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

Filming in Austria

For an introduction to shooting in Austria 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.

Austria Film Locations

Austria is a landlocked country located in Central Europe. It is best known for its beautiful easily accessible Alpine locations of snow-capped mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, gorges, picturesque mountain towns, and winter Olympic venues. Other Austrian film locations include imperial palaces, castles, museums, churches, abbeys, contemporary architecture, and city parks.

Agricultural film locations include farms that grow wheat, corn, barley, rye, rapeseed, potatoes, apples, grapes, and pears. Austria’s high-tech manufacturing sector produces products such as luxury goods, steel, chemicals, and automobiles. The country mines iron ore, tungsten, and graphite. Energy locations include hydroelectric dams, as well as wind, and solar power facilities.

Austria has hosted productions including Woman in Gold (2015), Spectre (2015), Amazing Race 23 (2013), A Dangerous Method (2011), The Amazing Race 18 (2011), The Amazing Race 14 (2009), Quantum of Solace (2008), Seven Years in Tibet (1997), The Three Musketeers (1993), The Sound of Music (1965), and The Third Man (1949).

Film locations can be divided into the following states:

Vienna

Vienna is the capital, the largest city, and main film production centre. Located in the northeast of the country on the banks of the Danube River, Vienna is known for its imperial palaces and gardens, historic and contemporary buildings, and Museums Quartier.

The Hofburg was the principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty. One of the largest palace complexes in the world, Hofburg film locations include the Imperial Chapel, Imperial Apartments, Sisi Museum, Imperial Treasury, Silver Collection, Austrian National Library, Volksgarten, and the Spanish Riding School known for its Lipizzaner horse performances.

The Schönbrunn Palace and Garden was the Habsburg summer residence. Film locations of note include Great Gallery, Gloriette, Neptune Fountain, Great Parterre, and the Palm House.

The Belvedere is a palace complex including the Upper and Lower Belvedere, the Orangery, and the Palace Stables.

Government buildings include the Austrian Parliament Building, Palace of Justice, and Vienna City Hall.

Museums and galleries of note include the Leopold Museum, Albertina, Austrian Gallery Belvedere, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Natural History Museum, Museum of Military History, Imperial Carriage Museum, Imperial Furniture Collection, Weltmuseum Wien, Mumok, Museum of Applied Arts, KunstHausWien, Vienna Museum, Vienna Technical Museum, Belvedere 21, Ernst Fuchs Museum, Jewish Museum, Vienna Clock Museum, Vienna Künstlerhaus, House of Music, Mozarthaus, Sigmund Freud Museum, and Austrian Museum of Folk Life and Folk Art.

Entertainment venues include the Burgtheater, Vienna State Opera, Musikverein, Konzerthaus, Theater an der Wien, Volkstheater, Raimund Theatre, Theater in der Josefstadt, Vienna’s English Theatre, and the Secession Building.

Sport venues of note include Generali Arena, Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Allianz Stadion, Hohe Warte Stadium, Erste Bank Arena, Ferry-Dusika-Hallenstadion, Vienna Watersports Arena, and Trabrennbahn Krieau horse racing track.

Religious buildings of note include St Stephen’s Cathedral, Karlskirche, Votivkirche, Minoritenkirche, St Peter’s Catholic Church, Capuchin Church, Church of St Leopold, Jesuit Church, and Vienna Central Cemetery which is one of the largest cemeteries in the world.

Traditional Viennese coffee houses include Café Central, Café Schwarzenberg, Demel Café, and Café Sperl.

Transport locations include the modern Vienna Central Station, the Art Nouveau Karlsplatz Metro Station, Vienna Metro, and Vienna International Airport.

Parks of note include Burggarten, Stadtpark, and Augarten. The Prater is a park that includes the Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel. Schmetterlinghaus is an art nouveau butterfly greenhouse.

Vienna International Centre complex is a United Nations Office that houses organisations such as International Atomic Energy Agency, and United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.

OPEC is headquartered in Vienna.

University of Vienna buildings of note include Main Building, Grand Staircase, University Library, and Vienna Observatory. Vienna University of Economics and Business buildings of note include the Library and Learning Center designed by Zaha Hadid.

Naschmarkt is Vienna’s most popular market.

Donauturm is a tower overlooking the city.

Vienna Gasometers are unique residential buildings.

