{"id":4981,"date":"2014-10-04T07:26:13","date_gmt":"2014-10-04T05:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/life-is-a-trip.com\/?p=4981"},"modified":"2024-12-22T15:41:20","modified_gmt":"2024-12-22T14:41:20","slug":"exceptional-places-in-and-around-berlin-insider-tips-from-a-location-scout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/life-is-a-trip.com\/en\/exceptional-places-in-and-around-berlin-insider-tips-from-a-location-scout\/","title":{"rendered":"Exceptional places in and around Berlin – Insider tips from a location scout"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have been working\u00a0as a location scout<\/strong> for years, so as the person\u00a0who finds filming locations<\/strong> for TV, movies and photo shoots. I had gotten\u00a0into this job by accident, but I quickly found pleasure in it. Sometimes I almost feel like\u00a0a private investigator<\/strong>, setting off with only a few clues as well as my car and my camera, the two indispensable companions. This job definitely nurses the desire for adventure<\/strong>. And it also pays quite well. And indeed, I have experienced the weirdest things<\/strong> during my search.<\/p>\n

Over the years, the searches brought me to\u00a0even the last corner<\/strong> of Berlin and its surroundings. In conversations, I realized soon that I knew more places in the capital than\u00a0most locals<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A little later, I also started working\u00a0as a location and production manager<\/strong>, and it was often very\u00a0interesting to see which locations actually made it into the final shoots.<\/p>\n

Of course, I often searched for extraordinary places<\/strong>, but sometimes, the task was\u00a0‘only’ to find a doorway<\/strong> or a florist<\/strong>. But even that would sometimes\u00a0lead me to corners that had so much more to offer.<\/p>\n

I have now gone through my personal database<\/strong> in search of exceptional locations in and around Berlin\u00a0you might not yet\u00a0know. I have a\u00a0little anecdote<\/strong> to each location\u00a0and in some cases even a link to the finished films<\/strong>. Et voila!<\/p>\n

Berlin Architecture<\/h2>\n

Berlin is bursting with extraordinary architecture<\/strong>. But ‘extraordinary’, in this case, probably reaches from one\u00a0end of the aesthetic spectrum<\/strong> to the other. Many of the usual suspects<\/strong> are known well enough. But how about\u00a0the following places?<\/p>\n

Philological Library of the Freie University<\/h3>\n
\"Philological
Philological Library of the Freie University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even many a student of the Free University<\/strong> has never\u00a0seen this exceptional library<\/strong> from the inside. But it\u00a0looks like some\u00a0kind of spaceship<\/strong>, absolutely trippy! It is the work of British star architect Norman Foster<\/strong> (also responsible for the dome of the parliament), which was not completed until 2005. Prior to the building of the library, the so-called ‘rust alcove’<\/strong> really had little to offer to the eye. I remember well my own dreary studying down there in Lankwitz<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I have already photographed and suggested the library<\/strong> several times, but cannot actually remember that the place has ever been chosen for a shoot.<\/p>\n

Animal Shelter\u00a0Berlin<\/h3>\n

\"Animal<\/p>\n

You wouldn’t really expect exceptional architecture<\/strong> in an animal shelter. But this is Berlin<\/strong>, baby!<\/p>\n

The shelter in Berlin Falkenberg (Marzahn area) has\u00a016 hectares of land which makes it one of the largest in Europe<\/strong>. Its futuristic design of geometric shapes is the work of\u00a0Berlin architect Dietrich Bangert<\/strong>. Besides the fact that the shelter is a real feast for the eyes<\/strong>, it offers a perfectly equipped home for temporarily homeless animals of all kinds.<\/p>\n

A few years ago, I accompanied a photo shoot for Spanish fashion<\/strong> here. It may sound\u00a0morally doubtful\u00a0when models in expensive clothes are surrounded by hundreds of animals<\/strong> looking for a new owner. But in fact, the location rent<\/strong> goes directly to the animals and the things needed to make their stay bearable. That’s why I would actually love to bring more\u00a0projects here, preferably financially strong ones<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Berlin Stock Exchange<\/h3>\n

\"Berlin<\/p>\n

The Berlin Stock Exchange is often used to tell the\u00a0future<\/strong>, particularly the large open hall with the futuristic elevators<\/strong>. Architect Nicholas Grimshaw<\/strong> has created the so-called Ludwig-Erhard-Haus<\/strong>, an absolutely extraordinary building, which knows how to impress optically both from the outside and from the inside. Model for the exterior look of the building was, interestingly enough, an armadillo<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

