Filming Locations You Have Never Heard Of
Most people think of Los Angeles as the center of the big budget film blockbuster world, but the technology and know-how that it takes to make an epic movie has spread out across the planet. There are many unexpected places that host large film industries. From Morocco to Mexico, Hollywood is everywhere.
Unusual Filming Locations
Morocco
Although any nation you name has had a film produced there and every city in the world has at least one movie set in it, there are a few places that boast major movie studios that you would never expect. For example, Morocco is a filming hotspot that appears in many famous blockbuster films. The north coast of Africa was “discovered” by producers in the 1960s and 1970s, when it played home to such major productions as “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Patton.” In the last twenty years that Morocco has really come into its own. Fantasy and adventure films are especially prevalent in Moroccan film, but the desert country often serves as a stand-in for Iraq or other arid locations. “The Mummy,” “Gladiator,” “Inception,” and large portions of “Game of Thrones” were all filmed in Morocco. So many movies shoot there that the most popular locations have amassed their own collection of props and equipment.

Baja, Mexico
It is not only large locations that are unknown to the filmgoing public. There are entire studios of which most people are unaware. For example, there is an enormous studio complex in Baja California that most people have never heard of. Built in 1996, the first major production at Fox Baja Studios was the megahit Titanic. Easy access to the ocean gave the sparkling sunsets that are part of so many movies and enough water to fill the largest “horizon tanks” in the world. So called because they simulate the empty horizons of the open ocean, horizon tanks are a necessary part of nearly every naval spectacle. “Master and Commander,” “Pearl Harbor,” and many other epics were filmed at Fox Baja Studios, only a hundred kilometers south of Los Angeles across the Mexican border.

China
The single biggest movie studio in the world is much further from Hollywood. Hengdian World Studios is located in the Zhejiang Province of China. Filling more than three hundred hectares, Hengdian has the superlative example of nearly everything needed by the Chinese film industry. The biggest indoor studio in the world, the largest indoor statue of the Buddha, and the only full scale reconstruction of the Forbidden City can all be found at Hengdian. Its thirteen lots can host more than thirty productions at the same time and provide employment for everyone that lives in the area. It is rare that a studio can host even one historical reproduction, but Hengdian habitually recreates the full army movements and astounding pageantry of the past on multiple stages at the same time.

The audience thinks of film as fantasy, but there is more to it than that. In order to create an image on a movie screen, the directors and crew must create the reality of that image, even if only for a second. It does not have to be very real, and it only has to look real from one angle, but there must be that essential moment of reality there or there is nothing for the camera to film. Costumes, makeup, lighting, and more are used to create just enough veracity to shoot the scene.
Fantastic filming locations are one of the most powerful tools in the director’s toolkit. Whether it is the windswept desert of Morocco, the endless illusory horizons of the water tanks in Baja California, or the magnificent recreations of the past in Hengdian, movies use real locations create the reality that they wish us to perceive. The great film locations of the world are of equal importance to cinema as any character or story.
SHOOTFACTORY International Filming Locations
SHOOTFACTORY location library supplies the film industry with the best filming locations in the UK and overseas.
View Our International Locations
Below is a small selection of our international filming locations, we showcase Morocco, India, Sri Lanka and South Africa. To view the full location details click on the title.
Dar Beida, Morrocco : filming location
name: dar beida
town/city: essaouira

cool and magical house. lovingly restored and decorated in white with colourful furniture. wonderful daylight with roof terrace. great props.
Khejarla, India : filming location
name: khejarla
town/city: jodhpur

situated in a rural setting, the 400-year-old, fort khejarla offers guests an enlivening experience. the stunning red sandstone monument is a mesmerizing example of the architecture of the rajputs. the rugged exterior contradicts an inner paradise with a striking blend of art and architecture leaving one with a magnificent aura! the spellbound grandeur of the fort offers picturesque settings, latticework friezes, and intricate jharokas that at once transports you back in time to experience the majesty of a long-gone era of valour and chivalry.
the historic structure amalgamates with the golden tint of the desert ambience and the scenic setting suns in its most vibrant shades giving it a fairy tale appearance. situated in a quiet and serene setting, khejarla fort carries a deep history and offers guests all the charisma and grandeur of an exclusive royal experience.
Beach, Sri Lanka : filming locations
name: beach
town/city: sri lanka

unspoilt beach locations
Grotto Bay, South Africa : filming locations
name: grotto bay
town/city: cape town

beach side villa with great views and lovely bright rooms
As an international film location library, we work with the best production companies both in the UK and overseas. We can help you source permits for shooting on a beach and even arrange catering on a small island. Our international filming locations are owned by industry professionals and therefore, they understand the pitfalls of filming on location. We can help you with your production, from sourcing transport, finding accommodation to arranging flights. We have experience with film locations in Europe and in the Caribbean. As a location company, we have local location managers who know are familiar with our international filming locations and this makes shooting overseas a real pleasure.











































