The answer to when was frozen ground filmed is 2011: principal photography began in Anchorage, Alaska, on October 17. The shoot took place mainly in the Anchorage area during October and November.
The film did not reach U.S. theaters until August 23, 2013, so its release came well after production. Here’s how the filming dates, location, and release timeline fit together, plus what is and isn’t known about the shoot’s exact end date.
When was frozen ground filmed?
The Frozen Ground was filmed in 2011. Principal photography—the main period when the cast and crew record the movie’s scenes—began in Anchorage, Alaska, on October 17. Production continued into the fall, with filming reported in October and November.
The start date is more firmly established than a precise last day. Public accounts commonly describe an autumn shoot in Anchorage, but an exact wrap date is not as consistently documented. The safest summary is that filming began on October 17, 2011, and took place over the following weeks.
This answers the production question, but it is easy to confuse filming with the movie’s release. The Frozen Ground came out in the United States on August 23, 2013, nearly two years after filming began. That later date refers to its arrival in theaters, not to when the scenes were shot.
| Milestone | Date or period | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Principal photography began | October 17, 2011 | The main filming period started in Anchorage. |
| Filming period | October–November 2011 | The reported fall production window; a precise final day is not firmly established. |
| U.S. theatrical release | August 23, 2013 | The film opened to U.S. audiences after post-production and distribution. |
Where did the production film?
The production filmed in Anchorage, Alaska, and the city is the central location associated with the shoot. That choice placed the cast and crew in the state where the story is set, rather than relying entirely on distant locations dressed to resemble Alaska.
It is still helpful to be precise about what “filmed in Anchorage” means. A production can use city streets, buildings, interiors, and nearby locations within a broader shooting area. A city name in a filming account does not prove that every scene was recorded within the city limits or at a recognizable public landmark.
The story draws on the case of serial killer Robert Hansen, who operated in Alaska, and follows an investigation led by an Alaska State Trooper. The setting is therefore closely tied to the narrative. Filming in the region gave the production access to local environments and helped ground the story in its Alaskan context.
Some location listings may name a region, nearby community, or general production base rather than a specific building or street. Treat those descriptions as useful clues, not a scene-by-scene map. Unless a particular site is identified by a reliable production account, it is better not to assign a specific scene to it.
Why did filming take place in autumn?
October and November put the production in Alaska during the transition into winter. That timing matters because weather, daylight, and the look of outdoor locations can affect what a film crew can shoot in a day. It also gives filmmakers a chance to capture seasonal conditions that support a story set in the state.
However, the season alone does not prove that every exterior scene was filmed in snow or freezing weather. Movie scenes are assembled from different takes, locations, and production methods. A shot may be filmed on a different day from the scene beside it in the finished story, and an interior scene may be recorded on a soundstage or in a building.
Alaska’s shorter fall and winter daylight can also make scheduling more demanding for outdoor work. Crews plan around available light, weather, and location access. Those general production considerations help explain why a shoot’s dates matter, but they do not establish a particular call time or daily schedule for this film.
Practical point: If you are checking whether a scene was filmed in real snow, look for information about that scene or location specifically. The broad October–November production window cannot answer that question by itself.
How long did filming last?
Available public timelines place the shoot across several weeks in fall 2011, beginning October 17 and extending into November. That gives a useful overall window, but it is not the same as a confirmed start-to-finish schedule. Production sources do not always publish the last day of principal photography, and different databases may repeat incomplete dates.
There are also several possible meanings of “filming.” Principal photography is the main production phase, when the planned scenes are recorded with the principal cast. A project may also have later pickups—short additional shoots used to record missing or revised material—or reshoots. Those later sessions do not necessarily appear in a simple filming-start listing.
Likewise, a film’s production period is not limited to the days actors are on camera. Crews prepare locations, build or dress sets, arrange equipment, and handle other work before and during the shoot. A publicized filming date usually marks the start of principal photography, not the first day anyone worked on the movie.
For that reason, “about five weeks” may appear as a shorthand for a fall shoot, while the best-supported detail is the October 17 start and the broader October–November window. Avoid treating an estimated production length as proof of an exact wrap date.
What was happening between filming and release?
The gap between the 2011 shoot and the 2013 U.S. release does not mean filming continued for two years. After principal photography, a movie typically moves through post-production. Editors shape the recorded scenes into a finished film, while sound, music, visual effects, color, and other finishing work may be completed as needed.
