Is it mostly a cost savings move? Game of Thrones being a recent example with the filming in Ireland, Iceland and other places in Europe.
Also I wonder about union issues being simpler in Europe too.
(yes, I know England is part of Europe. )
Tax breaks is a usual answer.
Tax in Ireland, for sure.
Dotted around London, there’s also a huge residual blue screen skill set from Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings (the latter filmed in NZ). Also seen recently in movies like Gravity.
Yep in the case of Northern Ireland tax breaks are attracting film and TV shoots.
Pretty sure all the Star Wars movies were filmed in England , at least the scenes that were on sets. They also filmed desert scenes and snow scenes elsewhere.
Well, for AGoT, I’d imagine that having actual historical locations that actually more or less resemble the places in the book (Kings Landing is filmed in Dubrovnik, Croatia and on Malta). If they were to film those in the US, it would require extensive set-building and CGI, while the locations tend to remove at least some of the set building (I know there’s a lot of CGI already).
There are also the aforementioned tax breaks. The combination makes it really attractive.
Think of it this way- if you had to film an arid area scene, would you film it in say… West Texas with a huge tax break, California with no tax breaks, or Portland with a huge tax break?
West Texas, obviously- the combination of proper terrain and tax breaks would make it mighty attractive relative to the wet but cheap Portland, or arid, but expensive California.
The US has pretty much any kind of terrain needed such as oceans , mountains, deserts, forests, glaciers , etc.
But I agree we don’t have really old stuff , except for Larry King.
Bits of the original were shot at the then Shepperton Studios. Episode 7 looks like loads of it was done at Pinewood - 15 stages were used - and Episode 8 is booked in for similar.
California has plenty of tax breaks for film and television shooting. It’s what all the rest are trying to beat out.
I noticed recently that Twilight Zone has a lot of episodes set on desert planets. I assume they were all filmed in CA or close by such as Arizona or Utah.
Sometimes, it’s also influenced by the cost for the off-screen elements. Any film project has dozens of people working behind the scenes from simple extras and labor to catering and accounting. Plus costs like permits, equipment rental, hotels, etc. All of these are reasons to get off the beaten path.
One other factor: sometimes, it’s not just a tax break but direct funding that can make the project attractive. Public grants or foreign financing structures, for example. For quite a while, Germany was the go-to place if you needed help financing a film.
The History Network’s upcoming Texas Rising was shot in Durango, Mexico. Aside from financial considerations, the dramatic scenery has been used in many westerns. Of course, the Texas Revolution took place in arid Central Texas & the flat-as-a-pancake Coastal Prairie. Where the scenery is Not So Dramatic. No giant boulders anywhere!
However, the locations will probably not be my main objections. For example, the Yellow Rose of Texas has a prominent role…
I love the locations for Game of Thrones. Ireland, Iceland, Croatia, etc. They just need a bit of dressing to look really exotic…
Besides Game of Thrones, which U.S. TV shows are shot in Europe?
The most recent season of 24 was. Can’t think of another off-hand.
Some shows that are broadcast in the United States aren’t exclusively American shows. Two or more studios in different countries will join together, split the costs of a production, and each hold the broadcast rights in their own country.
The current series Penny Dreadful is an example. It’s co-produced by Showtime (for American broadcast) and Sky (for British broadcast).
Da Vinci’s Demons (on Starz) is done at a studio in Swansea, Wales.
As for recent series that are now finished, I can think of Rome which actually was done in Italy and The Tudors was done in Ireland. And The Borgias was done in Hungary. I think all those series were “co-productions” as well. Sadly both Rome & The Borgias were too expensive to finish as originally planned even with the co-production setup.
Band of Brothers was shot in England.
Seems that HBO likes Europe for their shows.
Yet many, many shows that take place in California aren’t filmed there. Vancouver is a common stand-in for Western US cities. When people say “tax breaks,” they mean much more serious and substantial breaks, and any savings the state might offer pale in comparison to the ballooning film costs that end up being cheaper somewhere else.
Black Sails is shot in South Africa. Not that Nassau (the show’s principle setting) is part of the US but it’s a fair bit closer than South Africa is and I suppose they could have used any tropical beach style location without it being noticeable to the average person.
History Channel’s Sons of Liberty miniseries was shot in Romania. I realize that New England has developed in the last centuries–towns are now cities & countryside is suburbia. But Turn does OK with the Virginia coast standing in for Long Island & Williamsburg for parts of Philadelphia & York City.
Couldn’t watch the whole SOL; Samuel Adams was just not an athletic, street fighting cutie with a permastubble…