Hundertwasserhaus is a brightly coloured apartment house.

Anker Clock is a historic landmark.

Vienna’s sewage system was filmed for The Third Man (1949).

Vienna has 6 flak towers which are large anti-aircraft batteries built by the Nazi’s during WWII.

Lower Austria

Located in the northeast of the county, the state of Lower Austria surrounds the city of Vienna.

The Wachau is an Austrian valley known for its picturesque terraced vineyards along the Danube River.

Burg Kreuzenstein is a medieval castle near Leobendorf.

The historic city of Krems is known for Landesgalerie Niederösterreich, Kunsthalle Krems, and Karikaturmuseum Krems.

Göttweig Abbey is a Benedictine monastery near Krems.

Melk Abbey is a spectacular Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk.

Schönbühel Castle is located on the Danube river, near Melk.

Aggstein Castle is a ruined castle located on the Danube river.

Schallaburg Castle is a Renaissance castle located in Schallaburg.

Artstetten Castle is a château located in Artstetten-Pöbring.

Rosenburg Castle is located in Rosenburg-Mold.

Schloss Hof, and Schloss Niederweiden are located near Groißenbrunn.

Klosterneuburg Abbey is an Augustinian monastery located in the town of Klosterneuburg.

Liechtenstein Castle is located near Maria Enzersdorf.

Franzensburg Castle is a medieval style castle in Laxenburg.

Dürnstein Castle is a medieval castle ruin located in Dürnstein on the Danube river.

Schloss Eckartsau is a baroque castle located in Eckartsau.

Burg Hardegg is a castle with a knights hall and chapel, located in Hardegg.

Schloss Ernegg is also available for film projects.

Heiligenkreuz Abbey is a Cistercian monastery located in Heiligenkreuz.

Altenburg Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Altenburg.

Mariazell Basilica, and Mariatrost Basilica are important pilgrimage sites.

Casino Baden is located in Baden.

Egon Schiele Museum is located in Tulln.

Carnuntum is a Roman legionary fortress ruin located in Lower Austria.

The Semmering railway is a mountain railway that runs from Gloggnitz to Mürzzuschlag.

The Lower Austria Museum is a contemporary structure in located in St Pölten.

Ski resorts of note include Hochkar, Zauberberg Semmering, Schischaukel Mönichkirchen-Mariensee, and Unterberg.

Thayatal National Park is known for the Thaya river and beautiful hillside forests.

Blockheide-Eibenstein Nature Park is known for its giant granite blocks.

Burgenland

Burgenland is located in the far southeast of the country.

Esterházy Palace is located in in Eisenstadt.

Other castles and palaces of note in include Schloss Halbturn, Schloss Rotenturm, Forchtenstein Castle, Bernstein Castle, Lockenhaus Castle, Schlaining Castle, and Güssing Castle.

Podersdorf Lighthouse is located on Lake Neusiedl.

Amusement parks of note include Familypark Neusiedlersee, and Sonnentherme Lutzmannsburg.

Styria

Stryria is located in the southeast of the country.

Graz is the second largest city in Austria. Film locations include the Old Town, Eggenberg Palace, Schlossberg fortress, Uhrturm medieval clock tower, Styrian Armoury, Graz Art Museum, Neue Galerie Graz, Murinsel, Johann Puch Museum, and Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum.

Riegersburg Castle is a clifftop castle located in Riegersburg.

Trautenfels Castle is located in Lieze.

Admont Abbey Library is a monastic library located in Admont.

Austrian Open Air Museum, located in Stübing, is known for its historical rural buildings.

Red Bull Ring, located in Spielberg, is a motorsport race track that hosts the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix.

The Piber Federal Stud is a Lipizzan horse stud farm, located in Piber.

Ski resorts of note include Tauplitz, Reiteralm, Hauser Kaibling, Kreischberg, Stuhleck, Weinebene, Planneralm, and Planai.

Green Lake, located in the Hochschwab Mountains, is a park that transforms into a lake that people scuba dive in the summer.

Lake Toplitz was a Nazi naval explosives testing location.

Gesäuse National Park is located in Stryria.

Grimming is an isolated peak in the Dachstein Mountains popular with climbers.

Erzberg mine is an open pit iron ore mine that hosts the Erzberg Rodeo hard enduro race.

