Tampere's Beautiful Lakes and Scenery Star in 'Mökkinaapurit' Series Filmed in Teisko
The comedy series "Mökkinaapurit" revolves around the neighborly relationships of cottage dwellers. The neighboring cottage of a teacher couple has been rented out for the summer, and the couple can't resist interfering in the lives of the tenants. The stage is set for mishaps. The cast of the series includes actors such as Pirjo Heikkilä, Timo Kahilainen, Mari Perankoski, and Heikki Silvennoinen.
The series is set against the backdrop of the Teisko Kämmenniemi lake views, where three neighboring cottages with separate saunas next to the lake are conveniently located at the right distance to meet the series' needs. Suitable cottages were easily found with the assistance of Film Tampere.
– We were looking for a location like this for the series, and this meets our challenging criteria perfectly. Teisko has warmly welcomed us. For example, when we filmed in a local kiosk, we immediately got helpers on board, says director Tommi Lepola.
– In addition to showcasing the strengths of the Tampere region wonderfully, it's especially pleasing that this is a local original idea that enhances content development expertise and creates our own stories to draw from culturally, economically, and from a well-being perspective in the future, adds Fanny Heinonen, the customer relationship manager at Film Tampere.
Series Features Tampere's Audiovisual Expertise
The production team for the "Mökkinaapurit" series consists entirely of talented individuals from Tampere. The series is produced by ICS Nordic and co-produced by Legenda Film & TV and Porkkana Ryhmä. According to Lepola, the right professionals were easily found through local audiovisual networks. In addition to experienced professionals, the production process wanted to make use of the expertise of local students.
– We have interns in camera and sound teams, and there are two interns on the production side as well. There are also students in set design and props. It's very important to us that the industry continually gets new talent, says Lepola.
The catering for the series was provided through an apprenticeship in collaboration with Tredu.
A City with a Variety of Filming Locations
Located between two large lakes, Tampere considers lake and nature tourism to be an important part of the region's tourism economy. Services related to lake and nature tourism are constantly being developed. For the audiovisual industry, the proximity of water bodies and nature means diverse filming locations. Lepola is pleased with the diverse filming environments available in Tampere.
– Tampere offers both urban and beautiful lake landscapes. It's incredible that we're not further from the city center. Lakes and nature have been central to our script from the beginning. These landscapes play an important role in the series, says Lepola.
– The filming locations are incredibly versatile. When you look ahead from here, you could imagine being by the sea as well. Tampere offers a lot of variety, adds Ilkka Hynninen, the executive producer of ICS Nordic.
The City Sees Opportunities for Local Businesses in Audiovisual Productions in Tampere
The city of Tampere has provided cash rebate for the "Mökkinaapurit" series. Since 2018, the cash rebate has supported over a hundred films and series shot in Tampere. During the scriptwriting phase of the "Mökkinaapurit" series, the city of Tampere, Visit Tampere, and Film Tampere held joint workshops with the production team to explore opportunities in lake and nature tourism and sustainability themes. These workshops aimed to find ways to promote visibility for Tampere and local businesses in the production.
– The topic naturally brought in perspectives on lake and nature tourism and sustainability. Saunas were, of course, also part of the discussions, and some of the proposed partners were related to that. In the workshops, our goal was to see how we could feed visibility to Tampere and local businesses through shared ideas. It's at its best when the production is open and also makes its own suggestions within the framework of the script, says Heli Jokela, the marketing and communications manager at Visit Tampere.
The producer of the series, Erna Aalto, has found the collaboration with the city fruitful.
–In the future, we could start collaborating even earlier in the scriptwriting phase. Now we got tools, especially for the future. Collaboration opened up many perspectives that helped clarify our focus and find a common marketing angle, Aalto says.
Lepola shares Aalto's experience of smooth cooperation.
–At no point has the cooperation been forced; rather, the workshops have progressed with the script and story in mind. The collaboration has arisen naturally and been based on open dialogue: this is what we have to offer, and this is what you have, and things have progressed from there, says Lepola.
Tampere residents have a positive attitude towards filming
– In terms of production, things work well in Tampere. When we request something, we get a response, and people here are encouraging. The city and Film Tampere have welcomed us warmly. The work crew, diverse filming locations, and the spirit of Tampere are unique, summarizes Lepola.
In addition to the warm reception from the cottage community in Teisko, Lepola mentions that in previous productions, he noticed the helpful and uncomplicated attitude of Tampere residents towards filming.
Scriptwriter and main actress Pirjo Heikkilä agrees with Lepola's observation about the encouraging attitude of the local community toward filming.
– There's a feeling here in Tampere that the filming situation never bothers people, even if we're shooting in a grocery store or an office. You never get the feeling that we're in someone's way, reflects Heikkilä.
