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4. Questions - Got a question about Filming Location then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
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8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Filming Location site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
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10. Payment - ready to pay for your Filming Location, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
, June 2005, on
Hollywood Boulevard.
A
filming location is a place where some or all of a
film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using set construction constructed on a studio
backlot or soundstage. For example, the television series 24 is filmed primarily on location except for some scenes which are always filmed on the same sets. The on location shooting in Los Angeles is one thing that makes the show such a success.
On location is a term used to describe the filming on such a real site. The term is often
mistakenly believed to mean that the production is being filmed on the actual location in which its story is set, but this is not necessarily the case.
Pros and cons
Location filming has several advantages over filming on a studio set:
- It can be cheaper than constructing large sets
- The illusion of reality can be stronger - it is hard to replicate real-world wear-and-tear, and architectural details
- It sometimes allows the use of cheaper non-union labor or to bypass a work stoppage in the US. Canadian locations such as Vancouver and Toronto are known for this.
- It sometimes allows "frozen" currency to be used. The 1968 movie Kelly's Heroes was filmed in Yugoslavia using profits that had been made on movie exhibitions in that country but couldn't be exported.
Its disadvantages include:
- A lack of control over the environment - passing aircraft, traffic, pedestrians, bad weather, city regulations, etc.
- Finding a real-world location which exactly matches the requirements of the script
- Members of the audience may be familiar with a real-world location used to double as a fictional location
- Taking a whole film crew to film on location can be extremely expensive
Location filming can provide significant economic development benefit to an area, including local cast and crew and the use of facilities such as catering and accommodation.
Practicalities
Location filming usually requires a Location Manager, and locations are usually chosen by a Location Scout. Many popular locations, such as New York City in the United States, and the
Isle of Man in the
United Kingdom, have dedicated film offices to encourage location filming, and to suggest appropriate locations to film-makers.
In many cases a
second unit is despatched to film location scenes, with a second-unit director and sometimes with
stand-in actors. These locations shots can then be edited into the final film or TV program alongside studio-shot sequences, to give an authentic flavour, without the expense or trouble of a full-scale location shoot.
NYPD Blue, for example, was filmed primarily in Los Angeles, California, but used second unit footage of New York City for colour, as well as featuring a small number of seasons filmed on location with the cast.
Substitute locations
It is common for films to be set in one place, but filmed in another, usually for reasons of economy or convenience, but sometimes because the substitute location looks more historically appropriate.
Some substitute filming locations include:
- Almería (province), Spain - Southwest USA (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, as well as numerous other Spaghetti Westerns)
- Bath, Somerset, UK - Boston, Massachusetts (Sleepy Hollow (movie) (1999)
- Berlin, Germany - Paris, London (Around the World in 80 Days (2004)), Moscow, Russia (The Bourne Supremacy)
- Birmingham, UK - New York City (Velvet Goldmine)
- Brent Cross, London, UK - Hamburg (Tomorrow Never Dies)
- Budapest, Hungary - Berlin (Spy Game), Paris (Maigret - UK TV series (1993))
- Chicago Chicago 'L' - New York elevated railway (Spider-Man 2)
- City Chambers, Glasgow, Scotland - The Vatican (Heavenly Pursuits)
- Fort Hunter Liggett, California - Vietnam (We Were Soldiers)
- Glasgow, Scotland - Moscow, Russia (Gorky Park (movie)), New York City (The House of Mirth)
- Hawaii - West Africa (Tears of the Sun), Brazilian Amazon River (The Rundown)
- Helsinki, Finland - Moscow, Russia (Gorky Park)
