Film production in United Kingdom
United Kingdom is covered here with 13 locations. Between the longest and shortest day, usable light swings by up to 10h 33min depending on where you shoot — planning across the country is not planning one single kind of day.
Locations at a glance
The table shows June and December daylight for each location — the two numbers a schedule hinges on across the year.
| Location | Daylight June | Daylight December | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | 17h 34min | 7h 01min | 10h 33min |
| Glasgow | 17h 33min | 7h 02min | 10h 31min |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 17h 20min | 7h 13min | 10h 07min |
| Belfast | 17h 14min | 7h 18min | 9h 56min |
| Leeds | 17h 04min | 7h 27min | 9h 37min |
| Manchester | 17h 00min | 7h 31min | 9h 29min |
| Liverpool | 16h 59min | 7h 32min | 9h 27min |
| Sheffield | 16h 58min | 7h 32min | 9h 26min |
| Birmingham | 16h 48min | 7h 42min | 9h 06min |
| Cardiff | 16h 36min | 7h 52min | 8h 44min |
| London | 16h 36min | 7h 52min | 8h 44min |
| Bristol | 16h 36min | 7h 53min | 8h 43min |
| Brighton | 16h 29min | 7h 59min | 8h 30min |
What that means for planning
Edinburgh has the widest swing at 10h 33min, Brighton the narrowest at 8h 30min. The wider the spread, the more a schedule has to differ between summer and winter — same setup count, different hours to fit it in.
Concretely: in December, the sun in Edinburgh sets at 15:39, with golden hour starting as early as 14:20. Put the exterior at the end of the day and you shoot it in the dark, or not at all.
TillyGen folds each location's sun position straight into the schedule. An exterior that no longer fits before sunset in December is flagged in the plan, not discovered on the day. The same calculation sits behind every location page for this country.
Film incentives and rebates
The UK's AVEC returns an effective ≈ 25.5 % of UK core expenditure; smaller independent films qualify for the enhanced IFTC rate. With Pinewood, Shepperton, Leavesden and Europe's deepest crew base, the UK remains the default for large studio work; certification runs through the BFI's cultural test.
What that means in practice depends on the qualifying share: on a €1m budget with 80 % qualifying spend, the 25.5 % rate returns roughly €204,000. Provided without warranty. Permit and incentive conditions change; the responsible authority is always the binding source.
As of: 2025-04 · Source: gov.uk / BFI certification
Permits and local requirements
Filming permits are granted locally almost everywhere, not nationally: the city or district you shoot in is the responsible body, and processing times differ considerably within the same country. Public space, traffic areas and drone flights each run through separate procedures.
File early enough that a refusal still leaves room for a cover location — not so late that the permit becomes the condition for the only possible shoot day. Only the responsible local authority gives binding information.
Frequently asked
How many locations in United Kingdom are covered here?
13. Locations are included when there is an evidenced production landscape — not every town in the country.
Which location in United Kingdom has the longest shooting days?
In June, Edinburgh with 17h 34min of daylight. In December that drops to 7h 01min.
When is the best time to shoot in United Kingdom?
On daylight length alone, June. Whether that also means the steadiest weather depends on the location — the individual location pages carry rain days and sunshine hours per month.
Do I need a separate permit for every location?
As a rule yes, as soon as public ground is involved. Private locations run through the owner; traffic areas and drones add further procedures. The local authority is always the binding source.