Germany is the land of wursts and castles, beer by the keg, and incredible old-style villages. Here you’ll find many, but not all are yet turned into stories people should know about. If you’re thinking about doing documentary production in Germany, here is a beginner’s guide on what you must know.
Documentary production in Germany, from start to end
Doing documentary production in Germany is all about balance. Being one of the leading countries in Europe, Germany is not cheap by any means. Luckily, it is not that expensive either. You will feel this in your bills, but for the most of it, doing a video project in this country is manageable by most crews. The first thing you have to do is to make a plan. Write down what you need to do, where you need to film, the people you want to talk to for your interviews. Hire a consultant, or a fixer, before you reach Germany. They will be able to explain things better for you.
When you do get to Germany, make sure you’re starting with the permits, should you require some. Filming in the restricted areas without a permit is going to come with hefty fines for you and your crew. Again, your documentary production in Germany fixer or local guide will cover for you in this regard. Next comes the logistical aspects of the production services. Where is the crew going to sleep, eat and how are you going to move your men from one location to the other.
To better understand how this works best for you, make sure you do a simulation of all of the options beforehand. For example, Germany is doing great on international air travel, connecting Europe with the rest of the world. But when it comes to local plane travel, they’re not great. The train is a much better solution for moving from one village or city to the next.
Where to film in Germany
The narrowest street in the world resides in Germany. It’s called Spreuerhofstrasse, located in the city of Reutlingen. It measures 31 cm (1 ft 0.2 in) at its narrowest point and 50 cm (1 ft 7.68 in) at its widest point. Surely there are no cars that can drive on the street, but it still is considered one by the standards of city living. The entire city and area are worthy of a documentary though, not just the little alley.
Another incredible place that can be the topic of your documentary production in Germany is the Merchant’s Bridge in the city of Erfurt, in the province of Thuringia in central Germany. Looking like the famous bridge with the same name in Florence, the German version of the famous landmark of the Italians is as impressive as its Southern counterpart. Filled with wooden houses and stone pavement, the bridge is one of the very few in the world on which people still live and sell goods today.