www.lionsdailynews.com friday, june 24 , 2011

n
The Lancia shoot
in Teide national
park, Teneriffe
WHILE life in Greece right now may be temporarily
less stable than the locals would wish
it to be, the economic situation is driving local
production companies to raise their game after
a decrease of about 30% in turnover last year.
“Business was slow,” admits Spiros Mavrogenis, executive
producer at Lynx and president of producers’ association PACT.
“But to address the crisis, production companies are trying to
find creative solutions for agencies and brands at reduced costs
in order to keep business moving.
“This effort seems to be having beneficial effects and, production-wise,
Greece is one of the most cost-effective countries
in Europe thanks to the combination of highly professional crews,
one of the mildest climates in Europe.
“Greece is currently a rapidly growing production service
destination because the crisis, and the consequent price reductions
have become a challenge for local production service companies
who are determined to make the country even more attractive
than it already is.”
The majority of foreign work comes from France, Germany,
the UK, Italy and Poland, with Russia, the US, Japan and the
Middle East also regular visitors:
“There also seems to be a growing interest from Scandinavian
countries,” Mavrogenis says. “In terms of sites, the Olympic
facilities are still quite popular, especially the Olympic stadium
by Santiago Calatrava. But, apart from the famous and obvious
places such as the ancient ruins and the iconic Cycladic
FOCUS ON SOUTHERN EUROPE 51
“PRICE REDUCTIONS HAVE BECOME A
CHALLENGE FOR PRODUCTION SERVICE
COMPANIES WHO ARE DETERMINED TO
MAKE THE COUNTRY EVEN MORE
ATTRACTIVE THAN IT ALREADY IS”
Spiros Mavrogenis, Lynx
islands, Greece has a lot more to offer. We have a very wide
variety of locations ranging from mountains, canyons, lakes,
rivers and large fields, through to impressive modern interiors,
plus both modern and classical exteriors, covering most
location requirements.”
Tenerife and its surrounding forest and volcanic landscapes
are among the most striking in southern Europe, unlike anything
else in the region. It also offers a variety of roads types and
surfaces which have made it a firm favourite for car adverts.
“There is a pine forest in Teide national park where the
trees are arranged in long, perfect straight lines, which is a popular
location, and then there other parts of the forest which are
denser and wild-looking,” Concha Diaz, Tenerife film commissioner,
says. “And cutting through them we have so many different
styles of road, which is why this year we have had shoots for
Nissan, Ford, Toyota, Ducatti and Lancia.”
FRIDAY, JUNE 24,2011