Jumat, 24 Agustus 2012

Southern Africa Film Locations - The World in One Continent

A movie script that has the hero globe-trotting through a series of exotic destinations could be a logistical nightmare to film. Sourcing film locations and crews in a whole series of different countries, often ones with no existing film infrastructure, adds significantly to cost and production time. Several movie and commercial productions recently have solved that problem by choosing Southern Africa to film in.

Southern Africa has an incredibly diverse range of landscapes that can double for almost anywhere in the world (possibly with the exception of the frozen wastes of Siberia in winter!). Film crews basing themselves in Cape Town can enjoy the benefits of top levels of film production infrastructure and still access unspoilt locations such as desert sands, mountain peaks, tropical rainforests, grassy savannah.

Right on Cape Town's doorstep are any number of picturesque beaches, from urban sophistication, to wide stretches of deserted sand, surfers paradise or old-world fisherman's cove. There are lush vineyards and dramatic mountain-scapes, rugged nature reserves and rolling wheat-fields.

Driving a few hours from Cape Town itself can put you in the arid semi-desert landscapes of the Karoo, or in the lush forests and still lagoons of the Garden Route, a holiday-makers paradise and an inspiration for the film-maker too.

A short flight will transport the production into the awe-inspiring desert landscapes of Namibia, vast panoramic spaces that are hauntingly beautiful and evocative. Endless sand dunes, the desolate, untouched beaches of the Skeleton coast, this really is filming in the wilderness, but with a Cape Town based production company you can still rely on first world support.

If tropical islands and palm lined beaches are on the film location wish list, move on to Madagascar or to Mauritius. Both these large islands in the Indian Ocean to the east of South Africa offer endless pristine beaches, tropical vegetation, azure seas and coral reefs. Mauritius in particular has strong links with the South African film production industry, so can easily be integrated into a South Africa based filming schedule.

So whether your film production budget is large enough to fly between carefully selected Southern Africa locations, or whether a limited budget means that you need to create a globe-trotting odyssey without leaving Cape Town and its immediate environs (a feat easily achieved recently by a certain export lager commercial), South Africa is the first place to look for film locations that can capture the essence of many very different parts of the world.

Prinz Productions offers premier stills and film production services based in Cape Town, South Africa. Specialising in South Africa, Portugal and Mauritius, they also offer production services worldwide. Find out more about their film production service in South Africa.

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