Development of soundstage infrastructure in Serbia has been followed by a steady expansion of backlot facilities covering a range of historical periods, making them particularly attractive for a variety of production purposes. This is most clearly reflected in the backlot environments at PFI Studios and Firefly Studios, where sets have been carefully designed to cover multiple historical periods and production needs. This evolution builds on a tradition associated with Avala Film Studios and continues today through the artistic and technical expertise of local production designers.
The Firefly backlot designed by famous production designer Miljen Kreka Kljakovic was originally built as a replica of south Serbian city of Niš during World War II. The mix of suburban European set features a compact urban environment with squares, storefronts, gates, courtyards, and streets of varying widths with oriental interiors, decor and craftsmenship. Buildings reach up to 12 meters in height, and many include fully dressed interiors, allowing for both exterior and interior shooting without the need for additional locations. What sets it apart is its ability to function as a coherent urban space, with a realistic layout of streets and architecture supporting full 360-degree camera movement.
Over the years PFI Studios have been expanding complementary external sets that now operate as several distinct backlots. Starting with a medieval castle featuring market square, houses, villas, streets, inns, and shops, this lot provides a flexible base for different historical productions. Second recreates old Belgrade, doubling effectively for the early XX century of Central and Eastern European cityscapes. The central, and largest backlot features fragmented architectural pieces inspired by various European and American locations, including a city hall reminiscent of San Francisco, alongside streets adaptable to Venice, Monte Carlo, or Washington.
Both backlots also offer additional features that expand production capabilities. Firefly, for instance, includes water tanks and space for further set expansion, making it suitable for action sequences and special effects work. Meanwhile, PFI Studios integrates its outdoor sets with large sound stages and supporting infrastructure, allowing for seamless transitions between interior and exterior shooting within the same production day.
Complementing these facilities, Vision Team Studio operates an open-air green screen, providing further possibilities for virtual production and complex visual effects in exterior conditions.
In practice, this combination of authenticity and flexibility allows productions to cover a broad temporal and visual range as well as contemporary and hybrid scenographies that can be further adapted. A number of international film, television, and advertising projects have already utilized these environments, including The Outpost (Electric Entrtainment, MGM), The Librarians: The Next Chapter (Electric Entertainment, TNT), Robin Hood (Balcanic Media, MGM), and The Ark (Electric Entertainment, Syfy), filmed at PFI Studios. At Firefly Productions, projects such as Saints (Martin Scorsese) and Constantine’s Crossroads have relied on these settings to recreate complex environments efficiently, reinforcing Serbia’s position as a competitive and production-ready destination.