SHOOTING THE WORLD IN SPAIN

WHEN EVEN A HINT OF THE POSSIBILITY OF A RECESSION MAKES COMPANIES NERVOUS ABOUT THEIR FINANCES, IT IS REASONABLE TO ASSUME THAT THE COMING MONTHS WILL SEE PRESSURE TO REDUCE PRODUCTION BUDGETS. WHILE THE COST OF LIVING IN SPAIN IS SOME 25% CHEAPER THAN MOST OF EUROPE, ITS INFRASTRUCTURE AND VARIETY OF INSPIRING, ACCESSIBLE LOCATIONS IS SECOND TO NONE. GOOD NEWS FOR BUDGETCONSCIOUS FILMMAKERS… GARY SMITH REPORTS

PERHAPS the easiest way to control production costs is to reduce international travel by shooting multiple scenes within the same region or city, leveraging sites that feature architecture or landscape-looks that would normally be associated with other countries. Take, for example, Mallorca, whose diversity of locations means it can double for both other Mediterranean countries — for example Greece, Italy, Malta and Algeria, all of which were seen in the hit BBC series The Night Manager that shot there — but also more remote areas of the world, for example Cuba or New Zealand.

“Mallorca has been Paris in the feature flm Of the Rails, Ibiza in the Netfix series White Lines, the Atacama desert in Chile for Kleo and the Caribbean island of Mustique in a recent shoot for The Crown,” Mallorca Film Commission’s Pedro Barbadillo says. “Perhaps more surprisingly, Mallorca has played itself in the German series König von Palma, which just fnished shooting its second season; in the British series The Mallorca Files; and in the Bollywood blockbuster Pathaan. Some of the roads on the Serra de Tramuntana can double as

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120.125 sq ft divided in 6 soundstages 300 sunny days a year 86.112 the Alps or other higher mountains and are frequently used for commercials. Also there are numerous beaches, farms and old mansions that could double for anywhere.”

Barbadillo and his team always do their utmost to ensure a smooth shoot: “It was a 3am start, with the flming of a scene for Pathaan featuring more than 300 dancers scheduled to start at 8am, but a crane had been parked on the set. It took us a bottle of wine to convince the driver to get out of bed and drive the crane of the set,” he says. “Cost-wise, Mallorca ofers a range of local subsidies for scouting and familiarisation trips, also for feature and series development.” And the commission is contstantly developing new ways in which to assist productions: “We’re launching a new fund this year for co-productions and another to support sustainable practices under our Green Film Shooting Plan."

Bilbao Bizkaia ofers an impressive array of locations including 150 kilometres of coastline, historic city centres and monuments, varied landscapes and industrial ruins, plus three natural parks including mountain areas. All this sits alongside Bilbao’s unique buildings, its late 19th- and early 20th-century urban expansion and sophisticated infrastructure, as well as museums and cathedrals. “In 2021 a scene from the series Boundless was flmed on the beach of Aizkorri in the Getxo region. The location perfectly simulated the Bay of San Julián in Patagonia, Argentina, where the pioneering expedition that sailed around the world in 1522 landed,” says Xabier Ochandiano, councillor for economic development, trade and employment at Bilbao City Council.

“Carmen Alessandrin's Interrail is another example of the opportunities that Bilbao Bizkaia ofers. In the flm, Bilbao and the surrounding area were transformed into London, Paris and Prague. Aitor Arregi and Jon Garaño’s Giant, which won 10 Goya Awards [the Spanish national flm awards], was flmed in and around the Palacio Foral de Bizkaia, simulating a snowy London street in the early 20th century; while the Palacio de Artaza, in Leioa, was transformed into the interior of an English castle," Ochandiano says. "For Balenciaga, the halls of the Chávarri Palace in Bilbao were turned into an elegant and luxurious Parisian apartment. Also in Bilbao, we have a neighbourhood that resembles Notting Hill in London, and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is internationally recognised as Dragonstone in Game of Thrones.

Bilbao and greater Bizkaia have numerous photogenic landmarks to ofer productions. “There are the emblematic spaces such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the Azkuna Zentroa Contemporary Culture Centre — an old wine warehouse transformed by Philippe Starck — and the Bizkaia Bridge, built in the 19th century, and the oldest ferry bridge still in use in the world,” Ochandiano says. “Alongside that, we have fshing villages and ports, lighthouses, centuries-old beech forests, and towns with an industrial tradition such as the left bank of the Nervión estuary.”

Subsidies and tax breaks in the region include a tax credit of up to 60% if the expenses and investments made in Bizkaia exceed 50% of total budget.

Also used as a double for Paris, Gipuzkoa is home to some remarkable locations such as La Concha beach and San Sebastian’s concentration of Belle Epoque buildings. For the series on Cristobal Balenciaga, the streets of San Sebastian became Paris. For Game of Thrones, the producers chose Zumaia and its extraordinary rock formations, for a dramatic disembarkation scene in Westeros.

