France
Film Locations. For a relatively small country, France offers a great depth of location looks. Paris architecture - Eiffel Tower, Champs de Elysee, Montmartre, Hotel de Ville, Notre Dame, Museums such as the Louvre and Pompidou. Closed subway station dedicated for filming. Possible to film at airports in France. Palace and gardens of Versailles. Provence. Côte D'Azur. The Loire Valley. Brittany. Normandy. Champagne. Burgandy. Alsace. Bordeaux wine region. Snowy mountain Alps. Surf beaches in the south west of France. Corsica.
For more locations see here.
Paris and Marseilles are the main production centres and all must travel from there.
Permits. Streamlined permitting process. Most locations are possible in France. Permission often depends on the product to be advertised. For instance, the Louvre may accept filming for a high end perfume but reject filming for a soft drink. Most Paris streets and landmarks are free and typically take 6 days to permit. The Eiffel tower is free to use by day but if shooting by night, royalties are due to the lighting artists. You can control traffic on the Champs de Elysee providing you shoot early in the morning. This usually takes about 10 days to permit.
When to shoot? The climate of France can be divided into three climatic zones - Oceanic, Continental and Mediterranean. Paris and Western France have an oceanic climate with warm summers and chilly winters. Central and Eastern France have a temperate continental climate. Southern France - Riviera, Provence and Roussillon have a Mediterranean climate with hot dry summers and mild winters. The Alps have snowy winters.
For monthly weather statistics please see here.
Please contact us for more specific weather and sun path information.
Costs. France is a relatively expensive place to shoot. This is due mainly to the high costs of crew. France also trades in the Euro. Any locations requiring travel outside of Paris or Marseille are an additional cost to filming.
Talent is union for feature films although the unions are not as strong as they once were. Talent is non-union for commercials and buyouts are negotiable. The buyout amount depends on the brand - buyouts are often less for smaller brands and more for larger brands.
France has a very good and extensive pool of multicultural and multilingual talent. It is possible to work with children and infants. For more information see here:
CNC
See here for an example of local talent looks:
Models:
Rebecca Model
Elite Models
Actors:
L'Agence de Comediens
Coccinelle
Success Models
Boutchou
Interesting Looks:
Wanted Models
France has a very good pool of directors, directors of photography and stills photographers. Its close proximity to other major European production centres allows easy access to those pools of creative talent should you ever need to look further.
Please contact us for recommended directors, DoP's and photographers for your project.
Crews are union for feature films although the unions are not as strong as they once were. Crews are non-union for commercials. Our producer packages crews in a way that is sensitive to your budget and fair to crews.
France has a great depth of experienced crews. Crews speak fluent English.
Fringes. Production must pay 62% social security on crew wages. Talent social security contribution is 48% but agencies include this in the fee. Contact us for more information.
Premiums. Standard shoot day is 8 hours but it can usually be negotiated to a 10 hour day. If you go into a night shoot, weekend or public holiday our producer negotiates and packages a deal that is fair to all involved.
Equipment. Arri, Panavision and specialty suppliers. France has all the specialist technical equipment you might expect to find in a developed production centre - Motion Control, Wescam, all the cranes, all the heads, all the toys for car commercials, underwater filming etc.
For more information please visit the below:
Panavision
TSF
Art department and set construction. Art department is very strong. To give you an example films such as City of Lost Children and Amelie were shot in Paris. Set construction is of the highest standard but it is very expensive. French companies themselves often head to Eastern Europe to achieve projects heavy on set construction.
Studios and Backlots. France has high quality film studios. See here for examples:
Euro Media
Tax Incentives. At present there are no tax incentives for foreign
commercials or films shooting in France. Some incentives exist for features production. See here for more information:
Film France
Film Stock. Both Kodak and Fuji available locally.
Post Production. Very high standard of post production facilities. All are in Paris, none in Marseille. See here for examples:
BUF
Mac Guff
Micros Image
Visas and Work Permits. Relaxed rules. Work permits are not enforced. France is a member of the EU. Entry is subject to regulations from country of origin. Contact your local French embassy or representative for more information.
Transportation Infrastructure. Highly developed transportation infrastructure. Many international and low cost airlines service flights to and from French cities. The train system is extensive and often a faster alternative to flying.
Accommodation. Recommended hotels in Paris include:
Hotel de Crillon
Four Seasons Paris
Ritz Paris
Hotel Costes
Hotel Bel Ami
Artus Hotel
For southern France, recommended hotels in Marseilles and Cannes include:
Gerald Passedat Marseilles
Carlton Cannes
Please contact us for corporate rates.
For longer stays we can also organize serviced apartments.
Communication. Web posted casting, scouting and video conferencing.
Safety. France is a safe and reliable place to film.
Projects. For an example of TV commercials, online advertising, corporate videos, stills campaigns, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in France, please see below:
Our production service companies, line producers and fixers have serviced TV commercials, online advertising, corporate videos, stills campaigns, feature films, TV series and documentaries for:
AXA Belgium, BBC UK, Canon Singapore, Coca Cola Indonesia, Concord Canada, Dove Malaysia, Deutche Bank Germany, Dressman Sweden, Evian France, HBO USA, Heineken Ireland, Hyundai Korea, Intercontinental Hotels Global, ITC India, Kirin Japan, Kraft USA, Landrover UK, LG Korea, Meunil China, McDonalds Australia, MUFG Japan, Nikon Hong Kong, Nokia China, Orange Moblie Slovakia, Philips Netherlands, Proctor & Gamble USA, Chery Riich China, Rimowa Germany, Samsung Korea, Sinoland Hong Kong, Skipper Italy, Smirnoff USA, Sony United Arab Emirates, Stella Russia, Telefonica Spain, Vidal Sassoon China, Virgin Media UK, and much more.
If you are looking for a film or photographic production service company, line producer or fixer in France, please contact us.
We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.
