Snow Locations in June and July

Calafate´s Perrito Moreno Glacier in May. Snow coverage on mountains year round.

by Laura Pringle, contributing blogger

Pull up your winter socks and shrug your scarf tightly around your neck because winter is here in the Southern Hemisphere.  If you are on the hunt for a snowy spot or winter location for you next film, commercial or TV shoot, Argentina has an abundance of stunning locations to offer.

Some of the cinematic hot spots (or should I say “cold”) in Argentina lie on the Andean mountain range and offer a wonderful setting for film locations. While many mountains have snow on the peaks year round, starting in late June ski resorts open and it all begins to look like a Christmas greeting card.

Bariloche in particular is a favourite with production companies. A beautiful ski townsurrounded by Argentina’s oldest national park – the Nahuel Huani National Park -  has been named the gateway to the Andean Lake District. The town of Bariloche can easily be duplicated for a town in the Swiss Alps. Boasting traditional German architecture and log cabins, Bariloche offers great transport, accommodation and accessibility to its surroundings. With excellent access to the mountain peaks, Bariloche is an ideal location for a production in need of large lakes, snow capped peaks and a European feel for half the price.

In Bariloche, it really is Christmas in July.

Due to the infrastructure available at the ski resorts, it is easy to reach summits and areas that have an untouched look. They can be reached by chair lift and snow cats, reserving helicopter only for filming, not for transport. The views are stunning, featuring jagged peaks and deep blue lakes in the distance.  Permit fees for filming in the ski resort are much lower than in Chile, and permit fees for National Parks are lower in Bariloche than in Calafate or in Chile. Bariloche offers ease and cost savings compared to other similar locations.

Calafate is also a favourite for many production companies.  Mountains rise out of the plains to protect the treasure that is glacier Perrito Moreno. Miles of snow covered ice formations make Calafate one of the ninth wonders of the world.  A top tourist location, access is very easy. But filming is prohibited from June to early August.

On the Perrito Moreno Glacier, the ice formations can be hiked upon year round.

If Perito Moreno is your spot, the glacier can be filmed on boat, land and also hiked on. The ice changes color throughout the day, ranging from rosy pink to every shade of blue imaginable. The ice is stable and can be walked/filmed on. At the edge of the glacier, ice breaks off and crashes into the silver lake, creating a thundering sound and a beautiful spectacle.  The town is a tourist hotspot so accommodation, food and flights come a plenty.  Moreno is a new film shot in the heart of Patagonia which tells the unknown history about a famous Argentine Pioneer: Francisco Perito Moreno. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rywqE9U-oc. Patagonia by Welsh Director Marc Evans, also chose this location to capture his film which features Brothers and Sisters actor Mathew Rhys.

Here at San Telmo Productions we have produced several snowy shoots in Bariloche, Patagonia and Calafate. Our unique service combines managing and exceeding the expectations of international clients with our intimate knowledge of the local film industry so that we can offer a cost efficient and seamless production. We can secure visas, travel, casting and location scouting, hire crew and equipment, logistics, post production, we ensure that all legal, union, and tax requirements are met, so you can relax and focus on shooting.

Tigre Delta: Film Location with water, haunted houses and mansions

Beautiful Tigre Delta. (credit: Andrea Schwartz)

by Lauren Pringle, contributing blogger

Water world, eat your heart out!  The Tigre Delta is an adventurous region that can double for the Vientmamese jungle, the Everglades orLouisiana Bayou and can offer a captivating setting for any film or TV production.

This Calle 13 music video shows a great range of locations, natural and architectual.

Situated half an hour away from the centre of Buenos Aires, the delta extends for many kilometers, containing residential sections with wooden houses on stilts (some shacks, some verable mansions, some haunted looking) and up river turns into a wonderful, luscious and exotic green paradice. What could be better for a romantic or terror film than an exotic delta?

Several famous  productions have been filmed in Tigre. Check out Calle 13’s music video   “Beso de desayuno” video which is filmed in the exotic setting of Tigre or Viggo Mortensen’s 2008 production of “Everybody has a plan” Directed by Ana Piterbarg.

One of the many spooky houses on the Delta, with a bayou feel.

This action packed delta is an ideal location for a production shoot. With the right camera angles, you could use this location to be the Brazilian jungle, the deep and dirty south or even Vietnam. The channels that spider their way through the delta offer a range of picturesque location shots. Once you are inside the delta, there are many coves, hidden lakes and passages with half canopies of trees that drape over the river to add a magical or eerie setting.

