Good news for the UK this week as the location filming tax relief scheme was renewed through to 2015. Also in Europe Julia Wülker of the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern gave us an insight into the Bavarian filming locations used for The Three Musketeers. Elsewhere there’s been activity in Australia and New Zealand.
[slideshow id=189]Rob’s first industry break was in 1988 when he was hired to advise on mountain safety for Disney’s White Fang. It would be his largest production and he absolutely loved the mayhem; he’s since worked on more than 250 productions.
Toyota sports creative flair with a new spot for its Hilux vehicle, filmed on New Zealand’s South Island. Tougher Than You Can Imagine shows a driver telling the story of an epic wilderness drive capped by encounters with a fire-breathing wild boar and a chimp that demands ice cream.
Kip is a Location Manager and Scout originally from New York City but now, because of the scent of a red-haired woman who went missing years ago, is based in York Harbor, Maine.
Plans for a dedicated film office in Atlanta, Georgia, have caused controversy among local film professionals. Mayor Kasim Reed is floating an idea that a centralised office would issue permits and charge location filming fees to visiting crews, but local professionals are wary.
Peter Webber, the British-born director of features including Hannibal Rising and Girl with a Pearl Earring, has announced his next feature will be shot on location in New Zealand. The project, tentatively called Emperor, will be set in the days following Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II in 1945.
Scotch whiskey brand Johnnie Walker has launched its first Brazilian advertising campaign with a spot filmed in Rio de Janeiro. Keep Walking Brazil shows the city’s famous Pão de Açúcar mountain (also known as The Sugar Loaf) rising into the figure of a giant, as the city watches in wonder.
Chevrolet has taken to the skies over Arizona for a daring spot for its Sonic small car range. Skydive shows a Chevy being dropped out of the back of a C-130 aeroplane at 10,000 feet and drifting gracefully through the atmosphere while being filmed by a team of skydivers.
With a background in tourism, Firew has been a location fixer for over ten years. He has worked extensively with foreign media, including the BBC and Lonely Planet, on a range of documentaries including Real Man, Psychology of War and Operation Moses.
[slideshow id=181]Susanne has been working in the film industry as a freelancer for 20 years. She’s been a Production Manager, Post-Production Co-Ordinator, Location Manager, Street Caster and, her favourite position of all, Location Scout. She’s based in Stockholm.