Q&A with Alexandra Richter, producer and co-CEO of Camera Crew Germany

KFTV talks to Alexandra Richter, producer and co-CEO of Camera Crew Germany about their services, specialist skillset and the lesser-known filming locations across the country abundant in both medieval and modern aesthetics. 

Please provide details about your company and the services you provide.

Camera Crew Germany was the first crewing company in Germany that started to offer local bilingual crews for international clients from the USA, UK, Asia and Europe. When founding the company 30 years ago, we understood the demand for English speaking camera crews that can anticipate clients' needs while also being able to offer local expertise and being a creative match.

Since then, we've become turnkey solution for camera crews and production services in Germany and Central Europe. Our clients include creative marketing agencies, large corporations, TV channels as well as small production companies. They all value our personable, yet professional approach and together we’ve been building mutually rewarding relationships. Some of our clients have been with us from the very beginning and still request us for their crewing needs.

In addition to offering production services, we also produce our own content which covers sports stories, TV features about current topics, and theatre trailers.

This year we're celebrating our 30th anniversary – proof that the demand for our highly valued crews has not ceased. Experienced and creative bilingual camera operators, sound recordists, etc. are in more demand than ever.


(Helicopter shoot near Frankfurt - Camera Crew Germany)

What specialist equipment or skill set you apart from competition?

The film industry is subject to constant change — new trends, emerging technologies and a rapid change of our clients’ demands – therefore we constantly need to be able adapt to these needs and new requirements. Whether we receive requests for FPV drones, a crew who is experienced with VR technology or have to set up remote shoots for clients abroad – ensuring we’re equipped for all these projects has become a vital part of our job. Furthermore, being able to anticipate and understand the clients’ needs and their creative vision is an essential part of the job. This allows us to find the perfect crew for them and offer them exactly the equipment they're after.

No job is too small or too big for us - whether we're requested to offer a small support crew for a creative team traveling to Germany or extensive production services for big projects – we have proven that we approach all kinds of jobs with the same enthusiasm and professionalism.

Returning clients often ask for a certain DOP or assistant they've previously worked with and request them again for a new shoot because they loved working with them and were thoroughly impressed with their professional and creative output. This is an incredible endorsement for our work and a testimonial that often sets us apart from other companies.

While still offering regular camera crews for corporate shoots, we understand the changing demands of our clients. Therefore, we regularly extend and adjust our portfolio and services by sourcing new crew members for our network of highly skilled professionals. Beyond camera crews, we are happy to offer stills photographers, drone services, studios as well as live streaming services for big and small events. Furthermore, our fixers have offered crucial production support for many international shoots that required intensive pre-production work including scouting locations, organising permits, securing talent and liaising between the German authorities and our client's creative team.


(Camera crew on location - Camera Crew Germany)

What production experience does your team have?

Our Team at CCG caters to a large variety of clients. Whether it's a small documentary project or a high-end corporate shoot - we have an incredibly vast array of highly skilled, friendly and talented freelancers. Our DOPs are hand-selected and we always make sure to pick the most suitable camera operators for each individual request.

They speak the language, so nothing gets lost in translation and they understand the demands of our clients who often only have a limited amount of time to fulfil their project in Germany. They regularly shoot with international clients and understand their specific demands. And they always go the extra mile to deliver the best results possible!

Some of our clients are shooting in Germany or Europe for the first time and we understand that there are differences in the way things are organised in Germany as opposed to the USA or UK. Therefore, we are happy to offer them all the production support they need, advise on local filming regulations and even recommend a hotel or a great restaurant for their stay!


(Interview with Jonas Kaufmann in Munich - Camera Crew Germany)

What is appealing about filming in Germany?

Germany is home to the largest economy in Europe which, highly industrialised and diversified, accounts for around 25% of Europe’s gross domestic production. A lot of US-based companies have German branches, meaning there’s a high demand for those companies to produce content for their German subsidiaries. Whether they’re tech, engineering or pharma-companies – they’re often located within one of the many metropolitan regions of the country – regions in which we can offer local crews.

All economic facts aside, in Germany you’ll find a plentitude of interesting and highly diverse cities which make for unique and intriguing filming locations – from medieval to modern, we’ve got it all!

