Written by Murray Ashton on Apr 13, 2012. Posted in Interviews

Filming on location in Denmark with Location Manager Soren Dahl

Soren’s original plan was to work in film marketing. He entered the industry working as an intern for a production company and eight years later he’s now working as a Location Scout/Manager.

He comments: “I love my job very much and I feel addicted to the mix of scouting as a lone rider, and working as a team.”

Tell me about the region you cover

I cover all of Denmark and the southernmost parts of Sweden, but most of my work is concentrated in Copenhagen and its surrounding area. The region has very good infrastructure and it doesn’t take long to get from the vibrant Copenhagen city centre to idyllic farmland in the countryside, beaches or forests.

The region is about seven square kilometres and has a population of 2.2 million people, most of them living in Copenhagen. In Copenhagen you will find a great mix of old and modern architecture. Over the last ten years Copenhagen has developed a new area called 'ørestaden', which consist exclusively of new funky architecture.

In Copenhagen you will find lots of rental firms specialised in supporting Danish and foreign film crew with all the trimmings. Filmgear, Produktionen.dk and Kamera-udlejningen, to mention just three.

What are the most popular filming locations in your region?

My experience has shown me that the most used locations in the region are the ones which give the Scandinavian/Nordic feeling, which I think is the urban look mixed with new architecture and romance.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced on location?

I think it is hard to point out the most difficult location assignment, but at the shootings of the last episodes of Forbrydelsen (The Killing) I had a hard time keeping spectators and other curious people away from the set. They all wanted to see if they could get any hints of who the killer was!

What kind of projects do you tend to work on most?

I mostly work on commercials and TV series, but have also worked a lot with feature films and TV shows. The most recent international production was a UK commercial for John West with Louis Gerard directing.

Can you offer any tips or advice for filming in Copenhagen and wider Denmark?

Prepare yourselves for all weather conditions. Although the forecast is mostly true, the weather can change very quickly. During summertime the sun is up from 5am to 10pm, and during winter the sun is up from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

Copenhagen is a very film-friendly city and sees the benefits of having foreign film crews in the region. It is therefore normally quite easy and fast to get film permits, as long as the production companies use local Location Managers.

Which airport offers the best access to the city?

The largest and best airport in the region is Copenhagen Airport. It is located 20 minutes outside the city and is easy to reach by metro or taxi. Copenhagen Airport has 140 international destinations.

Which film-friendly hotels can you recommend?

Copenhagen has a lot of film-friendly hotels and apartment rentals. The Admiral Hotel is one I’d recommend.

There are usually set costs for Public Liability cover for film units and costs for insuring locations. Can you tell us about location insurance and possibly examples of costs?

Production companies in Denmark normally have their own location and crew insurance. Location costs runs from DKK3,000 to DKK10,000 per day depending on what kind of location is needed. Filming on the street and setting up temporary road blocks is free in Copenhagen. Parking will cost from DKK1,500 to DKK2,500 a day.

What do you recommend crews do with their spare time?

I would recommend a bike ride around Copenhagen, which is the easiest way to get from around. It is free to use public bikes, which are placed all over the city. Relax in one of the parks. If the weather is nice visit one of the beaches or harbour pools.

Thank you

To contact Soren click here.