Carinthia

Carinthia is located in the south of the country. It is known for its mountains and lakes.

Hochosterwitz Castle is a hilltop medieval castle.

KärntenTherme Warmbad-Villach is a modern thermal baths complex.

Museum Liaunig is a contemporary structure in Neuhaus.

Pyramidenkogel Tower is a unique observation tower with views of Lake Worthersee.

Ski resorts of note include Nassfeld Hermagor, Mölltaler Gletscher, Katschberg, Turracher Höhe Pass, Klippitztörl, Grossglockner Heiligenblut, and Gerlitzen Alpe.

Grossglockner Alpine Road is an ideal mountain road location for car shoots.

Kölnbrein Dam is a spectacular film location.

Upper Austria

Upper Austria is a northeastern state.

Linz film locations include Ars Electronica Center, Lentos Art Museum, Linz Castle, and New Cathedral.

Hallstatt is a beautiful lakeside mountain town.

Schloss Ort is located on an island in Traunsee lake.

Clam Castle is located in Sperken.

Kaiservilla is a former imperial summer residence, located in Bad Ischl.

St Florian Monastery is an Augustinian monastery located in St Florian.

Kremsmünster Abbey is a Benedictine monastery located in Kremsmünster.

Baumwipfelpfad Salzkammergut is an impressive observation deck in Gmunden.

Mauthausen was a Nazi concentration camp.

Salzburg

Salzburg is a centrally located state.

The city of Salzburg is known for its Old Town’s baroque splendour and surrounding Alpine beauty. Salzburg film locations of note include Hohensalzburg Castle, Schloss Leopoldskron, Schloss Hellbrunn, Mirabell Palace, Salzburg Cathedral, Nonnberg Abbey, and Mozart’s birthplace.

Zell am See is a beautiful lakeside mountain town.

Castles of note include Hohenwerfen Castle, Moosham Castle, Mauterndorf Castle, and Schloss Fuschl.

Hangar-7 is an impressive airport hangar in a mountain setting.

Eisriesenwelt is one of the the world’s biggest ice caves.

Waterfalls of note include Krimml Falls, and Gollinger Falls.

Beautiful gorges of note include Liechtenstein Gorge, Vorderkaser Gorge, and Sigmund Thun Gorge.

Ski resorts of note include Skicircus, Schmittenhöhe, and Kitzsteinhorn.

Tyrol

Located in the west of the country, Tyrol is best known for its idyllic mountain villages, picturesque valleys and countryside, lakes and rivers.

Innsbruck is a winter sports capital. OlympiaWorld Innsbruck Olympic venues of note include Olympiahalle Innsbruck, Tivoli Stadium, Tiroler Wasserkraft Arena, Olympic Sliding Centre Innsbruck, and Eisschnellaufbahn. Bergisel Ski Jumping Hill was designed by Zaha Hadid. Other Innsbruck locations of note include the Old Town, Goldenes Dachl, Hofburg, Ambras Castle, Hasegg Castle, Innsbruck Cathedral, Hofkirche, and Alpine Zoo Innsbruck.

Tyrol castles of note include Kufstein Fortress, Tratzberg Castle, Bruck Castle, and Ehrenberg Castle.

Swarovski Crystal Worlds is located in Wattens.

Aqua Dome is a unique thermal spa in Oberlängenfeld.

Highline179 is a 403 meters suspension bridge over a ravine.

Ski resorts of note include SkiWelt, Kitzbühel, St Anton, Ischgl, Sölden, Ski Juwel, Mayrhofen, and Tiroler Zugsptiz Arena.

Schlegeis Stausee reservoir dam has alpine green waters and is surrounded by mountains.

Vorarlberg

Vorarlberg is the westernmost state. It is known for its beautiful alpine locations of mountains and lakes.

Kunsthaus Bregenz was designed by Peter Zumthor.

Ski resorts of note include Silvretta Montafon, and Damüls Mella.

Austria Film Location Permits

Shoots that require exclusive use of public space such as laying track, setting up large lights, or controlling traffic, typically take about 1 to 2 weeks to permit. Locations in Vienna often require permits from multiple government departments. B-roll shoots in Vienna that are not affecting public movement do not require permits. That said, it is always a good idea to have a fixer along to make sure the shoot runs smoothly. Drone filming is permitted in Austria. Please contact us for location specific information.

When To Shoot?

