Iceland
Film Locations. Glaciers, lava fields, black sand beaches, green fields, waterfalls, geothermal activity, geysers, hot springs. Iceland has a great variety of otherworldly locations within a short distance from each other. Please see here for an example of such locations that were all within 100 metres of each othe.
Reykjavik is the main production centre and everything must travel from there.
Permits. Most locations only take a few days for permission. Locking city streets and shooting in national parks can take up to 4 days but in urgent cases we can usually resolve permits in 2 days.
When to shoot? Iceland is cold, but not as cold as the name suggests. This is due to the passing warm waters of the Gulf Stream, which regulate the climate. The south is the wettest part of the country, but snow is rare. Coastal areas tend to experience windy weather. During the summer months there is almost continuous daylight; early spring and late autumn feature long twilights. From mid-November until the end of January; Winter experiences only a few hours of daylight each day.
For monthly weather statistics please see here.
Please contact us for more specific weather and sun path information.
Costs. Iceland is the least expensive of the Nordic countries. Iceland's heavily devalued currency has made now a good time to take advantage of all that Iceland has to offer in a filming experience.
Talent. There is an actors union but models are non-union. The minimum day rate for actors is USD1800 plus buyouts which are negotiated on a case by case basis. Main talent for all-media worldwide buyout is typically somewhere in the range of USD10-15K.
To view an example of some of the local talent looks please visit the following:
Eskimo
Reykjavik Casting
Iceland has a good pool of Nordic looking talent. Most other looks need to be brought in.
Creative talent. Iceland has a small but good pool of local directors, directors of photography and stills photographers. It's 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 non-union. Icelandic crews are known to be skilled, creative and resourceful. They all speak fluent English.
Fringes are 13.98% and consist of 3 items (pension fund, social security contribution and health and insurance fund).
Premiums. Crews work a
twelve-hour shoot day and time and a half after that. No special night or holiday premiums.
Equipment. Iceland is Arri based. Most standard equipment is available locally. More specialised equipment such as technocrane, motion control, spacecam need to be brought in from London.
Art department and set construction is excellent. Some examples of their work can be seen in the Hollywood features - Die Another Day, Tomb Raider, and Flags of our Fathers.
Studios. Most filming in Iceland is location based. There are some good local studios.
Backlots. None exist at present.
Tax Incentives. There is 20% re-imbursement on costs incurred in Iceland on films, TV productions and documentaries. This at present does not apply to TV commercials.
Film Stock. Both Fuji and Kodak are available locally.
Post Production. At present there are no labs in Iceland. Processing is done in London.
Visas and Work Permits. For short form projects tourist visas are sufficient. Contact your local Icelandic embassy / representative for more information.
Transportation Infrastructure is up to known and expected European standards. Icelandair is the main international carrier.
Accommodation. Recommended hotels in Reykjavik include:
101 Hotel
Hotel Borg
Hilton
Radisson
Center Hotels
Please contact us for corporate rates.
For longer stays we can also organise serviced apartments.
Communication. Web posted casting, scouting and videoconferencing.
Safety. Iceland is a very safe and reliable filming centre.
Projects. For an example of TV commercials, online advertising, corporate videos, stills campaigns, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in Iceland, 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 Iceland, please contact us.
We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.
