1. PRODUCTION GUIDE
1. In Brief
Finland
North of Finland
2. North of Finland
Natures Own Locations
Man Made Sceneries
150 Days of Snow and the Midnight Sun
Film Sector Up Here
How to Get Here and Around
3. Filming in Finland
Film Financing
Shooting Permits
Visas
Working Permits
Salaries
4. The NFFC - Your Arctic Partner
Contact Information
Tableofcontent
2. (officially: the Republic of Finland) The North Finland Film Commission region is
located on the 65th lattitude. The region spreads
out from the Gulf of Bothnia eastwards to the
Russian border. From the flat coastline the scenery
changes first into gently rolling country, then into
desolate nothern tree-covered hills and finally into
fells and taiga forests. The western part is char-
ascterically marine: the western flat fields also have
idyllic countryside villages and foggy swamps.
The eastern areas of the province attract with
untamed northern nature and its wildlife.
The scenery changes with the season. In winter
the scenery of the eastern part of the province is
covered by snow that provides light and is among
the thickest in Finland.
Capital Helsinki
Population 5,3 million
Currency Euro €
Language Finnish, Swedish.
Majority of Finns speak
English
Time GMT + 2.
Daylight Saving Time (DST)
is in use during the
summertime as in the rest of
the European Union.
International Calls Calling code +358
Electrical Current The electrical current is
220 volts, 50 HZ AC.
Most electrical outlets are
DIN (the German industrial
standard - two round pins)
Finland has been ranked the second most stable
country in the world, in a survey based on social,
economic, political and military indicators.
Finland / Suomi North of Finland
INBRIEF
4. Man Made Sceneries
Oulu ( 65.02 25.47)
Kuusamo (65.97 29.18)
Tornio (65.85 24.18)
The 3 Cities
NorthofFinland
the capital of northern Finland
good connections to the world´s
biggest cities: almost 20 daily
flights from Helsinki
known for the technological
expertise and the Air Guitar
World Championships.
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located on the boarder
of Finland and Sweden, in the
middle of the Bothnian Arc
the scenery is dominated by the
Tornio River
in the winter time, the frozen sea
of the coast of the region creates
an otherworldly landscape
industrial and trading town with
long traditions
the eastern center of the region
practically snow-guaranteed
from November to May
famous for Ruka, one of the
largest ski resorts in Finland
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5. -10 20,0 -13 22,1 -11 36,1
-10 18,3 -12 21,2 -10,5 32,1
-4,5 17,3 -7,5 22,8 -6 28,5
1 12,2 -2 18,2 0 23
7,5 17,6 5 26,1 6,5 27,1
13,5 31,3 11,5 46,1 13 36,1
16,5 35,2 14,5 51,1 16 49,8
14 36,2 12 35,9 13,5 44,1
8,5 22,3 6,5 28 8,5 40,2
3 23,9 0 28,5 2,5 41
-3 22,5 -6 28,8 -4 41,5
-8 19,9 -11,5 21,8 -9 35,9
°C mm
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
°C mm °C mm
SR SS T SR SS T SR SS T
JAN 10:25 14:19 01:24 10:30 13:44 01:34 10:48 14:15 01:30
FEB 09:06 15:58 01:00 09:00 15:35 01:03 09:18 15:56 01:03
MAR 07:29 17:34 00:50 07:17 17:16 01:03 07:36 17:36 00:51
APR 06:35 20:11 00:52 06:18 19:58 00:54 06:38 20:18 00:54
MAY 04:44 21:49 01:16 04:21 21:42 01:24 04:42 22:01 01:23
JUN 02:56 23:38 01:39 02:17 23:49 01:14 02:40 00:06 01:17
JUL 02:32 00:00 01:21 01:26 00:41 00:23 01:58 00:52 00:33
AUG 04:15 22:31 01:42 03:49 22:27 02:13 04:10 22:26 02:06
SEP 05:57 20:37 00:55 05:38 20:26 00:58 05:59 20:46 00:58
OCT 07:27 18:47 00:49 07:13 18:31 00:51 07:33 18:51 00:51
NOV 08:06 15:56 00:56 07:58 15:35 00:58 08:17 15:56 00:58
DEC 09:48 14:26 01:16 09:49 13:55 01:23 10:07 14:17 01:22
150 Days of Snow and the Midnight Sun
Stream makes the average winter temperatures
several degrees higher in comparison. Still, the
winter temperatures in Kuusamo can go below
-30°C in January and February. An average of one
metre of snow every winter and bright, long
summer nights give it´s own unique label for the
area and a magical setting for any story.
