Beyond the Western: Why We Love Shooting Commercials in Texas

When you think commercial production, your mind usually goes to New York, if you want something urban and hip, or Los Angeles, if your creative calls for sweeping coasts or ancient forests. Unfortunately, shooting in those cities can be a hassle – permits, unions, transportation – there are all kind of potential holdups that can slow production and increase costs.

However, far away from the hustle and bustle of the big city there’s a place that dwarfs the coasts in size, natural beauty, diversity and personality. A place where any creative vision can be realized. A place that has drawn statesmen, philosophers and artists for centuries. A place we’re proud to call home. A place called Texas.

Why do we love shooting in Texas? The answer should be obvious, but in case it isn’t, here are a few reasons.

Setting the Stage

One of the most important elements of any shoot is the location. You can dress up a soundstage or key in some foliage, but it’s never going to match the beauty of the genuine article. Texas isn’t just big, it’s diverse.

Look at all those regions!

From our home bases in Austin and San Antonio you’re only a few minutes or hours drive from coastal waters, rolling hills, arid desert plateaus and lush forests.

East Texas Piney Woods

West Texas Canyons

Central Texas Hill Country

South Texas Coast

This natural beauty is something we’ve taken advantage of in our own work. Pieces like our Boots campaign for Jefferson Bank or our Granger Smith “Bury Me in Blue Jeans” music video highlight our gorgeous hill country surroundings.

Communities as Diverse as Our Geography

Throughout its history, Texas has drawn people from different cultures, countries and beliefs, each group contributing its own flavor to the state. Whether your campaign calls for the artsy vibe of Austin, Houston’s diverse hodgepodge of industrial centers, waterways and world-class arts, San Antonio’s spanish flair, or the sleek corporate makeup of the Metroplex, Texas cities stand out as themselves, or as stand in for the American everytown.

In this commercial for Valero, we transformed San Antonio and its surrounding areas into both the east and west coasts, as well as the American heartland.

While in this piece for Via Metropolitan Transit, we used San Antonio’s iconic architecture to create a genuine sense of place.

Experienced Crew

There’s a reason directors like Richard Linklater, Terrence Malick and Robert Rodriguez are based in Texas. Texas has been a hotbed of film and TV production for the past decade, which means you no longer have to import willing and capable crew members. Texas is packed with talented grips, gaffers, producers and directors (and our craft services are pretty good too). We regularly work with crew members that have helped create Academy Award nominated and winning films. On that Valero spot alone, we had crew who worked There Will Be Blood, Tree of Life and Boyhood.

Texas may not have the film and TV pedigree of New York and LA, but we consider ourselves lucky to be able to shoot in such a great place for commercial production. To see more of the work we’ve done in the state we love, check out our works page!