Camera rolling: Private off-location in Rhine-Main becomes a Mercedes-Benz filming location
When authentic industrial architecture meets modern storytelling, film productions with a special character emerge. For Main feature as an event and location agency, we were allowed to find the perfect backdrop for the Mercedes-Benz Provide the web series „Inside Action“: our own off-location Bautz am Main in Hanau – perfect for film, photo, and advertising productions.
The right location for an authentic production
For the web series, a location was requested that was urban, authentic, and adaptable. With the listed industrial halls of the Bautz on the Main provided a backdrop that met these requirements exactly.
High ceilings, spacious hall areas, visible steel structures, and the unmistakable industrial charm create an atmosphere that can be staged in a versatile way – from commercials and image productions to series and social media formats.
In film productions, in particular, the location plays a crucial role. It should not only be visually convincing but also offer enough space for technology, lighting setups, camera teams, and production processes. Bautz am Main combines all these requirements.
Mercedes-Benz „Inside Action“
Mainfilm developed the web series „Inside Action“ for Mercedes-Benz, offering exciting behind-the-scenes glimpses into the company. The focus is on authentic stories, modern work environments, and the people behind the brand. The serial format relies on dynamic visuals and cinematic staging – an ideal combination with the raw architecture of Bautz am Main.
The industrial aesthetic of the location creates an exciting contrast with the modern vehicles and emphasizes the high-quality look of the production.
Why Film Productions Love Industrial Locations
Industrial halls have been among the most sought-after filming locations for years. The reason is obvious:
- authentic character instead of interchangeable studio look
- Spacious areas for complex setups
- versatile, multi-purpose rooms
- Natural structures and materials with high visual impact
- ideal conditions for photo, film, and advertising productions
With its mix of history, architecture, and flexibility, Bautz am Main offers precisely these qualities.
Our Service: Rental of Off-Spaces & Industrial Halls for Creative Productions
For the production of the Mercedes-Benz web series, we at Mainfilm provided access to our own off-location Bautz am Main and were able to offer the perfect setting for their film production.
Drawing on our experience in leasing off-spaces and industrial warehouses, we support our clients by providing access to unique venues for their projects—in a straightforward, flexible manner and with an eye for creative needs.
Bautz am Main – An Off-Location with Character
Bautz am Main is one of the most extraordinary industrial locations in the Rhine-Main region. The listed buildings on the Hanau banks of the Main river offer countless possibilities for film productions, commercial shoots, photo shoots, events, and brand presentations.
The combination of historic industrial charm, flexible spaces, and easy accessibility makes this location a popular choice for creative agencies, production companies, and businesses.
We thank Mainfilm for the pleasant collaboration and are pleased that the Bautz am Main was once again able to become the stage for a high-quality production.
Are you planning a film, photo, or commercial shoot and looking for a unique location? Contact us—we’ll find the perfect spot for your production.
Submit your event inquiry now, without obligation:
When the Crime Scene Rings: Location Scouting Under High Pressure
Sometimes the best collaboration starts with an emergency.
The production team of Hessischer Rundfunk was in the midst of preparations for the 1247th Tatort episode – „Murot and Paradise“ starring Ulrich Tukur – when a promised main location unexpectedly fell through. The shooting schedule was set. The crew was booked. And suddenly the centerpiece was missing: the place where the story was supposed to take place.
You called us for a new location scout.
One week. Tens of thousands of square meters. Two skyscrapers.
What followed was exactly what we founded UEBERRAUM for. No long lead times, no cumbersome briefing – we knew the city, we knew the spaces, and we knew immediately where to look.
Within a week we had a solution: two vacant high-rise buildings in Frankfurt with tens of thousands of square meters – empty, silent, and with an atmosphere that no studio building in the world could have delivered.
The one was Union West, our very own pop-up space, then still in operation. A place with history, with charm, with that special feeling of departure and transience that we've always loved. The other was the disused Intercontinental Hotel next door – deserted corridors, empty ballrooms, an almost surreal heaviness in every room.
For a crime scene involving secret banker parties, a club called „Paradise,“ and the dark promise of eternal happiness, there could have been no more fitting stage.
The rest is film history
Filming took place in November and December 2022, with the film premiering in August 2023 at the Festival des Deutschen Films in Ludwigshafen—nominated for the Rheingold Audience Award. The first broadcast on ARD on October 22, 2023, was watched by nearly six million people, achieving over 21 percent market share.
Director Florian Gallenberger – an Oscar winner, a master of grand visuals – has created something unusual with this Tatort episode. A film that disregards genre boundaries, that references Kubrick and Tarantino, that philosophizes while also entertaining. FAZ, Spiegel, taz, and Tagesspiegel were enthusiastic. The audience was divided – which is almost a tradition with Murot Tatort episodes and somehow part of what makes them so good.
That some of these pictures were taken in rooms we made possible in just one week still makes us a little proud today.
What remains
The Union West Pop-Up Space is no more. The Intercontinental remains vacant. But the locations live on on millions of screens – in one of the most discussed crime scenes of recent years.
That's perhaps the most beautiful thing about our work: spaces that are actually at the end of their time get one last big moment. And sometimes, from that moment, something remains.
Are you looking for an extraordinary location for film, advertising, or event productions?
Large-scale temporary use: The Schirn in the Dondorf Printing Plant
The Schirn will celebrate its 40th anniversary in May 2026. Congratulations from us too!
Most Frankfurt residents know that the Schirn has temporarily moved to the old Dondorf print shop. Few know that this would not have been possible so quickly without our contribution. Therefore, we are especially happy to have finally found the time to report on it.
