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

Filming in Romania

For an introduction to shooting in Romania see below notes on film locations, permits, when to shoot, unique local stories, costs, tax incentives, crews, talent, fringes, premiums, equipment, communications, art department, studios, post facilities, visas and work permits for filming, transport, film-friendly accommodation, and safety advice.

Romania Film Locations

Romania has a wealth of extraordinary, undiscovered locations in close proximity to each other. From cities to small villages, medieval castles to modern structures, snowy mountains to sandy beaches, Romania is a favourite place for productions to film a diversity of locations at a fraction of the cost of filming in Western Europe.

Agricultural film locations include corn, wheat, barley, sunflower, grapes, and plum fields. Industrial locations include steel works, as well as automobile and textile manufacturing. Energy locations include coal-fired plants, gas and oil fired plants, nuclear plants, hydroelectric plants, and wind power plants.

Romania has played host to films such as Wednesday (2022-), Watcher (2022), Dragonheart: Vengeance (2020), The Nun (2018), The Ritual (2017), Toni Erdmann (2016), War Dogs (2016), The Expendables 3 (2014), The Amazing Race 14 (2009), Transporter 3 (2008), Cold Mountain (2003), and the TV series Hatfields & McCoys (2012) where Romania doubled for 19th century West Virginia / Kentucky.

The regions of Romania are as follow:

Wallachia & Oltenia

Bucharest, located in the south of the country is the capital and largest city in Romania. The city is known for its diversity of architectural styles including Eclectic, Neoclassical, Art Nouveau, Bauhaus, Art Deco, Romanian Revival, Socialist-era, and Modern. Bucharest doubles easily for anything from gritty Eastern Bloc city streets through to old European grandeur.

The Palace of the Parliament is a Socialist-era building that is both the world’s heaviest building, and the second largest administrative building in the world. The Palace of the Parliament doubled for the Vatican in The Nun (2018).

Other Socialist-era buildings of note include the House of the Free Press, and Sala Palatului.

Structures of old European grandeur include Revolution Square, Royal Palace of Bucharest, Romanian Athenaeum, Romanian National Opera, CEC Palace, Cantacuzino Palace, Palace of the Patriarchate, Palace of Justice, National Bank of Romania, Central University Library, Palace of the National Military Circle, Pasajul Macca-Vilacrosse, Arcul de Triumf, and Colțea Hospital. Mogoșoaia Palace doubled for London in The Nun (2018). Monteoru House interiors were filmed for Wednesday (2022-).

Museums note include National Museum of Art of Romania, Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural History, George Enescu National Museum, National Military Museum, Cotroceni National Museum, and National Museum of Contemporary Art.

Faith locations include People’s Salvation Cathedral, Romanian Orthodox Patriarchal Cathedral, Stavropoleos Monastery, Radu Vodă Monastery, and Choral Temple synagogue.

Universities of note include Politehnica University of Bucharest, University of Bucharest, and Spiru Haret University.

Parks of note include Cișmigiu Gardens, King Michael I Park, Carol I Park, Tineretului Park, Alexandru Ioan Cuza Park, and Vacaresti Park Nature Reserve.

Transport film locations include the Bucharest Metro, Henri Coandă International Airport, and Aurel Vlaicu International Airport.

Sporting venues include Arena Națională, and Romexpo.

Outside of Bucharest, Wallachia and Oltenia are known for the following:

Byzantine monasteries include Curtea de Arges monastery, Snagov monastery, Cozia monastery, Horezu monastery, Govora monastery, Polovragi monastery, Bistrita monastery, Arnota monastery, and Sinaia monastery.

Castles include Peleș Castle, Targoviste Castle, Poenari Castle, and Cantacuzino Castle which featured in Wednesday (2022-).

Nature locations include the Bucegi Mountains, Buila Vanturarita National Park, Cozia National Park, and Berca Mud Volcanoes.

