Where to shoot a New York, London, Middle East or Ancient Rome look in Europe

A real New York or London street shoot means permits, road closures, crowd control, traffic, weather you can't move, and some of the highest crew rates in the world. A backlot removes most of that. You control the street, the time, the extras and the dressing, and you pay Bulgarian rates to do it.

At a glance

Korda's other standing sets are a Renaissance city and a medieval village. PFI's include Washington DC streets, Venice, Monte Carlo and a San Francisco City Hall replica.

The New York set

The New York backlot recreates several neighbourhoods rather than one generic street: Soho and the Cast Iron District, Chinatown, Little Italy and Brooklyn. A commercial that needs two or three distinct New York looks can get them without moving the unit.

• Upper floors are shootable. Some buildings allow shooting from the second, third or fourth floor, and some have practical interiors.
• Ground floors convert. Shopfronts and window displays can be dressed as galleries, pubs, restaurants, cafés or shops.
• Working street furniture. A functioning traffic light and a subway entrance are built in.

The London set

Built around East London and Mayfair, with a replica of the front of St Paul's Cathedral and its square, complete with the statue of Queen Anne. The set includes two bars, an art gallery, more than a dozen office entrances, luxury shops and a subway entrance, with working traffic lights.

One thing to plan for: the London buildings are lower than the New York ones, so the set works best for street-level action rather than towering wides.

The Ancient Rome set

One of the largest Roman sets in Europe, and more than a single facade. It includes Roman streets and alleys, a central city square, open thermae with fountains, baths, villas, temples, gardens, an open market, an arena and training quarters, with practical interiors that can be adapted.

Europe has two other well-known places to shoot Rome. Cinecittà in Rome has a 4-hectare standing Forum and a Roman theatre, suited to civic and religious scenes. Malta's Fort Ricasoli, where both Gladiator films were shot, is a location rather than a backlot: productions build their Roman sets there. Sofia's set is standing, covers everyday Roman life as well as monuments, and sits a short walk from New York and London.

The Middle Eastern street

A standing Middle Eastern street sits on the same lot, a short walk from the other sets, suited to market scenes, alleyways and street action.

For wider Middle Eastern or Central Asian looks, Bulgaria's own geography helps: parts of Plovdiv's old town, the southern plains and traditional villages double convincingly, all within a few hours of Sofia.

More on the same lot

A row of New England clapboard houses for small-town America, and an underwater stage. Because the studio does not demolish its sets, the lot keeps growing, and what exists today includes sets built for major features over two decades.

What else has been made here

The studio has hosted major international productions for over two decades. 300: Rise of an Empire was shot entirely on site. Hellboy, Rambo: Last Blood, Angel Has Fallen and Conan the Barbarian were also made there.

Picture and action vehicles

A large variety of picture and action vehicles is available locally, including vehicles suited to New York and London street scenes. That means a backlot shoot doesn't require shipping cars in, which saves both cost and lead time. Confirm specific models at bid stage.

Why a backlot beats the real street

You own the street. No pedestrians walking through the shot, no traffic, no neighbours withdrawing permission on the day.

No public permits. Access is arranged directly with the facility. Compare that with a city-centre location permit in Sofia at one to two weeks, and far longer and more complex in Manhattan or central London.

Consistent across days. The set looks the same on day two as on day one, so continuity is simple.

Several countries in one week. New York in the morning, London after lunch, Ancient Rome the next day, with the same crew, the same trucks and the same hotel.

Bulgarian rates. A Bulgarian crew costs roughly a third of the equivalent UK crew at published APA rates. Full numbers are in our crew rates comparison.

What a backlot won't do

Being honest about the limits saves you a bad shoot day.

Skyline wides. A backlot street has no Empire State Building behind it. For establishing shots, plan on real location plates, stock footage or a VFX extension.

Height. Upper floors are limited, especially on the London set. Very high angles looking down the street are harder than on a real avenue.

Crowd scale. A packed Times Square look needs a large extras budget and careful framing.

The standard approach is to shoot the action on the backlot and cover the wide establishing shots separately. That combination is how most features and commercials using these sets are made.

Booking and costs

Backlots are charged at a daily rate for shoot days, with a lower rate for prep days while the set is being dressed. Budget at least one prep day for dressing and signage, more if the brief needs specific shopfronts or branding.

Book as early as possible. Availability depends on other productions, and feature films sometimes hold a particular backlot for weeks at a time. Tell us your dates at bid stage and we'll check availability first.

See the sets

Photos of the New York, London, Middle Eastern and Ancient Rome backlots are on our Locations page.

Frequently asked questions

About this guide

Compiled by Vivid Films, a production service company based in Sofia working across Bulgaria, the Balkans and Southeast Europe, with local partnerships in Serbia, Romania, Hungary, Czechia and Poland. Reviewed annually.

If your brief needs one of these looks, send it over and we'll budget the backlot days alongside the rest of the shoot.