Our Favorite Places to Film in the San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area is know as being one the the most romantic places to shoot in the world. The city is home to over a dozen very picturesque neighborhoods, each offering a unique backdrop. As a video production company located in the San Francisco Bay Area, we are privileged to have the opportunity to film here all the time. We've selected some of our favorite places to shoot in Northern California, and narrowed it down to a handful, highlighted in this 3-part series. The locations that made our SF list are here either because they are iconic SF, or they are off the beaten path and visually noteworthy backdrops.

THE MISSION DISTRICT

While much of the Mission District has become gentrified, it's still an amazing visual feast of Latin American culture complete with vivid murals, Mexican bakeries, a swirl of up-and-coming-meets-old-school restaurants, churches, street vendors and old movie theaters converted into store fronts.

NORTH BEACH

If you're looking for quaint Italian, North Beach is amazing place to shoot complete with beautiful people sipping their espressos in charming cafés, elderly Italian grandmas pushing carts, steam rising from fresh baked bread, sexy men and woman dressed to kill in their fine high fashion suites, old catholic churches …

EMBARCADERO / FERRY PLAZA

It doesn’t get much more beautiful than the scene at the Ferry Plaza. On any given day you are likely to catch a montage of classic San Francisco at it’s best: blazing blue skies with ferries coming and going delivering commuters heading for the city center, people shopping in the foggy early morning light at the farmers market, heaps of farm fresh produce from bok choy to stacks of perfect purple grapes, the classic old trolleys rumbling down the center of the street, all amidst joggers, sea gulls, and any number of colorful characters dotting the waterfront.

Here at Studio B Films, we strive to take advantage of our Bay Area surroundings to our utmost ability. If you're looking for a way to boost your business while connecting with the local community, give us a call. We look forward to further exploring the Bay!

HBO’s new show, Looking, features the San Francisco Bay Area as a major supporting character, highlighting Oakland, the City, and even the USS Hornet. Unlike most shows set in the Bay Area, Looking is actually shot on location, (see Berkeley-based, Parenthood, shot in Southern California).

The show does a great job at capturing over 40 locations in the Bay, showcasing some of the grittier areas and straying away from the typical postcard portrayal of the area, according to the East Bay Times.

Here at Studio B Films, we have been shooting in the Bay Area for over 20 years, and continue to find new and traditional places to set our shoots. Continuing our 3-part series on our favorite locations to shoot, in this blog we highlight the San Francisco skylines.

From Treasure Island, or even better, overlooking the Bay Bridge from the top of the island.

The classic “Shot of the City seen through the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands

Yuba Buena Center – A beautiful place to capture the SF cityscape with the Modern Art Museum (MOMA) in the foreground. *Please note you’ll either need a permit for this location or plan to be fast on your feet with a small crew. (See our blog on when to get a permit and when to change it for more on this topic)

If you are shooting in SF, be sure your hire a crew that can help you navigate these locations and score the best shots. Here at Studio B Films, we can guide you through this process, and help you highlight the Bay Area and your business.