Wales Film & Photography Production Services & Camera Crews

Are you a media company, brand, ad agency or production company looking for film / photography production support or shooting crew in Wales? Contact us for trusted fixers, producers, directors, DoPs, videographers, photographers, and full shooting crews tailored for the specific needs of your project.

Filming in Wales

For an introduction to shooting in Wales see below notes on film locations, permits, when to shoot, unique local stories, costs, tax incentives, crews, talent, equipment, communications, art department, studios, post facilities, visas and work permits for filming, transport, film-friendly accommodation, and safety advice.

Wales Film Locations

Wales in best known for its hundreds of castles, rugged coastline, scenic lighthouses, mountainous national parks, sheep roaming rolling green pastures, sleepy rural towns nestled in deep valleys, and road signs with hard-to-pronounce names. The distinctive Welsh language and Celtic culture colour the landscape.

Agricultural film locations include beef, dairy and sheep farms. Fishing trawlers are available for filming. Industrial locations include factories that produce aerospace products, chemicals, electronics, machinery, textiles, as well as iron and steel works. Wales is powered by coal-fired plants, gas-fired plants, hydroelectric dams, wind and biomass facilities.

Wales has hosted productions including Infinite (2021), You Should Have Left (2020), King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017), Wolf Hall (2015), World War Z (2013), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010), Robin Hood (2010), Quantum of Solace (2008), King Arthur (2004), Die Another Day (2002), The World is Not Enough (1999), and From Russia With Love (1963).

Film locations can be divided into the following geographic regions:

North Wales

Northwest Wales is best known for the otherworldly lakes and craggy peaks of Snowdonia National Park. Snowdon Mountain Railway climbs to the summit of Wales’s highest mountain, Mount Snowdon. Snowdonia National Park featured in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017), as well as Bond films including Quantum of Solace (2008), The World is Not Enough (1999), and From Russia With Love (1963).

The impressive castles and fortified towns of Caernarfon and Conwy are located in this region. Penrhyn Castle is a Norman castle in this region.

Plas Newydd House and Gardens sit on the banks of the Menai Strait, in Anglesey.

The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is a music festival which takes place every year in July.

Wrexham is known for Chirk Castle, Erddig Hall, and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which as well as carrying water also functions as a recreational boating bridge.

Ffordd Pen Llech in the town of Harlech is the world’s steepest street.

Pool Park Asylum is an abandoned asylum in Ruthin.

Llechwedd Caverns Trampoline Park is an unusual film location.

Portmeirion Village is a miniature Italianate fantasy village.

Surf Snowdonia is an artificial wave pool available for filming.

Tŵr Mawr lighthouse and South Stack Lighthouse are located in Anglesey.

Blaenau Ffestiniog was filmed for World War Z (2013).

Berwyn Railway Station is a quaint film location with a railway viaduct.

Mid Wales

Dominated by the Cambrian Mountains, it is a sparsely populated area, consisting largely of green rolling hills, gorges, steep valleys with ancient native Welsh oak forest, and narrow country roads.

Aberystwyth is a university town and the largest town in Mid Wales. The University of Aberystwyth Old College is an interesting film location.

Gregynog is a large country mansion in the village of Tregynon.

Powis Castle and Garden is another film location of note in this region.

Lake Vyrnwy is known for Vyrnwy dam and Vyrnwy straining tower.

Life House in Llanbister was filmed for You Should Have Left (2020).

South Wales

Cardiff is the capital and largest city. It is the main film production centre where crew and equipment are based. Cardiff is a cosmopolitan city offering a variety of looks. Locations of note include Cardiff Castle, Millennium Stadium, National Museum, Pierhead Building, and Cardiff Bay.

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is known for its spectacular coastline. Porthgain is a picturesque fishing village in this area. Freshwater West beach featured in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010), and Robin Hood (2010).

Marloes Sands featured in Snow White and the Huntsman (2012).

Penbryn Beach featured in Die Another Day (2002).

The National Botanic Garden of Wales has an impressive single-span glasshouse.

Brecon Beacons National Park is known for its rugged hills, wild moors, caves, waterfalls, and wild ponies. The location featured in King Arthur (2004). Henrhyd Waterfall was filmed for The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

Merthyr Tydfil is known for Cefn Coed Viaduct and Cyfarthfa Castle.

Caerphilly Castle, Castell Coch, and Raglan Castle, featured in Wolf Hall (2015). Other castles of note in South Wales include Hensol Castle, Dyffryn Gardens, and Carreg Cennen Castle ruins.

Devil’s Bridge on Worm’s Head Tidal Island is a rugged natural bridge locations.

Port Talbot Steelworks is one of the last remaining steel plants in Wales.

