Movie Buffs Unite! Visit Your Favourite Movie Sets and See the World!
Many of moviedom’s biggest blockbuster hits are filmed in exotic international locales. Why not get a group together and take off to visit the actual locations with knowledgeable guides who will take you ‘behind the scenes’ and give you the inside scoop about the actors, the challenges of on-site film production, and, of course, about the always-engrossing gossip related to the films? Best of all, you can combine your movie buff interests with all the other sites to see in the country and make it memorable journey both on and off the screen. Our top choices below are an eclectic mix to fit all interests and genres
NEW ZEALAND (aka Middle Earth…)
Home of the Hobbit and Lord of The Rings, the land of the “Long White Cloud” is truly a movie buff’s dream destination. Just three hours south of Auckland, your group will discover the real Middle-Earth at the Hobbiton Movie Set and see the actual scenes and props used in the movies—Hobbit Holes, The Mill and the iconic Green Dragon Inn.
In Wellington, they can experience the Weta Cave Workshop, an immersive film-making experience in this Academy Award-winning design studio. On the South Island, Christchurch and Queenstown visits will not disappoint with their Lord of the Rings Edoras Tour and the Safari of the Scenes tour. These take your group on adventurous 4WD excursions into the hills to see the actual film locations.
GREAT BRITAIN
Great Britain has been a hotbed of movie making for many years, with London as the industry’s hub. One great way to see the sights of England and Scotland is to explore the world of Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling, visiting the colleges, villages, rail stations, and historic buildings used in the films. Go on a guided walking tour of London and scope out the locations for Skyfall, Mission Impossible, X-Men, and The Da Vinci Code. Not to be missed on any group tour is a fascinating visit to the iconic Warner Brothers Studio in Watford just outside London. It is a film buff’s dream!
INDIA
Did you know that India has a 103 year old history of making films and is now the world’s largest film market based on the number of films produced? The Indian film industry is a multi-lingual one, and the largest in the world in terms of tickets sold. Bollywood is supreme here and there is no better way to immerse one’s self in popular Indian culture than to be part of the audience at a couple of Bollywood films in the local cinemas. We will also organize visits to film sets, behind the scenes tours of studios, and, of course, the obligatory sightseeing tour of the stars’ houses in Mumbai. There is no better way to experience Bollywood than in the iconic Indian cities of Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and Mumbai.
MOROCCO
Another surprising movie-making hub is mesmerizing Morocco, located on Africa’s northwest coast. For the past few years it has been the first choice of American film-makers seeking a safe stand-in for the Middle East — the landscape, climate, and Arab cultural backdrop are all very much in demand with the continued popularity of Iraq war films. The ‘Imperial City’ of Rabat has stood in for the shrapnel-strewn streets of Fallujah in American Sniper, while other parts of the country successfully masqueraded as Somalia in Black Hawk Down, Tibet in Kundun, ancient Rome in Gladiator, and even Games of Thrones’s imaginary Westeros. In the foothills of the Atlas Mountains lies the town of Ouarzazate, known as Morocco’s Hollywood where your group can stop for an-depth tour of the studios. Searching out unique film locations combined with visits to Marrakech and Fes will make Morocco another dream destination for cinema lovers.
AUSTRIA
The story and music of the seasonal movie favorite, The Sound of Music, is now entrenched in popular culture and what better way to relive all the favorite scenes from the classic musical than on a customized group tour to Austria? Your group can sing-a-long with their guides as they journey through the streets of Salzburg and its surrounds, visiting the film’s sites while the guides provide historical background on Salzburg’s top attractions and architectural jewels. From the gazebo where ‘Sixteen Going on Seventeen’ was shot to the church used in the beloved wedding scene, to traipsing through those hills, still very much alive after all these years with the ‘sound of music.’ The best part is that we can create an itinerary that combines Austria with other European film locations such as Poland, Germany and France.
