by The Swedish Fixer | May 2, 2022 | Production Service
Swixer’s backstory started in 2012
Want to know more about how a Swedish fixer became Swixer? Here’s our backstory!
Nine years ago Swixers founder Fatima Lagerås received a request from Morgan Freeman’s production company Revelations Entertainment. They had found her CV online and needed local support for an upcoming documentary shoot for National Geographic in Stockholm. Back then, Fatima worked as a freelance reporter, producer and director.
Morgan Freeman
What’s a Fixer?
At the time, the Swedish market didn’t really offer “Fixers” and in fact – she hadn’t even heard the term before, at least not in a journalistic / production context. To her a “Fixer” was more like a person who could fix one’s broken TV or washing machine perhaps. And now she found herself being “The Swedish Fixer” serving this fun crew from LA in Stockholm.
Swixer’s founder Fatima Lagerås
Swixer was born!
This crew needed someone on the ground who could be their eyes and ears. Someone who could help them plan the shoot, sort permits, secure releases, book interviews, translate and be present during the shoot. And it went great! Fatima figured they probably weren’t the only ones needing help shooting in Sweden. There had to be other international crews out there needing help, right? And boom, just like that: production service company Swixer was born!
Swixer now have provided production services to hundreds of international productions in Sweden
Since then, we’ve been able to provide crew, locations, logistics, casting, management, equipment, talent, etc to hundreds of international productions all across Sweden: TV shows, global commercials, livestream studio shows as well as branded corporate shoots. And it’s all been possible thanks to the network of freelancers we’ve built up throughout the years. And as we speak we are currently scouting locations in Iceland, figuring out how we can get a TV host hanging on a skyscraper in Poland (window cleaning scene – don’t ask) while looking for Fixers who can manage our shoots in Norway. We’re on an exciting and expanding journey and we can’t wait to see what the future holds. Thank you Morgan Freeman!
Would you like to read more about Swixer’s backstory and our founder Fatima Lagerås – click here!
by The Swedish Fixer | Apr 14, 2022 | Production Service
Remote production
To shoot remote – an upswing during the pandemic
During the pandemic, we noticed a remote production upswing. We have always offered this type of service, but during the pandemic, there was an extra need for remote producing. Mainly because you could no longer travel as freely – and meet new people – to the same extent as before.
What is remote production?
Remote production is when you direct or oversee your production remotely via video conference. With remote shooting you can interact with local crew and talent on set from your home or office! Basically, it’s a type of production that requires real-time decision making although you are not physically on set and when travel isn’t possible.
Benefits
There are several of benefits with remote shooting! Here’s a list of some of the benefits of using a remote production for your project:
Save budget on travel
You save budget on the trip when you do not have to travel crew and equipment. It also saves the environment by not having to expose the planet to unnecessary emissions when it comes to transportation.
Real-time feedback
You get real time feedback during production and can be part of the whole process – without being physically present. With the help of today’s technology, it is easy to connect to a computer and be able to join from a computer screen.
Live interaction with crew & talent
You can, during the filming process, interact live with both crew and talent.
Direct camera feed: see what the camera sees
During the filming process you can see what the camera sees. Therefore you can have full control over what happens on set, just as you would be in the same room. At Swixer we have different technical solutions (and dedicated streaming teams) depending on size of shoot and what technical level is needed.
Conduct interviews remotely
Do you need to interview people for your film project? No problem! You can conduct interviews remotely and the viewer will not for a second be able to guess any difference compared to if you had been on set.
Collaborate with on-site director/producer
With remote shooting solutions you will be able to collaborate with an on-site director/producer. Together with a local producer you will have full control over the filming and you will be able to participate in all steps.
Direct the shoot entirely
You’ll be able to direct the shoot entirely. We will help you arrange with a meeting link via Zoom or a similar services.
Picture from Vallastaden in Linkoping, Sweden, where Swixer provided a remote production services for the client.
Clients who have used our remote solutions
Client: Silverback Films / BBC 1. Project: “Earthshot – Clean Our Air”
Client: Captains.nl. Project: “Green Cities Europe”
Client: Dragonfly TV / Discovery+ Project: “Anni: The Honeymoon Murder”
Client: NBCU / L’Oréal Project: L’Oréal Paris’ “Women Of Worth”
Client: Captains.nl. Project: Internal video for IKEA
Are you interested in finding out more about our services? Send us an email and we’ll tell you all about it!
by The Swedish Fixer | Mar 1, 2022 | Production Service
Interview with the Swixer founder Fatima Lagerås where some quotes where used in an article for KFTV!
Can you tell me about the work you do and the services you provide?
Swixer is a full production service company for film and photography based in Stockholm with branches in the Nordics, Baltics and Poland. We produce content for all platforms and help international clients from all over the world with their shoots. We provide crew, management, locations, equipment, casting, talent, logistic help – anything needed basically. We work with national and international campaigns, fiction, TV, documentaries, branded & corporate videos.
Photo by Ana Bórquez via Unsplash
During the past year we’ve managed a lot of remote productions, most recently the Battlefield 2042 Reveal for EA & Dice, produced by Advncr. We’ve also done remote shoots on behalf of brands such as IKEA, Microsoft, Mercedes and BBC to name a few.
These remote shots have worked surprisingly well but they do come with a certain nerve sometimes. The Battlefield 2042 Reveal for example was a global remote-directed multicam livestream event with online Q&A’s – no pressure there at all haha. In those situations we’ve been so thankful for having awesome team members who’ve made these types of shoots successful.
