Written by on Oct 4, 2013. Posted in On Location

Kevin Macdonald makes feature film How I Live Now on location in Wales

Kevin Macdonald filmed his new feature How I Live Now on location in Wales with rising star Saoirse Ronan. Adapted from a novel by Meg Rosoff, the film tells the story of a New York teen sent to live with cousins in the English countryside as a global conflict erupts.

Macdonald shot during the Welsh summer and the Wales Screen Commission helped the production find the film’s main farmhouse setting in Carmarthenshire in the south of the country. Other filming locations included the back lot at Dragon International Studios at Llanilid and a training village used by the Ministry of Defence in Sennybridge.

“Wales has an amazing variety of stunning landscapes and contemporary environments in which to film,” explained Penny Skuse of Wales Screen Commission: “We often surprise producers and location managers with the diversity of locations available, and how easy it is to get around.

“In south Wales especially, you can go from modern cityscapes to sweeping mountain vistas within 45 minutes. We also have highly experienced crew and the facilities to support productions.”

“How I Live Now was the most fun I’ve ever had making a film,” commented Kevin Macdonald.

We often surprise producers and location managers with the diversity of locations available, and how easy it is to get around.

Penny Skuse, Wales Screen Commission

Wales is a popular filming location with natural landscapes and a vast number of historic homes and castles, while productions can also benefit from the UK's filming tax credit. David S Goyer’s period fantasy drama Da Vinci’s Demons filmed on location around Swansea, doubling the region for 15th Century Italy. The show also used retrofitted studio facilities, as did the BBC for its new family fantasy series Atlantis, which built sets near Chepstow.

To find out more about filming in Wales read The Location Guide's interview with Penny Skuse here.

(Photos: Cowboy Films/Simon Hughes/Nicola Dove)