[4][5] It consists of footage from inside the cave, as well as of the nearby Pont d'Arc natural bridge,[1] alongside interviews with various scientists and historians.

[7] Herzog's interest in Chauvet Cave, and the paintings inside, was prompted by an article in The New Yorker titled "First Impressions" by Judith Thurman,[8] who is credited as one of the co-producers of the film.

To help preserve the artwork, access to the cave is restricted, and the general public is not allowed to enter, so Herzog had to get special permission from the French Minister of Culture to film inside.

[2] Herzog was only allowed to bring a four-person crew into the cave, so he was just accompanied by cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger, a sound recordist (Eric Spitzer-Marlyn), and an assistant, and worked the lights himself.

Herzog initially dismissed the idea, believing 3-D to be (in Zeitlinger's words) "a gimmick of the commercial cinema", but, once he visited the cave, he decided the film had to be shot in 3-D[10] to "capture the intentions of the painters", who incorporated the wall's subtle bulges and contours into their art.

[11] When Herzog was asked why the French Ministry of Culture, who sponsored the film, did not require its premiere to be in France, he replied: "They didn't know it was finished.