shoot Rotterdam

Take the Netherlands

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Rotterdam was the first Dutch city with a Film Commissioner. Since 1999, the Rotterdam Film Commissioner knows exactly how to cut through the red tape and get things done. Needless to say, we have a lot of experience in supporting all kinds of media productions.

Rotterdam, welcomes all media productionsThe Netherlands is globally known for being innovative, open minded and internationally oriented. Furthermore, it is renowned for its creativity in fields such as engineering, design, dance, music and media concepts.

A small country in size with the greatest distance from north to south, and from west to east being 200 kilometres. It is a country of flat lands, with a landscape of modern cities and agriculture. Like the rest of Europe, it also has a great number of historically and culturally rich locations.

The city of Rotterdam, located in the province of South Holland, combines all of these characteristics and more. It has a great variety in scenery with the largest port in Europe and culturally diverse neighbourhoods located in a unique inner city with modern architecture and skylines.

Rotterdam welcomes all media productions and offers experienced media and entertainment professionals and diverse locations, in practical distances of each other.

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Why choose Rotterdam? Rotterdam is a place for innovative growth which exudes strength and energy. It is also a relatively young city that is open to change. In other words, it is a city where many things are possible and that offers an excellent background for all kinds of shoots.

Rotterdam is globally known as a port city. In fact, it is the biggest port in Europe, aptly nick-named the Gateway to Europe. The city is surrounded by land reclaimed from the sea and houses an extensive industrial area with a variety of trades and industries. The river Maas runs right through the city center with several bridges connecting the north and south bank of the city.

The city center offers modern architecture with lots of skycraper-like flats that create an impressive skyline. It gives the second city of the Netherlands, an international look. Furthermore, there are also typical Dutch pre-World War II neighbourhoods with a diverse population and architecture.

In short, the city offers many diverse elements to shoot media productions.

“ The process was tough, exciting, but, nevertheless, a lot of fun! ... And especially with all the help and support from you [the film commissioner], the city and our police force to just put it all together. Together we have made something to be proud of.”

Louis Schob, location manager Police procedural television series Flikken Rotterdam

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MaastunnelThe “Maastunnel” in Rotterdam is the oldest traffic tunnel in the Netherlands. The tunnel connects the banks of the “Nieuwe Maas” and is comprised of several tunnels of varying size. Along side two tunnels serving car traffic, each two single lanes wide (7 metres), there also are two smaller tunnels for pedestrians and cyclists. These tunnels are almost 5 metres in width and are situated on top of each other. Pictured is the pedestrian tunnel.

ErasmusbrugThe Erasmus bridge is one of the most photographed and filmed constructions of Rotterdam and a main feature of the skyline of Rotterdam. The bridge connects the city centre with the new district “de Kop van Zuid” (The Face of South). The 284 metres spanning cable-stayed bridge has an asymmetrical bent steel pylon with a height of 139 metres. This gave the bridge its nickname “De Zwaan” (the Swan).

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De Hef This distinctive bridge opened on October 31st, 1927. The vertical-lift bridge wasn’t only the biggest lift bridge in the Netherlands, but also the first of its kind in Western-Europe. Known as “De Hef” (The Lift) in popular speech, the bridge served as a railway connection across the “Nieuwe Maas” for over 116 years. In October of 2000 “De Hef” became a national heritage site.

MarketThe “Centrummarkt” (City Market) on the Binnenrotte is the second largest market in the Netherlands. This market, giving space to over 450 stalls, weaves like a ribbon through the streets and fills the entire square. Twice a week, on Tuesday and Saturday, this is a meeting grounds for the many cultures that have a home in Rotterdam.

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A Rotterdam perspective

As a result of heavy bombing during the Second World War, Rotterdam looks quite different from the typical Dutch town. In the 1940’s the city was completely rebuilt giving it a modern, young and trendy look. In fact, it’s skyline is dominated by a number of skyscrapers.

Rotterdam is a very multi-cultural city with 173 different nationalities. Originally, Rotterdam was a working class city and the Rotterdam way of thinking is still dominated by honesty and hard work, the ‘can do’ mentality rules. It is also a dynamic city with many activities taking place throughout the city. Quite unique to Rotterdam is that each area has its very own special character, with several creative hotspots to boot.

Named as the European Capital of Culture in 2001, Rotterdam is home to a number of national and international events, such as Rotterdam Marathon, World Port Days and Rotterdam Summer Carnival.

Facts and figures The Port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe

with respect to size and tonnage Rotterdam is the second largest city in the

Netherlands (after Amsterdam) with over half a million inhabitants

Rotterdam is home to people of 173 nationalities

The inner city was destroyed in World War II, and was resurrected with modern architecture

The total size of Rotterdam is 319 km2, of which about is water

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“ As a Rotterdam based production company, we have seen the city change from up close. Rotterdam has many sights, places and faces to discover. This needs us to be creative with our approach and the use of its locations, every time. An open minded Film Commissioner is our gateway to get things done smoothly. Rotterdam has one. This gives us limitless options for productions.”

