Location scouting and shooting permits: how Moscow Cinema Commission helps create movies

August 27 is the Day of Russian Cinema. On this day, there are movie screenings, meetings with cinematographers, thematic exhibitions, tours, and workshops in Moscow.

This holiday dates back to 1919 when the Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union adopted the Decree on the Nationalization of Cinematography in Russia. All private cinemas, studios, rental companies, all photo and cinematographic trade came under the charge of the People's Commissariat for Education.

The capital supports cinematography and those who make movies. A striking example is the City Interdepartmental Commission on assisting in organization of movie shooting in Moscow, established on February 20, 2018 as was instructed by Sergei Sobyanin. Over the four yeas of its work, the commission has received 1,500 applications and coordinated 4,500 shooting locations. Their services include consultations on how to organize and conduct shooting in Moscow and assistance in cooperation with municipal and federal structures, as well as commercial organizations, and so on. All assistance is provided free of charge.

Underground and on water: unusual shooting locations in Moscow

The services of the commission are in demand, there are shootings all year round.

"Moscow is a huge movie set, which makes creation of movies of any genre possible. Usually, moviemakers come to us with a clear idea of what the director wants to see in the picture and the operator on camera. We get the most difficult part, i.e. identifying the owner of this or that location and getting their permission to shoot, that is about interiors.  Shooting exteriors is much easier," says Anastasia Zuyenko, Head of the Department for Assistance in Organizing of Film Shooting.

These days, the most popular shooting locations are the streets and alleys of old Moscow, the downtown and the Moscow City business center, Zhivopisny Bridge, White Square, the Krasny Oktyabr art space, VDNKh, Park Pobedy, and Zaryadye Park. The traffic system is also popular among cinematographers. Apart from popular tourist sites where anyone can go, shooting happens at inaccessible places hidden from the eyes of city residents.

"We coordinate shooting not only on the ground, but also underground, on the water and underwater. Recently, we coordinated shooting at a location in the jurisdiction of the Federal Protective Service, in a secret collector and in the waters of the Moskva River in the city center, stunt scenes were included," said Anastasia Zuyenko.

Over the last year, various movies and series have been shot in Moscow, including Love of the Soviet Union by Dmitry Iosifov, Vampires of Central Russia by Dmitry Gribanov, Tsitsgender by Radik Rakhimov, At the Call of the Heart by Igor Ugolnikov, The Challenge by Klim Shipenko, Poor Abramoviches by Ilya Farfel, Actresses by Fedor Bondarchuk, and so on.

Not only major movie companies but also students of industry-specific universities shoot in Moscow. During its work, the commission has approved over 200 student course papers and theses and assisted those projects.

Seeing shooting locations: the image of Moscow created by cinematography will attract more tourists

The Moscow Film Commission makes the capital even more popular not only for cinematographers, but also for viewers and tourists. The Commission believes the city’s image created by cinematography has a dramatic impact on tourism.

"The change of seasons has almost no effect on movie tourism, which makes it an excellent source of stable extra income. For moviemakers, it is another way to draw attention to their product or remind of it at the right moment. And for fans, it is a chance to see their favorite places with their own eyes. The more Russian movies enter the international market, the more attention we will attract to the beauty of our country and capital," says the Commission representative.

The Moscow Tourism Committee agrees that movies about the city capturing interesting places and landmarks sometimes encourage people to go there.

"When tourists come to Moscow, they always want to learn unusual facts about the place: what happened there or, for example, what movies were shot there. Locations from movies and series become landmarks, attract tourists, and influence their choice of trip destinations. For example, after the movie Tsar was released, many tourists wanted to see Shchurovo Gorodishche, a museum and a unique complex of live history in Suzdal, created with the use of decorations," notes Sergey Zimin, Director of the Ruspass tourist service supervised by Mosturism.

Ruspass has a lot of similar thematic routes. For example, Moscow from Movies is very popular with users. It combines 13 places about eight movies, including Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears, The Twelve Chairs, Brother 2, and so on.

Both tourists and Moscow residents can walk along and examine shooting locations of popular movies. For example, while walking along Gogolevsky Boulevard, many people recognize the place where one of the most dramatic scenes of Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears was shot. Besides, movie fans also enjoy the high-rise building on the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment since one of Brother 2 scenes was made there. Such a format of walking around the city is popular both with children and adults, as this is both healthy and amusing. The Moscow from Movies route has an audio tour by guide Daria Bulgakova and Evgenia Rozanova, actress of stage and screen and the host of the Russpass. Travels travel show.