- Hedsor House, England - A beautiful English film location (Most Mysterious Murders)
- Isle of Man, UK - Ireland (Waking Ned)
- Iceland - Himalayas (Batman Begins), and Iwo Jima (Flags of Our Fathers)
- Lincoln Cathedral, UK - Westminster Abbey (The Da Vinci Code (movie))
- Liverpool, UK - Moscow, Russia (Yentl, The Hunt for Red October)
- Madrid, Spain - Moscow, Russia (Doctor Zhivago (1965 film))
- Malta - Ancient Sparta (Troy (movie)); Ancient Rome (Gladiator (movie)); Rome, Beirut, Cyprus, Tel Aviv, Athens (Munich (film)); Sweethaven (Popeye (movie))
- Manchester, UK - New York (Alfie (2004))
- Melbourne, Australia - London, New York City (Queen of the Damned (movie))
- New Zealand - Japan (The Last Samurai)
- Oxford, UK - China (Spy Game)
- Prague, Czech Republic - Vienna, Austria (Amadeus (film) (1984)), Geneva, Paris (The Bourne Identity (film) (2001))
- Romania - Los Angeles (Seed of Chucky)
- Royal Horticultural Hall, London, UK - interior Berlin Tempelhof Airport (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
- Seattle, Washington, USA - Cicely, Alaska (Northern Exposure)
- Seville, Spain - Havana, Cuba (Die Another Day)
- Slovakia - California (Ravenous)
- Wales - North Korea (Die Another Day)
- St Pancras Hotel, London - Arkham Asylum, Gotham City (Batman Begins)
- Saint Petersburg, Russia - Berlin, Germany (Der Untergang (Downfall))
- Sydney, Australia - Metropolis (comics) (Superman Returns (2006))
- Thailand - List of films that use Thailand as a location have been used for many films depicting the Vietnam War era, including The Deer Hunter, The Killing Fields, Casualties of War, Air America and Operation Dumbo Drop.
- Tilbury Docks, Essex, UK - Gotham Harbour (Batman Begins)
- Toronto, Canada - Many locations are depicted, but Chicago and New York City are most often represented.
- Vancouver, Canada - Vancouver film locations in many films, but often Washington state, especially Seattle, Washington
- Vienna, Austria - Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (The Living Daylights)
External links
- / Film, TV, Advertising Montreal Location Managers and Scouts Services
- Film Location Agency & Berlin Movie Tours in Berlin, Germany
- Film Location Agency in Russia
- Film & Tv location database
- Location Shooting: famous filming locations in Southern California.
- Famous and Memorable Filming Locations
- Filmed Here - Online directory for filming locations.
- Wales Screen Commission
- Scottish Highlands and Islands Film Commission
- Bristol Film Office, England
- South West Screen, England
- Louth, Newry and Mourne Film Commission, Ireland
- MovieSite: System used by Film Offices to promote locations
- Worldwide guide to movie locations
- Historic House Association Film locations
- Hedsor House, A stunning English film location
- Locality - UK film locations to suit every budget
- Film Office of the Mayor of New York City, USA
- New York State Governors Office of Motion Picture and Television Development, New York, USA
- New Jersey State Film Office, New Jersey, USA
- Movie Locations Guide.com Maps and directions to popular filming locations
- Pinewood & Shepperton Studios locations including manor houses, woodland, formal gardens and lakes - as featured in many James Bond films.
- search the movie's locations
- The hobby site of filming location Detectives
, June 2005, on Hollywood Boulevard.
A
filming location is a place where some or all of a film or
television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using set construction constructed on a studio
backlot or
soundstage. For example, the television series 24 is filmed primarily on location except for some scenes which are always filmed on the same sets. The on location shooting in Los Angeles is one thing that makes the show such a success.
On location is a term used to describe the filming on such a real site. The term is often
mistakenly believed to mean that the production is being filmed on the actual location in which its story is set, but this is not necessarily the case.
Pros and cons
Location filming has several advantages over filming on a studio set:
- It can be cheaper than constructing large sets
- The illusion of reality can be stronger - it is hard to replicate real-world wear-and-tear, and architectural details
- It sometimes allows the use of cheaper non-union labor or to bypass a work stoppage in the US. Canadian locations such as Vancouver and Toronto are known for this.
