The Otago film industry is hoping to reel in more international productions after New Zealand was this week named one of the top 10 filming locations in the world.
The December issue of leading United States film locations magazine P3 Update listed New Zealand, Australia and Canada as the best countries for filming movies.
And production costs in New Zealand were 20% cheaper than Australia and 32% cheaper than Canada.
"The good thing about New Zealand is that it's a small country but has almost every terrain and climate you could ask for - and good infrastructure," Miami Vice and C.S.I. location manager Ron Carr, of California, told the magazine.
Film Otago Southland executive manager Kevin Jennings, of Queenstown, said the southern South Island was considered an international film-making mecca.
"One of our particular strengths, south of Waitaki, is that in a very short distance things change dramatically. Commercials might come for three or four days of shooting and they want five or six different locations.
"Over the course of the year, Dunedin, Central Otago, Queenstown and around Glenorchy, the Catlins, Oamaru and the Poolburn dam all get quite a bit of stuff. They're easy to get to and you've got lush green hills, with snowy peaks in the background. Places like the Snow Farm at Cardrona are a real asset to us, too.
"It has consistent snow in winter you can drive to," Mr Jennings said.
"We've also got a well-known reputation now for delivering the goods, as we've also got the infrastructure, equipment and crew here. But, the key appeal of shooting international movies in our region is the pristine environment. The southern New Zealand landscape offers mountains, lakes, rivers, fiords, bush-clad coastlines, alpine passes, gold-mining cottages, 19th-century stone buildings and Art Deco townships.
"Although, I'm often surprised at what they go for - the dry, barren look with braided rivers. They're looking for shapes and patterns they can use as a backdrop for their products. Wolverine even shot some stuff at the old Burnside cement works."
Recent films produced or post-produced here include 10,000 BC, Lord of the Rings, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, Vertical Limit, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, Halo, The Wind in the Willows, Avatar, Spartacus, 17 Days of Winter, Yogi Bear, Ice, The Warrior's Way, District 9 and The Lovely Bones.
In February, Oscar-winning director Jane Campion will start a four-month shoot of her new mini-series Top of the Lake in Glenorchy and Queenstown.
"I am in love with the intense beauty of southern-most New Zealand and am excited to be setting a story in this end-of the-world paradise," the New Zealand director said when announcing the location.
Figures released by Statistics New Zealand in March revealed the film industry was worth more than $2.8 billion to the New Zealand economy in 2010.