Average Snow Cover
Oulu
26.11. - 30.4.
Kuusamo
6.11. - 20.5.
Tornio
16.11. - 10.5.
Oulu TornioKuusamo
Sunrise, Sunset and Twilight
Average Temperatures and Rainfall
Oulu TornioKuusamo
Instructions on how to read the chart: Sunrise (SR) and sunset (SS) times are listed for the 1 st day of every month. Twilight
(T) refersh to the time before sunrise and after the sunset when the sun is 10° below the horizon and it is not totally dark.
Four distinct seasons give
diversity for the region and go
from one extreme to another.
Even though Northern Finland
is located as far north as Siberia
or Greenland, the warm Gulf
NorthofFinland
6. From the NFFC Service Database one can find
detailed information about local services of any
field. Accommodation, car rental, security guards
or construction work, you name, we got it.
For additional information turn to NFFC staff.
Film Sector Up Here
The film infrastructure in the region is young and
functions efficiently. The area has been the loca-
tion for several domestic and international feature
films, commercials and TV productions. Interna-
tional feature films such as Hanna
(Focus Features, USA 2011) Blanc Comme Neige -
White as Snow (Blue Monday Productions, France
2010) and Das Fenster zum Sommer - Summer
Window (Zentropa Entertainments, Germany
2011) have been shot in the nature locations and
cities in the region. Also several Finnish films have
been shot here, see www.nffc.fi for more.
There are four institutes in the region that give
education in the audiovisual field and about
hundred freelancers living in the area. Finnish
workers are efficient and used to multitasking.
They are customed to work and shoot in the arctic
conditions. With their help one is able to budget a
real experience in the North!
Feature films use mainly rental houses located in
Southern Finland. Because of the good logistics
equipment is feasable and the rental houses know
how to work in the North.
Angel Films (Helsinki & Oulu)
Lights, dollys, cranes, equipment cars etc.
P. Mutasen Elokuvakonepaja (Helsinki)
Cameras, lenses etc.
CIne Light Rental Oy (Helsinki)
Lights
North Star Rental (Haparanda, Northern
Sweden)
Lights, dollys, cranes, equipment cars etc.
Local production service companies are experi-
enced and ready to help you with the first steps of
your production.
JPS Production (Oulu)
Location Scout, Location Manager
Mr Juha Säkkinen
email juha@jpsproduction.net
tel +358 45 6347 347
Nomadman (Kuusamo)
Location Scout, Location Manager
Mr Hessu Tönkyrä
email hessu@tasankojenmies.fi
tel +358 40 556 4157
Northe Vilmi (Oulu)
Location Scout, Location Manager,
Produc tion Manager, Animal Trainer
Mr Tapani Launonen
email launonen@mac.com
tel +358 40 734 1095
Tmi Marjo T. Väisänen (Oulu)
Casting, Location scout
Ms Marjo Väisänen
email marjo@marjovaisanen.fi
tel +358 44 597 8188
Vaski Filmi (Oulu)
Location Scout, Location Manager
Mr Janne Niskala
email janne.niskala@vaskifilmi.fi
tel +358 40 54 32 264
Waria (Oulu)
Casting
Mrs Hilkka Haaga
email hilkka.haaga@waria.fi
tel +358 44 572 4119
NFFCs Location Archive and Local Service Database are open to all.
To use the Crew Database you need to register as a production company.
Local Companies to Start With
Equipment Rental
Other Services
NorthofFinland
7. Operating in the area is easy thanks to the wide
transportation and service network as well as the
etensive cellular netwroks. The roads in the region
are in good condition and well taken care of also
during the winter when snow covers the region.
Oulu airport is the 2nd busiest in Finland.