Vidraru Dam is a great location for car commercials.

Ploieşti, Piteşti, Craiova, Târgu Jiu are industrial cities.

The Transfăgărășan highway is one of Romania’s most impressive roads zig-zagging steeply down mountain passes. Ideal for car commercials, the location has featured in BBC’s Top Gear (2009-10), and the film Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011).

Transylvania

The centrally located Transylvania region offers a dramatic landscape of dark mountainous forests and Gothic citadels.

Bran Castle is said to be the home of Count Dracula.

Corvin Castle is one of the most impressive castles in Romania and was featured in The Nun (2018).

Other castles of note include Făgăraș Castle, Râșnov Fortress, and the Fortress of Deva.

Hoia Baciu is rumoured to be a haunted forest.

Villages of note include Braşov, Sibiu, Sighişoara, and Bran.

Small Saxon settlements including Cisnădioara, Hărman, Prejmer, Viscri, and Biertan also make for interesting film locations. Biertan fortified church featured in The Nun (2018).

Monasteries of note include Sucevita Monastery, and Hurezi Monastery.

Castelul de Lut Valea Zanelor is a fairytale building located near Sibiu.

Nature locations of note include Retezat National Park, Piatra Craiului National Park, Bâlea Lake, Fagaras Mountains, Parang Mountains, and the Apuseni Mountains.

Salina Turda is a salt mine which is home to a sci-fi theme park.

Moldavia & Bucovina

Located in the northeast of the country, Moldavia and Bucovina are a very religious and traditional region

Palace locations of note include the Palace of Culture in Iași, Ruginoasa Palace, and Miclauseni Castle.

The region has many old churches and monasteries such as Voroneț Monastery, Moldovita Monastery, and Humor Monastery.

Grand Hotel Traian was designed by Gustave Eiffel.

Suceava citadel is located in this area.

Nature locations include Ceahlau National Park, Cheile Bicazului-Hasmasu National Park, and Vanatori Neamt Natural Park.

The area is also known for its vineyards.

Maramureş

A region seemingly trapped in medieval times, this part of northern Romania is known for its traditional villages, wooden churches, forested mountains, muddy roads, and rolling hills with roaming flocks of sheep.

Nature locations include Maramuresului Mountains Nature Park and Rodnei Mountains National Park.

Crişana & Banat

This region is located in the western part of the country.

Major cities of interest include Oradea, Arad and Timişoara.

Bigar Waterfall cascades over a deep green bed of moss.

Decebal’s Head is a giant carved stone face overlooking the Danube River.

Dobrogea

This coastal region is located in the east of the country.

The Black Sea is known for its beautiful white sand beaches, as well as the resort towns of Mamaia, Neptun and Venus.

Off-shore oil rigs can also found in the Black Sea.

Fantanele-Cogealac Wind Farm is one of the world’s largest wind farms.

The Danube Delta is rich in biodiversity.

Enisala is known for its citadel.

The port city of Constanța has a beautiful old casino.

Danube-Black Sea Canal runs from Cernavodă to Constanța and Năvodari.

Romania Film Location Permits

No extraordinary restrictions or rules apply. There are no blanket city-wide permits but permission to shoot on most public locations is generally a quick and easy process. Shutting streets in Bucharest can take up to one week to permit. Please contact us for location specific information.

When To Shoot?

Romania has a four-season climate. Winters (November to March) are cold and rainy with snow on the mountains. Spring (April to May) has wildflowers in full bloom. Summer (June to August) is hot and sunny. Fall (September to October) is mild with leaves changing colour. The best months to film for warm, sunny weather are between April and October. For monthly weather statistics please see here. 

Festivals and events of interest to filmmakers and photographers include:

• Kukeri Festival in Brănești in April.
• Midsummer Festival in June.
• Sighisoara Medieval Festival in July.
• Sambra Oilor in October.
• Halloween in October.
• Winter Customs Festival in Sighet in December.