While it wasn't our first collaboration with a cultural institution or even a museum. Even in his early days as an event organizer, our CEO was able to arrange programs and nights for several special events at the Städel.
But we didn't see that coming, that we, as experts in interim use, would be allowed to transform an old industrial printing house into a temporary museum for modern art.
© Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt 2025, Photos: Norbert Miguletz
What exactly were our tasks and what did the process look like?
Essentially, we had to be quick because the move-out date for the Schirn am Römer was already set, with no replacement in sight. We can proudly say today that we couldn't have worked any faster.
After commissioning the research and feasibility study of suitable vacant properties, we first did what is essentially our daily bread:
Systematically scouted the market for vacancies. At that time, the Max Planck Institute was still in its planning stages for the Dondorf printing works, which would have led to demolition. These plans ultimately resulted in protests and the occupation of the property, which is owned by the state of Hesse.
After the police occupation was lifted around Christmas 2023, we proposed the Dondorf printing house to the city, state, and Schirn as a potential interim use for the Schirn. Subsequently, we represented the Schirn's interests in preparation and planning towards the state and Goethe University, and on the other hand, ensured that the endless amount of information that needs to be processed for a project of this magnitude reached all stakeholders as quickly as possible. Thus, we did what many project managers from other fields are also familiar with: condensing a lot of information into clear data to provide quick decision-making bases for the next steps.
In addition, we have assembled a team consisting of architect Bjoern Tensi Schmidt and specialist planners from previous projects of our own, with whom we have had positive experiences in planning interim uses. Since close-knit and well-coordinated teamwork is particularly important for interim uses, our experience has enabled us to help all those involved reach their respective goals more quickly.
We continued to be the central interface for budgeting, owner representation, and process optimization until the handover to the general contractor, who carried out the renovation work as part of the change of use.
Photos by: Ueberraum & Bjoern Schmidt Architecture
Historical recordings of the Dondorf Printing Company
Aerial view 1927
Aerial view 1925
Back 1979
Back 1988
Front 1994
Further information on the history of Dondorf Druckerei can be found at Friends of Bockenheim and here.
Thank you very much for the good 1.5 years of collaboration, especially to:
Dr. Sebastian Baden
Esther Schlicht
Fanny Bengsch
Christian Teltz
Bjoern Tensi Schmidt, Architect
Charlotte Borck, Fire Protection Expert
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Interim use Berlin: An off-location for corporate events and brand activations
Our first own event location in the capital.
In 2024, as part of a cultural interim use project, we transformed a former Osram production hall into an exceptional off-space for events and media productions.
For the festive opening, we invited select guests and took the opportunity to experience the new location for the first time under real conditions and to test it for future events. Exciting conversations arose in an inspiring atmosphere, accompanied by delicious finger food.
The absolute highlight of the evening: a live concert by Ronis Goliath, which finally brought the room to life.
A cultural interim use would not have been possible without our strong partners from Aventos / Luxwerk Berlin, Berlin Cuisine, and Satis&Fy. Thank you very much for this!
Regarding the transformation of the area into a new, creative commercial campus, you can HERE stay up to date.
Photo Credits @jakobnawka
Submit your non-binding request now:
A creative lab is born: Interim use for brands and communities
What opportunities do vacant properties and undeveloped land offer during the development phase?
This question was addressed in 2018 and 2019 together with the project developers Nassauische Heimstätte and Instone AG for the cultural interim use dez old Siemens site placed.
Before construction began on the 125,000 m² site for the new residential area “Schönhofviertel,” we were able to create a temporary, urban laboratory and, in a short time, captivated tens of thousands of visitors from home and abroad with our pop-up for various formats.
Today, 2,000 apartments are being built on the site, 30 of which are subsidized housing. In addition, 5 daycare centers and an elementary school are being constructed. For more information about the project, please visit here.
We had so many exciting partnerships, productions, and clients that we can't list them all in this post. Thank you for helping to create these images and memories:
City of Frankfurt
Nassau Housing Association
Instone AG
Gucci
Adidas
Samsung
Procter & Gamble
IMA World
Taste of Now
Björn Schmidt
Visavie
Cabinet of Curiosities
Girl's flea market
Submit your non-binding request now:
Pop-up concept: Old pharmacy becomes wellness concept store
Our Temporary use concept “Saint Charles Pop-Up & Deli” was a true child of the pandemic and was a crowd-puller not only because of its high product quality but also because of its unusual quality of stay for Frankfurt's city center.
Two universities approached us for research projects on the topic of “Vacant properties in city centers” to incorporate our experience into their studies.
After everything suddenly came to a standstill in spring 2020, we as an event agency and pop-up experts also changed our perspective on vacant spaces. The former pharmacy space on Frankfurt's Liebfrauenberg became available, and we were able to get the Viennese brand and pharmacy excited about a pop-up store as interim use. Since the space was large enough, we didn't limit ourselves to just selling products from Vienna, but expanded the concept to include a deli & take-away with healthy food!
We renovated from the basement to the first floor in a very short time, laying tons of wood and hundreds of meters of new cable. The area was only available from opening for one year as Interim use prior to the building's major renovation by the owners. The ticking of the clock was undeniable. The entire process, from planning to opening, took just three months before our one-year pop-up was launched.
Many have asked us why we didn't continue the project afterward. There were two reasons for this. Firstly, we couldn't find a suitable location, and after the pandemic ended, we invested all our energy into a new, large project, so we no longer had the capacity for Saint Charles. But who knows, perhaps this isn't the last word on the matter. We definitely greatly appreciate our loyal fanbase.
