Photography by Jon Deinzer
Last night’s late-May rainfall had saturated the road that ran through town, keeping dirt to a minimum. Nevertheless, my boots stuck to the mud-caked planks as I made my way across the street from the saloon to the general store. From somewhere in the distance, I heard the whinnying of horses in their stables; the church bells, however, were silent. And over at the Z. Pickett Hotel, the door and windows were boarded up tight.
Where is everyone? Was there a showdown set to happen at ‘High Noon,’ or would the townsfolk suddenly spring into action once the rain-soaked road had dried?“This is part of the set we used for the History Channel miniseries Hatfields and McCoys,” explains Bogdan Moncea jovially. “It’s been used in a variety of productions, including Cold Mountain.”
Mr. Moncea is Marketing Director for Castel Film Studios, a full-service production facility 45-minutes outside Bucharest, Romania, who’s currently acting as our tour guide. On a property that exceeds 100 acres, there are sound stages, outdoor sets (such as the aforementioned “old west” town, an urban street, and a medieval village), a horse stable, moveable props in the shape of everything from fabricated haystacks to fiberglass cannons, a full-service cafeteria, and 37-acres of forest.Those acres of forest came in handy during the filming of Cold Mountain, the Anthony Minghella-directed period drama starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger. After months of location scouting for areas of the world that could emulate the American South during the Civil War, Minghella decided that Romania fit the bill - geographically and financially. When elaborate battle scenes needed to be shot, the forest that’s part of the Castel Films’ property was filled with costumed soldiers and transformed into an American battlefield.
The studio had already been in business when Cold Mountain came to town in 2003, but that movie really cemented the reputation of Romania as a fantastic bargain (in terms of production costs), as well as a place where old-world craftsmanship can still be found. Onsite prop shops provide the services of carpenters, fabricators and technicians who can craft and shape moulds, furniture, automotive machines, electrical wiring and metal work. Costume designers and tailors are also on hand to create authentic reproductions of period clothing. In the case of Cold Mountain, over 1,250 historically-accurate Civil War-era costumes were created, including pants, dresses, shirts, boots, gloves, belts, buckles, buttons, emblems and war medals. (Other period dramas that costumes have been created for include Perfume: The Story of a Murder and His Majesty Minor.)
As Mr. Moncea explained to us on our visit, Castel Film Studio is the largest full-service studio and film production company in the country, and one of the busiest in Central/Eastern Europe. With nine available sound stages, lakefront access, the nearby forest, and a cafeteria that can seat up to 200 and cater for 1,200, it’s no surprise that more than 160 feature films and 800 commercials have been shot there. Although we were lucky enough to be treated to a private tour, visitors to Romania can take advantage of a unique opportunity: Castel Film Studios is open to guests. By prior arrangement, groups can coordinate tours of the facility - visiting the sound stages where snowy, winter wonderlands have been created, the medieval village where the film Barbarossa was shot, or the urban street where a car chase might happen right before your eyes.
While you might not see Kevin Costner or Nicole Kidman strolling the rain-soaked streets of a western town while you’re there, you will be captivated by the magic behind the movies shot in a Romanian film studio.
Arrangements to tour Castel Film Studios can be handled through Perfect Tour, Inc., the company that arranged my visit.
Perfect Tour is the third-largest travel company in Romania, and is a widely-experienced travel source when it comes to assisting international film and commercials production in Romania, as well as independent travelers. We worked with its US division, Pacific Perfect Tour, to help us make the connections we needed with the Romanian film production facility. They can be contacted at:
Pacific Perfect Tour
Phone: (818) 726-5151 / Daniela Ionescu
Email: office@perfect-tour.com
For more information go to: http://www.perfect-tour.com/perfect_tour_provides_travel_services_for_movie_production_companies.html
For general information about Castel Film Studios, go to: castelfilm.ro
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