3 years in Warsaw: A Family Experience
Family is a production company that was founded in Kyiv, Ukraine. With the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022, we’ve had to expand the geography of our work in order to continue shooting top-notch commercials, films and music videos.
At that moment, we thought about Poland for the first time. We were really lucky - we found great Polish partners in Graffiti Films production that became our Polish “family”. With their local and our international experience we assembled a great team. Poland has always been a friendly country for us, we have travelled there many times and have always had many friends there, and choosing Warsaw was a logical step. Our Kyiv unit continues to shoot for the local market, and we also have opened a third office in Lisbon which we will tell you about later.
Within the last three years, we've successfully completed over 25 projects in Poland, collaborating with renowned brands like Orange, Olly, Visa, and Amazon Prime. When we decided to open Family's office in Warsaw, several key aspects motivated us and made this city and country exceptionally appealing for our work.
Strong camera crew
Poland is home to world famous film schools, like Lodz Film School. The school has not only educated Oscar-winning directors, but also world-famous cinematographers like Hoyte van Hoytema, Paweł Edelman, Zbigniew Rybczyński, Dariusz Wolski, Nikita Kuzmenko and others.
Our foreign colleagues consistently commend the outstanding work of the lighting and camera crews. For instance, during the Olly project, a massive 20x12 meter softbox was assembled within just four hours from equipment arrival at the studio. Additionally, we have an incredible grip crew that thrives on complex setups; they love challenges - like the seven horizontal circular trusses of varying diameters that became part of the OLLY set.
Poland has a great network of production professionals, including set designers, food stylists, SFX masters, etc. This allows us to bring even the most ambitious projects to life using local talents.
Advanced Technical Infrastructure
Warsaw's technical capabilities are another significant advantage, with access to cutting-edge motion control technology and U-cranes operated by skilled engineers who know how to apply these tools effectively. This makes Warsaw a popular destination for car commercials.
Support for Ukrainian filmmakers
Thanks to well-established connections between Poland and Ukraine, we can easily engage Ukrainian specialists for our projects - especially our in-house producers and assistants. This not only helps us support our colleagues, but also allows us to maintain a high professional level and special creative energy in each project.
Moreover, we can tackle complex tasks through collaborations between Polish and Ukrainian niche experts within tight deadlines, such as creating props or elaborate costumes. The influence of Ukrainian businesses opening branches in Warsaw has made the city even more attractive for visitors.
Diverse Locations
Poland offers an astonishing variety of filming locations. In the heart of Warsaw, you can find modern offices alongside historical buildings, beautiful local metro stations available for shooting, while just a few kilometres away there are breath taking natural landscapes - picturesque forests, meadows, rivers, and lakes. Such a unique mix of locations is hard to find in other countries in the region.
Infrastructure and Studios
