Written by new-contact on Jan 27, 2012. Posted in General Interest

Editor’s Weekly

We’ve covered two doubling projects from the commercials industry this week, with the French Dairy Council doubling Buenos Aires for France and Dr Pepper turning Barcelona into an unidentified US metropolis. Elsewhere there was bad news for Pinewood Studios in the UK as its expansion plans failed to win approval, while Raleigh Studios is expanding to Utah.

The French Dairy Council’s Monster spot is a fun 30-second piece that has a warm, French Riviera feel to it but was actually filmed in Buenos Aires. Admittedly the focus of the piece is the slobbering CGI monster that sets about devouring local office workers on its quest for cheese, but the location adds an appealing setting that contrasts subtly with the light-hearted horror. It’s an apt reminder of what’s on offer to producers looking for a sunny locale during the northern hemisphere’s winter.

The Greeks have slashed filming location fees at many ancient historic sites in Athens, which is great news for producers who might have been put off in the past by costs and local bureaucracy.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Barcelona has doubled for a sun-splashed but unidentified US city in a new spot for Dr Pepper, a decision that was made primarily to fit in with the schedule of the UK-based Director. The spot’s as generic as you’d expect from a soft drink brand, but it shows the options available to producers and location managers looking for the US in the Spanish city.

Also in Europe, the Greeks have slashed filming location fees at many ancient historic sites in Athens, which is great news for producers who might have been put off in the past by costs and local bureaucracy. It remains to be seen whether the new rules will be flexible enough to appeal to major studio productions; TLG suspects it may be TV shows and photo shoots that take advantage more quickly.

Vilnius in Lithuania has set up its own dedicated film office. The country doesn’t have much of an international filmmaking profile, although its commercials industry is much more active. A film office is a positive move, but the country will probably have to launch a formal filming incentive if it wants to compete in Europe to host large film projects.

A film office in Vilnius in Lithuania is a positive move, but the country will probably have to launch a formal filming incentive if it wants to compete in Europe to host large film projects.

There’s good and bad news for the industry’s major studio brands. Pinewood Studios in the UK has failed to secure development approval for its GBP200 million expansion plan, which is a knock for Britain’s screen industries. The plan would have involved the development of more than a dozen permanent sets to marry the UK’s extended tax relief with greater location convenience.

At the moment Britain’s not finding it too hard to attract international shoots, but new ways of competing internationally will inevitably be needed in the coming years. A compromise of some kind may need to be reached, as a lack of permanent sets may be a major disadvantage if studio productions feel the need to tighten their budgets further and stay on the studio lot.

Raleigh Studios has had better news this week, with plans confirmed to open a new facility in Park City, Utah. The company already has an extensive presence throughout the US and may be expanding further in Europe as well in the next few years. The Utah facility will probably be modestly-sized, but the decision to build it in Park City, one of the venues for the Sundance Film Festival, could make a massive local impact and is a smart move for the brand.

Raleigh Studios' Utah facility will probably be modestly-sized, but the decision to build it in Park City, one of the venues for the Sundance Film Festival, could make a massive local impact and is a smart move for the brand.

In this week’s interview section the Colombian Film Commission gave us some detailed advice about filming in their neck of the South American woods, while Producer Bruno Canale talked us through filming in Peru. We also talked to Location Scout Mike McGinn about Arizona shooting.

As always, The Location Guide’s Film-Friendly Locations database continues to grow. If you manage a building or a location that you think qualifies as film-friendly, or you’ve filmed somewhere recently that you think should be listed on our website, please contact Ewa.

If you’ve got some great location filming stories to share and you’d like to be part of our profile section, or you have an idea for an article please contact Murray.

If you've been working on location anywhere in the world and you're looking for some press coverage, please contact Nick. We’d all be happy to hear from you.

(Main page still image courtesy of Hellenic Film Commission)