If you want to see this truly special place, you can simply walk in. The building is also home to the IHK<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I have already filmed there\u00a0several times. The most famous thing I did there was certainly a scene from ‘Mr. Nobody ‘\u00a0<\/strong>by Jaco Van Dormael<\/strong>, where the hall is playing a hospital in the future. But\u00a0I have to\u00a0mention that, in this movie, I only worked for the so-called 2nd Unit<\/strong> (stunts and extras), while the filming\u00a0in the stock market, was done by\u00a0by the 1st Unit (the main team with the well-known actors such as, in this case, Jared Leto<\/strong>). I have worked 4 weeks altogether for this movie. The fruits of this stressful time take up\u00a0an amazing\u00a08 seconds<\/strong> (!) of the film …<\/p>\n

Tree House\u00a0Fischerinsel<\/h3>\n

\"Tree<\/p>\n

This tree house<\/strong> is not easy to find, however, it has already scored quite a few\u00a0architectural awards. A work of up-and-coming\u00a0architects Legeer<\/strong>, it is made entirely of wood and perfectly adapts to the foundation-giving tree. It is located on the Fischerinsel<\/strong> in Mitte, on a\u00a0playground right between the two high-rise buildings. Once\u00a0you’re\u00a0already there, you should also check out the boat museum<\/strong>\u00a0next door.<\/p>\n

I filmed quite a big TV commercial\u00a0<\/strong>here\u00a0after I had learned about this place through\u00a0friends and then proposed it to the director<\/strong>. Unfortunately, the scene did not make it\u00a0into the final cut after all.<\/p>\n

Berlin ruins, lost places\u00a0and\u00a0dilapidated buldings<\/h2>\n

Dilapidated buildings and industrial ruins<\/strong>\u00a0have become a lot scarcer in recent years. However, you can still discover some of these places, due to Berlin’s wall history<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Former NSA listening station\u00a0Teufelsberg<\/h3>\n
\"Former
Former NSA listening station\u00a0Teufelsberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This place is no real secret anymore, now\u00a0being recommended\u00a0in virtually every guidebook<\/strong> as an insider tip. Also, it gets\u00a0harder and harder to get into the grounds (however, there are now great tours!). But the former listening station of the Americans and British, left over from the Cold War<\/strong> still exudes an exceptional, apocalyptic atmosphere<\/strong>! Not to mention the unbeatable views<\/strong> over the entire city. Things get even more exciting when you learn that David Lynch<\/strong>\u00a0recently wanted to buy the place in order\u00a0to establish it as a spiritual\u00a0headquarters<\/strong> for his sect!<\/p>\n

Many people wanted to film here\u00a0already, few have actually done it. I myself have filmed here only once – exhausted, half frozen and on my last leg: a scene of a very popular Levi’s commercial<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/youtu.be\/pnNblizjuEk<\/p>\n

Beelitz Heilst\u00e4tten<\/h3>\n
\"Heilst\u00e4tten
Heilst\u00e4tten Beelitz (a little out of focus, but with the best production vehicle ever)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Just a little outside of\u00a0Berlin (about 1 hour) you can find the fantastic ruins of an old sanatorium<\/strong>. It almost physically hurts that the large buildings<\/strong> are now completely rotting away, but unfortunately no one can be found who wants to pay for the repair<\/strong>. Although the area is fenced, unwanted visitors\u00a0often find their way in. Among them are also some satanists who sometimes\u00a0cut off chickens’ heads<\/strong> in one of the hundreds of rooms…<\/p>\n

You can book tours with a guide<\/strong> where you can learn a lot about the terrain (such as all the satanist stories). Or you can sneak in on your own\u00a0which I explicitly don’t recommend\u00a0because it is illegal<\/strong> and also quite dangerous.<\/p>\n

I have worked\u00a0here several times, taking care of film and photo teams, while often\u00a0meeting other crews<\/strong> in the extensive grounds. The last time I oversaw a Danish fashion shoot<\/strong> and had to fight with a rival photographer over\u00a0one of the completely destroyed rooms! Very often\u00a0the biggest challenge in jobs of this kind: The egos<\/strong> of the participants …<\/p>\n

Melchiorstrasse<\/h3>\n
\"Melchiorstrasse\"
Melchiorstrasse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the middle of Kreuzberg<\/strong>\u00a0sits this huge ruin, a dead spot amidst the otherwise lively neighborhood. Maybe one of you has already spotted the squatted shell of a building<\/strong>\u00a0in K\u00f6penicker Strasse. The Melchiorstrasse ruin sits directly behind that. However, the entrance to this former post office<\/strong> is\u00a0located on the opposite side.<\/p>\n

