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.

Cartier Commercial Filmed in Buenos Aires

by Tracey Chandler, Contributing Blogger

We´ve heard it all before…. Buenos Aires is the Paris of South America….. but it seems that the major jewelery brand, Cartier, really believe this to be true.

Filming commercials in Argentina is popular for many reasons. It´s cheaper, quality and expertise is still very much guaranteed and the locations available are incredibly broad. Argentina offers mountains, icebergs, throbbing cities, vineyards and so much more.

Cartier made the decision to film their most recent commercial, about a stylish guy who escapes with an expensive piece of jewelery and a glamorous woman in tow, in Buenos Aires. Cartier´s production team wanted to film the commercial in Paris, but in March, Paris´ climate is just too cold; not really the kind of atmosphere Cartier was looking to capture about the French capital in their commercial. So….

….. after searching through 100 locations world-wide, Buenos Aires was chosen because it “is very filmic and very cinematographic.” (click here to read some more about the filming of the commercial itself).

Filming in Argentina is Cost Effective and Versatile

by Tracey Chandler, Contributing Blogger

The famous commercial for Mastcard, entitled “The Bicycle” or “La Bicicleta,” is an example of genius in terms of creativity and construction.

Filmed in part in La Estación Provincial de Trenes de La Plata in Argentina, the masterminds behind the commercial managed to turn the train station into a port, which incidentally happens to be nowhere near an expanse of water of any kind! This effect was achieved by computer animation and chroma screens in location.

Take a look at the commercial below as proof of the fact that the station really does look like a port from the 1940s in Italy….. exactly what Mastercard were looking for when producing the commercial.

nosotros en BAFILM.

It just goes to show you that if you want to make a commercial, Argentina is a great place to film that commercial. Not only is it more affordable, but it is also a country full of incredibly creative, talented and versatile professionals and these professionals can get you anything you need…. even if what you need is to make a 1940s port out of a present day train station. Brilliant!

Contact San Telmo Productions directly for more information on filming commercials and short films in Buenos Aires. We have excellent contacts and lots of experience. Take a look at our website for more information.  http://www.santelmoproductions.com

Buenos Aires is One Large Film Set, and the Stats confirm it!

If you live in Buenos Aires, you probably come across a film shoot from time to time. But did you know from the beginning of 2010 to the present date over 10 feature films and 168 commercials have been shot on its streets?   Thats a ton! While the number has dropped from the peak in 2006, the number of productions has increased in 2010 compared to 2009.

Productions in the first quarter of each year
	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Feature Films	5	4	12	10	11	10
Commercial	107	179	172	159	106	121
Television	19	26	9	8	6	15
Documentary	3	2	5	4	1	3
Academic	8	13	11	20	7	9
Shorts	0	1	1	1	1	2
Photography	5	17	0	0	0	7
Music Video	4	6	5	2	3	0
Corporate	1	1	3	1	2	1
Total	152	249	218	205	137	168

Commercials have been filmed for the Argentinian, US, French, Polish, and Peruvian markets. Brands include Liberty Insurance, Marlboro, Vodafone, 7 Up and Shell, amongst others.

Thanks to BASET for the stats!

San Telmo Productions Web Page updated!

In the on-going quest to improve our SEO (search engine optimization) we’ve redone our home page in html (it used to be in beautiful but not so search friendly flash) so check it out, we’d love to get your feedback! We’re hoping that more people will be able to find us when they are looking for film production services, local production fixer or original video, tv and film content.

Home: http://www.santelmoproductions.com/ (same url as always, but new look)

Documentary Landing Page: http://www.santelmoproductions.com/documentary-argentina.htm

Production Services landing Page: http://www.santelmoproductions.com/film-tv-production-services-argentina.htm

SpanishLanguage Landing Page: http://www.santelmoproducciones.com/

San Telmo Productions Website: Cool New Feature

Due to popular demand, we have now added unique URLs (that´s web address, for all you non-techies) to our videos in our portfolio section of our website. No more scrolling to find what you want, and you can send your favorite videos to friends and contacts.

For example:

http://www.santelmoproductions.com/en/#/portfolio/goals_for_girls

sends you directly to our short documentary about girls who play soccer (football) in the Villa 31 slum in Buenos Aires.

http://www.santelmoproductions.com/en/#/portfolio/malaleche

Sends you to a short film about a woman seeking a really gross revenge on her boyfriend.

So pass it along!

New Comercial Filmed in San Telmo! (my neighborhood)

My parents saw this commercial in the states and called me to say that they recognized the streets: Av. Casseros and Defensa. (Triva points: Ernesto “Che” Guevara´s family had an apartment in this street). In the commercial it appears as a European street that opens into an impressionist painting.

I can´t include the video here because they don´t allow embeds (silly drug company!)

http://www.patanase.com/patanase-nasal-spray-video.aspx

BMW sings “Vamos a Tandil” and chooses Argentina

Ok, I´ll forgive you if you don´t get the reference. . . there is a very popular folk song called “Vamos a Tandil” (Let´s go to Tandil) that sings about the desire to go to this traditional town located where the pampas ends and Patagonia starts . . . low lying, rocky foothills  that give off a special energy . . . cobble stone streets . . . really nice place, just four hours from Buenos Aires. And this British BMW commercial used this unique landscape as a back drop for its latest commercial. Another great example of an ad filmed in Argentina for the international market.

While I like the ad, the message “use a big SUV to drive three hours a day” is not a great one for the planet right now.

Sending you a little bit of love, in the form of a cake

Another great commercial from Argentina, that uses costumed characters to symbolize the simple joy of baking a cake a Saturday Afternoon (sábado a la tarde). I am so stressed today, and this is just what I need: the simple pleasures of childhood.

The music is by the Australian band “Architecture in Helsinki” and the song is called “Do the Whirlwind”

Great Animation Commercial for Chocolate

I just said to Gabriel that this the best commercial I´ve ever seen. It has been playing for a while but I still love watching it. It has all you need for a great commercial:

catchy music (by the band  “Rosal“) whose lyrics can be roughly translated as: “Your mom must be a pastry chef to make candies as sweet as you. You´re a piece of candy!” This is a common pick up line or “piropo” heard in Argentina.

Beautiful images

A little twist at the end.