” Jackson remarked.
The premiere itself was a resounding success. “The film selling out has been phenomenal. Full house. It was a fantastic thing to see the film play in front of everyone, and everyone loved it.” Having Blair present at the premiere added to the impact of the event. “It’s been really nice having Lisa here, being able to share that energy that she has for her environmental message for sailing, and take the attention away from me,” Jackson concluded.
We are thrilled to be covering Doc Edge 2024 on the ground in Ōtautahi Christchurch, New Zealand. Explore our exclusive coverage here.
