stages & backlots

What directors haven’t been able to find on location in the Czech Republic they've been able to build at Czech studios and backlots. Many visiting producers choose Prague stages for all-inclusive shoots, giving them easy access to the city.

Prague offers some of the newest, largest and most sophisticated sound stages in Europe. There are stages for projects of all sizes — and all budgets. Barrandov Studios is one of the largest and most well-known film production facilities in Europe, with a tradition dating back to the 1930s. The company has 14 purpose-built soundproof stages and complete support facilities within minutes of downtown Prague. The largest is the 4,000 square meter MAX, which served The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Barrandov also has a 160,000 square meter backlot which has seen set-builds for A Knight's Tale, Oliver Twist and The Brothers Grimm, among others. The hilltop setting allows for 360-degree shooting and features three pools.

Across town from Barrandov is Prague Studios, another major space supplier. Prague Studios has two stages and a 750 cubic meter water tank which was used in XXX. Prague Studios recently hosted Wanted, and two Emmy award-winning series, Dune and Anne Frank: The Whole Story.

In the southern part of the city, Film Studio Gatteo has five soundstages, plus an 18 cubic meter water tank. Also in Prague, KCD Film Studios offers a combined total of 13,000 square meters of stages. Near Příbram, just a one-hour drive from the capital, North American Pictures also has five stages, three of which are 930 square meters. In addition to these, you'll find in Prague many other smaller studios suitable for TV, commercials and photo shoots.

Prague also has many large, empty warehouses and open lots that can be converted to host large-scale builds and shoots. Guillermo del Toro did precisely this when he shot Blade II here in 2001, as did Christophe Barratier in 2007 with Paris 36.