Kansas 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 Kansas? Contact us for trusted fixers, producers, directors, DoPs, videographers, photographers, and full shooting crews tailored for the specific needs of your project.
Filming in Kansas
For an introduction to shooting in Kansas 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.
Kansas Film Locations
Kansas is a landlocked midwestern state, located in the geographic centre of the Lower 48. Film locations include Wichita, Topeka, unique museums, national parks, historic sites, tallgrass prairies, lakes, rivers, plains, hills, badlands, and farms.
Much of the state is farming land. Agricultural film locations include wheat, corn, soybean, sunflower, and lavender fields, as well as cattle and buffalo ranches. Energy locations include coal and gas fired power plants, and wind farms.
Kansas has hosted productions including American Honey (2016), Brüno (2009), Mars Attacks! (1996), and Dances with Wolves (1990).
Film locations can be divided into the following regions:
Eastern Kansas
The landscape is mostly forests and hills.
Topeka is the state capital. Locations of note include the State Capitol Building, Kansas Museum of History, Evel Knievel Museum, Combat Air Museum, Old Prairie Town, Great Overland Station, and Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. Equality House is a rainbow-coloured house promotes LGBTQ rights across the road from the Westboro Baptist Church.
The western suburbs of Kansas City fall within the state line. Film locations include the Schlitterbahn Waterpark, Kansas Speedway, Sauer Castle, C. W. Parker Carousel Museum, Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm Historic Site, Museum at Prairiefire, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, and Johnson County Museum. American Honey (2016) filmed in Mission Hills.
Nearby Lawrence is home to the University of Kansas campus, KU Natural History Museum, Spencer Museum of Art, and Watkins Museum of History.
Leavenworth is known for Fort Leavenworth United States Army installation, and United States Penitentiary Leavenworth.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library is located in Abilene.
Wolf Creek Generating Station is a nuclear power plant located near Burlington.
Central Kansas
This central region is mainly farmland, lakes, and Smoky Hills.
Wichita is the the state’s largest city. Film location include the Wichita Art Museum, Exploration Place designed by Moshe Safdie, Museum of World Treasures, Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, Mid-America All-Indian Museum, Great Plains Transportation Museum, Kansas Firefighters Museum, Keeper of the Plains statue, Wichita Sports Forum, and Wichita Gardens. The Old Cowtown Museum has 26 historic buildings ideal for a Wild West film shoot. Kansas Aviation Museum, located in the former Wichita Municipal Airport terminal, has a range of planes available for filming. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Allen House is a Prairie Style home in Wichita.
Cosmosphere is a space museum in Hutchinson.
Big Well Museum is located in Greensburg.
The World’s Largest Collection of Smallest Versions of Largest Things is located in Lucas.
They Also Ran Gallery is located in Norton.
Cottonwood Falls is a great small town main street location complete with an old courthouse.
Mars Attacks! (1996) filmed in Wichita, Leon, Lawrence, and Burns.
Quivira National Wildlife Refuge is home to a diversity of migrating birdlife.
Western Kansas
This dry and flat region is known for its farming and small town America locations.
Monument Rocks are a series of large chalk formations in Gove County.
Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park is also located in this region.
The famous old-west town of Dodge City is also located here.
Flint Hills
Flint Hills have some of the last living treeless tallgrass prairies of the Great Plains.
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve has a tallgrass prairie ecosystem which is home to the tallgrass bison.
Drinkwater & Schriver Flour Mill, located on the Cottonwood River in Cedar Point, is a picturesque mill.
Oxford Grist Mill is also located in this area.
Geary Lake Falls is a beautiful film location.
The Kansas State University campus is located in this part of the state.
The Oz Museum is located in Wamego.
Southeastern Kansas
Southeastern Kansas is part of the Ozarks region, known for its beautiful hills, coal mining, and endemic rural poverty.
Big Brutus is the world’s largest electric shovel.
Kansas Film Location Permits
There are no state-wide permits but depending on the location individual cities, counties, highways and parks may require location permits and proof of insurance. Please contact us for location specific information.
When To Shoot?
Kansas has three main climate zones:
The eastern two-thirds of Kansas has a humid continental climate, with cool to cold winters and hot, humid summers.
The western third of the state has a semi-arid climate with hot, dry summers. Winters are highly changeable between warm and very cold.
The southern reaches of the state have a humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers, milder winters and more precipitation than elsewhere in Kansas.
The state is prone to thunderstorms and tornadoes in the spring and early summer.
Ice storms and blizzards are common during the winter, especially in the north of the state.
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.
Kansas Tax Incentives For Filming
Kansas does not offer a production incentive program.
Kansas Film Crew & Talent
Crew. Kansas has a small pool of local crew.
Contact us if you are looking for a Kansas City or Wichita 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 Kansas.
Talent. The state’s population is predominately Caucasian. Movie character stereotypes include wheat farmers and storm chasers.
Kansas Film Equipment
Equipment. Kansas has some standard grip, lighting and camera gear for hire.
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.
Kansas Film-Friendly Accommodation
Please contact us for recommended film friendly hotels in Kansas City, Wichita and other areas of Kansas.
Final Notes
Safety. Kansas is a very safe and reliable place for foreign productions to shoot. See here for up to date travel advice.
Down Time. Rural heartland road trip.
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 Kansas, please see below:
Hire Kansas Production Support & Shooting Crew
If you are looking for a film or photographic production service company, line producer or fixer for your shoot in Kansas, please contact us.
If you are looking for a shooting crew for your shoot in Kansas, 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.
