Shooting in Marseille
Where Mediterranean light meets urban cinema

Marseille is more than France’s southern capital. It’s a raw, visual city that has inspired filmmakers for decades. With direct flights from London and Paris into Marseille Provence Airport, fast access to both coastline and hinterland, and a unique light that wraps every surface in texture, Marseille delivers cinematic truth with production-ready precision.

Marseille: open-air set with cultural edge

The city is a patchwork of styles and stories:

  • Historic Vieux-Port

  • Fishing neighborhoods and modernist blocks

  • Hills, creeks, urban rooftops, Mucem’s bold architecture

From Jean-Pierre Melville to Jacques Audiard, from Netflix series to fragrance films, Marseille has offered its soul to visual storytellers. It works for action, fashion, drama, or branded content.

The Mission Cinéma et Tournages (Aix-Marseille Metropole) supports productions with:

  • Location sourcing

  • Local fixer and crew connections

  • Permitting and admin help

  • Liaison with city services

The Calanques: cinematic wilderness

The Parc National des Calanques is one of Europe’s most striking landscapes: turquoise coves, white limestone cliffs, Mediterranean pines, and sea-carved caves. It stretches between Marseille, Cassis, and La Ciotat.

Filmmakers from Fantômas to Luc Besson have shot here. The setting works equally for high-drama or dreamlike quiet. The park’s team provides support to navigate protected status, technical access, and environmental protocol.

Cassis: sunlit elegance

Just east of Marseille, Cassis is all clean lines and Provence charm: vineyard hills, a bright fishing port, ochre facades, and coastal cliffs.

From Naïs to Transporter 3, it’s a trusted film set. The city is used to hosting productions, and helps coordinate locations and logistics.

The Côte Bleue: hidden Mediterranean

This less-traveled coastal strip between Marseille and Martigues offers intimate calanques, small ports, and old stone villages. For scenes of seaside life, retreat, or movement by train or car, it offers a less obvious alternative with cinematic potential.

Martigues: the "Venice" of Provence

Known as the "Petite Venise", Martigues is laced with canals, pastel houses, arched bridges, and waterfront paths. Ideal for romantic frames, fashion shots, or stylized commercial sequences.

The city hosts a Film Office, assisting with permits and site access.

Production Services & Rentals

Marseille hosts a rich ecosystem of suppliers, from grip trucks to sea shoots:

CompanySpecialtiesLocationTSF MarseilleLighting, grip, vehicles, regie, stills supportPôle Média Belle de MaiHomestudioVideo, audio, light, accessories, field kitsMarseilleTranspaluxGrip, generators, accessoriesPACA Region (via TSF)PanavisionCamera systems, optics, delivery in MarseilleServiced from ParisAmicalFull AV equipment, lighting, gripMarseilleFotoprodPhoto and video gearMarseilleJMC Film ServicesTrailers, security, transport, base camp equipmentPACA RegionCarlogeLoges, tech vehicles, mobile unitsMarseille & SurroundingsSunsetCamFull gear park: video, light, grip, accessoriesMarseilleStarlight EventsAV gear, camera, lenses, monitors, audioMarseilleONEWAYCamera, streaming, light, remote workflowActive across PACA

Logistics & Support

The Mission Cinéma acts as the central hub for all projects. They offer:

  • Support from early prep

  • Location introductions (public + private)

  • Tech scouts and access management

  • Permit delivery and city liaison

  • Local vendor and crew recommendations

Average permit turnaround: 15 working days.

They work closely with Film France and the CNC to align national-level support.

Why shoot in Marseille?

  • Vast visual range: from raw urbanity to untouched nature

  • Proven host of major films, commercials, and series

  • Mediterranean light, year-round

  • Deep network of local technicians and service vendors

  • Sea access and aerial flexibility

  • Direct flights from London and Paris (Marseille Provence Airport)

Conclusion

Marseille isn’t only visual — it’s visceral. It gives producers texture, movement, contrast, and scope.

From the cliffs of the Calanques to the backstreets of the Panier district, it offers unmatched narrative potential. Add proximity to Cassis, Martigues, and the Côte Bleue, and the region becomes a self-contained production world.

With the right team, the right prep, and the right permissions, Marseille becomes not just a location, but a collaborator.