- It sometimes allows "frozen" currency to be used. The 1968 movie Kelly's Heroes was filmed in Yugoslavia using profits that had been made on movie exhibitions in that country but couldn't be exported.
Its disadvantages include:
- A lack of control over the environment - passing aircraft, traffic, pedestrians, bad weather, city regulations, etc.
- Finding a real-world location which exactly matches the requirements of the script
- Members of the audience may be familiar with a real-world location used to double as a fictional location
- Taking a whole film crew to film on location can be extremely expensive
Location filming can provide significant economic development benefit to an area, including local cast and crew and the use of facilities such as catering and accommodation.
Practicalities
Location filming usually requires a Location Manager, and locations are usually chosen by a Location Scout. Many popular locations, such as New York City in the
United States, and the Isle of Man in the
United Kingdom, have dedicated film offices to encourage location filming, and to suggest appropriate locations to film-makers.
In many cases a
second unit is despatched to film location scenes, with a second-unit director and sometimes with stand-in actors. These locations shots can then be edited into the final film or TV program alongside studio-shot sequences, to give an authentic flavour, without the expense or trouble of a full-scale location shoot.
NYPD Blue, for example, was filmed primarily in
Los Angeles, California, but used second unit footage of New York City for colour, as well as featuring a small number of seasons filmed on location with the cast.
Substitute locations
It is common for films to be set in one place, but filmed in another, usually for reasons of economy or convenience, but sometimes because the substitute location looks more historically appropriate.
Some substitute filming locations include:
- Almería (province), Spain - Southwest USA (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, as well as numerous other Spaghetti Westerns)
- Bath, Somerset, UK - Boston, Massachusetts (Sleepy Hollow (movie) (1999)
- Berlin, Germany - Paris, London (Around the World in 80 Days (2004)), Moscow, Russia (The Bourne Supremacy)
- Birmingham, UK - New York City (Velvet Goldmine)
- Brent Cross, London, UK - Hamburg (Tomorrow Never Dies)
- Budapest, Hungary - Berlin (Spy Game), Paris (Maigret - UK TV series (1993))
- Chicago Chicago 'L' - New York elevated railway (Spider-Man 2)
- City Chambers, Glasgow, Scotland - The Vatican (Heavenly Pursuits)
- Fort Hunter Liggett, California - Vietnam (We Were Soldiers)
- Glasgow, Scotland - Moscow, Russia (Gorky Park (movie)), New York City (The House of Mirth)
- Hawaii - West Africa (Tears of the Sun), Brazilian Amazon River (The Rundown)
- Helsinki, Finland - Moscow, Russia (Gorky Park)
- Hedsor House, England - A beautiful English film location (Most Mysterious Murders)
- Isle of Man, UK - Ireland (Waking Ned)
- Iceland - Himalayas (Batman Begins), and Iwo Jima (Flags of Our Fathers)
- Lincoln Cathedral, UK - Westminster Abbey (The Da Vinci Code (movie))
- Liverpool, UK - Moscow, Russia (Yentl, The Hunt for Red October)
- Madrid, Spain - Moscow, Russia (Doctor Zhivago (1965 film))
- Malta - Ancient Sparta (Troy (movie)); Ancient Rome (Gladiator (movie)); Rome, Beirut, Cyprus, Tel Aviv, Athens (Munich (film)); Sweethaven (Popeye (movie))
- Manchester, UK - New York (Alfie (2004))
- Melbourne, Australia - London, New York City (Queen of the Damned (movie))
- New Zealand - Japan (The Last Samurai)
- Oxford, UK - China (Spy Game)
- Prague, Czech Republic - Vienna, Austria (Amadeus (film) (1984)), Geneva, Paris (The Bourne Identity (film) (2001))
- Romania - Los Angeles (Seed of Chucky)
- Royal Horticultural Hall, London, UK - interior Berlin Tempelhof Airport (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
- Seattle, Washington, USA - Cicely, Alaska (Northern Exposure)
- Seville, Spain - Havana, Cuba (Die Another Day)
- Slovakia - California (Ravenous)
- Wales - North Korea (Die Another Day)
- St Pancras Hotel, London - Arkham Asylum, Gotham City (Batman Begins)
- Saint Petersburg, Russia - Berlin, Germany (Der Untergang (Downfall))
- Sydney, Australia - Metropolis (comics) (Superman Returns (2006))
- Thailand - List of films that use Thailand as a location have been used for many films depicting the Vietnam War era, including The Deer Hunter, The Killing Fields, Casualties of War, Air America and Operation Dumbo Drop.