Romanian Orthodox Christianity is the main religion, so those holidays are observed.

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

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. By European standards Romania offers a very cost competitive shoot day. Line item costs are low and a diversity of locations can be reached with little travel required. Of particular interest are Romania’s grand castles and palaces, which are much less expensive than options in Western Europe. Romania is also very well set up for cost efficient studio shoots. Compared to other East European nations Romania is generally less expensive than Croatia, Hungary or the Czech Republic, but more expensive than Bulgaria or the Ukraine. Romania does not yet trade in the Euro. Our Romanian service producer / fixer will negotiate local deals and provide the appropriate level of production support to match every budget. See here for the current VAT rate.

Tax Incentives. Romania offers a generous 35% cash rebate on qualifying spend. In cases where the production explicitly promotes Romania and at least 20% of the total budget is spent in the country, the production may qualify for an additional 10% cash back, for a total rebate of 45%. This applies to feature films and shorts, TV series, direct-to-video productions, Internet films, documentaries and animated projects.

Film Crew & Talent

Crews. Romania has a small pool of local directors, directors of photography and stills photographers. Local crews are also non-union. Crews are experienced, hard working and flexible with overtime and turn around times. Heads of department all speak fluent English. Most shoots are able to source key crew locally. Romania’s close proximity to other major European production centres allows easy access to those crews should you ever need to look further.

Contact us if you are looking for a Bucharest 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 for your shoot in Romania.

Talent is non-union and buyouts are negotiable. Day rates are very reasonable and negotiated on a case by case basis.

Romanian is the official language.

Romanians are the main ethnic group. Minority groups include Hungarians and Roma communities. There is a good pool of Caucasian looking local talent. Although there are plenty of women to choose from, there is a shortage of men with blonde hair. The local Roma community doubles well for Middle Eastern looking people. All other talent looks need to be cast abroad. Romania’s close proximity to other major European production centres allows easy access to those pools of talent should you ever need to look further.

Fringes and Premiums. No hidden extras. Romania works on a twelve-hour day including one hour break for lunch with overtime rates negotiated on a case by case basis. No 6th or 7th day, weekend, night or holiday premiums with crew or talent.

Romania Film Equipment

Equipment. Romania has a good offering of locally based film equipment ranging from new digital cameras such as Alexas and Reds through to lighting and grip equipment including a Technocrane. More specialised equipment such as Libra heads can be easily brought in from nearby European production centres. For productions looking to bring in film equipment Romania is an ATA carnet country.

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.

Art Department, Studios, Backlots, & Post Production

Art department and set construction are up to international standards.

Studios. Romania offers a high standard of studio work at very cost competitive prices. Castel Film Studios and Bucharest Film Studios are the main studio complexes with large sound stages, production offices, workshops, props and water tanks. Studio lands include forest and lake backlots available for set builds. Romania has the following standing sets: Western Town, French Street, Medieval Village, Urban Street, fully equipped contemporary houses.

Post Production. All available locally including film processing. Romania has very good special effects services.

Visas & Work Permits

Although Romania is not a Schengen Area country, its visa policy is based on Schengen requirements. Visiting crews travelling on western passports can enter Romania visa-free for stays of up to 90 days. Work permits are not required.

Transport & Accommodation

Transportation Infrastructure is all up to known and expected world standards. Several international and European budget airlines service flights to Romania.

Accommodation. Contact us for recommended film friendly hotels in Bucharest. For longer stays we can also organize serviced apartments.

Final Notes

Safety. Romania is a safe and reliable shooting destination. See here for up to date travel advice.

Down Time. Visit Bran Castle, the home of Count Dracula. Traditional dishes of note include sarmale, mămăligă, mici, ciorbă de burtă, pomana porcului, jumări, cozonac, drob de miel, and papanași.

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 Romania, please see below:

Hire Romania Production Support & Shooting Crew

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

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