Annemieke de Vries, creative producer HotelRebel (HotelRebel.nl)

“ At times it was almost impossible to realize certain necessities at the very last moment. Still, everyone managed to receive what was requested. The Japanese were amazed by the level of flexibility and the willingness to help displayed by the city of Rotterdam and its suppliers.”

Thijs Bolle, Location manager commercial Lexus

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Rotterdam has already proven to be a popular city for film and photo shoots. On a practical level, the city is easy to reach. From the local airport, Rotterdam-The Haque Airport, it only takes 15 minutes to get to the city center. Amsterdam is only a thirty-minute train ride away and Rotterdam has good connections with the other European cities by plane and train.

Rotterdam is also easy to get around in by car and public transport. Within the city there are plenty of buses, trams, subway stations, taxis and even tuk-tuks. Parking places are also widely available at a reasonable price. Due to the compact city center, everything is within walking distance.

Rotterdam is not only easily accessible from a logistic point of view; the city also makes it very easy to access all the local services regarding media productions. Rotterdam is home to various media organizations that focus on production, post-production, animation, but also special effects. We have an extensive crew database of experienced, highly motivated professionals.

Easy access and excellent services

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We know film

Since the first ‘Who am I’ Jackie Chan movie was shot in Rotterdam in 1997, Rotterdam has hosted various media productions ranging from automotive commercials to television series and feature films.

We, or rather, Film Commissioner Saskia Kagchèl, knows film. Saskia is your first point of contact for shooting films, photo’s, television series, music videos, documentaries and commercials. She offers advice about locations, crews and (parking) permits, she has close ties with Rotterdam- based crews, as well as with production companies, and she makes the connection between the various parties, which saves time when preparing for a shoot. The city has a highly experienced crew database and Saskia is very willing to assist in giving productions a good start.

Through our website shootrotterdam.com, we try to help as much as possible with the preparations for your production through a one-stop shop. Browse through the variety of film locations in the city and find crew or facilitating businesses in our production guide for film productions. Through our Instagram account we keep you informed of productions currently running in Rotterdam.

Curious about previous productions? Take a look at our film history. Most recent productions are captured in our showcase reel. Furthermore, we have a trailer which gives a filmic impression of Rotterdam as backlot for your production.

Convinced of the potential that Rotterdam offers as a film city? Read the Rotterdam Film Protocol for more information on the procedures. Check the event calendar to verify that there are no conflicting events scheduled at the time of production. Finally, you must register your shoot in the Central Film Planning.

Rotterdam Film Commission is a member of the European Film Commission Network (EUFCN) and the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI). The Rotterdam Film Commission is a non-commercial organization and does not charge you for our assistance.

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“ I admire the people’s fighting mentality; it gets things done. They are not afraid to stand for what they want and that fearlessness enables me to do my job so well.”

Saskia Kagchèl, Rotterdam Film Commissioner

WeatherThe climate in Rotterdam is typically Dutch. The Netherlands have an oceanic climate which results in mild winters and warm, but not oppressive, summers. The Dutch weather is known for its year-round unpredictability. A hot sunny month of June can be followed by a grey and rainy July; temperatures in January can either be a freezing 10 degrees Celsius below zero or a mild 10 degrees above.

Cruise TerminalFrom 1878 until halfway through 1970, the Wilhelminakade in Rotterdam was home to the “Holland-Amerika line” (H.A.L.). During that period, famous Steamships like ‘the Rotterdam’, ‘the Nieuw Amsterdam’, and ‘the Statendam’ ferried thousands of passengers from Rotterdam to distant destinations. Housed on the premises of what is now called “Cruise Terminal Rotterdam” were the arrival and departure gates of the H.A.L.

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Central StationThe current railway station, situated at the “Stationsplein” (Stationsquare), was officially opened on March the 13th, 2014. The spacious concourse and striking roof has become an architectural crowd-pleaser. The station copes with approximately 110.000 travellers on a daily basis.

Rotterdam:

Unique inner city, skyline and port Diverse population

Can do mentality

Easy access

Excellent services

Want to know more? Contact Rotterdam Film Commission

Recap & Contact

filmcommission@rotterdamfestivals.nl

+31 (0)10 433 2511

shootrotterdam.com

or follow shootrotterdam on Instagram

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+31 (0)10 433 2511

shootrotterdam.com

or follow shootrotterdam on Instagram

Rotterdam Film Commission is part of Rotterdam Festivals

© Rotterdam Festivals 2016