Why Communities Matter

As we wrapped the Ylä-Savo leg of principal photography for Crème de la Crème, a series produced for Finland’s public broadcaster Yleisradio (YLE), I found myself thinking less about cameras, schedules and logistics, and more about the communities that surround film and television productions.

Of course, there is always the group of people who work on the project itself. It is an incredibly diverse community of people from different walks of life who, for one reason or another, have chosen to work in film and television production. There are carpenters, camera operators, actors, runners, make-up artists and, of course, us—producers—whose responsibility is to finance the production, make sure everyone gets paid for their work, ensure that all rules and regulations are followed, and ultimately deliver the finished production to both financiers and audiences.

And then there is the community that welcomes the project. They are the people who rent us their houses and cars, those who devote their time to appear as extras in the big scenes, and those who simply happen to cross paths with the production crew. The generosity and commitment of these people is a gift we never take for granted.

When we were filming Crème de la Crème in places such as Vieremä, Iisalmi and Kiuruvesi, the local communities welcomed us into their everyday lives. They did so with genuine warmth, hospitality and generosity.

Film productions often arrive as temporary visitors. We borrow streets, buildings, landscapes and moments that will remain long after we have packed up the last truck—places that often mean far more to the local people whose families may have lived there for generations. When we arrive, we do our very best to build trust and respect, and to portray their homes and communities on screen in a way that can be appreciated by the locals, the audience, the filmmakers and our financiers alike. When that relationship is built on trust, curiosity and genuine collaboration, something special happens. The production stops feeling like an outside event and starts becoming part of the place itself.