Written by new-contact on Aug 7, 2013. Posted in Interviews

Filming in the Canary Islands with location scout Yanira de Armas-Tosco

The Canary Islands are a popular filming location for big-budget Hollywood productions. Location scout Yanira de Armas-Tosco explains how the islands off the Atlantic coast of Morocco double for global locations.

Major studio films are regular visitors to the islands with recent productions having included the remake of Clash of the Titans, as well as its sequel. More recently Fast & Furious 6 spent weeks filming intense car chase sequences, featuring the island of Tenerife as itself and also doubling for mainland Spain and Costa Rica. Mainland Spain does not have a formal location filming incentive, but the Canary Islands Special Zone Low Tax Regime has substantial tax deductions. Combined with the easy access from mainland Europe, the islands are more appealing and cost-effective for large-scale shoots.

“Tenerife was chosen for Fast & Furious 6 mainly for the variety of landscapes it offered,” explains location scout Yanira de Armas-Tosco: “We have South American and Spanish colonial architecture, plus haciendas, banana plantations and blue skies.

“For Fast & Furious the local production company and the government put a deal together to close 15km of a real highway to shoot during seven weeks of action scenes - there are not many countries in the world that can offer that to a movie.”

De Armas-Tosco is a qualified architect and was able to bring her particular expertise to the shoot, advising on how different locations and structures could be adapted and changed. The production involved a 600-strong crew moving around the island in 65 trucks.

“The most popular Canary Islands locations,” De Armas Tosco continues, “are the national parks in Tenerife where we filmed Clash of the Titans. La Palma, La Gomera and Lanzarote are all within 30 minutes of each other.

“Another important asset is the magnificent weather – it’s almost 25 Degrees Celsius year-round – plus the low rainfall and unbeatable light quality. The islands are truly a perfect back lot!”

To find out more about filming Tenerife click here.