Spain’s Diverse Natural Landscapes and Cities, Ranging From Ancient to Ultra-Modern, Make It a Favorite Scouting Spot for International Location Managers

variety.com:

Jamie Lang Big Hollywood and international film and TV shoots have been held in Spain for decades, from “El Cid,” “Lawrence of Arabia” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” to more recent standouts such as “The Crown,” “Game of Thrones,” “Venom: The Last Dance” and “Kaos.” While filmmakers often have the final say in where their film will be shot, and producers are often concerned with the bottom line, location managers almost always serve as the icebreaker when it comes to shooting in a foreign territory.

They’re the first ones to assess the viability of locations, scout the logistical viability of a country and meet with the locals that will contribute to production.

So what is it that attracts these professionals to Spain, and why do they continue recommending the country as a shooting location for their foreign shoots?

The easy answer is that it could be cheaper to shoot in Spain than in the U.S., but that hardly tells the whole story. Spain has been a popular filming location under vastly different forms of government, evolving tax regimes and a period before 2015 of no tax incentives at all.