Audiovisual filming in Tenerife broke all its records in 2021

The investment in filming in Tenerife broke its historical record in 2021, with an estimated economic impact of 58.3 million euros, a figure that doubled the 28.8 million in 2018, the best record so far.

The result of the balance, carried out by Tenerife Film Commission, the Tenerife Tourism brand designed to promote the island as a setting for audiovisual productions, confirms its consolidation as priority destination for audiovisual filming from the main international markets, after the parenthesis caused by the pandemic in 2020.

The main impetus behind this growth is due to a greater demand for live-action series. The production of television fiction, the content most consumed by users of the main platforms, by its nature lengthens the time spent by film crews. In addition, a good part of the audiovisual projects produced during 2021 in Tenerife have had access to the attractive tax incentives offered by the Government of the Canary Islands.

Last year, the island hosted the filming of nine series, four more than in 2019. Among them, high-profile international titles such as The Money Heist, of Netflix, produced by Vancouver Media; Foundation, production of Skydance TV to Apple TV+, o Crossfire, miniseries that BBC Studios coproduces with RTVE, both filmed with Sur Film service. The production of the series also stands out Camp Newton, with participation of Disney Channel, Secuoya Studios, Dopamine y Álamo Audiovisual, filmed in summer with service Party team.

190 audiovisual productions

In total, they were 190 the audiovisual productions developed on the island during the past year, exceeding the 2019 figure by 24%, which had until then been the best year in terms of volume of projects, with 153 productions. Altogether, the audiovisual productions added 1,207 days of filming in Tenerife in 2021, compared to 443 in 2020 or 750 in 2019.

The productions that took place in 2021 generated revenue of 58.3 million euros for the destination, between hiring personnel and equipment, as well as accommodation and subsistence expenses. These productions involved the hiring of 3,511 (technical and artistic) y 5,057 (extra) hires, compared to the 1,187 and 320 required respectively during the previous year, according to data from the Tenerife Film Commission.

Spain was the main territory of origin for these productions, with a total of 70, of which 36 correspond to local filming. 48 productions arrived from Germany and another 48 from the rest of the European Union. Of the United Kingdom, 14 projects opted for filming on the island, while America 10 did it.

European fictions

In 2021, there have been many filmings of fiction projects originating in Western Europe, including the German series The Gryphon based on the fantasy genre bestseller by Wolfgang and Heike Hohlbein, a production for Amazon Studios of W&B in collaboration with DogHaus movie and services on the island by On Film. For its part, UFA filmed a new installment of the popular German series Balko, which returns under the title Balcony Tenerife and that has had production services Film Canary Islands. In addition, UFA Fiction took the filming of the series to the island The ship's doctor to RTL.

They also filmed in Tenerife, with transportation service. Orange Valley, both Swedish fiction Ture Sventon 2, production of Jarowskij AB for the platform SVOD C More, like the Finnish film Hit Big, production of Comet Film. The presence of the large SVOD platforms in Tenerife also came through feature films such as mother's love, production of Morena Films to Netflix.

Eduardo Campoy, from Alamo Productions, film partner of Secuoya and producer who usually chooses to film on the island, produced the comedy there last year everyone does it, starring Salva Reina and Kira Miró, and The Test, a production for which he partnered with Warner Bros. and Atresmedia Cine. Party team served both titles.

Among the local feature film shoots, the following stood out: Kill crabs, of Omar Al Abdul Razzak, produced by Mayi Gutiérrez for Tourmalet Films, in co-production with Ice Water Films of the Netherlands, and Same, a film written and directed by Jennifer Castañeda from Tenerife and produced by Nostrana Films.

Advertising, photography, video clips, non-fiction…

By type of production, the sessions advertising y photograph were the most numerous, with 44 projects each. In the first field, French productions Libre stand out Yves Saint Laurent, by Iconoclast (starring British singer and model Dua Lipa), and Imagination Louis Vuitton, of Iconoclast, which were recorded in Tenerife with a Volcano Films. Among the automobile advertising filmed there are Dacia Duster, French production of Division y Stable, y Volkswagen ID.4 GTX, in charge of On Film. Also relevant has been the growth in the number of video clips filmed, a total of 11, which attracted stars such as Shakira, who recorded Don’t Wait Up to Sony Music Entertainment.

Tenerife also hosted a total of 23 non-fiction television programs, among them three international reality shows, a type of production that has managed to gain a foothold on the island: Love Island Season 5 Winter, Love Couples (both productions for ITV Germany), y Ex On The Beach, for MTV in the Netherlands. In addition, Raw TV recorded for National Geographic the docuseries Locked up Abroad (Prisoned Abroad), with production services from Sur Film.

Animation: growing industry

As for the animation industry, last year they completed ten series, another historical record. According to estimates by the Tenerife Film Commission, animation production represented a 60% of total economic investment in 2020. However, the percentage in 2021 has become 26% (15.1 million euros) due to the significant increase in the number of live-action filming.

The animation productions were mostly series, among them the projects of World TV Studios MeteoHeroes, Dragon Disc, Robot Trains 3 y Nina & Olga; the british Arpo. The Robot, production of 3 Doubles to Moonbug Entertainment; Tara Duncan, French series Princess Sam Pictures for Disney Channel that had services of In Atlantis Effect; the german Pettson and Findus S3, de Bwater, y The BeatBuds, Let’s Jam!, produced by SB Projects in association with Cyber Group Studios and services Tomavision.

Furthermore, Spanish companies Big Bang Box, which featured 3 Doubles for the production of Momonsters T2, and The Animated House, con Cleo S3, contributed to the activity of the thriving island animation industry. Also worth highlighting is the animated feature film Space Jam: A New Legacy, produced by the Canadian studio Tonic DNA to Warner Bros., with support from Tomavision.