Ideal for a romantic, horror or an action packed adventure. Amongst the waterways you will discover lots of houses belonging to famous writers and politicians, along with dishevelled and abandoned abodes that could inspire a ghoulish terror film.

One of the many turn of the century rowing clubs right out of jolly old England.

The town center itself features an amusement park, two train stations (one modern and one old-fashioned) and many elegant boating clubs built in the turn of the centruy that can lend themselves to be mansions right out of Italy or England, depending on the club.

In addition to the location double posibilities, the delta offers many documentary ideas as its people live off the river (even the “busses” are boats!) and live isolated from the metropolis that is Buenos Aires.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1674772/( Movie info for Everybody has a plan)

If you are interested in this or any other location we feature, contact San Telmo Productions to get a quote for your next film or TV production in Argentina.

How to Find a Local Production Fixer in Argentina

Happy US Crew (HGTV) and San Telmo's Gabriel Balanovsky, local production fixer

by Ginger Gentile and Amy Ramirez (contributing blogger)

You’ve gotten the green light from the executive producer or the funding needed to start shooting in Argentina. But you’ve never been, speak very basic Spanish and have a tight schedule and an even a tighter budget.

So finding a local production fixer (aka local production coordinator) who works fast and can get stuff done is important.

How do you find the right one?

Here are the questions I would ask:

1)       Does the fixer have a combination of local know-how and international experience?
A lot of expats are offering themselves as production fixers but some of them have very little  experience filming in Argentina and their accents might mean that they will be offered higher prices than locals.

2)       Does everything seem too cheap or too expensive?

When you ask for a budget, most of the time you are on the look-out for being overcharged. Argentina isn’t as cheap as it was a few years ago, but it should be less expensive than shooting in the US or Europe. But also beware of budgets that seem too good to be true. Plan to spend between $200 to $400 USD per day for a fixer who is reputable (more money for short shoots and complicated shoots), not including transport and costs. Hiring a film student for much less is possible, but then you might not get all the material you need.

       3) Does your local fixer say “no” to some of your requests?

Beware the fixer who says yes to everything. In Argentina it is culturally acceptable to say that things are possible when they are not. Some locations and interviews are impossible or cost a lot of money. Better to have a plan B or change the schedule BEFORE you get down to Argentina.

       4) Does your fixer offer you ways to save money?

Argentina is not the US or Europe, and sometimes you can save money by spending more upfront.

A good example: it’s actually cheaper to hire a chauffeur than to have a frazzled PA driving  a rented van–the van will have to be rented (few people in Buenos Aires have cars, and most are very small), parked, and driven through crazy traffic. For about the same price as renting a van, get one with a driver and don’t worry about parking and traffic.

Remember, a good local fixer is more than just someone who gets film permits and translates. They can help get what you need and negotiate between different cultures. In Argentina, people are very reluctant to sign appearance releases, but a good fixer will know how to get them to sign, and turn a “no” into a “yes” and suggest ideas, locations and know where to get equipment at midnight.

At San Telmo Productions, we have acted as local fixer (field production coordinator) for crews from the US, Australia, Canada, UK and Europe who come to Argentina to shoot TV shows and documentaries. We love showing the world that Argentina is not only a beautiful country, but a great place to film.

Location Double: Argentina’s Medieval Castle Double

by Amy Ramirez, contributing blogger

Who would have thought that a town lost in the suburbs of Buenos Aires could be used as a location double for everything from middle age castles to pirate ports? Quilmes, the staple of Argentine beer, used the town to re-create a pirate port and a Transylvanian castle for the most recent commercial titled, “Historia de la Amistad” which celebrates friendship throughout the ages.

About 30 miles from the center of Buenos Aires lies this quaint medieval replica made entirely from recycled materials. Campanopolis, named after its creator Antonio Campana, contains hundreds of buildings complete with narrow streets, fountains, lakes, footbridges, and even a Dutch windmill!

A mixture between Tim Burton and Disney World, Campanopolis is the perfect location for those looking for a dark and enchanting place that captures the nostalgic allure of childhood fairy tales.

If you want to film in Campanopolis, you will need to contract a local production company to obtain the location permits and legally required insurance coverage. San Telmo Productions is used to helping filmmakers and TV producers from all over the world have great shoots in Argentina.

