Switzerland
Film Locations. Snow capped peaks, picturesque lakes, wood cabins and chalets, green meadows, sloping vineyards with mountain backdrops, forests and rivers, French and German style castles, winding mountain roads with stunning vistas. Then there’s access to luxurious houses and apartments, opulent mansions, and plush hotels at beautiful locations. There are traditional Swiss industries: cheese making at Gruyere, clock and watch making in Geneva; and chocolate making. There are also charming, unspoiled villages and towns, as well as more practical places like airports, stadiums, dams, sports grounds and concert venues.
Geneva and Zurich are the main production centres.
Permits. Switzerland is a very film-friendly place. We can obtain permits to shoot in most public places relatively easily and quickly. Privately owned locations are often very accommodating, in both the cities and towns, and in rural areas.
When to shoot? Summers are warm with a high percentage of clear blue skies. Winters are cold and the only time when it is possible to shoot snowy villages. There are snowy peaks all year with glaciers accessible for filming snow all year round.
For monthly weather statistics please see here.
Please contact us for more specific weather and sun path information.
Costs. Switzerland is one of the more expensive places to shoot in the world.
Talent is non-union and buyouts are negotiable.
Indigenous talent is Caucasian, northern European - French and German mainly. Beyond this, a fairly multicultural mix of talent is available - including African, Hispanic and Asian looks.
Switzerland is also home to many celebrities.
Our local partner handles most casting themselves.
For examples of locally available talent looks please visit:
Comedien (actors)
Cine Casting (extras and some actors)
Time models (models)
Fotogen (models)
Creative talent. Switzerland has a small but good pool of local directors, directors of photography and stills photographers. Its close proximity to 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 also non-union. Crews are of a very high technical and professional standard. All key crews speak fluent English and production staff are multilingual.
Fringes. Swiss law requires that crews be on the service company's payroll. Our quotes are all inclusive and there are no hidden extras.
Premiums. The standard length shooting day is 9 hours. Overtime hours are negotiated on a per project basis.
Equipment. Switzerland has all the standard equipment you would expect from a sophisticated western filming centre. Its close proximity to other European production centres makes sourcing additional equipment an easy process. See here for examples of locally available equipment:
Megarent
Lightscope
Art department and set construction. We source art department crew and resources from nearby production centres. The standard of construction is high but it is expensive. Examples of films shot in Geneva include Syriana and Chocolat.
Studios. There are approximately 10 studios in Switzerland with high quality facilities.
Backlots. At present there are no backlots in Switzerland.
Tax Incentives. There is no service tax levied on foreign companies purchasing film making services in Switzerland.
Film Stock. Both Fuji and Kodak are available locally.
Post Production. There are some post production facilities in Geneva, but we source higher end services in Zurich. See here for examples:
Egli Film AG
Visas and Work Permits. For EU citizens there is an agreement between the EU and Switzerland, so it can be treated like any other EU country. Most countries have low entry restrictions. Citizens of other countries, such as Russia or India need a visa to visit Switzerland. Details can be found here. Contact your local Swiss embassy / representative for more information.
Transportation Infrastructure in Switzerland is excellent, roads are in excellent condition, and public transport is extensive and highly reliable. Switzerland has several major European airports, with flights to all major European centres. Geneva itself has around 40 flights a day to London. Swiss is the national carrier, but there are many others operating from Swiss airports, including BA, Lufthansa, Air France/KLM, Iberia, Alitalia, as well as long haul carriers, and budget carriers such as Easyjet and Fly Baboo.
Accommodation. Recommended hotels include:
La Cour des Augustins
La Reserve
Greulich Hotel
Widder Hotel
Manotel Group
Please contact us for corporate rates.
For longer stays we can also organize serviced apartments.
Communication. Web posted casting, scouting and videoconferencing.
Safety. Switzerland is a very safe and reliable filming centre. Switzerland has remained a neutral country for almost two-hundred years.
Projects. For an example of TV commercials, online advertising, corporate videos, stills campaigns, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in Switzerland, 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 Switzerland, please contact us.
We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.
