We thought we’d lay down the benefits of filming in each season. If you have a script or an idea that you are excited about producing, this will help you decide when to get the cameras outside.
If your film is clearly set in a certain season, pick that one or fake it as best as you can! If you’ve written a film about a conversation in a coffee shop or even a fight scene, it could be set at any time!
Spring
I think we should talk about late Spring. Early Spring is too cold and similar to winter – definitely not worth a mention.
In late Spring, it’s good enough to enjoy outside. The flowers are blooming, the leaves are growing back. Would you like this to symbolise something in your film? March and April can be a nice time to shoot or even release a film with an optimistic message. People are still looking forward to the year (mainly summer) ahead, but with the holiday feeling kicking in for Easter and festivals opening up.
If Summers too late for you but you need to shoot outside, Spring is not a bad shout. There’s enough hours to shoot at night and in the day you can visit more outdoor public spaces without the winter coldness or the summer rush.
Summer
Adventure movies, summer holiday films, children’s classics.. Summer is a great time to shoot outside weather-wise. We’ve probably got a lot of frowns for saying this, but we live in the UK! Summer grants us tolerable heat.
Movies with good endings are recommended for summer, but your script could flip that typical setting on its head like ‘Death in Paradise’. The point of this article isn’t to decide for you, it’s to remind you that everything in your film can be considered! The colour of the walls, a handbag, the weather, the time. Mise-en-scene is vital, have fun with it!
If you plan on setting the majority of your film at night, Summer is probably not your season. However, midday scenes shot on the 21st June are bound to be efficient.
Autumn
Autumn is amazing for films that aim to look beautiful and positive. Colourful trees and falling leaves are great for a romantic setting. Autumn’s ‘golden hour’ (near sunset) is spectacular. It’s a great reason to pick this season. As days get shorter, you have lots of time to shoot at night. Shooting night scenes in the summer is not good for sleep patterns.
Depending on where you shoot, it could get super cold in Autumn. Bare this in mind if you intend to shoot for a while outside.
Winter
If you live in an area that doesn’t snow for weeks on end, winter is the perfect season to shoot horror and thriller movies. There’s no leaves on trees, the light is cooler and we believe you are more likely to be left alone whilst shooting. From past experiences, pathways and natural locations like beeches and woodland are usually emptier thus creating a more immersive experiences.
We’ll skip festive films because winter would already be an obvious choice. Festive decorations have disrupted continuity and are always a constant problem for movie makers who wish to film near shops and houses. Bare this in mind before you plan on shooting your halloween adventure in front of a blow up Santa.
The biggest downside of winter is that your cast and crew (and you) will be frozen. If you plan on filming outdoor scenes in winter, make sure to have access to a heated indoor location and provide extra hot drinks and warm clothes for everyone. I’d advise waiting till it gets warmer unless you are struck for time or winter is essential to the plot. Remember, you can fake any season. It’s the movie business!