LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Why Certain Movies Film In Different Countries To The One That The Movie Is Set In

There are so many memorable scenes in movies where the characters are walking down the iconic streets of a particular town or city. While it might look like they’re really there, one of the biggest movie secrets in Hollywood is often they could be filmed in a completely different place to where you think they are. Here are some of the reasons why certain movies film in different countries to the ones they’re set in.

Keep down costs

One of the major reasons a film might not shoot in the county the story is set in is the cost. It is simply a lot cheaper to run a film production in some countries than in others. Some states in certain countries even offer tax breaks to film crews to encourage them to produce their film in their region. That’s because it’ll bring a lot of money into the area, including the money the crew spends on hotels and meals and even the increase in tourism once the film has been released and people want to visit the sets where they were filmed.

As films are so expensive and it’s so hard to predict how many tickets they’ll sell at the cinema until it’s released, every single little cost on a film is tracked carefully. If you’ve ever stuck around long enough to see the bottom of a film’s credits, you’ll see they employ a whole team of accountants to keep track of costs. That’s why even the cost of something like water can have a huge impact on a decision on where to film. You might think water is readily available in any developed town or city in the world, but as this article on Global Water facts shows, that can be far from the case. Lots of crew means lots of water usage, and a higher water rate could add thousands of dollars onto any budget.

Attract the big stars

One of the most important parts when it comes to making a film is securing the best actors to star in it. Book an A-list actor, and people will flock to the cinemas just because they’re staring in it, no matter what genre or even what topic the film is about. As most of these famous Hollywood actors live in Hollywood, they’d be a lot more tempted to work on a movie that was being shot closer to their home. As films take months to make, some actors may be reluctant to move out of their homes and leave their families for such a long period of time.

Better facilities available

Another big reason for alternative locations is that there simply might not be the facilities available to shoot a movie in the area in which the story is set in. While a lot of a film might be shot on location, it’s highly likely that certain scenes will be shot on specially designed sets on sound stages so the light and sound can be easily controlled. If a location doesn’t have a sound stage available, it’s often easier to find alternative exterior locations than it is to produce a film in two completely separate locations.