Czech Republic 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 the Czech Republic? Contact us for trusted fixers, producers, directors, DoPs, videographers, photographers, and full shooting crews tailored for the specific needs of your project.

Filming in the Czech Republic

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

Czech Film Locations

Czech Republic’s well established film infrastructure and depth of locations means it continues to be a favourite destination for many international productions. Locations of interest to filmmakers and photographers include old world architecture, castles and palaces, picturesque towns, rolling green hills, mountains, lakes, rivers, and deep forests. Czech is a small country offering an impressive variety of locations within a short drive from the capital.

Agricultural film locations include plantations of wheat, rye, barley, oats, and corn. Breweries are available for filming. Principal industries include high tech engineering, automobiles, electronics and machine-building, steel production, transportation equipment, chemicals, advanced materials, and pharmaceuticals. Energy locations include coal and gas fired power plants, nuclear power plants, hydroelectric dams, as well as wind and solar power plants.

Czech has hosted many Hollywood feature films including All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019), The Zookeeper’s Wife (2017), Snowpiercer (2013), Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), Wanted (2008), Casino Royale (2006), The Omen (2006), The Illusionist (2006), Hostel (2005), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Alien vs. Predator (2004), and Hellboy (2004), Van Helsing (2004), The Bourne Identity (2002), Mission: Impossible (1996), and Amadeus (1984), as well as a long list of TV series and commercial productions.

Film locations can be divided into the following regions:

Prague

Prague is the capital, largest city, and main production centre where crew and equipment are based. The city is a very popular film destination given its state of the art studio film infrastructure and wealth of magnificent gothic, baroque, art nouveau, cubist and contemporary architecture. Prague film locations can be divided into the following neighbourhoods:

Malá Strana film locations include Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, St Vitus Cathedral, St Nicholas Church, St George’s Basilica, Our Lady of Victories Church, Písek Gate, Petřín Lookout Tower, Štefánik Observatory, Lennon Wall, Franz Kafka Museum, KGB Museum, National Technical Museum, Czech Museum of Music, DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Museum Kampa, Loreta Monastery, Strahov Monastery Library, National Library of Technology, Hotel International Prague, Lobkowicz Palace, Industrial Palace, Wallenstein Palace, Troja Palace, Botanical Garden, Vrtba Garden, Great Strahov Stadium, Letná Stadium, and Cross Club steampunk building.

Staré Město film locations include Old Town Square, Church of Our Lady before Týn, Prague Astronomical Clock, State Opera building, National Library of the Czech Republic, Municipal House, Rudolfinum, Estates Theatre, Old Town Hall, Stone Bell House, Old New Synagogue, Spanish Synagogue, Old Jewish Cemetery, Franciscan Garden, Jewish Museum, Powder Tower, National Gallery Prague, Museum of Decorative Arts, Náprstek Museum, Clam-Gallas Palace, Church of St. Martin in the Wall, Memorial to the victims of Communism, Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace, Charles University, and the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design.

Nové Město film locations include Wenceslas Square, National Museum, National Theatre, Dancing House designed by Frank Gehry, Emmaus Monastery, Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Jubilee Synagogue, Mucha Museum, Church of St Apollinaire, Church of Saint Michael the Archangel, Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St Charles the Great, Prague Church of Our Lady on the Lawn, St Wenceslas Church, and St Stephen’s Church.

Vyšehrad, Vinohrady, Žižkov, and Florenc neighbourhood film locations include Vyšehrad Fortress, Vyšehrad Cemetery, City of Prague Museum, Prague Congress Centre, National Memorial on Vítkov Hill, Žižkov TV Tower, Prague Main Station, Church of St Ludmila, Olšany Cemetery, New Jewish Cemetery, Sacred Heart Church, and O2 Arena.

The Prague Metro, Kbely Aviation Museum, Břevnov Monastery, and Václav Havel Airport Prague are available for filming.

Central Bohemian

The Central Bohemian region surrounds the city of Prague.

