While audiences around the world experience the intensity and isolation of Netflix thriller Apex, an enormous travel and logistics operation unfolded behind the scenes to support the production’s ambitious shoot across New South Wales.
Filmed between Disney Studios Australia in Sydney and remote wilderness locations throughout the Blue Mountains region, Apex required the movement of cast, crew and production personnel across a constantly evolving schedule – a task executed by BCD Travel’s dedicated Media & Entertainment team.
For BCD, the production represented another major collaboration within its long-running relationship with Netflix, which has continued to expand globally since 2018.
“BCD and Netflix have built a strong and strategic partnership, and the opportunity to support a Netflix original feature production in Australia was both exciting and rewarding.”
Anne Gillett, Commercial Director, BCD Media and Entertainment APACI
Keeping Pace with Production
Productions like Apex operate on schedules that are fluid by nature. Units split across locations, weather conditions shift rapidly and filming priorities can change day-to-day – particularly on productions built around difficult outdoor environments.
The BCD Media & Entertainment team managed high-volume travel requirements for cast and crew arriving from multiple international locations, whilst coordinating ongoing domestic travel between studio operations and remote location shoots across New South Wales, including the Blue Mountains, Ginninderra Falls and The Needles.
Unlike traditional business travel, production travel requires constant responsiveness. Accommodation, transport and crew movements often need to be adjusted in real time to accommodate evolving production schedules, changing call times and unpredictable filming conditions.
“Operating within a fast-moving and constantly evolving production environment, the team ensured travellers arrived where they needed to be, across both Sydney at DSA and remote location shoots, on time and without disruption.”
Anne Gillett, Commercial Director, BCD Media and Entertainment APACI
BCD’s Media & Entertainment division specialises in film and television production travel, with services spanning accommodation sourcing, group travel coordination, VIP movement, location logistics and 24/7 production support tailored specifically to screen productions.
Director Baltasar Kormákur has spoken about wanting the film to feel tactile and grounded, using practical environments wherever possible to immerse audiences within the story’s survival setting. That approach added another layer of complexity behind the scenes, requiring careful coordination to ensure cast and crew could move efficiently between vastly different locations without interrupting the pace of production.
Bringing Studio and Wilderness Together
Transporting cast and crew between large-scale studio infrastructure and visually distinctive natural environments without issue, BCD’s ability to bridge the gap between these environments is evidence of how international productions can take advantage of the diverse filming destinations available across Australia.
BCD’s involvement also highlights the increasingly specialised nature of production travel itself. Modern productions now require travel teams capable of operating almost as extensions of production management departments – understanding the pressures, unpredictability and rapid pace of filmmaking. The company’s Media & Entertainment arm has supported productions for more than 40 years and now operates across more than 170 countries, combining global infrastructure with specialist production-focused travel teams.
Keeping the Cameras Rolling
“The success of Apex highlights the strength of collaboration across studio, production and service partners. With BCD focused on removing complexity behind the scenes, the production was able to concentrate on bringing a bold and compelling story to life.”
Anne Gillett, Commercial Director, BCD Media and Entertainment APACI
Gillett concludes: “[BCD is] looking forward to continuing to support productions in Australia. Apex is another example of what we are capable of.”
