Maritimes 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 Maritimes? 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 Maritimes

For an introduction to shooting in the Maritimes 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.

Maritimes Film Locations

The Maritimes are a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Film locations include rugged coastal landscapes, beautiful beaches, picturesque fishing villages, lighthouses, forests, fall colours, lakes, covered bridge, Acadian historic sites, and Carboniferous fossils.

In terms of agricultural and industrial film locations Nova Scotia is known for its commercial fishing industry, Christmas trees farms, wild berries, and vineyards. Nova Scotia mines gypsum and has off-shore oil and gas exploration.

New Brunswick produces potatoes, apples, cranberries, blueberries, and maple syrup. Pulp mills are available for film projects. New Brunswick mines lead, zinc, copper, and potash.

Prince Edward Island is know for its potato farms and commercial fishing.

Energy film locations in the Maritimes include thermal power plants, hydroelectric dams, and nuclear power plants.

The Maritimes have hosted productions including The Lighthouse (2019), Polaroid (2019), Trailer Park Boys (2001-2018), The Mist (2017), Bag of Bones (2011), The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005), Ghost Ship (2002), Titanic (1997), and Dolores Clairborne (1995).

Film locations can be divided into the following provinces:

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is known for its miles of beautiful coastline, beaches, lighthouses, picturesque fishing villages, deciduous forests, lakes and rivers. Nova Scotia has doubled for Maine, Norway, or Scotland.

Halifax is the provincial capital of Nova Scotia and the largest city in the Maritimes. It is Canada’s largest east coast port. Halifax has a small city skyline overlooked by the star-shaped fort of Citadel Hill. Other film locations include Halifax City Hall, Central Library, Nova Scotia Museum, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Canadian Museum of Immigration, Dalhousie University campus, Crystal Crescent Beach, Peggys Cove, Halifax Public Gardens, Point Pleasant Park, Old Burying Ground cemetary, Scotiabank Centre, Halifax Shipyard, Port of Halifax, and Halifax Stanfield International Airport. Canadian Forces Base Halifax is Canada’s largest naval base. Trailer Park Boys (2001-2018), The Mist (2017), Bag of Bones (2011), Ghost Ship (2002), Titanic (1997), and Dolores Clairborne (1995) filmed in Halifax.

Pictureque fishing villages of note include Blue Rocks, LaHave, Baddeck, Mahone Bay, Shelburne, and and Lunenburg which is home to the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic.

Cape Forchu Lighthouse is a picturesque film location that featured in The Lighthouse (2019). Other lighthouses of note include Peggys Point Lighthouse, Louisbourg Lighthouse, Low Point Lighthouse, and Sambro Island Lighthouse.

Joggins Fossil Cliffs have a wealth of fossils from the Carboniferous period.

Cape Breton Highlands National Park is a landscape of mountains, valleys, waterfalls, and rocky coastlines. The Cabot Trail is a scenic coastal road that winds its way through Cape Breton Island.

Kejimkujik National Park is a landscape of white sand beaches, turquoise waters, coastal bogs, lagoons, and wildflowers.

Port-Royal National Historic Site is located in Nova Scotia.

Sable Island National Park Reserve, located 300km (190 mi) from Halifax, is known for its shifting sand dunes and the feral Sable Island ponies.

The Mist (2017), Bag of Bones (2011), and Dolores Clairborne (1995) and filmed throughout Nova Scotia.

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is best known for its extensive forests, Appalachian mountains, and rugged coastline.

Fredericton is the provincial capital. Film locations include the New Brunswick Legislative Building, Government House, Christ Church Cathedral, and University of New Brunswick campus.

Moncton is the largest city in New Brunswick. Film locations include Centennial Park, Capitol Theatre, Parlee Beach, and Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport.

St John is a port city on the Bay of Fundy. Film locations include the Reversing Falls, Imperial Theatre, New Brunswick Museum, Loyalist House, Old Post Office, Germain Street row houses, City Market, St Martins covered bridge, Carleton Martello Tower, and Fort Howe National Historic Site.

Hartland Covered Bridge is the world’s longest covered bridge.

Fundy National Park, located on the Bay of Fundy, is known for its high tides, waterfalls, and forests. At low tide, millions of organisms can be seen in the intertidal zone. The Hopewell Rocks are a unique tidal location.

Lighthouses of note include Cape Enrage Lighthouse, Swallowtail Lighthouse, Head Harbour Lighthouse, Gannet Rock Lighthouse, and Miscou Island Lighthouse.

Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station is located in New Brunswick.

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island is Canada’s smallest province. It is known for its famous red soil, pastoral settings, rolling hills, fall colors, and beaches.

Charlottetown is the provincial capital and largest city in Prince Edward Island. Film locations include Province House, Charlottetown City Hall, St Dunstan’s Basilica, and University of Prince Edward Island campus.

Confederation Bridge is the longest bridge in Canada.

Green Gables Heritage Place is a 19th century farm and literary landmark in Cavendish.

Canadian Potato Museum is located in O’Leary.

Haunted Mansion is located in Kensington.

Lighthouses of note include Point Prim Lighthouse, Wood Islands Lighthouse, Panmure Island Lighthouse, East Point Lighthouse, West Point Lighthouse, and Souris Historic Lighthouse.

Prince Edward Island National Park is known for its landscape of beaches, sand dunes, wetlands, and salt marshes.

Cavendish Beach is known for its red sandstone cliffs.

The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005) filmed in Prince Edward Island.

Maritimes Film Location Permits

The Maritimes are a film-friendly part of the world. Please contact us for location specific information.

When To Shoot?

The Maritime provinces experience four-season climates. Spring (April to May) is in full bloom, summers (June to September) are mild, fall (October to November) brings beautiful leaves, and winters (December to March) are long and cold, although generally not as cold as the interior of Canada. 

Events of interest to filmmakers and photographers include the following:

The Maritimes Film Crew & Talent

Crew. Halifax has a small but good pool of local film crew. Additional crew can be brought in from Toronto, Montreal, or abroad.

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 Maritimes.

Talent. The Maritime provinces have a predominately Caucasian population. Halifax offers a small pool of multicultural talent looks although additional casting may be required out of Toronto, Montreal or abroad.

Film characters synonymous with the Maritimes include dairy farmers in Nova Scotia, potato farmers in Prince Edward Island, wheat farmers in New Brunswick, fishermen, hockey players, and trailer park boys.

Maritimes Film Equipment

Equipment. Nova Scotia has all the standard camera, grip and lighting equipment available locally. Additional gear can be brought in from Toronto, Montreal, or abroad.

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.

Maritimes Studios

Studios. Nova Scotia has several facilities to choose from.

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 Halifax, Saint John, Fredericton, Charlottetown and other areas of the Maritimes.

Final Notes

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

Down Time. Great seafood. Lobster and scallops.

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 Maritimes, please see below:

Hire Maritimes Production Support & Shooting Crew

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

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