And here you really cannot get in by yourself, unless maybe\u00a0you are a\u00a0parkour pro. But you can get in touch with the current owner of the land<\/strong> who has been\u00a0in negotiations with the city of Berlin for a while, trying to find out\u00a0what he can do with these\u00a0sprawling grounds. If you’re lucky, he hands you\u00a0the key to the completely dilapidated premises<\/strong> and you can look around. But quite honestly, I’m afraid, a visit of this kind is\u00a0reserved to location scouts<\/strong> like myself…<\/p>\n

S-Bahn-Rondell Pankow<\/h3>\n
\"S-Bahn-Rondell
S-Bahn-Rondell Pankow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Every once in a while I passed by this exceptional place<\/strong>, an old train workshop<\/strong>.\u00a0Every time, it had fallen apart a little more,\u00a0and each time I wondered how it looked like inside. Last year I managed to finally get in! Visitors aren’t really welcome<\/strong> here either, but ist fairly easy to get into the pretty destroyed building. Caution: You can very easily hurt yourself here!<\/strong> Overall, this whole area is rather weird\u00a0and you can easily get lost. Right up my alley! You can find it\u00a0directly at the stop Pankow-Heinersdorf (S-Bahn)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I have suggested\u00a0the place for a fashion commercial<\/strong> once, but then had to find out that it is almost impossible to obtain a permit for this. So I will probably not suggest\u00a0it another time.<\/p>\n

Kraftwerk Rummelsburg<\/h3>\n
\"Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk Rummelsburg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also one of those places which\u00a0is less and less secret<\/strong>. Besides, it\u00a0will probably not continue to exist for much longer. Because the whole area around Obersch\u00f6neweide<\/strong> has been proclaimed the next big thing<\/strong>\u00a0in Berlin already\u00a0two years ago. Once you’re there, you realize that it mighty actually still take a while before Obersch\u00f6neweide’s fame. However, along the water of the Rummelsburger Bucht<\/strong>\u00a0there are plenty of weird things<\/strong> to discover! My absolute recommendation for an autumn bike ride, easy to combine\u00a0with the Berlin Wall Trail (Here<\/a> is my complete route recommendation).<\/p>\n

I recently filmed in\u00a0Kraftwerk\u00a0Rummelsburg<\/strong> for a bike commercial, its basement playing a packed, dusty dance club. Not far from it, we were preparing for\u00a0a few stunt\u00a0scenes of a Hollywood blockbuster<\/strong> starring John Cusack<\/strong> in 2007.\u00a0Some of the stunt folks also responsible\u00a0for the James Bond movies<\/strong> were cutting apart\u00a0expensive Jaguar sports cars<\/strong> only a few blocks down the road! But then the whole thing, unfortunately, went bankrupt on the day before the main shooting began. A story pretty much everyone<\/strong> involved in the film scene knows about…<\/p>\n

Klinikum Buch<\/h3>\n
\"Klinikum
Klinikum Buch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This former tuberculosis hospital<\/strong> in the village of Buch<\/strong>, not far from Berlin, was decaying<\/strong> for a while after the wall had come down. However, my research has just shown that it is currently being transformed into a huge living quarter<\/strong>. Well, I can probably take this folder out of my database<\/strong> then…<\/p>\n

Spreepark Pl\u00e4nterwald<\/h3>\n
\"Spreepark\"
Spreepark Pl\u00e4nterwald<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Spreepark<\/strong> is another place that almost every tourist seems to be aware of nowadays. Again and again people find their own way into the premises, which I can not really recommend as there are security guards and vicious\u00a0dogs<\/strong>. But even more important: If you explore the huge area along the Spree river on your own, you will probably never find out about the fascinating story<\/strong> behind it. That’s why this is a place where I totally recommend a guided tour<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

Innumerable scenes have already been filmed in this\u00a0unique terrain<\/strong>, such as a long sequence of the great film Hanna<\/strong>. I have only taken care of a team for the shooting of a British fashion label, inspired by BDSM – an experience of a different\u00a0kind. However, I was particularly impressed by the fact that you can move the giant ferris wheel<\/strong> with your hands! And what I also learnt that day: I need a pedal boat swan<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

Anyone who is interested in the Spree Park should watch this film:<\/p>\n