Remote filming promotes the Canary Islands as an audiovisual destination

Just a year ago, the Canary Islands audiovisual sector was forced to reinvent itself to overcome a pandemic that threatened to directly affect the sector. To do this, it opted for remote filming through streaming platforms.

By betting on this system, the Canarian audiovisual market became a pioneer in Spain and was at the forefront of Europe in this way of working.

After this year it can be said that the bet has been a success. It is not a question of talking about how many filmings are now done like this in the Canary Islands, the reality is that all the filmings that now take place on the islands already have this way of working integrated.

Jaime Romero, general director of Macaronesia Films coordinators of the initiative explain that this new way of working has brought opportunities and positive things for the Canary Islands: "Recording the first pilot advertisement was a before and after. Firstly, it has led to a significant increase in audiovisual technicians in the Canary Islands, personnel who are trained and specialized, which gives added value. In addition, it has caused the Canary Islands to have specialized material such as underwater cameras or drones, which are established here and their transfer is avoided. All of this favors savings for the production companies, which Hire local staff and make this a pole of attraction for international projects.”

Another point that stands out as very positive is the reduction of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. By having locally trained teams and by having the possibility for management personnel to follow the filming remotely, it makes it possible to avoid costs and pollution due to travel.

A true revolution

Romero himself highlights that it is “an authentic revolution that the entire pre-production, production and post-production process of a shoot can be done remotely.” So much so that this way of working is a pioneer in Spain and there are very few examples in the rest of Europe.

The streaming format is a new filming and production formula in which the physical presence of the director or international team leaders is no longer necessary to carry out the filming. In this way, the creative agency, the clients or part of the technical team can be in their regions or countries of origin, while developing a shoot using interiors and exteriors of the Canary Islands, with local equipment, and complying with all the health risk prevention protocols detailed in the Ministerial Order of May 9, 2020.

Next challenges

Large companies such as Once, Vodafone, Lancome or Decathlon have already opted for this working system for their advertising productions. This revolutionary and future-oriented way of working is now added to the excellent and varied outdoor locations that the Canary Islands have.

Now, the Canarian audiovisual sector has another objective: to attract film productions. The difficulty comes from the size of the files that have to be transferred as they are longer footage. At the moment, the possibility of filming certain scenes outdoors is being considered.

In terms of technology, these are platforms that have an encryption option for sending information to avoid possible theft of the material.

In this regard, Carmelo Ramos, director of Sonimac, explains that the development of technology "is key" for the sector in the Canary Islands: "We are in constant research. We are already adapted to 5G and also to satellite communications. We have 95% of the possibility of having a quality 360º and 12K camera for filming. We must advance in the development of technology to pave the way for filming."

In this sense, Ramos highlights the possibilities of the Canary Islands as a filming destination: "We have an added value which is our nature as an outdoor set, but we must facilitate the development of this technology to be able to compete with Europe, its development is strategic."

Canary Islands, first streaming filming laboratory

He Audiovisual Cluster of the Canary Islands and the Ministry of Economy, Knowledge and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands, through the public company Proexca, promote a model of international remote filming

This project has positioned the Canary Islands as an international destination, favoring the implementation of new filming models in the archipelago. Numerous local companies have adapted their production models through streaming systems, thus opening the way to new filming formulas and generating opportunities for the archipelago's audiovisual sector.

The audiovisual sector is a consolidated sector in the Canary Islands that in 2019 enjoyed a direct investment of 47.5 million euros, more than 1,700 days of filming on the Islands and more than 2,500 direct hires (not counting suppliers and extras), so the opening to new scenarios is driving access to new markets.