Austria has a temperate continental climate. Winter (November to March) is cold and snow-covered, especially in the Alps. Spring (April to May) is mild with wildflowers in full bloom. Summer (June to September) is warm and dry with long shoot days. Fall is mild with leaves changing colour. For monthly weather statistics please see here.

• Berg Isel Ski Jumping Competition takes place in Innsbruck in January.
• Hahnenkamm World Cup Ski Race takes place in Kitzbühel in January.
• Mozart Week takes place in Salzburg in February.
• Vienna Opera Ball in February.
• Ski Festival takes place in Gaschurn in February / March.
• Bregenz Spring Festival in March.
• Vienna Spring Festival in March / April / May.
• Erzberg Rodeo motorcycle enduro event in May / June.
• International Music Festival takes place in Vienna in May / June.
• Vienna Festival in May / June.
• Vienna Jazz Festival in June / July.
• Styriarte Graz in June / July.
• Danube Lower Austria Festival in June / July.
• Austrian Formula One Grand Prix is held in Spielberg in July.
• Bregenz Festival in July / August.
• Salzburg Festival in July / August.
• Festival of Early Music takes place in Innsbruck in July / August.
• Vienna Summer of Music in July / August.
• Grafenegg Festival in August / September.
• Haydn Days takes place in Eisenstadt in September.
• International Bruckner Festival takes place in Linz in September / October.
• Viennale Film Festival in October.
• Wien Modern in October.
• Vienna Schubert Festivale takes place in Vienna in November.
• Weihnachtsmarkt Christmas Market located in front of Vienna’s City Hall is open from November and December.
• Austria also hosts many classical music events including Schubertiade and Musikfestival Grafenegg.

Austria is a majority Christian nation, so those holidays are observed.

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

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 of Filming. Austria trades in the Euro. Generally speaking costs in Austria are similar to France and Germany. See here for the current VAT rate. If shooting in Vienna, considerable cost savings can be made by running the production through Bratislava, which is only 60km from Vienna. Slovak crews, talent and equipment are a much less expensive alternative to local Austrian options. In any case, whatever the budget, our Austrian fixer / service producer will negotiate local deals and provide the appropriate level of production support to match every project.

Tax Incentives. Austria offers a 30% grant for qualifying Austrian spend, plus an additional 5% green filming bonus.

Film Crew & Talent

Crews. Austria 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. Austrian crews are of a high international standard. They work in small, efficient teams. Crews are in unions however there is enough flexibility to package deals.

Contact us if you are looking for a director, DoP / cinematographer, videographer / camera operator, stills photographer, or any other film crew for your shoot in Austria – Vienna, Innsbruck or Salzburg.

If you are an exceptionally talented Austrian director, DoP / cinematographer, videographer / camera operator, or stills photographer, introduce yourself here.

Talent. Is non-union and buyouts are negotiable.

German is the official language. Many actors and models also speak English.

Most talent in Austria is Caucasian with some Turkish and Balkan looks also available. All other talent is best cast abroad. Austria’s close proximity to major European production centres allows easy access to those pools of talent should you ever need to look further. See here for recommended Austrian casting and talent resources.

Austria Film Equipment

Equipment. Austria has a good selection of camera, grip and lighting equipment houses including Arri Rentals Vienna. For productions looking to bring in film equipment Austria is an ATA carnet country.

Communication. Austria is a modern country with a highly developed and efficient internet and phone network. Visiting productions can expect fast and reliable online casting, scouting and videoconferencing.

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

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. High quality art department and set construction.

Studios. Austria has smaller high quality studio facilities. There are no large scale studio facilities at this stage. See here for examples.

Post Production. See here for examples.

Visas & Work Permits

Austria is a member of the Schengen Area. US passport holders can enter Austria visa-free for stays of up to 90 days.

Transport & Accommodation

Transportation Infrastructure. Roads are up to expected European standards. Several international and budget airlines service flights to Austria.

Accommodation. Given its vibrant tourism economy, Austria has a wealth of accommodation options for visiting crews to enjoy. See here for recommended film-friendly hotels in Vienna.

Final Notes

Safety. Austria is a very safe place for foreign productions to visit. See here for up to date travel advice.

Down Time. Visit the museums of Vienna.

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 Austria, please see below:

Hire Austria Production Support & Shooting Crew

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

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