Switzerland
Switzerland is known for its ease of location scouting and obtaining filming permits, making the process of securing shooting locations more streamlined.
Filming in Switzerland
Switzerland offers a diverse range of locations and settings for filmmakers. The architecture varies from traditional Swiss chalets to modern urban buildings, providing a wide range of backdrops for different film genres. The country’s unique geographical locations, including picturesque lakeside towns, historic city centers, and mountainous regions, provide filmmakers with a variety of options to suit their creative vision. Additionally, Switzerland boasts state-of-the-art facilities for film production, including sound stages, post-production services, and professional equipment rental companies. Swiss technicians are highly skilled and experienced, contributing to the overall quality and efficiency of film productions. Switzerland is also known for its ease of location scouting and obtaining filming permits, making the process of securing shooting locations more streamlined.
In summary, Switzerland offers filmmakers a diverse array of architectural settings, geographical locations, skilled technicians, post-production services, and equipment, as well as ease of location scouting and securing filming permits. These factors contribute to the appeal of Switzerland as a filming destination.
Climate
The climate in Switzerland varies greatly depending on the region and altitude. Generally, the best time to shoot in Switzerland is during the summer months from June to August, when temperatures are warmer and days are longer. However, if you are looking to film snowy mountain landscapes, the winter months are more suitable.
It is important to note that weather conditions can be unpredictable in Switzerland, so it is advisable to prepare accordingly and check weather forecasts before planning a shoot. Additionally, Switzerland’s mountainous terrain means that roads can be winding and narrow, so safety precautions for your team and equipment should be taken into account.
Our Partner
Founded in 1972, our Swiss partner is a creative film production company managed by Philipp Schwinger. They incorporate new talent and strive to implement the latest technologies to benefit your production. They have shot and serviced projects in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and most of Europe, as well as New Zealand, South Africa, Buenos Aires and the United States.
Whether it’s for corporate or 360’ immersive experiences, they’ll help you get the results you require. And their testimonials endorse this. Whether you are an agency, a client, or a fellow production company, they will bid on your project and show you how easy, fun and cost-efficient it can be to produce quality commercials at the highest standard.
They produce mobile content, TV commercials, videos (including 360 content), along with augmented and virtual reality experiences – all at the highest level. If you require just production services, you will also get the latest technological know-how in the industry.
Tax Breaks & Incentives
In Switzerland, cinema is not an industry like in France or Germany. Switzerland is a Confederation with 26 Cantons. Each one of them has their own politics. So, the answers are not simple at all.
For your information, there are co-production possibilities that exist here, but they are really limited and there is not a lot of money. For example, Olivier Assayas wanted to come in Switzerland to shoot “Sils Maria”. Switzerland offered him 40k when Austria offered 400k for a movie that was supposed to happen in Switzerland.
The most interesting Canton with rebate scheme is Valais:
The Canton of Valais has become the first Swiss region to launch an automatic cash rebate program aimed at attracting Swiss and international audiovisual productions. The Valais Film Commission offers a cash rebate of 15% to 35% of eligible expenses to feature-length fictional or animated films, or series that meet certain criteria, including a shooting period of at least five days in the region and expenses of at least CHF 100,000 ($103,993) in the territory. The cash rebate program complements the commission’s facilitation services for production teams and is aimed at financially strong productions, with a cap of CHF 100,000. One-off grants will also be available for documentaries, short films, and reality TV shows.
In Switzerland, the film financing system is different from countries that use the “tax shelter” concept. Instead, Switzerland offers financial support to national and international film productions through various grants and funds. The Federal Office of Culture (FOC) is responsible for promoting Swiss cinema and distributing grants at the national level. It supports fiction, documentary, and animation films, as well as screenplay development, production, and distribution. In addition to federal grants, there are regional and cantonal funds that also provide financial support to film productions. For example, the Zurich, Geneva, Valais and Ticino regions have specific funds to support local and international film production. International co-productions can also benefit from financial support in Switzerland. Switzerland is a signatory to several bilateral co-production agreements and is a part of the Council of Europe’s European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production.
Although Switzerland does not have a tax shelter per se, the grants and funds available can help finance and promote film productions in Switzerland.
Recent Credits
I HAD THE CHANCE TO WORK WITH PHILIPP AND HIS TEAM ON SEVERAL COMMUNICATION PROJECTS FOR DIFFERENT MAJOR BRANDS WITHIN THE LAST YEARS. I CAN HIGHLY RECOMMEND [THEM] FOR YOUR CONMUNICATION TASKS.
Dieter Lutz
Marketing Director D/A/CH Bahlsen
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