Film production in Norway
Norway is covered here with 6 locations. Between the longest and shortest day, usable light swings by up to 21h 31min 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tromsø | — | — | 21h 31min |
| Bodø | — | 1h 18min | 21h 20min |
| Trondheim | 20h 30min | 4h 36min | 15h 54min |
| Bergen | 18h 57min | 5h 49min | 13h 08min |
| Oslo | 18h 46min | 5h 58min | 12h 48min |
| Stavanger | 18h 26min | 6h 15min | 12h 11min |
What that means for planning
Tromsø has the widest swing at 21h 31min, Stavanger the narrowest at 12h 11min. 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 Tromsø sets at null, with golden hour starting as early as null. 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
Norway returns 25 % of Norwegian spend from an annually capped fund. Norway's fund targets fjord and polar material; the allocation is small and awarded in rounds — no early commitment, no planning certainty.
What that means in practice depends on the qualifying share: on a €1m budget with 70 % qualifying spend, the 25 % rate returns roughly €175,000. Provided without warranty. Permit and incentive conditions change; the responsible authority is always the binding source.
As of: 2025-01 · Source: nfi.no
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 Norway are covered here?
6. Locations are included when there is an evidenced production landscape — not every town in the country.
Which location in Norway has the longest shooting days?
In June, Tromsø with null of daylight. In December that drops to null.
When is the best time to shoot in Norway?
On daylight length alone, May. 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.