Psst. Read more about our previous works here!
What are you working on at the moment?
We work on a bunch of different, amazing projects right now! In Sweden we’re helping the BBC with an adventurous nature documentary involving northern lights, then we have a shoot in the sauna capital Tampere in Finland and another corporate shoot for Google in Norway.
Where are the best places to shoot a film, high-end TV series or commercial in Sweden and why?
It depends on what you’re after as there’s so much to get in Sweden. Stockholm is built on thousands of islands and the archipelago is amazing! The islands are often easy to access and perfect if you want to shoot landscape sceneries of roads, fields, untouched nature or just a typical Swedish red cottage/village. Then you have the northern lights and snowy landscapes up north of course. We also have great design, both modern and retro as well as typical architecture, ranging from medieval to contemporary.
Gösta Reiland / imagebank.sweden.se
Lola Akinmade Åkerström / imagebank.sweden.se
Patrik Svedberg / imagebank.sweden.se
Picture by Werner Nystrand / imagebank.sweden.se
Can you tell me about the variety of locations on offer in Sweden? Can they double for other countries?
In the city we have corners that look like New York, Paris, Oslo, Copenhagen etc. We also have different types of forest close to Stockholm city and the archipelago. It’s really easy to film in Sweden! You don’t need loads of permits and if you do, you can get them fairly quickly. We also keep really high quality when it comes to both crew and equipment. Our nature and design are also great reasons to shoot in Sweden.
Is it easy to get permission to shoot in Sweden? What is the process for applying and who to?
Yes it’s easy. You apply for a permit with the police and in some cases the traffic office. Swixer can help out with the application process and will let you know if a permit is needed or not. It’s recommended to submit applications well in advance. No permit is needed if you’re just shooting hand hold and don’t put down a large amount of equipment on the ground.
Picture from where we helped Lululemon produce their winter campaign. Swixer provided everything needed in terms of: management, planning, scheduling, scouting, crew, DoP, locations, equipment, SFX, props etc.
What facilities are available in Sweden (Studios, sound stages etc)?
Sweden is standing at the front line when it comes to production facilities. At Swixer we provide everything needed for both small and big scale productions. We help out with booking of studios, sound stages, equipment, professional crew, talent, locations etc – you name it.
One important note about booking locally is that not only do one keep ones budget down by doing so – booking locally is also a great way to save the planet from unnecessary flying. You don’t have to fly over loads of crew and equipment because you’ll find it here and it comes with a really high standard!
How experienced are the local crew and are there enough of them? Can they handle a few major productions shooting in the country at the same time?
Sweden has a highly developed ecosystem for both domestic and international media production, with professional crews and quality equipment, and has the capacity of juggling several major productions in parallel. An example of bigger films that been shoot at the same time are The girl in the Spider´s Web, Netflix-Quicksand and Stockholm Syndrome.
What financial incentives are available and how do producers access them?
The Swedish government has finally decided to introduce production incentives and they will take effect from 2022. More information regarding this will be announced within a short period of time.
What would international producers need to bear in mind when shooting in Sweden? (eg need a local co-ordinator? Bring their own equipment? Restricted access to certain places? Support from the Film Commission? etc)
It’s easy to shoot here and getting access to places! You can go ahead and shoot pretty much everywhere without a permit unless it’s private area of course or a protected area. In general I’d say partnering up with a local producer / service company like Swixer is key. It saves time, money AND the climate. Getting that valuable local knowledge on how to go about with certain things simplify things.
What do you see as some of the key issues affecting the filming world at the moment? (eg lack of studio space, the impact of the streaming giants, climate change, better training of crew required etc.
We’ve noticed that the streaming giants have become bigger buyers (Swixer have worked with Netflix and Apple TV+ for example) which is fun. In general, I think it’s a positive thing for the production world that quality films and TV series get more resources, viewers and platforms.
When it comes to climate change, the worry is that we keep flying crew and gear overseas like it’s business as usual when it’s not. We believe in a more remote way of working even after corona. If the country you‘re filming in offers professional equipment and crew, use it! And require that your service partner (as much as possible) only use eco friendly sub vendors when it comes to catering, transport options etc. I would love to see more climate discussions in the filming world!
Picture by Mika Baumeister på Unsplash
Thank you KFTV for having us! Read the full interview on KFTW here.
by The Swedish Fixer | Nov 3, 2021 | Production Service
This August we had the opportunity to work on a really fun project with Polyphon Germany for their famous production “Das Traumschiff,” or, The Dream Ship. Originally based on the US show “The Love Boat,” Das Traumschiff has been running in Germany for over 40 years. Each episode features a different destination, which allows the audience to experience that place through the various adventures of the ship’s crew and passengers.
Swixer’s production services support included location management and permits, art department and props, picture vehicles, drivers, local actors and extras, craft services and catering (including a barbecue on location prepared by our producer and production manager, because we’re an all-hands-on-deck kind of crew!).
This time, lucky for us, The Dream Ship production dropped anchor in Stockholm, where we spent two weeks filming with them in various locations in and around Stockholm.
The picture filmed in some of the most iconic spots in the Stockholm area: from the old-time villages of Skansen, to the Royal Palace and the streets of Gamla Stan, from the Stockholm archipelago to the forests of our picturesque nature preserves, the final film will truly be a picture postcard of the region and will make anyone who sees it long to spend a summer in Sweden.
Many thanks to the awesome German team – it was great working with you!
