Film production in Shanghai
Between June and December, usable daylight in Shanghai moves by 4h 02min — from 14h 10min down to 10h 08min. 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.
Light and shooting hours
On 15 June, the sun in Shanghai rises at 04:50 and sets at 19:00; the evening golden hour starts at 18:25 and runs for 36 minutes. By December that shifts to 06:46–16:54, with a 37-minute golden-hour window from 16:17.
For scheduling, that means the window for the one shot that lives on light runs between 32 and 37 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 | 06:54 | 17:14 | 10h 20min | 16:38 |
| February | 06:37 | 17:41 | 11h 04min | 17:08 |
| March | 06:06 | 18:02 | 11h 56min | 17:30 |
| April | 05:27 | 18:22 | 12h 55min | 17:50 |
| May | 05:00 | 18:43 | 13h 43min | 18:09 |
| June | 04:50 | 19:00 | 14h 10min | 18:25 |
| July | 05:01 | 19:00 | 14h 00min | 18:26 |
| August | 05:20 | 18:39 | 13h 19min | 18:06 |
| September | 05:39 | 18:02 | 12h 23min | 17:30 |
| October | 05:57 | 17:24 | 11h 27min | 16:52 |
| November | 06:22 | 16:57 | 10h 36min | 16:22 |
| December | 06:46 | 16:54 | 10h 08min | 16:17 |
Blue hour and shooting windows
Blue hour in Shanghai starts at 19:17 in June and ends at 19:28 — a window of 11 minutes. In December it is 10 minutes from 17:10. If you need a city view with lit windows, that window is all you get.
Sunset moves fastest around the equinoxes: between March (18:02) and September (18:02) there are 0 minutes of difference. A schedule running over several weeks cannot work from one fixed "sunset" time.
Weather and washout risk
Shanghai averages 18 rain days in July and 6 in December. A three-day exterior shoot in July statistically loses 1.8 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 | 5.4 °C | 9 | 5.9 |
| February | 6.4 °C | 10 | 6.0 |
| March | 10.9 °C | 11 | 7.2 |
| April | 15.7 °C | 10 | 7.7 |
| May | 20.4 °C | 11 | 8.0 |
| June | 24.1 °C | 17 | 6.8 |
| July | 28.2 °C | 18 | 9.1 |
| August | 28.6 °C | 15 | 10.1 |
| September | 24.4 °C | 14 | 8.0 |
| October | 19.0 °C | 8 | 7.1 |
| November | 13.9 °C | 9 | 6.2 |
| December | 7.0 °C | 6 | 6.4 |
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 Shanghai?
In June it starts at 18:25 and lasts 36 minutes; in December it starts at 16:17 and lasts 37 minutes. The table above lists all twelve months.
How much daylight does a shoot day in Shanghai get?
Between 10h 08min in December and 14h 10min in June. The 4h 02min difference is worth four to eight setups depending on your pace.
Which month is best for exteriors in Shanghai?
Combining daylight and rain days, May comes out ahead: plenty of usable light with comparatively few rain days. June has the longest days but not necessarily the steadiest weather.