Big Pit National Coal Museum is a former coal mine location in Torfaen.

Whiteford Point Lighthouse is a cast-iron lighthouse.

Stack Rock Fort is an interesting film location.

Wales Film Location Permits

Permitting is a straight forward process. Please contact us for location specific information.

When To Shoot?

Wales has cold, dark and rainy winters (November to March) with occasional snow at higher elevations. Spring (April to May) has unpredictable weather. Summer (June to August) has warm conditions, particularly in coastal areas. This is the best time to film for weather. Fall (September to October) also has unpredictable weather. For monthly weather statistics please see here. 

Events of interest to filmmakers and photographers include:

• The National Eisteddfod Festival celebrates Welsh culture in August.
• The World Bog Snorkelling Championship takes place in Llanwrtyd Wells in August.

Many Welsh are non-religious. Christianity is the largest religion, so those holidays are observed.

Public holidays may affect timing, availability and costs. See here for public holiday dates in Wales.

Unique Local Stories

Brands are looking for local stories that match their brand narrative. Our local teams are a great lead for sourcing those unique stories and characters.

If you are looking for stories for your next shoot, send us your brief and we will pitch you ideas.

If you have a unique story you would like to pitch to a brand anywhere in the world, pitch us your idea. We have well-established processes to ensure that your ideas are properly seen and protected.

Costs & Tax Incentives

Costs. Wales trades in the Great Britain Pound. As such it is a relatively expensive place to shoot, particularly for large, complex projects. That said, our Welsh service producer / fixer will negotiate local deals and provide the appropriate level of production support to match every budget. See here for the current VAT rate.

Tax Incentives. Films that pass the cultural test or qualify as a co-production are eligible for 25% UK Film Tax Relief of the qualifying UK production spend. See here for more information. There is also financing available from the Welsh government’s Media Investment Budget. For more information see Business Wales.

Film Crew & Talent

Crews. Wales has a small pool of local directors, directors of photography and stills photographers. Crews are of a high standard. London is a 3 hour drive from Cardiff should you ever need to look further.

Contact us if you are looking for a Cardiff based director, DP, photographer, videographer (cameraman / camera operator), camera assistant (focus puller), sound operator, grip, gaffer, stylist, hair and makeup, PA / runner, production driver, or any other film crew for your shoot in Wales.

Talent is non-union and buyouts are negotiable.

Welsh and English are the official languages.

Most Welsh are Caucasian, with small minorities of Asian and African talent looks also available. Wales’s close proximity to London allows easy access to that pool of talent should you ever need to look further.

Wales Film Equipment

Equipment. Good depth and standard of locally available camera, grip and lighting equipment. Some specialized equipment needs to be brought in from London. For productions looking to bring in film equipment Wales is an ATA carnet country.

Communications. Communication is key. Our agility and global experience allows us to customise the right communications systems for every shoot.

Web posted casting, scouting, and videoconferencing.

For clients that are unable to attend set we offer a virtual video village solution. This dedicated and secure high-resolution video streaming platform allows clients from one or multiple timezones to view setups without compromise and to participate in real-time with the team on set. Separate systems can be set up for the discrete conversations that are required to make a job run right. Working remotely with our local teams reduces your content production costs, turnaround times, carbon footprint, and risks associated with unpredictable global events.

Art Department, Studios, Backlots, & Post Production

Art department and set construction is of a good standard. Set construction is expensive certainly compared to Eastern European options.

Studios and backlots. Roath Lock is the best known studio, and home to the Doctor Who TV show.

Post Production. Some post production facilities. Nearby London has more.

Visas & Work Permits

Wales is not a Schengen Area member state. US film crews can enter visa-free for stays of up to 6 months. There is no specific work permit required to film in Wales.

Transport & Accommodation

Roads are up to expected European standards. Several international and budget airlines service flights to Wales.

Accommodation. Recommended film friendly hotels in Cardiff include:

Park Plaza Cardiff
Lincoln House Hotel
Hilton Cardiff

Please contact us for corporate rates.

For longer stays we can also organize serviced apartments.

Final Notes

Safety. Wales is a very safe place for foreign productions to visit. See here for more information.

Down Time. Visit the spectacular Snowdownia National Park.

Projects. For an example of TV commercials, stills campaigns, online content, corporate videos, virtual reality 360 content, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in Wales, please see below:

Hire Wales Production Support & Shooting Crew

If you are looking for a film or photographic production service company, line producer or fixer for your shoot in Wales, please contact us.

If you are looking for a shooting crew for your shoot in Wales, such as a director, DoP, photographer, videographer (cameraman / camera operator), camera assistant (focus puller), sound operator, grip, gaffer, stylist, hair and makeup, PA / runner, production driver, please contact us.

We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.