Full-service Location Management in the Heart of Europe

High-End Location Services Provided By Our In-House Department

Last updated on July 6th, 2021

As a production services company operating in Hungary and Austria, Progressive’s services stand on three pillars; production, location and talent casting services. In all areas of our work we strive for perfection and aspire to reach the highest standards, but the quality of our location services has special importance within the company. Since we acknowledge that international productions largely build on location service, we believe that it is very important to ensure exceptionally high quality services in that field, filling in the holes of the Hungarian and Austrian markets. This creates an extremely strong foundation for our company and our productions alike. It was a long journey for Progressive Locations to develop into an independent department within the company. We are very proud that by today the quality of our location service has become one of our company’s trademarks and one of our main advantages on the Central European market.

The Beginning

During our first international productions we would work with freelance location scouts and location managers

Not a long time after the company was founded in 2009, we started to work for the international market. The shooting locations we had to offer had understandably an important role in attracting productions to Hungary. In the early days we did not have our own location database, so for our first international productions with clients from Dubai, Italy, Norway and England, we worked with freelance location scouts and locations managers, which slowed us down in the bidding process, often having to make serious compromises with the quality of the presentations. This is why we quickly became determined to create and build our own location database.

As a company just starting out, we did not have the necessary personal and financial resources to visit all locations personally and to build a large scale database from our own photographs, which is why we tried to get to know more and more types of locations mainly via researching on the internet. Iván and Zoltán, the company’s two founders, thanks to their backgrounds in television, have outstanding editorial skills, so we could assemble high quality image material from the start regardless of the conditions.

The first in our location-database were Budapest’s much-loved shooting locations, such as the Buda Castle

Firstly we collectioned images and information on the most known and loved locations, where previously many other productions were shot, for example the streets beside the Opera House or the Buda Castle. Then this collection constantly grew and we started to think in the widest imaginable range of locations. This is how our database expanded by a huge speed.

Early on we realised that for us to be able to get the most out of our database, we will need a keyword system. But with the technology available nearly 10 years ago, it was only a well systemised folder system of photographs on a desktop, combined with an excel file, enabling us to search and check the information connected to each location.

Location Scouting

The development of our location database was given a huge momentum, when we worked on a large scale American production in 2011 for NBCUniversal. The project with which they contacted us was the shooting of two episodes of the spy series called Covert Affairs. These episodes were set in Moscow, which they wanted to shoot in Budapest. Since the script was full of complicated action scenes, we had to scout more thoroughly than usual, which was why we decided to personally find and photograph the ideal locations for these exciting scenes. This experience made us realise how exciting it is to take such an integral part in planning the scenes during pre-production and therefore becoming part of the creative processes. This is why after the success of Covert Affairs we began to build our database more consciously and started to do proactive scouts weekly.

During the following years we traveled all around the country and got to know all its nooks and crannies. We discovered all its gorgeous castles, its most beautiful natural locations and roamed all Budapest’s streets and squares, even climbing onto rooftops.

During our scouts we met with such people, with whom otherwise we would never get to know

The art deco control room of the Kelenföld Power Plant was one of the most exciting locations that we have scouted

Probably one of the most special places that we visited was the Kelenföld Power Plant’s control room - an unique, art-deco room with a glass roof and all sorts of switches on its walls - where later on we shot with Adrien Brody the promo for the series called Houdini. Next to being able to visit special places that are inaccessible for most people, it is a great experience for us that during our journeys we are able to meet such people with whom otherwise we would never meet.

Progressive has never committed itself to any specific genre. Next to commercials, we have worked on films and TV content, and we are peerless as the only Hungarian production company to execute large scale photography productions. This is why during our scouts, we have special emphasis on not only finding sought after commercial film location types, but also more specific ones with more potential for narratives; locations suitable even for feature films. At the same time we strive to also keep an eye out for tiny details and hidden spots, which can be ideal for a photo shoot.

It is important for us when we scout, that next to creating an objective description for a given location, to also show its creative potential and the exciting frames possible with our photographs

Not only location scouting, but also photography is our passion, which is why we do not only view these places with the practical eyes of an experienced location manager, but also aim to examine the places by the perspective of a director or a photographer. For us it is not only important for us to our scout materials and to simply and understandably present the given location’s facilities, but also to illustrate what kind of photographs can be taken there. We often take spherical panoramas to be able to give a truly complex picture of a space. We also try to find the most exciting viewpoint and frame of each place and to take such photos, which are of such high photographic quality, that can be inspiring for the creative crew.

In order to give an all-embracing picture of each location, we often take spherical panoramas during our scouts

Skilled photographers work in our team, who take their photos with full-frame DSLRs, and are ready to do whatever it takes to discover the widest range of available locations and to show their most exciting faces.

Cloud Based Location Database

Our cloud platform has a vital role in being able to search quickly through our database, which by today consists of tens of thousands of images as well as the information connected to them. When we store them we add keywords to them precisely according to professional, artistic and other aspects, which enables us to use our location database highly effectively and to answer any requests extremely fast. With this system our database is instantly accessible and if needed easily sharable, even from a mobile device.

It is an important mission for us to make Hungary and Austria as a shooting destination as well-known around the world as possible. This is why we made an exceptionally wide extract of our database available online on our website for everyone, consisting of the best locations and the most beautiful photos. The database on the website is merely a fragment of Progressive’s entire database, featuring the most sought for European locations and giving an insight into the colourful range of locations Hungary and Austria has to offer. Additionally, we developed an in-house editor platform called My Selection, with which the visitors can freely create their personal location collections and then share them by a click of a button.