Castles of note include Karlštejn Castle, Křivoklát Castle, Konopiště Castle, Kokořín Castle, Český Šternberk Castle, Kačina Castle, Lány Castle, Dobříš Castle, Mělník Castle, Hořovice Castle, Veltrusy Mansion, Chateau Žleby, Nelahozeves Castle, Mnichovo Hradiště Castle, Mladá Boleslav Castle, Stránov Castle, Poděbrady Castle, and Březnice Castle.

Czech has several macabre locations including Sedlec Ossuary “Bone Church” and Melník Chapel of Bones.

Kutná Hora is known for St Barbara’s Church, Cathedral of Assumption of Our Lady and St John the Baptist, and Italian Court.

Picturesque towns of note include Nymburk, Příbram, Mladá Boleslav, and Rakovník.

Škoda Auto Museum and Aeronautical Museum Methodius Vlach are located in Mladá Boleslav.

Military Technical Museum Lešany is located in Lešany.

Lužná u Rakovníka Railway Museum is located in Lužná.

Museum of Folk Architecture is an open air museum located in Kouřim.

Koněprusy Caves are located in Central Bohemia.

Panská skála is a unique volcanic formation.

Velká Amerika is an abandoned limestone quarry.

Orlík Dam is located in Central Bohemia.

South Bohemian

Český Krumlov is known for Český Krumlov Castle, St Vitus Church, Egon Schiele Art Centrum, and Cloak Bridge.

Other picturesque towns include Písek, Prachatice, Tábor, Rožmberk nad Vltavou, Volyně, Dačice, Jindřichův Hradec, and Bechyně.

Castles of note include Český Krumlov Castle, České Budějovice, Hluboká Castle, Rožmberk Castle, Červená Lhota Castle, Zvíkov Castle, Orlík Castle, Blatná Castle, and Landštejn Castle.

Temelín Nuclear Power Station is located in South Bohemia.

Plzeň

The city of Plzeň is known for the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew, Great Synagogue, Techmania Science Center, Museum of West Bohemia

Castles of note include Kašperk Castle, Rabí Castle, Švihov Castle, Velhartice Castle, Nebílovy Castle, Chateau Manětín, Kozel Castle, Zelená Hora Castle, and Mariánská Týnice.

Kladruby Monastery is a large Benedictine monastery.

Poledník Lookout Tower is a Cold War era military installation.

Natural locations of note include Šumava National Park, and Krkonoše National Park.

Karlovy Vary

Karlovy Vary is a spa city known for Mill Colonnade, Market Colonnade, Columnata Termal, St Mary Magdalene’s Church, St Peter and Paul Orthodox Cathedral, Karlovy Vary City Theatre, Jan Becher Museum, Museum of Glass, Diana observation tower, and Kaiserbad Spa which featured in Casino Royale (2006).

Castles of note include Kynžvart Castle, and Loket Castle which featured in Casino Royale (2006).

Teplá Abbey is a Premonstratensian abbey.

Kolonáda Maxima Gorkého is located in Mariánské Lázně.

Klínovec broadcast tower is an interesting film location.

Ústí nad Labem

The regioin is best known for Bohemian Switzerland, and Saxon Switzerland National Park.

Pravčická Archway is Europe’s largest natural bridge.

Castles of note include Jezeří Castle, Ploskovice Chateau, Duchcov Chateau, Střekov Castle, Větruše Castle, and Krásné Březno Castle.

Railway depository of the National Technical Museum is located in Chomutov.

Theresienstadt concentration camp is located in this region.

Ski resorts of note include Klínovec, and Lipno.

Liberec

Castles of note include Bezděz Castle, Houska Castle, Valdštejn Castle, Lemberk Castle, Grabštejn Castle, and Sychrov Castle.

Liberec Town Hall is located in Liberec.

Hotel Ještěd is a futuristic tower sitting on top of a mountain peak.

Natural areas of note include Bohemian Paradise, and Krkonoše National Park.

Mumlava Falls is a beautiful film location.

Harrachov is a ski resort.

