The City of Cinematic Action
Turku area has already offered a milieu for dozens of films and TV series. Reima Anttila from The West Finland Film Commission discusses why this is a top-notch location for film professionals. Petri Erkkilä from Filmgate Finland reveals why he is so excited about the chance to create visual effects in his home city.
Why is this such a great location for film professionals to live in, Reima Anttila from The West Finland Film Commission (WFFC)?
Turku area offers a variety of possibilities for different kind of filmmakers both in production and postproduction. The WFFC helps talents with the relocation process, and we also have services for start-ups. Turku is a vibrant city with lots of activities for many interests. Finland is known for good quality of life, a high-standard education system and strong public services.
What is the West Finland Film Commission all about?
It’s about services. It’s about helping the film productions, production companies and film professionals. Come here, and we’ll connect you with the local businesses, film professionals, production companies, studios, and production facilities. We can also help with finding funding and getting filming permits. WFFC, the production companies, and the professionals form a big family, which welcomes everybody to join.
How do you connect new talents with the industry in practice?
When a talent moves here, they can immediately join our register of the film professionals. That is the tool for marketing local professionals to the international productions that come to the area.
What do you think is unique in Turku area from a film-making point of view?
We have a great variety of locations to film in – world’s largest archipelago, beautiful nature, urban and countryside landscapes, and stunning historic locations. We at the WFFC are experts in location scouting. Turku is Finland’s oldest and most international city with an interesting underground scene and buzzing nightlife. The city aims to be carbon neutral by 2029.
Why do you think that Turku is an easy place for a film industry professional to come to?
Turku is a welcoming, film friendly city. The West Finland Film Commission is known for getting things organised quickly and efficiently. The Finnish government supports the film industry, and there are great options for film financing.
What are your expectations regarding the future?
I see a growing wave of international film and TV productions flowing to Finland, and Turku area is a top-notch location for them. The movie hub here in Turku is international and it’s growing – and we want even more talents and companies to be a part of it.
Petri Erkkilä, you work for the production company Filmgate Finland, which opened an office in Turku in 2021. Why are you excited about visual effects?
I like the versality of the job. Visual effects, of VFX, is about creating visions. It can be about enhancing the world depicted on the film, taking out modern elements from historical scenery or creating worlds that don’t exist in real life.
Filmgate Films is based in Gothenburg, Sweden, and has offices also in Stockholm and Turku. It has co-produced over 200 films and TV series. What kind of visual effects does Filmgate specialise in?
Filmgate started with 2D, then expanded to photorealistic matte paintings, and from there continued to 3D and creature animation. Nowadays we do pretty much everything.
When do you know that Filmgate has succeeded in a visual effects project?
Our job is to make our work invisible to the viewer. When things are done properly, the average viewer doesn’t even realise all the things that have been created in postproduction.
Filmgate Finland is hiring! What kind of professionals are you looking for in Turku?
We offer work in interesting international projects. We’re looking for versatile artists who are looking to challenge themselves, expand their skillsets, and of course learn in the process. With us a 2D artist doesn’t just stay doing 2D or a 3D artist just 3D.
How do you see the career prospects of visual effects artists?
I think the future looks good for visual effects artists. They are needed in postproduction in all genres of film and TV, not only in sci-fi and fantasy. With the revolution in streaming, more and more films and TV series are being made, so more and more visual effects professionals are also needed in the industry.