Montana 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 Montana? Contact us for trusted fixers, producers, directors, DoPs, videographers, photographers, and full shooting crews tailored for the specific needs of your project.
Filming in Montana
For an introduction to shooting in Montana 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.
Montana Film Locations
Montana is a Rocky Mountain state best known for its beautiful, expansive wilderness areas including mountains, glaciers, canyons, buttes, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, lush valleys, vast plains, and green fields.
Agricultural film locations include wheat, barley, and potato fields. Montana has many cattle, sheep, and buffalo farms. The state has coal, gold, copper, platinum, talc, phosphate, vermiculite, and sapphire mines. Energy locations include coal-fired power plants, hydroelectric dams, and wind farms.
Montana has hosted a long list of productions including Yellowstone (2018-), The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017), The Revenant (2015), Nebraska (2013), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), What Dreams May Come (1998), Forrest Gump (1994), Far and Away (1992), A River Runs Through It (1992), The Untouchables (1987), Heaven’s Gate (1980), and The Shining (1980).
Helena is the state capital. Film locations include the state capitol building, Original Governor’s Mansion, Cathedral of St Helena, and Holter Museum of Art.
Billings is the state’s largest city. Film locations include the Moss Mansion Historic House Museum, and Pictograph Cave State Park. Nebraska (2013), and Far and Away (1992) filmed in Billings.
Missoula is known for the University of Montana campus.
Bozeman is known for the Museum of the Rockies, and American Computer Museum. Far and Away (1992), and A River Runs Through It (1992) filmed in Bozeman.
Great Falls film locations of note include the unique Sip ‘n Dip Lounge tiki bar, C. M. Russell Museum Complex, First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park, Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and the Great Falls of the Missouri River. The Untouchables (1987) filmed in Great Falls.
Well preserved mining ghost towns of note include Virginia City, Garnet, Elkhorn, Castle Town, and Butte.
A River Runs Through It (1992) filmed in Livingston.
The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017) filmed in Bannack, Ennis, Dillon, Whitehall, and Virginia City.
The Rocky Mountains run along the western part of the state and offer some of the best nature park film locations.
Glacier National Park is known for locations such as Going-to-the-Sun Road, Two Medicine Lake, Lake McDonald, St Mary Lake, Avalanche Lake, Iceberg Lake, Grinnell Lake, Swiftcurrent Lake, Logan Pass, Grinnell Glacier, Grinnell Lakeand the Highline Trail. The park also has impressive historic hotels including the Glacier Park Lodge, Lake McDonald Lodge, and Many Glacier Lodge. Historic chalets of note include Belton, Two Medicine, Sperry, and Granite Park. The opening scenes of The Shining (1980) filmed the Going-to-the-Sun Road. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), What Dreams May Come (1998), Forrest Gump (1994), and Heaven’s Gate (1980) also filmed in Glacier National Park.
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Area is a spectacular landscape of mountains, waterfalls, lakes, and dense forests that are home to grizzly bears, moose, elk, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, wolverines, cougars, Canadian lynx, and wolves.
Granite Peak in the Beartooth Mountains is the state’s highest peak.
Gallatin National Forest is part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is known for its ranches and wild horses.
Makoshika State Park is known for its badlands landscapes and dinosaur fossils.
Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge is known for Fort Peck Reservoir, dinosaur fossils, and wildlife such as bighorn sheep, cougars, coyotes, prairie dogs, elk, wolves, and grizzly bears.
Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest has forests of spruce, fir, and pine, as well as fauna such as grizzly bears, timber wolves, bighorn sheep, elk, cougars, and Canadian lynxes.
Missouri Headwaters State Park is the start of the Missouri River.
Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park is known for its caves.
Other nature parks of note include Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Medicine Rocks State Park, Custer National Forest, and Rock City.
Kootenai Falls, located in Libby, featured in The Revenant (2015).
Boiling River Hot Springs is a natural hot spring that flows into a cold river.
Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center is located in West Yellowstone.
Indian Reservations include Blackfeet, Flathead, Crow, Northern Cheyenne, Fort Peck, Fort Belknap, and Rocky Boy’s.
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is located near Crow Agency.
Big Hole National Battlefield is located in Beaverhead County.
Ski resorts of note include Big Sky, Snowbowl, Whitefish Mountain, Bridger Bowl, Discovery, Lost Trail, Great Divide, Showdown, Blacktail Mountain, Teton Pass, Maverick Mountain, and Red Lodge Mountain.
The Garden of One Thousand Buddhas is a spiritual site near Arlee.
Jim’s Horn House is a room full of thousands of antlers, located in Three Forks.
Miracle of America Museum is located in Polson.
Old Montana Prison & Auto Museum Complex is located in Deer Lodge.
Hungry Horse Dam is one of the largest dams in the United States.
Montana Film Location Permits
Montana has a streamlined permitting process. Permitting fees and processing times depend on the location and other shoot specifics. Proof of insurance is required. Special permission is required for filming in national and state parks, highways and tribal lands. Please contact us for location specific information.
When To Shoot?
Montana winters are snowy while the summers are hot and sunny. Montana is a large state so the climate varies considerably depending on the region. In general the area west of the Rocky Mountains has milder winters, cooler summers, less wind, and a longer growing season. The area east of the Rockies comprises mainly of plains and badlands and is more arid. The mountains have alpine weather with very cold snowy winters and mild summers.
Public holidays may affect timing, availability and costs. See here for public holiday dates in the United States.
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.
Montana Tax Incentives For Filming
Montana Media Production tax credit program offers a 20% production expenditure tax credit, with additional components that can increase the transferable credit to a maximum of 35%.
Montana Film Crew & Talent
Crew. Montana has experienced crews around two-deep in most crew categories. Bozeman is the primary production hub, Missoula is secondary.
Contact us if you are looking for a Bozeman, Missoula, Billings, or Helena 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 Montana.
Talent. The state’s population is predominately Caucasian. Montana is also home to Native American tribes including Assiniboine, Blackfeet, Chippewa, Cree, Crow, Gros Ventre, Kootenai, Little Shell Chippewa, Northern Cheyenne, Pend d’Oreille, Salish and Sioux. Film characters associated with Montana include cowboys, wheat farmers, hunters, outdoorsmen, and skiers.
Animal Actors. Montana offers a selection of animals available for shoots including a grizzly bear, mountain lion, grey wolf, Siberian tiger, snow leopard, black leopard, and a male African lion, to name a few.
Montana Film Equipment
Equipment. Montana has all the standard camera, grip and lighting equipment available for hire. More specialized gear is also available including camera cars, camera stabilizers, helicopters and drones. Bozeman is the primary production hub, Missoula is secondary.
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.
Montana Film-Friendly Accommodation
Please contact us for recommended film friendly hotels in Bozeman, Missoula, Billings, Helena and other areas of Montana.
Final Notes
Safety. Montana is a very safe and reliable place for foreign productions to shoot. See here for up to date travel advice.
Down Time. Take a few days to explore Montana’s natural wonders.
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 Montana, please see below:
Hire Montana Production Support & Shooting Crew
If you are looking for a film or photographic production service company, line producer or fixer for your shoot in Montana, please contact us.
If you are looking for a shooting crew for your shoot in Montana, 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.
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