WHITE SANDS, N.M. (KRQE) – The otherworldly scenery at White Sands National Monument is comprised of towering mountains, magnificent white dunes, vivid skies, breathtaking sunsets, and enchanting moonlit nights. Every year, half a million tourists from all over the world come to enjoy this stunning spot. White Sands also serves as a popular filming location for commercials, feature films, fashion catalogs, music videos, made-for-TV films, and documentaries.
National parks have been popular backdrops for photographers, filmmakers, and cinematographers since the inception of cinema. White Sands’ sweeping, dazzling white sand dunes have served as the setting for apocalyptic, science fiction, and western films. The area has additionally provided a magnificent entourage for advertisements showcasing Rolls-Royce, the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales, the Energizer Bunny, and the Marlboro Man, as well as for still photography of dawn and dusk.
Popular filmmakers like Steven Spielberg (“Transformers”) and Harold Ramis (“Year One”), actors like Denzel Washington (“The Book of Eli”) and Willem Dafoe (“White Sands”), and musicians like Sara Evans (“I Could Not Ask for More”) and Boyz II Men (“Water Runs Dry”) have all visited White Sands to capture its natural beauty for their respective creative works.
Motion Pictures:
The White Sands International Film Festival (WSIFF) began as a week-long event in 2008, featuring documentaries and narrative films in Alamogordo. The festival was founded to promote the work of New Mexican and Hispanic filmmakers. 2009 saw the festival relocate to Las Cruces.
- “King Solomon’s Mines,” 1950 (MGM)
- “Hang ‘Em High,” 1968 (United Artists)
- “Scandalous John,” 1971 (Disney)
- “Molly and Lawless John,” 1972 (Malibu Productions)
- “My Name is Nobody,” 1973 (Titanus)
- “Bite the Bullet,” 1975 (Columbia)
- “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” 1976 (EMI)
- “Convoy,” 1978 (United Artists)
- “Raw Courage,” 1984 (RB Productions)
- “Wrong Is Right,” 1982 (Columbia)
- “Courage,” 1986 (Highgate Pictures)
- “Young Guns II,” 1990 (Morgan Creek)
- “Lucky Luke,” 1991 (Paloma Films)
- “White Sands,” 1992 (Morgan Creek)
- “New Eden,” 1994 (HBO)
- “Tank Girl,” 1995 (MGM)
- “Mad Love,” 1995 (Disney)
- “Lovest,” 1997 (G.B. Productions)
- “Jarhead,” 2005 (Red Wagon Entertainment)
- “The Astronaut Farmer,” 2006 (Warner Independent)
- “Transformers,” 2007 (Dreamworks, LLC)
- “Afterwards,” 2008 (Et Apres, Inc.)
- “Transformers 2,” 2009 (Dreamworks, LLC)
- “Year One,” 2009 (Sony Pictures)
- “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” 2009 (Paramount Pictures)
- “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” 2009 (Staring Goats, LLC)
- “Stargate Universe,” 2009 (MGM)
- “The Book of Eli,” 2010 (Eli Productions, LLC)
Documentaries:
The many documentaries filmed at White Sands dive into the park’s history, including the discovery of Ice Age footprints, as well as the sand dunes’ unique ecosystem and scientific significance.
- “The West Series,” 1993 (PBS)
- “The Desert is No Lady,” 1993 (Feline Films)
- “Southwest,” 1994 (BBC)
- “Deserts,” 1994 (Discovery Channel)
- “Holloman Air Force Base,” 1996 (Fox News)
- “Science World,” 1997 (TI-IN Network)
- “Understanding Cars,” 1997 (Discovery Channel)
- “Extreme Machines – Military,” 2002 (Discovery Channel)
- “Planes,” 2002 (N.F.B. of Canada)
- “Einstein’s Mind,” 2003 (NOVA)
- “The Elegant Universe,” 2003 (University of Arizona)
- “The Desert Speaks,” 2004 (Seven Networks)
- “The Great Outdoors,” 2004 (Discovery Channel)
- “The Wild and the West,” 2005 (Media Factory)
- “World’s Greatest Scenery,” 2005 (East West Media)
- “Looking for America,” 2005 (Video Time Spa)
- “White Sands, New Mexico,” 2011 (Profiles Television)
Promotional Videos:
An estimated ninety percent of United States-produced car makes and models have reportedly visited White Sands to photograph or film their featured vehicles.
- McGruff Crime Prevention, 1993 (PSA)
- Ali McGraw, 1994 (Yoga Video)
- O’Neill Sportswear, 1995 (Board Brothers)
- Nickelodeon Nick News, 1996 (Sand Surfing)
- MTV, 1998 (“Go Ped” Motor Scooter)
- Wild On!, 2002 (E! Entertainment)
- Olympics, 2004 (Gymnastics)
- Nick @ Nite, 2004 (Nickelodeon)
- Marc Stephens, 2005 (Yoga Video)
- J. David Productions, 2005 (“Dr. Reese’s Planet”)
- Nine Networks, 2006 (“Getaway”)
Music Videos:
The distinct scenery and unique landscape of White Sands have drawn artists on the lookout for visually striking backdrops for their music videos.
- The Scorpions, “Under the Same Sun” (1993)
- Pink Floyd, “The End” (1994)
- Boyz II Men, “Water Runs Dry” (1995)
- George Ducas, “Kisses Don’t Lie” (1995)
- Daryl Singletary, “All Because of You” (1996)
- Puff Daddy, “Best Friend” (1999)
- Sara Evans, “I Could Not Ask for More” (2001)
- Martina McBride, “How Far?” (2004)
- Mark Lonsdale, “She Should Have Gone to the Moon” (2006)
- Brett Young, “Mercy” (2018)
A Land In Motion
The 17-minute introductory film for White Sands National Park, “A Land in Motion,” was produced by Henninger Productions in 2011 and utilizes spectacular cinematography and a compelling narrative to illustrate the grandeur of the white dunes.
In order to capture the park’s landscape in a variety of seasons, the film crew visited three times in 2010. They filmed in the spring to document the intense winds that are typical in the area from March to May and serve a significant role in dune formation; they then collaborated with researchers in the early summer to better understand the collision of nature and science that earned White Sands the moniker “the Galapagos Islands of North America”; and finally, they filmed the summer monsoons in late August to draw attention to the importance of water in this ecosystem.
The orientation film was created with the intention of educating tourists about the world’s largest gypsum dune field’s beauty, wonder, awe, and scientific and cultural value. The film depicts the great diversity of both the cultural and natural assets of White Sands and walks viewers through the dune field’s various states using a combination of time-lapse photography and various cinematography techniques.
During business hours, the park’s visitor center shows “A Land in Motion” every 30 minutes. The film can also be purchased from the bookstore.