“San Sebastian has buildings and streets reminiscent of Paris, but it also has modern, futuristic buildings that are often used for advertising shoots,” the Sebastian-Gipuzkoa Film Commission's Marta Zabaleta says. “Gipuzkoa also has a number of traditional fshing harbours and an industrial port, in which Alejandro Amenábar’s series La Fortuna recreated a naval battle from 1804 in which the treasure-flled boat La Fortuna was sunk.”

Gipuzkoa also features beaches and mountains that could be anywhere, alongside villages with an industrial aesthetic that can simulate European city neighbourhoods; and being a relatively small territory with 60km of unspoilt, varied coastline, simplifes logistics. “As well as tax incentives, there are also exemptions from municipal taxes in the city of San Sebastian, a city that hosts many festivals,” Zabaleta adds. “And we have 20 years of experience in facilitating procedures, fnding locations and sorting out permits.”

The name Castilla-La Mancha is indelibly associated with Don Quixote, but there’s so much more to this unique region than windmills and endless vistas. “Our territory has two main advantages for the national and international flm industry. We are literally the heart of Spain's mainland, surrounding two thirds of Madrid where more than 60% of the Spanish audiovisual industry is based, and which has the best infrastructure including high-speed trains, freeways and an airport. We also ofer a huge diversity of landscapes, including 12 natural parks, as well as two world heritage cities, Toledo and Cuenca,” says Migual Angel Villanueva Munguía of the CastillaLa Mancha Film Commission. “At the beginning of 2022 we hosted a shoot for The English, a Western in which La Mesa de Ocana in the province of Toledo doubled for the US. Other examples of our territory doubling for other locations include being Tenerife in Red Sky, and more surprisingly, The Vatican in HBO’s 30 Coins

Following a recent familiarisation trip organised by the Spain Film Commission for a group of nine international location managers, the feedback was that Cuenca and the whole province has a lot to ofer, especially to big productions. “One of the places they were particularly impressed with was The Enchanted City near Cuenca, and the spectacular roads through the mountains,” Villanueva Munguía says. “We’re keen to spread the word about a new location called Camarilla's Rails, an eight-kilometre-long railway line in perfect condition, with tunnels and bridges sitting in an unspoilt natural location. The council of Hellin administers the track and is keen to ofer its full support to visiting productions. Generally speaking, if someone asked why they should shoot here, I would say that if it is in Spain, we have it here. If it is part of our country, your strategic place is Castilla-La Mancha.”

The diversity of versatile locations Andalucía ofers is huge, with The Crown a perfect example. “Every time the Royal Family has to be seen to travel out of the UK they come to Andalusia, to locations in Malaga, Almeria, Sevilla and the province of Cádiz playing an important role in the series,”

Piluca Querol, of the Andalucía Film Commission, says. “They doubled for Australia on the trip Charles and Diana made, the US for a visit made by Princess Margaret in the late 60s, where Margaret Thatcher stayed on a trip to South Africa, street scenes in Greece, the Caribbean island of Mustique, and in the last season, an archaeological site in Italy in the 90s, plus the streets and palaces of Alexandria in Egypt. Andalucía's eight provinces have also served as Planet Naboo in Star Wars, and the Kingdoms of Dorne and Meereen, plus the Dothraki Sea in Game of Thrones.”

This location-rich and habitually sunny region has also doubled for China, Africa and Havana. “A lot of projects choose Andalucía for the diversity of locations, plus we have highly qualifed technicians with huge experience, and infrastructure that allows you to move throughout the region quickly," Querol says. "For example, in Andalucía you can spend the morning touring the largest desert in Europe in Almería and in less than two hours you can be skiing in Sierra Nevada where Alejandro Bayona doubled-up for the mountains of Chile for his upcoming flm Society of the Snow. Then you fnish the day on

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TALENT the beaches of Cádiz, seen in the last season of Killing Eve and the upcoming Bollywood Film Pathaan. Andalucía is a land of natural sets: deserts, high mountains, landscapes, forests, tropical sites, beaches and clifs, but also with a large range of historical and modern cities, whitewashed villages, castles, Baroque mansions and fabulous Moorish palaces.” Madrid and its surrounding region have a rich variety of locations, with everything from cozy traditional streets and business areas with skyscrapers, to natural spaces and high mountains, all of which are proven to be highly versatile as locations and have been used to recreate other countries on numerous occasions. “Terminator: Dark Fate used the streets of Madrid to recreate neighbourhoods of Mexico City and scif show Soulmates used diferent locations in the city to double for New York and Mexico. Spanish historical drama series

Dime Quién Soy: Mistress of War used locations to double as Buenos Aires and its port,” says Rafael Cabrera of the Region of Madrid Filming Promotion Ofce. “Netfix spy thriller series In From the Cold used Madrid as a double for Moscow; the second season of the series The Warrior Nun was flmed entirely in and around Madrid, with the town of Navacerrada standing in for Switzerland; and Wes Anderson came to Madrid last year, flming in Chinchon and Colmenar de Oreja, where he recreated the Arizona desert.” In the Madrid region, there are rural areas, lakes, mountains and myriad natural settings, varying from a leafy northern look, to more desert-like areas. “We also have a lot of historical heritage, with castles, palaces and other architectural elements that can simulate any place in the world,” Cabrera says.