Flight times to Oulu
1 hour from Helsinki
5 hours from Paris
9 hours from Mumbai
10 hours from New York
11 hours from Tokio
Helsinki
Kajaani
Kemi
Kuusamo
Oulu
Pudasjärvi
Rovaniemi
Taivalkoski
Tornio
803
245
307
-
212
128
192
63
317
743
314
23
317
131
172
125
234
-
611
182
108
212
-
87
222
152
131
Oulu Kuusamo Tornio
How to Get Here and Around
Distances
NorthofFinland
Airlines Operating in the Area
Finnair
Scandinavian Airlines
Blue1
airBaltic (Oulu is one of the airBaltic hub cities)
Norwegian
Kuusamo Airport
The airport is located
6 km from Kuusamo
and 27 km from
Ruka.
Kajaani Airport
The airport is located
9 km from Kajaani.
Kemi - Tornio Airport
The airport is located
23 km from Tornio.
Oulu Airport
The airport is located
15 km from the city
center.
Oulu airport is the
second busiest in
Finland.
8. International co-productions with a Finnish
co-producer can apply for financial support
from The Finnish Film Foundation and/or AVEK -
The Promotion Centre for Audio-visual Culture.
More information:
Finnish Film Foundation
AVEK
Shooting Permits
Working PermitsFilm Financing
No permit is required for filming in public places.
Filming on private property requires a permit either
from the owner or from city authorities. The permit
costs are usually very low.
A permit from the police is needed if the filming
requires special traffic arrangements
(i.e. re-routing or stopping traffic). Filming of art
works (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.
The right to perform gainful employment
in Finland is determined according to citizenship.
It is the employers oblication to ensure that
a foreign citizen entering his or her service and
working in his or her employment has the required
worker’s residence permit or that the foreign citi-
zen does not need a residence permit.
EU/ETA-countries
Citizens of the European Union member
states are entitled to work in Finland
without a worker’s residence
permit. Citizens of Norway, Iceland,
Liechtenstein and Switzerland have the
same right.
EU citizens and citizens of Iceland,
Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland
must register their residence if their
stay in Finland lasts more than 3 months.
The local police handle the registration.
Countries outside the EEA
Citizens of other countries are in most
cases required to have a worker’s residence
permit. In cases listed in the Aliens’ Act
it is possible to work on the ground other
residence permit than worker’s residence
permit, visa or visa waiver.
More information from the Employment and
Economic Development Office
Visas
Citizens of EU member countries enjoy free and
unhindered passage to Finland.
In accordance with the Schengen agreement pass-
port holders from the following countries do not
need a visa to visit Finland: Andorra, Argentina,
Australia, Bolivia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa
Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,
Israel,Japan, Republic Of Korea, Liechtenstein,
Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicara-
gua, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Singapore,
Switzerland, United States, Uruguay, Vatican and
Venezuela
More information from the Ministry for Foreign
Affairs for Finland
Salaries
The Union of Finnish Film and Video Employees
recommends tariff wages for its members. The are
4 wage classes. According to the classes the daily
wages vary from 95 € to 280 € and monthly wages
from 1550 € to 3899 €.
More information:
The Union of Finnish Film and Video Employees
Mr Risto Lehikoinen
email set@teme.fi
tel +358 9 2511 2142
FilminginFinland
9. The North Finland Film Commission (NFFC)
serves domestic and international production
companies by offering consultation, local expertise
and a reliable co-operation network in the Northern
Finland. NFFC provides information on shooting
locations in the region, local services and profes-
sionals of the field. The commission acts as the
first link to the local authorities and to the audio-
visual infrastructure in the area.
The NFFC headquarters is located in Oulu but the
commssion acts all around the region trough it´s
excellent co-operation network.
NFFC can offer free location scouting (up to 3
days for feature films) for the productions and help
in the negotiations with local financiers such as
muncipilities and companies.
Welcome to the Artic North!
NFFC-YourArticPartner
Contact Person
Deputy Film Commissioner
email maija@nffc.fi
tel +358 44 703 7525
Ms Maija Laine
NFFC
More information, location photos etc. from www.nffc.fi
