Music Video, Commercial and AI Director in Budapest
budapest, hungary
Amos Le Blanc is a Canadian director of music videos, commercials and AI-led films, based between Toronto and Los Angeles. He is open to working in Budapest and across Europe, and would love the opportunity to connect.
Budapest at a glance
Budapest is a major base for large international service productions, and the National Film Institute (NFI) bills it as the most popular filming location in continental Europe. The state-run NFI Studios at Fót have been expanded fivefold, and private studios such as Origo, where Dune and Poor Things were made, and Astra add more stage space, LED virtual production and water tanks.
music videos in Budapest
Sziget, which calls itself the Island of Freedom, takes over Budapest for five days every August, and the A38, a converted ship moored by Petőfi Bridge on the Buda side, programmes everything from electronic and rock to jazz and world music. Classical and jazz audiences head to Müpa Budapest and its Béla Bartók National Concert Hall. Music video crews know the city too: according to the NFI, OK Go shot their one-take video for "Love" at the Eastern (Keleti) railway station.
commercials in Budapest
Commercial work runs through the same service companies that handle features, and several in the NFI's production guide, such as Filmsquad and Hero Squared, list commercials and music videos in their slates. Hungary's 30% rebate does not apply to advertising, so ad shoots are budgeted without it.
locations and light
The NFI's guide says Budapest can double for Paris, Buenos Aires, Berlin or Moscow, and Andrássy Avenue, lined with palaces and villas and home to the State Opera, is used to match the boulevards of Paris, Rome or Vienna. The Chain Bridge and the Danube panorama, Art Nouveau interiors, the Keleti and Déli railway stations and the city's thermal waters widen the palette.
working in Budapest
The NFI's national Location Office helps productions secure the use of public spaces and state-owned buildings and handles hundreds of applications a year. As the NFI puts it, filming authorisations bring significant revenue to local governments, so budget for location fees.
Film office: National Film Institute Hungary (NFI), Location Office.
Hungary's film incentive is a 30% tax rebate on eligible Hungarian spend, rising to 37.5% when up to 25% non-Hungarian costs are included, with a 2026 budget of HUF 70 billion; it covers features, series, documentaries and animation and explicitly excludes commercials and advertisements.
Time zone: Central European Time (UTC+1, UTC+2 in summer).
Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport is the gateway, and Air Canada operates a seasonal Toronto service, flown with Boeing 787-9 aircraft from June to late October in 2026.
AI-led and hybrid pieces can be developed remotely, with a live shoot in Budapest only where the idea needs one.
Cannes Young Director Award winner, 2015, for Thugli, "Run This" (co-directed with Ohji Inoue)
MuchMusic Video Awards Director of the Year, 2014, for Thugli, "Run This"
MuchMusic Video Awards Dance Video of the Year, 2014, for Autoerotique, "Asphyxiation"
One Club for Creativity, Young Guns 17
Keys N Krates, "Dum Dee Dum": RIAA Gold, nominated for the Prism Prize and a Berlin Music Video Award
Tiger Beer, "Sit Closer Together", with Marcel Sydney and The Sweet Shop
questions
Which music video and commercial director is open to work in Budapest?
Amos Le Blanc, winner of the Cannes Young Director Award and MMVA Director of the Year, is open to projects in Budapest and across Europe. Book him through his agent, Allastair Voss, at allastairvoss@gmail.com.
Who handles filming permits in Budapest?
The NFI's national Location Office helps productions secure the use of public spaces and state-owned buildings and handles hundreds of applications a year. As the NFI puts it, filming authorisations bring significant revenue to local governments, so budget for location fees.
Do Hungary's production incentives cover commercials or music videos?
Hungary's film incentive is a 30% tax rebate on eligible Hungarian spend, rising to 37.5% when up to 25% non-Hungarian costs are included, with a 2026 budget of HUF 70 billion; it covers features, series, documentaries and animation and explicitly excludes commercials and advertisements.
Can AI-led work be combined with a shoot in Budapest?
Yes. AI-led and hybrid pieces can be developed remotely, with a live shoot in Budapest only where the idea needs one.
Planning a music video, commercial or AI-led film in Budapest? He is open to working in Budapest and across Europe, and would love the opportunity to connect.
Contact his agent, Allastair Voss, at allastairvoss@gmail.com with the brief, timing and budget range.