Once a film is finished, its release also depends on distribution. A distributor may schedule a theatrical opening, arrange publicity, and decide which markets receive the film and when. Those steps can add months or longer between the shoot and a public release. A release date therefore tells you when viewers could see the film in a particular market, not when the cameras rolled.
In this case, the key dates are distinct: filming began in October 2011, the production took place during the fall, and the U.S. theatrical release followed on August 23, 2013. The delay is consistent with the ordinary stages between shooting and release; it does not change the filming year.
What is the film about, and who stars in it?
The Frozen Ground is a crime thriller written and directed by Scott Walker. Nicolas Cage plays Alaska State Trooper Jack Halcombe, who investigates a series of disappearances and murders. John Cusack plays Robert Hansen, the real-life criminal at the center of the story, and Vanessa Hudgens plays Cindy Paulson, a young survivor whose account helps the investigation.
The plot is based on real events, but it is a dramatized feature film rather than a documentary. That distinction matters if you are comparing a scene with the historical case. Films condense timelines, combine events, and shape dialogue for dramatic storytelling, so a screen detail should not automatically be treated as an exact record of what happened.
The Alaskan setting is not just background decoration: the investigation and the film’s subject are tied to the state. That connection helps explain the decision to film in Anchorage. Still, a local filming location does not mean every event shown occurred at the place where the camera recorded it.
Was The Frozen Ground filmed in Alaska?
Yes. The production filmed in Anchorage, Alaska, and the film is strongly associated with its Alaskan setting. The best concise description is that principal photography began in Anchorage and filming took place in the Anchorage area during fall 2011.
That answer is more dependable than claiming every scene was shot in Alaska. A feature can use more than one location, and publicly available location details may focus on the main production base. If you need to identify a specific scene’s location, check for scene-specific production information instead of assuming the whole movie was filmed at one site.
How to tell filming dates from release dates
Film databases and entertainment pages often show a release date more prominently than a production date. That can lead to confusion, especially when someone asks when a movie was “made,” “shot,” or “filmed.” These phrases can refer to different stages.
- Look for the wording. “Principal photography began” usually points to the start of the main shoot. “Released” or “opened in theaters” describes when the finished movie became available to viewers.
- Check which market the date covers. A U.S. theatrical date may differ from an international release, digital release, or television premiere.
- Compare the kind of evidence. A production announcement may give a start date, while a film listing may give only release information. Neither date should be substituted for the other.
- Keep uncertain details uncertain. If a reliable source gives the start but not the wrap, report the start and the broader production period instead of inventing a final day.
This distinction is useful for more than this film. The year printed beside a movie title generally refers to its release year, which can be later than the year of principal photography. For The Frozen Ground, 2011 is the filming year and 2013 is the U.S. theatrical release year.
Common mix-ups about the filming timeline
The 2013 release is not the filming date
A listing that identifies the movie as a 2013 film is usually giving its release year. It does not contradict the reported October 2011 start of production. Both years are correct because they describe separate stages.
A production start is not a confirmed wrap
October 17 is the reported start of principal photography, not proof that the crew finished exactly five weeks later. A projected schedule, approximate duration, and confirmed final filming day are different kinds of information. Use the precise start date where it is documented and describe the ending as an approximate fall window.
A setting is not a complete location list
The story takes place in Alaska, and filming in Anchorage is well established. Those facts do not identify every location used or show where each scene was recorded. General location information should not be stretched into a detailed itinerary without reliable evidence.
Autumn filming does not prove a snowy shoot
October and November can bring cold conditions, but the calendar does not establish the weather on a particular filming day. Nor does it tell you whether a snowy image used natural conditions, set dressing, or another production technique. Keep the season and the visible scene details separate.
Quick timeline of The Frozen Ground
The simplest way to remember the dates is to separate the production milestone from the audience release:
- October 17, 2011: Principal photography began in Anchorage, Alaska.
- October–November 2011: The reported fall filming period.
- August 23, 2013: U.S. theatrical release.
The short answer is that the film was shot in 2011, not 2013. The known start date is October 17, and the production is generally described as taking place in Anchorage during October and November. The exact last day is not as firmly documented as the start.
The Frozen Ground was filmed in 2011, with principal photography beginning in Anchorage on October 17. The shoot took place during October and November; its U.S. theatrical release followed on August 23, 2013.
For a quick fact check, keep the production start and release date separate. The phrase when was frozen ground filmed refers to the 2011 shoot, not the 2013 release.