And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; they shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
Book of Mormon

Find the water, don’t over art direct and ask the audience to keep up.
Part of what THE REVENANT does so successfully is that it doesn’t repeat its environments. Every chapter of the story is set within a different micro topography of the overall landscape so they remain distinct from one another yet connected. This is possible because where there is water, the earth breaks itself open. So, they are constantly finding water.
Along any size tributary there is immediate depth, elevation, rock facing and verdant sculpture. This is imperative to break up the monotony of the plains and/or desert.

Let it be Simple and Wild and full of scope like Cinema.
What THE TURE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG, PREY, TRUE GRIT, THE NIGHTINGALE, TABOO and the REVENANT do exquisitely is exercise restraint from over-art direction and trust the viewer to keep up. It assumes a  modern visual literacy that can appreciate seamless transitions from violent hand-held straight to drone and smash cut back to an ECU. Using these tools opens up the scope and possibilities of our world building.

Landscape Selection and Designs from Under the Banner of Heaven: