Quebec Film & Photography Production Services & Camera Crews

Agricultural film locations include farms that produce dairy products, foie gras, corn, cranberries, and apples. Quebec is the world’s largest producer of maple syrup. Pulp and paper mills are available for filming. Fishing boats are available for filming. Quebec mines iron ore, gold, silver, nickel, titanium, niobium, zinc, copper, and diamonds. The economic mainstays are financial services as well as high tech manufacturing of aerospace, transportation, information technology, optics and photonics, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical products. Energy locations include hydroelectric dams, and wind farms.

Quebec has hosted a long list of productions including Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (2023), Pet Sematary (2019), X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019), The Lodge (2019), Mother! (2017), Arrival (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Life of Pi (2012), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Blades of Glory (2007), The Aviator (2004), The Terminal (2004), The Notebook (2004), Secret Window (2004), and Catch Me If You Can (2002), to name a few.

Film locations can be divided into the following regions:

Southwestern Quebec

Montreal is Quebec’s largest city and main film production centre where crew and equipment are based. Film locations include French colonial architecture, unique contemporary structures, modern office towers, several interesting neighborhoods, sporting venues, city parks, and impressive museums. Underneath the city you can find a vast network of walkways, stores and the metro system. Montreal has been used by productions to double for cities such as Paris, Berlin, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and Baltimore.

Mount Royal Park offers views of the Montreal city skyline. Other parks of note include Montreal Botanical Garden, Maisonneuve Park, Cap-Saint-Jacques Nature Park, Centre de la Nature, Angrignon Park, Visitation Nature Park, Bois-de-Liesse Nature Park, and Pointe-aux-Prairies Nature Park. The Insectarium of Montreal is an interesting film location.

French colonial architecture film locations include the Old Town, Montreal City Hall, Bonsecours Market, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Redpath Museum, Notre-Dame Basilica, Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, and Saint Joseph’s Oratory.

Montreal Expo 67 buildings include Montreal Biosphere designed by Buckminster Fuller, Habitat 67 designed by Moshe Safdie, and Montreal Casino.

1976 Olympic Games venues include the Olympic Stadium, and Montreal Biodôme.

Other sporting venues of note include the Bell Centre, Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, IGA Stadium, and Saputo Stadium. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve hosts the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix.

Place des Arts includes the Montreal Symphony House, Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Théâtre Maisonneuve, Théâtre Jean-Duceppe, Studio-théâtre, Cinquième salle, and the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal.

Universities of note include McGill University, Université de Montréal, and Concordia University.

Gibeau Orange Julep is an unusual roadside restaurant also available for filming.

Canada Malting Silos are a popular abandoned industrial film location.

La Ronde is an amusement park.

Transport locations include the Montreal Metro, Montreal Central Station, Montréal–Trudeau International Airport, and Port of Montreal.

Montreal has hosted visiting productions including X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019), Mother! (2017), Arrival (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Life of Pi (2012), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Blades of Glory (2007), The Aviator (2004), The Terminal (2004), The Notebook (2004), and Catch Me If You Can (2002).

The Dorea Institute is an abandoned orphanage location.

Mont-Tremblant National Park is known for its forests and lakes.

Central Quebec

Quebec City is the provincial capital. Its cobblestoned streets and old French architecture easily double for a small French town. Old Quebec film locations include the iconic Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, Hotel-Dieu de Québec, La Citadelle, Parliament Building, Notre-Dame de Québec, Sanctuaire Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Séminaire De Québec, Ursuline Monastery, Morrin Centre, Place D’Armes, Place Royale, Place de Paris, and Gare du Palais.

Quebec Museum of Civilization was designed by Moshe Safdie.

National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec, is located in Battlefields Park, which is the historic location where the Battle of the Plains of Abraham took place.

Hôtel de Glace is a hotel made entirely from ice which exists for around 4 months every winter.

Montmorency Falls are a beautiful film location.

Université Laval campus is located in Quebec City.

Quebec City stadiums of note include the Vidéotron Centre, and Stade Canac.

Grands-Jardins National Park is a landscape of mountains, forests, and lakes.

Jacques-Cartier National Park is home to moose, caribou, white-tailed deer, gray wolf, red fox, lynx, black bear, river otter, porcupine, and beaver.

La Mauricie National Park is known for its forests and lakes.

Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park is known for its forested mountains, rivers, and waterfalls.

Trois-Rivières prison is available for filming.

Thetford Asbestos Mine is an abandoned mine in this region.

Outaouais

Gatineau is a French-speaking city located just across the Ottawa River from the city of Ottawa. Film locations include the Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau Park, and Casino du Lac-Leamy.

Southeastern Quebec

The region is known for its small coastal villages such as the picturesque fishing village of Percé.

Gaspésie National Park contains the highest peak of the Canadian Appalachian Mountains.

Bic National Park is a landscape of rivers, salt marshes, and rocky hills.

Forillon National Park is a landscape of forests, sea coast, salt marshes, sand dunes, cliffs, and mountains.

Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé National Park is a migratory bird sanctuary for gannets, auks, and cormorants.

The remote Magdalen Islands have a long history of shipwrecks.

Lighthouses of note in this region include Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse, Pointe-à-la-Renommée Lighthouse, Anse-à-la-Cabane Lighthouse, Borgot Lighthouse, Pointe-Mitis Lighthouse, Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse, Île Verte Lighthouse, Haut-fond Prince Light Tower, Brandy Pot Island Lighthouse, and Rocher aux Oiseaux Lighthouse.

Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean

This mountainous region is known for its distinct local culture.

Val-Jalbert is a ghost town located next to a waterfall.

Fjord-du-Saguenay National Park is known for its fjord. Wildlife of note include beluga whale, blue whale, fin whale, minke whale, Atlantic salmon, black bears, lynx, beavers, and moose.

Northeastern Quebec

This rugged coastal region is known for its whale watching.

The Daniel-Johnson Dam is a beautifully designed multiple-arch buttress dam. The reservoir surrounds the impressive Manicouagan Crater, which was created by a meteorite impact.

Northern Quebec

This northernmost, sparsely inhabited, largest region is known for its rugged beauty, mining towns, and Inuit communities.

Kuururjuaq National Park is a rugged landscape marked by boreal forests and the Koroc River which flows through valley from the Torngat Mountains into Ungava Bay. Wildlife of note includes polar bears, black bears, Arctic foxes, caribous, and Atlantic salmon.

Pingualuit National Park is known for Pingualuit Crater Lake. The Rivière aux Feuilles caribou herd stays in the park from May to July. Other wildlife of note include polar bears, Canada geese, snow geese, wolves, foxes, snowy owls, and Arctic hares.

Tursujuq National Park has a rugged landscape of boreal forests and tundra. Nastapoka Falls is a beautiful film location inside the park.

La Grande complex is one of the world’s largest hydroelectric facilities.

Malartic Mine is an open-pit gold mine.

Northern Quebec is a great place to photograph the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).

Quebec Film Location Permits

Quebec film location permits are required for filming on public property. There are three regional film offices in charge of permits and licenses. Regions not covered by these offices require consultation and permission from relevant local authorities. Please contact us for location specific information.

When To Shoot? 

Quebec has a typical four-season climate. Winters (November to April) are very long, cold and snowy, particularly the farther north you go. February to April is when maple syrup is made. Spring (April to May) brings flowers and warm weather. Summers (June to September) can get very hot and humid. Fall (October to November) brings colorful leaves.

Quebec is home to a long list of festivals and events including the:

• Québec Winter Carnival takes place in Quebec City in February.
• Canadian Formula One Grand Prix takes place in Montreal in June.
• Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day takes place in Quebec on June 24th.
• Montreal Fireworks Festival takes place in June / July.
• Montreal International Jazz Festival in June / July.
• Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in July.
• Festival d’été de Québec takes place in Quebec City in July.
• Les Francos de Montréal takes place in Montreal in July / August.
• Montreal Pride takes place in August.
• Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival in September.
• POP Montreal takes place in September / October.

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.

Quebec Tax Incentives For Filming

Quebec offers 20% cash-back on all in-province expenses. A 16% tax credit enhancement is added on productions utilising local post production.

Quebec Film Crew & Talent

Crew. Montreal is the gateway to filming in Quebec, the Maritimes, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Montreal has world renowned, experienced creative and technical crews that specialize in servicing a broad spectrum of productions from Hollywood feature films to commercial stills. Montreal offers both Panavision and Arri equipment as well as several boutique equipment companies.

Contact us if you are looking for a Montreal or Quebec City 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 Quebec.

Talent. The predominately French speaking province’s population is predominately Caucasian, Afro-Canadian, and Asian. The 10 Quebec First Nations groups include the Abénakis, Algonquins, Atikamekw, Cree, Malecites, Huron-Wendat, Innu, Micmac, Mowhawks, and Naskapis. Montreal is home to a good pool of multicultural French and English fluent talent. Additional talent can be cast in Toronto or abroad. Film characters synonymous with Quebec include hockey players, ice fisherman, maple syrup farmers, and Montreal’s cigarette smoking artist types.

Quebec Film Equipment

Equipment. Montreal has all of the standard camera, lighting and grip equipment and some more specialised equipment. Additional gear can be easily brought in from Toronto.

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.

Quebec Studios & Post Production

Studios. Quebec has several state of the art studio facilities.

Post Production. Quebec has over 40 visual effects companies.

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.

Transport & Accommodation

Transportation Infrastructure. Canada has an extensive road network, particularly in the more populated south of the country. Several domestic airlines and charter services are available to access more remote areas. Major Canadian cities are serviced by most international carriers.

Accommodation. Please contact us for recommended film friendly hotels in Montreal, Quebec City, Saguenay and other areas of Quebec.

Final Notes

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

Down Time. Montreal has an impressive arts scene, great restaurants, and a vibrant nightlife. Try the poutine and local beer.

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 Quebec, please see below:

Hire Quebec Production Support & Shooting Crew

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

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