Hradec Králové

The Adršpach-Teplice Rocks and Prachov Rocks are interesting sandstone formations.

Castles of note include Hrádek u Nechanic Chateau, Opočno Castle, Humprecht Chateau, Ratibořice Château, Častolovice Castle, and Kost Castle.

Broumov Monastery is a beautiful film location.

East Bohemian Museum is located in Hradec Králové.

Broumovsko Protected Landscape Area is located in this area.

Pancava Falls is a beautiful film location.

Rozkoš Lake is the largest lake in the Czech Republic.

Talsperre Les Království is a dam built in the 1910’s.

Ski resorts of note include Černá Hora–Pec, and Špindlerův Mlýn.

Pardubice

Picturesque towns of note include Pardubice, Chrudim, Lanškroun, Litomyšl, Moravská Třebová, and Policka.

Castles of note include Litomyšl Castle, Pardubice Castle, and Nové Hrady Castle.

Dolní Morava Sky Walk is a looping mountaintop viewing platform.

Dolní Morava is a ski resort.

Vysočina

Picturesque towns of note include Telc, Třebíč, and Jihlava.

Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk is located in Žďár nad Sázavou.

Castles of note include Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou Castle, and Světlá nad Sázavou Castle.

Dukovany Nuclear Power Station is located in Vysočina.

South Moravian

Brno film locations include Špilberk Castle, Cathedral of St Peter and Paul, Liberty Square, Cabbage Market, Technical Museum, Moravian Museum, Moravian Gallery, Anthropos Pavilion, Brno Observatory and Planetarium, Villa Tugendhat designed by Mies van der Rohe, Old Town Hall, Mahen Theatre, Janáček Theatre, Nuclear shelter 10-Z, Brno Ossuary, Church of Beatified Restituta, Lužánky Park, Brno Circuit motorsport race track, Brno main railway station, Brno Exhibition Center, and Brno–Tuřany Airport.

Znojmo film locations include Znojmo Catacombs, Znojmo City Walls, Znojmo Castle, Znojmo Town Hall Tower, Church of St Nicholas, Rotunda of Our Lady & St Catherine, and Louka Monastery.

South Moravian has some of Czech’s most impressive castles including Pernštejn Castle, Veveří Castle, Lednice Castle, Valtice Castle, Bítov Castle, Slavkov Castle, Milotice Chateau, Schloss Raitz, Kunštát Castle, and Mikulov Castle.

Moravian Karst is known for its caves and gorges.

Podyjí National Park is located in South Moravia.

The Napoleonic Battle of Austerlitz took place near Slavkov u Brna.

Olomouc

The city of Olomouc is known for its baroque fountains, Olomouc City Hall, Horní Square, Upper Square, Holy Trinity Column, Archbishop’s Palace, St Wenceslas Cathedral, Hradisko Monastery, and Olomouc Museum of Art. Photos of Horni Namesti from above are best taken from the Church of St. Maurice.

Castles of note include Bouzov Castle, Helfštýn Castle, Plumlov Castle, and Jánský Vrch Castle. Velké Losiny Château was home to the famous witch hunter, Jindřich František Boblig.

Kouty nad Desnou is a ski resort.

Zlín

Castles of note include Kroměříž Castle, Buchlov Castle, and Buchlovice Castle.

Wallachian Open Air Museum is an open-air museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm.

Basilica of Assumption of Mary and Saint Cyrillus and Methodius is located in Velehrad.

Aviation Museum is located in Kunovice.

Tomas Bata Memorial is located in Zlín.

Moravian-Silesian

The city of Ostrava is known for the beautiful Masaryk Square, New Town Hall, Antonín Dvořák Theatre, National Moravian-Silesian Theatre, Ostrava Museum, and Vítkovice Stadium. Lower Vítkovice is a sprawling former heavy industry site available for filming. Michal Mine is a former coal mine.

Castles of note include Sovinec Castle, Hukvaldy Castle, and Hradec nad Moravicí Chateau.

Muzeum Tatra Kopřivnice is located in this region.

