Yukon Film & Photography Production Services & Camera Crews

The Yukon territory is located in far northwestern Canada. Most of the territory lies in the watershed of the Yukon River. The Yukon is a vast wilderness of pristine rivers, spruce forests, mountains, glaciers, and alpine lakes. Its vast ice fields can easily reproduce Antarctica. The territory is home to a diversity of wildlife such as grizzly bears, wolves, caribous, moose, elks, and bison.

The territory is known for its gold, zinc, lead, copper, and silver mines. Energy locations include hydroelectric dams, and wind power plants.

The Yukon has hosted productions including Dr. Oakley Yukon Vet (2014-), The Big Year (2011), Angry Planet (2007-), Mantracker (2006-2012), and The Big White (2005).

Whitehorse is the largest city and capital of the Yukon. Film locations in and near the city include the Yukon Legislative Building, SS Klondike sternwheeler, MacBride Museum of Yukon History, Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Yukon Transportation Museum, Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Takhini Hot Springs, Whitehorse Fishladder, Miles Canyon, and Sima ski resort. The nearby Yukon Wildlife Preserve is home to elks, moose, caribous, muskoxen, wood bison, arctic foxes, and lynxes.

The White Pass and Yukon Route is a railway linking Whitehorse with the port of Skagway in Alaska.

Dawson City has several well preserved frontier-style buildings that date back to the Klondike Gold Rush. Other Dawson City film locations include Dawson City Museum, Dawson City Fire Fighters Museum, SS Keno sternwheeler, Dredge No. 4 National Historic Site, and the paddlewheel graveyard.

The Dempster Highway is a scenic 740km road linking Dawson City to Inuvik.

Venus Silver Mine is an abandoned mine located in Tagish.

Tombstone Territorial Park, located in the central part of the territory, is known for its rugged peaks, permafrost landforms, and wildlife such as grizzly bears, black bears, caribous, moose, and Dall’s sheep. Tombstone Mountain is a spectacular imposing film location.

Kluane National Park and Reserve, located in the southwest of the territory, is a vast wilderness of ice fields, forests, lakes, and towering peaks including the highest mountain in Canada, Mount Logan. The area is home to many grizzly bears. Other wildlife of note include wolves, red foxes, wolverines, lynxes, minks, muskrat, river otters, marmots, caribous, moose, snowshoe hares, Dall sheep, and a diversity of birdlife.

Ivvavik National Park located in the far north of the territory is an important calving ground for Porcupine caribous. The park is also home to wolves, grizzly bears, black bears, foxes, wolverines, moose, muskoxen, lemmings, Dall sheep, and gyrfalcons. The ​Firth River can be rafted all the way to the Beaufort Sea.

Vuntut National Park, also located in the far north of the territory, is a vast arctic landscape of rocky peaks and tundra valleys. Wildlife of note includes Porcupine caribous, moose, muskoxen, grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, wolverines, foxes, lynxes, muskrats, minks, pine martens, gyrfalcons, peregrine falcons, and golden eagles.

Qikiqtaruk Territorial Park is located on Herschel Island in the Beaufort Sea.

The Carcross Desert is considered to be one of the smallest deserts in the world.

Yukon Film Location Permits

No territory-wide permits required. Permits are required for filming in Territorial Parks, National Parks, highways, and airports. Proof of insurance is required. Filming on First Nations lands requires consultation and permission from local authorities. Please contact us for location specific information.

When To Shoot?

The Yukon has an Arctic climate in the north, subarctic in the central region, and a humid continental climate south of Whitehorse.

Summers are warm with areas above the Arctic Circle seeing 24 hours of sunlight. Summers have intense light conditions so camera filters may be required.

Winters are very cold and snowy with areas above the Arctic Circle experiencing 24 hours of darkness.

The Aurora Borealis is best photographed from September to March. The Yukon experiences the meteorological phenomenons Diamond Dust and Sun Dog.

The Yukon Quest is a 1,000-mile International Sled Dog Race taking place in February every year. The Yukon Arctic Ultra is a series of non-stop multiday races that take place concurrently also in February each year. The marathon, 100/300/430 mile races follow the course of the Yukon Quest.

Other events of note include the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous (held in February) and the Adäka Cultural Festival (held in July).

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

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.

Yukon Tax Incentives For Filming

Tax Incentives. The Yukon offers qualifying productions a rebate of 25% – 40%.

Yukon Film Crew & Talent

Crew. There is a small pool of supporting crew in Whitehorse. Key crew can be easily brought in from Vancouver. Canadian crews are very experienced in working in cold and challenging conditions.

Contact us if you are looking for a 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 the Yukon.

Talent. The Yukon’s population is predominately Caucasian and First Nations. There are 14 Yukon First Nations including the Carcross/Tagish First Nation, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, Kluane First Nation, Kwanlin Dün First Nation, Liard First Nation, Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation, Ross River Dena Council, Selkirk First Nation, Ta’an Kwäch’än Council, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, Teslin Tlingit Council, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, and White River First Nation.

The sparely populated territory of roughly 40,000 people has a very small pool of locally available talent so additional casting may be required out of Vancouver or abroad.

Film characters synonymous with the Yukon include miners, lumberjacks, big game hunters, ice road truckers, bush pilots, and mushers.

Yukon Film Equipment

Equipment. Whitehorse has some locally based camera, grip and lighting equipment. Most equipment will need to be brought in. Vancouver is the closest major film production centre to fly in gear.

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.

Visas & Work Permits

Previously the rules were very strict with all visiting crew required to have work permits that were very time consuming and expensive to get. The good news is now commercial advertising shoots are exempt from the work permit process on the condition the project is foreign funded. See here for more information.

For crew members who will be entering to oversee the project, Western passport holders are able to enter Canada visa-free with an eTA for a period of up to six months. This excludes US nationals arriving directly from the US, who are exempt from the eTA requirement.

Yukon Transport & Accommodation

Transportation. Whitehorse is the main point of entry by air. The Yukon has the best road system of all of Northern Canada. That said, driving distances are still very far. Whitehorse to Dawson City is an 8 hour drive, for instance. Travel to areas without roads can be achieved by plane, ATV, snowmobile or dog sled.

Accommodation. Please contact us for recommended film friendly hotels in Whitehorse, Dawson City and other areas of the Yukon.

Final Notes

Safety. The Yukon is a very safe and reliable place to film. See here for up to date travel advice.

Down Time. Wildlife viewing. Camping. Hiking. Paddling.

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 the Yukon, please see below:

Hire Yukon Production Support & Shooting Crew

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

If you are looking for a shooting crew for your shoot in Yukon, 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.