Scotland
Film Locations. Glasgow - Victorian architecture, Glasgow Cathedral, River Clyde, museums, modern architecture. Edinburgh - Castle, cobblestone streets. Outer Hebrides - remote islands and deserted beaches. Isle of Arran - Scotland in miniature. Isle of Mull - rugged coastal scenery, picturesque villages. Royal Deeside - wooded river valley. Glen Affric - lochs, rugged mountains and native Scots pine. Whisky Distilleries. Mount Stuart stately home. Orkney - prehistoric sites, spectacular sea cliffs. Scotland is also known for its contemporary architecture, Georgian buildings, Art Deco architecture, mansions, urban, industrial and rural landscapes.
Edinburgh and Glasgow are the main production centres and all needs to travel from there.
Edinburgh is a great alternative to shooting in London. Location fees are competitive and permitting is easier. Strict historic preservation rules mean there are many old-Europe looks to choose from.
Dramatic Highlands scenery is perfect high-fashion photo shoots.
Scotland Film Location Permits. Scotland has an easy and streamlined permitting process. Local authorities all have dedicated film offices to get things processed efficiently and quickly. The following does apply though:
• Road closures require four weeks notice
• Parking units requires 5 days minimum notice
• Clearing a street of cars requires 10 days notice
Please contact us for location specific information
When to shoot? Scotland is generally colder than the rest of the UK, especially in the more northerly regions. The west tends to be wetter and warmer than the cool, dry east. In Highland areas, snow is common in winter from December to March, and fog and mist may occur at any time of year. April to September is the best time to shoot with long daylight hours especially in the north where it stays light almost to midnight. October to February tends to be wet and cold but the light on clear days is spectacular.
For monthly weather statistics please see here.
Please contact us for more specific weather and sun path information.
Costs. Scotland is a relatively expensive place to shoot due to the high cost of locations, talent and crews. Scotland also trades in the Great Britain Pound. Any locations requiring travel outside of Glasgow or Edinburgh are an additional cost to filming.
Talent is both union and non-union. Can buyout talent and costs are negotiable. Usage is generally based on a basic studio fee plus a percentage based on territories. Fees are usually worked out using the UseFee website. Actors union is Equity.
Scotland is an ethnically diverse country. Scotland's close proximity to London allows easy access to that pool of talent should you ever need to look further.
For an example of locally available talent looks see:
Model Team
Superior Model Management
Hunwick Hughes
PLA UK
Creative talent. Scotland has a small but good local pool of directors, directors of photography and stills photographers. Its close proximity to London allows easy access to that pool of creative talent.
Please contact us for recommended directors, DoP's and photographers for your project.
Crews are union and non-union. Can use a mix of both union and non-union. Crews are flexible and costs are negotiable. Crew are of a high standard. Good depth of key crews available locally.
Fringes. Crews are freelancers and pay their own taxes. Long-form projects must consider payroll and holiday pay. See here for more information:
British Film Commission
Premiums. Shoot days in general are based on 10 hours with 1 hour lunch however there is room to agree longer working hours at a set fee. Overtime is paid at time and a half. After midnight overtime is charged at three times the hourly rate. Banks holidays are charged at double time unless prior agreement has been reached.
Full agreements can be found here:
BECTU
APA
Equipment. Good depth and standard of locally available equipment. Hire companies tend to be part of nationwide groups so it's possible to source within any branch of their organization. There are also many smaller local providers. Some specialized equipment needs to be brought in from abroad. Phantom camera needs to come from Manchester or London. Low loader needs to come from London. For examples of locally available equipment see:
Panalux
Visual Impact
Art department and set construction is of a very high standard. An example of the quality of work can be seen in films such as Braveheart, Rob Roy, The Harry Potter Series, Entrapment and the many period dramas shot in Scotland each year.
Studios and backlots. BBC Scotland has a studio in Glasgow and a backlot studio in Dumbarton. There are a number of mid size studios as well as two water tanks. For major studios Pinewood, Shepperton and Warner Brothers are in London which is a 1 hour flight or 4 hour train journey from Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Tax Incentives. At present there are no tax incentives for foreign
commercials shooting in Scotland. Foreign productions are entitled to claim VAT back. Incentives exist for long form projects. See here for more information:
Creative Scotland
British Film Commission
Film Stock. Both Fuji and Kodak are available locally.
Post Production. There are no labs in Scotland. Telecine needs to be done in London which is only a 4 hour train ride away. All other post production facilities are available in both Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Visas and Work Permits. Generally no permits are required for short term filming. Long term filming needs to be run by Creative Scotland the British Film Commission. Entry is otherwise subject to regulations from country of origin. Contact your local British High Commission for more information.
Transportation Infrastructure. Roads are up to expected European standards. Several international and budget airlines service flights to Scotland.
Accommodation. Recommended options in Scotland include:
Glasgow:
Radisson SAS Hotel Glasgow
Hotel du Vin at One Devonshire Gardens
Blythswood Square
Citizen M
Fraser Hospitality
Edinburgh:
Hotel Missoni
Hotel du Vin
The Balmoral Hotel
Radisson Blu
Apex Hotel
Please contact us for corporate rates.
For longer stays we can also organize serviced apartments.
Communication. Web posted casting, scouting and videoconferencing.
Safety. Scotland is a very safe place for foreign productions to visit.
Projects. For an example of TV commercials, online advertising, corporate videos, stills campaigns, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in Scotland, 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 Scotland, please contact us.
We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.
