Film production in Bern
Between June and December, usable daylight in Bern moves by 7h 19min — from 15h 52min down to 8h 33min. An exterior day in December is a different day from one in June. This page carries sunrise, sunset and golden-hour times for all twelve months, the climate profile and the local production landscape.
Light and shooting hours
On 15 June, the sun in Bern rises at 05:36 and sets at 21:27; the evening golden hour starts at 20:40 and runs for 47 minutes. By December that shifts to 08:10–16:42, with a 52-minute golden-hour window from 15:51.
For scheduling, that means the window for the one shot that lives on light runs between 40 and 52 minutes across the year. Put it last in the day and the first overrun takes it.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Golden hour (evening, from) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 08:12 | 17:08 | 8h 56min | 16:19 |
| February | 07:36 | 17:54 | 10h 18min | 17:11 |
| March | 06:45 | 18:36 | 11h 51min | 17:55 |
| April | 06:44 | 20:18 | 13h 34min | 19:37 |
| May | 05:56 | 20:59 | 15h 02min | 20:14 |
| June | 05:36 | 21:27 | 15h 52min | 20:40 |
| July | 05:51 | 21:23 | 15h 32min | 20:37 |
| August | 06:28 | 20:43 | 14h 15min | 20:01 |
| September | 07:08 | 19:45 | 12h 36min | 19:05 |
| October | 07:48 | 18:45 | 10h 57min | 18:04 |
| November | 07:34 | 16:58 | 9h 24min | 16:11 |
| December | 08:10 | 16:42 | 8h 33min | 15:51 |
Blue hour and shooting windows
Blue hour in Bern starts at 21:51 in June and ends at 22:07 — a window of 16 minutes. In December it is 13 minutes from 17:04. If you need a city view with lit windows, that window is all you get.
Sunset moves fastest around the equinoxes: between March (18:36) and September (19:45) there are 69 minutes of difference. A schedule running over several weeks cannot work from one fixed "sunset" time.
Weather and washout risk
Bern averages 17 rain days in May and 11 in September. A three-day exterior shoot in May statistically loses 1.7 days — not a forecast, but the basis for deciding whether a cover set belongs in the budget.
| Month | Mean temperature | Rain days | Sunshine hours/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.5 °C | 14 | 5.2 |
| February | 2.4 °C | 12 | 6.5 |
| March | 5.1 °C | 14 | 8.2 |
| April | 8.4 °C | 13 | 10.0 |
| May | 12.3 °C | 17 | 10.2 |
| June | 17.3 °C | 16 | 11.7 |
| July | 19.4 °C | 15 | 12.5 |
| August | 18.9 °C | 13 | 10.9 |
| September | 14.6 °C | 11 | 9.7 |
| October | 10.1 °C | 12 | 7.5 |
| November | 4.5 °C | 13 | 5.6 |
| December | 1.8 °C | 14 | 5.0 |
Production landscape
Our production database holds 1 companies in Bern with verified film or video production activity, plus 1 training institutions. That is not an industry estimate but the count of vetted records — an entry is only kept when at least two citable production credits back it up.
Planning a shoot here
A schedule that ignores these numbers looks fine on paper and falls over on the day. TillyGen folds sun position, travel and crew availability straight into the schedule — if the exterior no longer fits before sunset in December, the plan says so, not the wrap report.
Frequently asked
When is golden hour in Bern?
In June it starts at 20:40 and lasts 47 minutes; in December it starts at 15:51 and lasts 52 minutes. The table above lists all twelve months.
How much daylight does a shoot day in Bern get?
Between 8h 33min in December and 15h 52min in June. The 7h 19min difference is worth four to eight setups depending on your pace.
Which month is best for exteriors in Bern?
Combining daylight and rain days, July comes out ahead: plenty of usable light with comparatively few rain days. June has the longest days but not necessarily the steadiest weather.