INSOMNIA - Not just the title of this series and the name of the game but actually what became a way of life for the cast and crew. Filming for all 8 episodes took place over 68 working days, 2/3 of which were night shoots. Management of the production was critical as filming night scenes during the summer in Moscow was challenging - some nights only had around 2-3 hours of darkness. The entire show was filmed in Moscow, with scenes set in New York and Cambodia being filmed on sets. The series was able to film in unique locations such as Red Square and near the Kremlin, Bolshoi Theatre, the Federal Assembly of Russian Federation, and the US Embassy in Moscow.
Insomnia's production company, Welldone Production, is the only foreign TV production company in the last 20 years to be able to film in the highly secure Red Square. Other unique locations included the Four Seasons Moscow, which served as the VIP Casino, and the Ritz Carlton Presidential Suite with its authentic view of the Kremlin and Bolshoi Theatre - no other production companies have been allowed to film in this location before. All explosions, car crashes, gun shots, and underwater scenes were filmed without CGI and all action scenes were filmed by the Main Unit team; there was no Second Unit.
The series employed 720 people from 9 countries and filmed around 750 total scenes.