Buenos Aires Big Screen Dreams

A great article written by our friend Sorrel Moseley-Williams

“Although El secreto de sus ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes) – a film with big names and a bigger budget estimated at US$2m – returned Argentine cinema to the spotlight after snapping up the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2010, the local industry is alive and kicking thanks to hundreds of independent filmmakers who are waiting for their moment to shine like an anxious extra. . .

“Buenos Aires is a great location as it can adopt the persona of a European or Latin American city,” says Francisco Cabrera, Minister of Economic Development for Buenos Aires. More than 600 productions used the capital as their location last year, and given the growing demand the ministry founded BA Set and the Buenos Aires Film Commission in 2010 to facilitate directors’ shoots.”     Read more at

http://www.oryxinflightmagazine.com/south-america/buenos-aires-big-screen-dreams.html

Viggo Mortensen to Debut his First Argentine Film (by the producers of “The Secret in Their Eyes”, no less!)

Argentina Films producer Haddock and Calculus Spanish Films, the same as the Oscar-winning “The secret of their eyes” and “The Widows of Thursday, ” began pre-production on “Everyone has a plan” (Todos Tenemos un Plan) a film written and directed by Ana Piterbarg, which marks the film debut of Viggo Mortensen Argentina.

Mortensen will star in the history of Augustine and Pedro, twin brothers who reunite after ten years of not seeing each other. Peter is sick and asks his brother to help him die. At first, Augustine refuses to help him but when he sees the suffering of his brother, he changes his mind and kills him. The next day, Augustine dresses in the clothes of Pedro and try to start a new life.

Train Stations in Buenos Aires: Your Next Film Location

Constitucion Train Station by Pedro Ignacio Errico

by Rob Sykes, Contributing Blooger

For the film producer looking for cheaper options for Victorian England, World War II France, or even Mumbai, the railway stations of Buenos Aires offer a huge opportunity! Filming under their grand arched ceilings or outside their exquisite entrances can transport movie goers back in time. This is in part what caused Variety Magazine to name Buenos Aires one of the best location doubles in the world.

The main stations of real interest are Retiro (which is actually three stations in one), and to the south of the city, Constitución. Both are grand buildings, both inside and out, in fact Retiro was declared a national monument of Argentina in 1997. The station interiors especially, offer wonderful shooting opportunities, allowing both Retiro and Constitución to ‘play’ a variety of other stations. Whilst Once station may also offer opportunities to those searching alternative, cheaper filming options, thanks to its Renaissance revival style architecture.

For obvious reasons, Retiro station was used, though playing itself, in the 90s blockbuster version of Evita starring Madonna. However it is perhaps only recently, that the industry is really beginning to take advantage of Buenos Aires’ train stations’ abilities to play other roles. For example this coming year the station at Constitución will be seen on screen masquerading as a Spanish train station in Roland Joffé´s Spanish Civil War epic There Will be Dragons.  Oscar winner for best foreign language film The Secret of Their Eyes filmed the emotional climax of the film in Retiro station (a still of which can be seen on many posters fro the film).

Retiro and Constitución stations were actually built by a team of British architects and engineers in the early twentieth century. This gives them there suitability to play British stations, think Victoria or Charing Cross in London. Although they were built around fifty years earlier, their broad front entrances and arched ceilings inside allow similarities to be drawn. Of course both Retiro and Constitución were built in a French-style, making them suitable also for stations in Paris and other French cities at the beginning of the twentieth century and beyond. Not to mention other British colonial outposts, the main hall at Constitución can easily double as Mumbai for example.

Film permits for the train stations are often granted but it is best to plan for weekend or night shooting, and to use a local production company who can talk to the various government and private entities who control the stations.

San Telmo is the most filmed Neighborhood in Buenos Aires

It should come as no surprise that the name sake of our production company, the neighborhood San Telmo, is the most popular location for film and commercial shoots in Buenos Aires. 2010 was a banner year for film shoots in the city and Buenos Aires province, with a significant increase from 2009. There were over 548 film permits granted in the city and 726 in the province.

35% of the film shoots were for the foreign market, the largest being the film “There be Dragons” directed by Roland Joffe that takes place in Civil War Spain. The Academy Award nominated director of The Mission and The Killing Fields chose to film this high budget epic film in San Telmo and in Lujan (Province of Buenos Aires) because of the high quality and lower costs of filming in Spain. For a quick behind the scenes look in English:

The city of Buenos Aires also commonly serves as a location double for New York (yellow taxis can be rented to make the transition complete), Paris, and the beautiful train stations serving for anywhere in Europe.

