For the past few days Vic Cherikoff and I have been traveling in and around Darwin, Australia scouting out possible filming locations for our upcoming TV cooking show which is scheduled to begin filming in early January around Australia. The Northern Territory is a perfect location for filming because of its scenic locations as well as abundance of native foods which are heavily featured throughout the show.

During this short trip we looked at various locations including Fannie Bay in Darwin, Howard Springs, Berry Springs, Bulli Waterhole, Florence Falls and Wangi Falls in Litchfield National Park. In a few weeks we’ll scout out other locations within Kakadu and Arnhem Land as well as others around Australia.

Getting a film crew to Australia from New York is an expensive exercise, so when they are on location time is essential and knowing the location helps save time and ultimately money. Also if bad weather persists, then knowing what locations provide wet weather cover also help save time as well.

The things we needed to consider when scouting out locations include;

Vehicle access
Is there adequate access for 2WD cars into the location or does it require 4WD. Most of the vehicles will have trailers of camera and kitchen equipment so is access ok. Is there still access to the location if flooding has occurred in the area?

Staging location
Does the location have an easily accessible location for the stage which shows off the location. Often in scenic locations, there are viewing platforms which are great. Can we setup a table and with cooking facilities for the stage?

Permits
Does the location require a permit to film? Often locations require film crews to register for a permit or license to film especially in national parks and other government properties.

Audio
Could audio be a problem? i.e. too close to waterfalls will always present issues for the sound guy. Does the location enhance the audio whilst filming i.e. birds etc?

Gas
Are we capable of using a gas stove at this location or would we be limited to doing a cold entrée or dessert.

Fresh running water access
Essential when cooking is access to fresh running tap water for both recipes and cleaning up. Will this location require us to carry excess water?

Sunset
Is the location suitable for sunset filming or is the location more suited to the middle of the day?

Power
Although not essential, its sometimes great to have some power for lighting and charging camera batteries instead of using a generator while filming.

Native Foods
Essential for Vic and I is access to in season local native foods at the location. Many of the locations had an abundance of Kakadu Plums and Wild Rosella (native hibiscus) available and should be in season during late December into January. Although not 100% essential for every episode, we are planning on doing a series of short videos for other markets to show viewers exactly where the native ingredients comes from.

Access for Viewers
Probably one of the most important aspects when choosing a filming location is can a viewer from the USA, Europe or Asia who travels to Australia actually access this location. How often have you seen a location on TV to find that the site is inaccessible to the general public?

Toilets
Even though we are filming short 5-7 minutes recipes on location, we can often be there for hours while the crew makes sure that all the technical aspects of the shoot are right like exposure etc. Although not 100% essential its good to have toilets at the location or nearby.

We are always looking for suitable filming locations around Australia to shoot our Australian cooking show, from scenic locations to food producers, farms or anything else that’s unusual and interesting to viewers.