Progressive Locations in Austria

When after years of successful activity in Hungary, we decided to open our office in Austria, it was not a question that we aimed for the same high quality location service as what we had developed in Hungary, which had become our trademark. Naturally for a new company, this meant we needed a lot of resources and energy, so we worked extremely enthusiastically on researching and scouting, since countless exciting locations in Austria awaited us to get discovered. Next to urban locations, exploring the endless stunning natural locations, beautiful crystal-clear lakes, winding mountainous roads and many snowy Alpine landscapes gave us truly extraordinary experiences.

Next to our proactive scouts our Austrian database was brought forward by many exciting projects. For example during our 8 day long shoot with the Australian river cruising company, APT, we discovered numerous iconic Viennese locations, authentic cafés and cobblestone streets. Later on for 20th Century Fox we worked on a documentary with Julie Andrews for the occasion of the 50 anniversary of The Sound of Music, thanks to which we could spend a considerable amount of time in Salzburg. This ensured a unique opportunity to explore this exquisite baroque city.

The storehouse of natural locations in Austria is inexhaustible. Next to the finds of our previous forward-looking scouts, we were able to get to know numerous amazing mountains, roads, forests and lakes in Tyrol when searching for locations for a 360 VR video for Samsung.

By today, we have created an extensive database of Austrian location, thanks to which we can present suitable location options for nearly any kind of request.

Our Location Presentations

Our Cloud based Location Database means an extraordinary help in creating the location presentations that fit the highest standards and artistic taste we expect from ourselves. We aim to reflect with much sensitivity even to the tiniest aspects of a brief. With the Cloud system’s help we can select not only the most suitable location, but also the most suitably composed photograph of the location or of any of its details, that fits to the given script or creative concept. We aim to give such an all-engulfing and strong photo collection, that leaves the client no visual questions unanswered, but still space for the creative team’s imagination, assisting our client’s work.

Next to emphasising the locations artistic potential, we insure that the locations we recommend are also the most ideal for the execution of the production and that the clients get all these kinds of information as well, which is why even during our scout we write detailed notes on the location. Our location file pulls contain information on all its options, like the proximity to the nearest production hub or to the production office, as well as the sun path and the possible needs of the production's logistics or any other departments.

Our location presentations contain the location-options’ proximity from the production office, their sun paths and other notes important for the production

Regardless, we know that even the most vast database can not give a complete answer to all requests, which is why we never spare the time and energy to, for example re-photograph a location again in order to represent its face that fits the brief the most. It was a memorable occasion when we worked on a photoshoot for Nikon in the stunning Keleti train station a few years ago. A production company from Singapore called Amanacliq contacted us about a campaign for Nikon Asia advertising Nikon’s new D610 camera.

From Portugal to China, they searched worldwide for a location for their creative concept of two couples’ romantic moment inside a grandiose, old train station in the moment of sunrise. We knew that the Keleti train station in Budapest would be a perfect location for the realisation of the concept and naturally we already had dozens of photographs of it, which we could have sent out straight away, but we rather waited for the next day and got up before daybreak so that we could photograph the station’s gorgeous, 130 years old building in the magic hour. Although it was Autumn, we were lucky enough to get a clear morning and could take amazing photographs, which was one of the main reasons our client could calmly decide that Budapest was the most ideal location for the shoot.

Location Management

Next to the quality of our photographs, our completely in-house location management has an important role in the success of our location department. Although at the beginning we worked with freelance location managers, when NBCUniversal returned to us in 2013 with another production after Covert Affairs; with Royal Pains. When for one of its scenes we had to close a complete street in the city center on an extremely short deadline, we decided to do the entire permit process by ourselves in order for the communication to be the most dynamic so that we do not lose even a moment because of not being in direct connection with the district’s office. Despite the tight deadline we successfully gained the permit and the production was executed in Budapest instead of Prague or Vienna.

Our in-house location department has a large role in ensuring that our productions are well organized and happen dynamically in a good atmosphere

Since then we do not only scout and present the locations, but the entire location management is in-house as well. Thanks to this, our productions go the smoothest possible, since as a production company we get to know all the parts and details of the given project and because of it being us who discovers the locations, we are in direct contact with the location’s managers, enabling us to communicate with them very quickly and precisely, making our productions highly well-organised and able to flow calmly in a good mood. We have never offered a location to our clients, that did not work out finally. Our in-house location management has proved very useful for celebrity shoots, for example during the organisation of the photo shoot for the GQ magazine’s editorial with Ryan Gosling, because thanks to this the details of the production only reached the most necessary people, enabling to maximize discretion.

We are proud of Progressive Locations’ high quality location service, as well as of being a company with its own location database of Hungary and Austria that has more locations than nearly any production company, location agency and even many film offices in the region. In Hungary there are no location agencies, nor have the local film commission built a location-database, which is why production companies work with their own databases, among which we can bravely state that Progressive has the vastest one available online. Thus, our professional know-how paired up with our extensive database creates a unique value on the Hungarian film and photography market.

At the same time, the fact that we have our own location department, even in Austria means a great advantage, since with the help of our database, we can answer queries faster than our fellow competitors and due to our in-house management we can make our productions location permitting more smoothly flowing and cost-efficient.