Location Scouting Portugal for Filmmakers
Unveiling Portugal's Cinematic Tapestry
Nestled on the western edge of Europe and the Iberian Peninsula, and with its two autonomous regions of the Azores Islands and the Island of Madeira, Portugal is rapidly emerging as a filmmaker's dream. Beyond its vibrant cities, castles, ancient monasteries, and rich history lies a diverse landscape that offers filmmakers an abundance of cinematic possibilities. Like us, you’ll be captivated by Portugal's unique charm and its potential for storytelling, and we're excited to share our insights on the country’s different regions and landscapes, the process of location scouting in Portugal, location scouting incentives, and remote filmmaking tools that can be used to learn about its stunning regions.
A Mosaic of Landscapes:
Portugal's geographical diversity is truly remarkable given its relatively small size. From the sun-drenched beaches of the Algarve to the verdant valleys of the Douro, each region presents a distinct visual narrative to support stories told in film. Our (very) simplified list includes:
The Algarve: Imagine golden cliffs plunging into the azure Atlantic, secluded coves, and whitewashed villages. This region is perfect for capturing breathtaking coastal scenes, vibrant summer narratives, and luxurious travel content.
Lisbon & Surroundings: The capital city, with its iconic yellow trams, historic architecture, and bustling nightlife, offers a captivating urban backdrop. Just a short drive away, you'll find the mystical forests of Sintra, its castles, palaces, winding roads, hidden nooks, and surprising architecture. Cascais lies even closer to Lisbon and offers mediterranean beaches and an upscale, modern look and feel alongside traditional architecture.
The Douro Valley: This UNESCO World Heritage region is a symphony of terraced vineyards, winding rivers, and traditional quintas nestled among the green, rolling hills. Ideal for capturing rustic charm, scenic travelogues, and food & wine documentaries.
Porto & The North: The charming, romantic city of Porto, with its colorful Ribeira district and iconic bridges, provides a unique urban aesthetic. Golden Hour takes on a completely different vibe here as the setting sun is captured by the mist being brought into the city on ocean breezes. Venture just a little further north, and you’ll discover lush green landscapes, ancient villages, and the rugged beauty of the Peneda-Gerês National Park.
The Azores & Madeira: These autonomous regions, scattered in the Atlantic and closer to Africa than Europe, offer otherworldly landscapes. The Azores boast volcanic craters, lush green pastures, beaches, mountains and red soil while Madeira features dramatic cliffs, walking trails, and subtropical forests.
Central and Alentejo Regions: With vistas just like those in the desert regions of the American Southwest, and other landscapes like the grasslands of Africa, these two regions also boast pine and chestnut forests as well as cities like Coimbra, Aveiro and Leiria.
It should be stated again that this is a very simplified list. You have to see some of these areas to believe the opportunities they provide. We provide interested filmmakers with on-the-ground research, photos, videos, maps, sun paths and more based on the criteria for their film. But there’s another, very attractive incentive for filmmakers to see these areas themselves.
A Huge Tip for Filmmakers Looking at Portugal
It’s not talked about often enough, but Portugal offers an incentive for location scouting through the Scouting Programme which offers daily allowances for food and accommodations, as well as flights to and from Portugal for directors, producers, cinematographers and location scouts. Bear in mind that productions looking to take advantage of this program will need to be registered with the Cinematographic and Audiovisual Entities. This is a service Atmosphera Productions provides in order to get you set up and ready to roll. This registration must be completed prior to any scouting trip in order for filmmakers to take advantage of this excellent incentive.
How We Help You Find Your Perfect Location
Remote location scouting allows us to find your next perfect location for your film. The Atmosphera Productions team is awed by the beauty of Portugal and wants to share it with other filmmakers.
Getting to know your project: This is our important first step. Tell us as much as you can. What is the feel of your film? Where does it (hypothetically) take place? How many locations are you looking for? Do you need mountains, rivers, houses, highways, etc? We can also tell you what kind of permits you’ll need in addition to filling out those applications.
Hitting the road: Chances are we already know some places that will match your vision. If not, we’ll pack some cameras and some devices and head out to find what you need. Either way, you’ll get photos, videos, coordinates, climate information, sun path and anything else you need to make your decisions. If you want to join us on the hunt we’ll loop you in on video so you can see what we’re seeing and ask any questions you might have.
Contacting the people in charge: Each location will need permission from a person, a group, a town, a council or something else. We do the homework and use our connections to speak to that entity and we deliver you the information about what needs to be done to use a certain location. We fill out permit paperwork on your behalf as well.
Hosting your location scouting trip: We’ll meet you at the airport and whisk you away to the locations we’ve suggested for you. We’ll get you to and from your hotel if you’d prefer to visit Portugal without driving. We offer recommendations for things to do, places to see, things to eat, and experiences to have because every scouting trip should have some extra fun in it.