Ranking of locations in Buenos Aires

1  San Telmo (I´ve seen it double for just about every European capital you can imagine, including Krakow!)

2 Downtown (microcentro) Urban cannons in one end, French-style in the other, and the impressive Casa Rosada.

3 Recoleta (It can be Europe, the Upper East Side of Manhattan and its cemetery filled with tombs is a great set piece)

Ranking of Locations in the Province

1 Vincente Lopez (a posh suburb just minutes away from the city. Mansions galor!)

2 La Plata (a beautiful city featuring cobblestone streats and low buildings)

3 Atlantic Coast (Beach towns and coastal cities that easily double for US coastline)

In addition to a hundred year old film industry, award-winning technicians, film permits are about 30% of the cost in New York and Europe.

Variety Magazine and Director James Ivory Praise Argentina as Film Location

Six time Oscar Winner, Director James Ivory

by Rob Sykes, contributing blogger

What have the United Kingdom, France, Morocco, Prague and Buenos Aires got in common?

Well, according to a recent survey in Variety magazine, they are the top five destinations to shoot cutting edge cinema on the entire planet! The result of conversations with a variety of top US producers, the survey saw the city of ‘Good Air’ gain a more than favourable mention. Unsuprisingly, given its great mix of architectural styles and cosmopolitan vibe, Buenos Aires sits comfortably towards the very top of what is a very exclusive list.

The rest of Argentina hasn’t escaped the attentions of famous filmakers. Six time Oscar winner James Ivory, who completed the filming of The City of Your Final Destination, in Argentina, poured praise on the country:

Film Still from "The City of Your Final Destination"

“Argentina has a long history of filmmaking, wonderful technicians who are very experienced and hardworking, great locations and even though it doesn’t offer tax breaks, relatively inexpensive,” Ivory was quoted as saying in Haciendo Cine Magazine.

This of course is a man who knows his stuff, having been involved in some 30 odd productions over almost 50 years since his directoral debut with 1963s The Householder.

So with the great and good praising Argentina for its cinematic potential, home-grown pictures continuing to flourish and events such as the recent Ventana Sur industry expo exploring all sorts of possibilities, now is a popular time to be making cinema in Argentina!

At San Telmo Productions we’re proud to show filmmakers from around the world the great film destination that is Argentina.

Patagonia Lake District´s Andes Peaks and Forests Favorite of Hollywood

by Amelia Batho, Contributing Blogger

Argentina’s Lake District is another film-making gold mine that has been used twice by director Walter Sales, served as inspiration for Walt Disney and hosts documentary crews on the lookout for wildlife and on the trail of Nazis. The area boasts 600km of fertile valleys and 20 stunning great Lakes all based at the foothills of the Patagonian Andes. The district is located within the oldest national Park in Argentina -  the Nahuel Huapi National Park – whose main town San Carlos de Bariloche, has been named the gateway to the Andean Lake District. Located on the shores of the spectacular Nahuel Huapi lake, and surrounded by lush forests, Bariloche is a town famous for its German style architecture, skiing and stunning scenery (and did we mention sunny weather in summer?). And because it is a tourist center, world class hotels and restaurants abound, and the infrastructure is first rate.

Gael Garcia Bernal and Rodrigo De la Serna star in 'the Motorcyle Diaries', parts of which were shot near the Lake District town of Bariloche.

Even Walt Disney based the forests in Bambi on the unique trees in the area.

Award winning Director, Walter Salles is particularly familiar with this area of Argentina, having shot parts of two major feature films here.

In 2004, he used the area around Bariloche to shoot scenes for his inspiring film ‘the Motorcycle Diaries’ which retells the true story of a young Ernesto Guevarra and his journey around South America. In fact many of the areas that the real life ‘Che’ travelled through, are the same ones used in the film. ‘On the road’ another Salles film adapted from the cult book by Jack Kerouac and currently in production, was also shot in the Lake District area just a couple of months ago. Filming is reported to have taken place near to the Chilean border and stars such as Kirsten Stewart, were able to enjoy the beautiful snowy landscape of the region and visit picturesque towns such as Villa La Angostura.

The forest that inspired Walt Disney´s Bambi

San Telmo Productions has filmed a webmercial for Pottery Barn in the beautiful mountains as well as scouted locations for two international documentaries (you probably knew that it was a hide out for Nazis) and has a network of local production people who know great characters and locations. Contact us for more information on how we can make Bariloche the next location for your commercial, film or documentary.