- Tilbury Docks, Essex, UK - Gotham Harbour (Batman Begins)
- Toronto, Canada - Many locations are depicted, but Chicago and New York City are most often represented.
- Vancouver, Canada - Vancouver film locations in many films, but often Washington state, especially Seattle, Washington
- Vienna, Austria - Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (The Living Daylights)
External links
- / Film, TV, Advertising Montreal Location Managers and Scouts Services
- Film Location Agency & Berlin Movie Tours in Berlin, Germany
- Film Location Agency in Russia
- Film & Tv location database
- Location Shooting: famous filming locations in Southern California.
- Famous and Memorable Filming Locations
- Filmed Here - Online directory for filming locations.
- Wales Screen Commission
- Scottish Highlands and Islands Film Commission
- Bristol Film Office, England
- South West Screen, England
- Louth, Newry and Mourne Film Commission, Ireland
- MovieSite: System used by Film Offices to promote locations
- Worldwide guide to movie locations
- Historic House Association Film locations
- Hedsor House, A stunning English film location
- Locality - UK film locations to suit every budget
- Film Office of the Mayor of New York City, USA
- New York State Governors Office of Motion Picture and Television Development, New York, USA
- New Jersey State Film Office, New Jersey, USA
- Movie Locations Guide.com Maps and directions to popular filming locations
- Pinewood & Shepperton Studios locations including manor houses, woodland, formal gardens and lakes - as featured in many James Bond films.
- search the movie's locations
- The hobby site of filming location Detectives
Filminglocations.com - Home
FilmingLocations.com provides on-location properties for filming which creates positive cash flow for all home and business property owners.
Filming locations Detectives
Worldwide travel guide to film locations of Hollywood, blockbuster, and cult films worldwide. Welcome to Filming Locations Detectives website! This website is dedicated to the many ...
York Museum Trust - Filming Locations
York Museums Trust is an independent charitable trust which manages York Castle Museum, Yorkshire Museum and Gardens, York Art Gallery and York St Mary's.
FilmingLocations.com - Filming Location Scouts
FilmingLocations.com provides on-location properties for filming which creates positive cash flow for all home and business property owners.
Filming Locations
This site has been created by the London Borough of Hackney. The site provides access to information and online requests about the priority services delivered by the council and ...
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
Filming Locations Browser. The Filming Locations Browser allows you to search through the titles for which we have specific information about where they were shot.
Filming Locations on the Cowdray Estate, Midhurst, West Sussex
The Cowdray Estate is a private 16,500 acres Estate in picturesque West Sussex which offers outstanding and varied filming locations.
Filming Locations in Bath - Visit Bath
Filming Locations in Bath An inspirational location for film producers, actors and authors, Bath is home to some big name productions. Vanity Fair, Persuasion, Dracula and The ...
Filming Location Online
www.chiltern.gov.uk/filminglocations is the online resource for Filming Location ... Filming Contacts Filming on train or at a station - Chiltern Railways. Who we are:
Filming locations - Corporate - Info - ZSL
ZSL Filming Locations ... The images of filming locations have been provided to give an indication of the facilities and backdrops that could be used for filming and photography ...