Finding the perfect setting for your production is not always easy – especially if you do it the hard way. Sending someone to scout around for the right location can take ages and there’s no guarantee that you will receive the green light for use of the location even if you find it.

By using a film location database, you can skip some of the cumbersome logistics of finding a location, making it easier and generally more of a streamlined process – leaving you struggling to choose between spots.

Permission

If a location is in a database, it has most likely been used for a film or photo shoot in the past. This means that permission or privileges have been awarded before, so processing the administration is much easier than using a random spot one could have stumbled across while travelling.

Easy and Convenient to Use

Digital film location databases allows you to browse through any number of scenic spots to find that perfect one without having to travel before shooting a frame.

Because they are generally categorised by keywords and/or a short but descriptive write up, digital location databases allow you to search for specific qualities, and narrow down your search from the list of possibilities which are available.

A typical search could include the words ‘beach, rock and sand’ – this may be a bit broad, yielding countless instances of beach locations around the world, but add in an extra keywords such as ‘Seychelles’ or ‘coconuts’ and you’re likely to find your ideal location.

Your project could require ‘mountains, tall grass and riverside’ or ‘urban, graffiti and alleyway’ – it all depends on your project setting. Because most film location databases are growing all the time, it really all does depend on what you have in mind for your production.

South African Locations

The South African film and photography industry has boomed over the past ten years, as many local and international production companies frame their shots with the backdrop of the beautiful Rainbow Nation.

Some of the more frequently featured locations from around the country include Hole in the wall at Coffee Bay in the Transkei, Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton, Camps Bay beach in Cape Town and of course the many game reserves and other naturally awe-inspiring scenery.