Frankfurt is a particularly popular filming location: The financial hub of Germany is home to dozens of banks, countless international companies and high-rise buildings that create a unique skyline. Often dubbed as 'Mainhattan', the river Main divides the city with its modern appeal and skyscrapers on one side while still retaining parts of its medieval old town with some stunningly restored half-timbered houses on the other side of the river.

The German Film Commission and various film funding offices are offering a detailed list and recommendations of filming locations in Germany. Additionally, our local fixers and location scouts are happy to advise on unusual and lesser filmed spots off the beaten track.



What are some of the lesser-known filming locations?

Germany offers an incredible array of filming locations. Whether you're looking for urban spots, mountainscapes or a picturesque old town – these can all be found in Germany. If you want to look beyond the baroque splendour of Munich’s impressive architecture or the history-charged, urban feel of Berlin, there are a lot of lesser-known but equally intriguing spots for a memorable shoot. Germany provides a plentitude of UNESCO world heritage sites - from imposing Gothic cathedrals, frontiers of the Roman Empire to modern Bauhaus sites.

Some of my personal favourites include the picturesque castles and vineyards along the Middle Rhine Valley which have been immortalised by all the German Romantic painters and still retain all their fairytale-like beauty. On the other hand, the remnants of Germany’s Industrial Heritage with iconic sites such as the Voelklingen Ironworks or the Zollverein Coal Mines located in the Ruhr region which played an integral part in the industrial revolution can offer an exciting contrast. Both may be lesser known but belong to Germany just as much as Neuschwanstein Castle or the Cologne cathedral! It’s a country full of contrasts and hidden gems guaranteed to offer the perfect location you’ve been looking for!


(BBC shoot in Munich - Camera Crew Germany)

Comment on your region’s incentives and rebate

Germany offers international producers one-of-a-kind production conditions and incentives. Besides a large number of highly unique and attractive shooting locations, we offer studios with state-of-the-art equipment and bilingual, internationally experienced film crews. On top of that the German film industry offers multiple incentive programs and funding opportunities for TV and film productions.

Our crews come with many years of expertise and local knowledge, know the ins and outs when applying for funding, permits and dealing with the local authorities.

Although Camera Crew Germany has started out with providing local crews in Germany we have since extended our network to cover many European countries and regions beyond Germany. Whether our clients need a crew in Amsterdam, the south of France or in Copenhagen – we’ve got them covered! With successful shoots in Scotland, the Ukraine or Istanbul – we’re proud to look back on such an incredible list of locations and exciting shoots we had the pleasure to support with our expertise.

As for large feature film productions, the German Federal Film Fund, an initiative to strengthen film production in Germany offers a rebate of up to 25% of German production costs (depending on your film’s overall budget) if you produce your feature, documentary or animated film in Germany and spend at least 25% of your budget here.

What international projects have you worked on recently?

2022 was an incredibly exciting and rewarding year for our crews. There was a huge number of high-end corporate shoots with our creative DOPs who were often supported by a great crew of gaffers, sound recordists, make-up artists and local producers. But we also covered lots of small projects who were quite interesting nevertheless. I often received positive feedback from my crews stating how interesting their shoot was and how much they enjoyed working on this project.

Some of my personal favourites include a helicopter shoot near Frankfurt: Our DOP got to fly with the local hospital's rescue helicopter, covering a story about new medical technology and shooting incredible footage of the area from above.

In Berlin we organised a local support crew for the American Holocaust Museum in Chicago who were following the story of a WWII survivor who lived in Germany when she was young. They shot a large part of their VR project on ground in Berlin – near the synagogue, at the cemetery and various locations throughout the city. Our local fixer worked closely with the US and UK crew and made sure things ran smoothly during the shoot days.

And lastly, my Munich crew had the great pleasure to film one episode of the BBC show Take me to the Opera. Together with the British host they shot inside the stunningly beautiful Bavarian State Opera and even interviewed the internationally renowned Star tenor Jonas Kaufmann – definitely a shoot to remember!

Each one of our projects is unique, each has its unique challenges but also often means getting to know new clients and connecting them to our crews to transform their vision into reality. Which is why I can hardly wait to find out about the stories we get to tell at Camera Crew Germany in 2023!

This article was written by Priyanca Rajput