Czech Film Location Permits

Czech has a film-friendly and streamlined permitting process. Small, handheld shoots that do not require exclusive use of public space are not required to have permits. In Prague, larger productions are required to have permits from the relevant local administrative district and the roads authority. Permits typically take 10 days to process but this can be expedited at extra cost. Some historic locations have their own special restrictions and fees. Shoots outside of Prague usually take around 3 days to permit, depending on the location. Please contact us for location specific information.

When To Shoot?

Czech has a four-season climate with hot summers, colourful leaves in fall, white winters, and spring in full bloom. May to October are the best months to film for warm weather looks. November to April has snow on the mountains. For monthly weather statistics please see here.

Events of interest to filmmakers and photographers include the following:

• Prague Spring International Music Festival in May / June.
• Prague International Organ Festival in August / September.
• Prague International Jazz Festival in November.

Many Czechs 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 Czech.

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. Although Czech is one of the more expensive former Eastern Bloc countries, the high standard of services makes it very good value for money, and a cost competitive alternative to Western Europe. Our Czech fixer / service producer 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. Czech offers a 20% rebate on qualifying Czech spend and 10% on qualifying international spend. The rebate is available to feature, TV, animation and documentary films with a runtime of at least 70 minute and to TV episodes with a runtime of at least 40 minutes per episode.

Film Crew & Talent

Crews. Czech has a good pool of local directors, directors of photography and stills photographers. Its close proximity to other major European production centres allows easy access to those pools of creative talent should you ever need to look further.

Czech is known for having exceptional English speaking crews with extensive experience in international productions. The quality is comparable to that of crews in Germany. Czech crews are non-union.

Contact us if you are looking for a Prague 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 in Czech.

Talent is non-union. Day rates and buyouts are negotiable.

Czech is the official language.

The major ethnic group are Czechs, a Slavic people. Czech does not have a large pool of multicultural talent as you might find in the US or UK, but there are enough to fill extra roles. Prague’s close proximity to other major European production centres allows easy access to those pools of talent should you ever need to look further.

Fringes. Crew members are independent contractors. As far as crew fringes are concerned there is no workers compensation or payroll tax.

Premiums. Czech works on a 12 hour shoot day with 1 hour for lunch. Meal penalties apply. The working week is 6 days with shooting on the 7th day incurring double time fees. Turnaround is 10 hours between shifts. No premiums for weekends or public holidays.

Czech Film Equipment

Equipment. Czech has a deep range of standard and specialised camera, lighting and grip equipment with companies such as Arri, Vantage, Panther, Panavision and Panalux all present. Some specialised gyro heads and camera cars need to be brought in.

For productions looking to bring in film equipment Czech 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. One of the main areas that sets Czech apart from the rest of the world is its world renowned art department. Construction is the best in central Europe.

Studios. Czech has several large, state of the art studio facilities including sound stages, water tank, production offices, props, and backlot of rolling green terrain. Czech studios have hosted many Hollywood feature films including The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian, A Knight’s Tale and The Brothers Grimm. Smaller studios of note include Letna Studios.

Post Production. Czech offers a variety of high standard post facilities including VFX, animation, editing, and film labs. Post companies of note include UPP.

Visas & Work Permits

Czech is a member of the Schengen Area. Only certain countries need visas and there is no need for work permits. US film crews can enter visa-free for stays of up to 90 days. Contact your local Czech embassy / representative for more information.

Transport & Accommodation

Transportation Infrastructure is all up to known and expected world standards. Czech is serviced well from many airports across Europe.

Accommodation. Contact us for film friendly hotels in Prague. For longer stays we can also organize serviced apartments. Hotels of note include:

Hotel Josef
Buddha Bar Hotel
Aria Hotel
Design Hotel Neruda
Mamaison Residence Belgicka

Final Notes

Safety. Czech is a very safe and reliable filming centre. See here for up to date travel advice.

Down Time. Czech has a great selection of local beers. Try some knedliky.

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 Czech, please see below:

Hire Czech Production Support & Shooting Crew