Production guide

Basic info

Location:
Southwest corner of the Republic of Finland

Regional population:
ca. 330,000

Capital:
City of Turku

Language:
Finnish, Swedish. The vast majority speak fluent English.

Time zone:
GMT +2. Daylight Saving Time (DST) is in use during the summertime as in the rest of the European Union.

Currency:
Euro (€)

International calls:
Dialling code +358

Electrical current:
220 volts, 50 HZ AC. Most electrical outlets are DIN (the German industrial standard, two round pins).

Infrastructure:
Excellent logistics in the area, access by plane, train, ferry and car (e.g. 160 km / 90 mins to Helsinki). There is an international airport located in Turku.

Climate

West Finland enjoys all four seasons. The climate is marked by cold winters and warm summers. Summer days are long and winters are quite dark.

Temperature range:
+28 °C in the summer and -10 ° C in the winter

January 1 April 1 July 1 October 1
Hours of daylight: 5:54 13:18 18:53 11:27

Snow coverage:
ca. 85-100 annual days of snow, with minimal snow on the coast.

Crew rates

Below are the union-recommended rates, which can be used as an indicator. Day salaries for 8-hour salaries. You can count 10-hour day salaries by adding 37,5% to these sums All figures indicated are in Euros (€).

Film productions

Number of working days 2-10 11-24 25 and above
Wage group I 137.39 126.11 116.09
Wage group II 231.36 206.30 177.48
Wage group III 288.96 220.09 191.25
Wage group IV 339.10 263.39 238.87

TV productions

Day salary
Wage group I 118.40-141.48 Eur
Wage group II 167.16-235.25 Eur
Wage group III 195.07-313.38 Eur
Wage group IV 238.60-335.71 Eur

Wage Group I:
In Production assistant work
In Film Productions for example runner

Wage group II:
In Film productions for example best boy
In TV-production camera man, script supervisor

Wage group III:
In Film production: gaffer, key-grip ja 1. Camera assistant
In TV-production cinematographer, Production sound mixer

Wage group IV:
In Film production director cinematographer set designer etc. In TV-production for example director, journalist, producer

Fringes

  • To these rates you’ll have to add social security rates at +23 %.
  • Normal working time is 8 hours per day, 5 days a week (40 hours) Monday through Friday
  • 10-hour days are most common
  • A lunch break is mandatory when working at least six hours. Lunch is min. 30mins and max. 1hr and added on top of work time, along with two 10-minute coffee breaks.
  • The first two (9th and 10th) extra hours are paid time and a half. The following hours (11th ->) are paid double.
  • You can directly count 10-hour day salaries by adding 37.5 % to the 8-hour figures
  • The first 8 hours of the 6th and 7th working days of the week are paid time and a half, the following hours are paid double.
  • Minimum hours for rest: 11 hours/day and 35 hours/week. But it’s possible to work in periods which allow more flexibility.

Shooting permits

The film commission assists with permit application and liaises with local authorities on the production’s behalf. No permits are required for filming in public places. Filming on private property requires a permit either from the owner or from city authorities. Permit costs are usually very low.

A permit from the police is needed if filming requires special traffic arrangements (i.e. re-routing or stopping traffic). Filming of artworks (objects) protected by copyright law requires the consent of the copyright owner unless the works are publicly accessible and not the main focus of filming. Filming in Finland is simple thanks to the Everyman’s Right principle. This allows everyone free access to land and waterways without having to go through the process of applying for a permit or separate permission. However, the landowner’s permission is required for filming on private property or land.

Visas/Working permits

Citizens of EU Member States enjoy free and unhindered passage to Finland. In accordance with the Schengen agreement, country passport holders do not need a visa to visit Finland.

The right to perform gainful employment in Finland is determined according to citizenship.

It is the employer’s obligation to ensure that a foreign citizen entering service and employment has the required worker’s residence permit or that the foreign citizen does not need a residence permit.

EU/ETA citizens are entitled to work in Finland without a worker’s residence permit. Citizens of countries outside the EEA are usually required to have a worker’s residence permit.

Local stages

Turku is currently in the midst of constructing more sound stages and studios. Currently, the largest studio in the region is Logomo. There are also numerous premises suitable for ad-hoc studio use. The film commission will assist you in finding suitable locations. Other nearby stages are located in the cities of Tampere, Helsinki and Nakkila.

More information

Please also refer to the Finland Film Commission Production Guide.