Monday, September 10, 2007

Shoot Asia

This is a very cool series of Shooting Guides for various countries from Variety Asia. This is a good brief for all of you out there thinking about doing an international production:

Shooting Guide : Korea****

The scoop: Although they still have some way to go, the Korean cities of Seoul and Busan are starting to emerge as a real option for major international productions. Biggest strengths are extremely motivated, hardworking crews and the stability and expertise that come with a strong local industry.

City governments are beginning to catch on to tax incentives, too. In March, the city of Seoul unveiled a 25% refund on in-city spending, capped at $100,000, plus free airfare and accommodation for location scouting.

Disadvantages are the small number of quality, in-city soundstages (though this may be addressed in the future) and higher costs compared with China. Next-generation post-production facilities are under construction in Busan.

Bonus:

For bigger projects, city governments in Busan and Seoul may be persuaded to contribute in additional ways above and beyond official support programs. Examples include co-financing of outdoor sets and donation of buildings slated for demolition.

Hot spot: The city of Jeonju boasts a high-profile film festival, but at the end of 2008 it will also sport a new $11.7 million studio complex. Facilities will include a 45-foot-tall, 22,000-square-foot indoor soundstage with the usual amenities, as well as a nearly 12-acre outdoor shooting area with permanent sets. Construction is said to be 70% complete.

S hot there: "Hero" (Japan), Toho; "The Good, the Bad and the Weird" (Korea), Barunson

Links:

Busan Film Commission: bfc.or.kr *Seoul Film Commission: seoulfc. or.kr *Jeonju Film Commission: jjfc.or.krShooting Guide : JapanThe scoop:* There is usually one reason foreigners shoot pics in Japan: story. That is, they have to be here because the story has a Japanese setting, period. Otherwise, the country has a bad rep for high costs, uncooperative bureaucrats and a lack of tax rebates and other financial incentives.

Much of this rep is justified, but many folks in the local biz are trying to change that. The biggest outward signs of this are the film commissions that have sprung up in every corner the country in the past decade. The Japan Film Commission Promotion Council lists 97 orgs on its membership roll, from biggies like Tokyo Location Box, which cleared bureaucratic thickets so "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters From Iwo Jima" could shoot on the latter's title island, to rural outposts that have never hosted foreign productions, beyond stray tourists with camcorders.

The level of quality varies enormously, but the better, more experienced commissions have impressive track records with all sorts of productions, from big-budget Hollywood pics to local TV commercials.

Also, Japanese studios and post-production facilities are technically among the best in Asia -- hardly a surprise given Japan's pre-eminent position as an electronics maker. And crews, though mostly monolingual and expensive by Asian standards, are thoroughly professional and possess the legendary Japanese work ethic.

Finally, the widespread impression abroad that most of Japan is a concrete-covered wasteland, its ancient natural beauty destroyed in the rush to industrialize, is simply untrue. The Japanese themselves know this -- and are experts at making a patch of countryside look like 1945 or 1603, with or without CG tweaks. Foreigners have to push harder to access this know-how, but it's there if you know where to look -- and whom to ask.

Bonus:

Interested in shooting in Kobe, one of Japan's most internationalized cities? The Kobe Film Office offers scouting support funds that pay for round-trip economy airfares and accommodations.

Shot there: "Letters From Iwo Jima"; "Babel"; "Ramen Girl"

Hot spot:

Toho has poured $42 million into revamping its studio in the Tokyo suburb of Seijo Gakuen. By the time work on the five-year project is completed this coming spring, the studio will have two new 7,100-square-foot soundstages, for a total of 12, as well as a new post-production center. The 84,400-square-foot studio, Japan's biggest, is available for rental by outside producers, Japanese and foreign.

Links:

Japan Film Commission Promotion Council: film-com.jp/en *Tokyo Location Box: seikatubunka.metro.tokyo.jp/tlb/index_e.html *Himeji Film Commission: city.himeji.hyogo.jp/fc/english/index.html *Kobe Film Office: kobefilm.jp/enShooting Guide : ChinaThe scoop:* China has something for everyone when it comes to making movies -- deserts, rain forests, stunning lake scenery and bang-up-to-date facilities at studios such as Hengdian, which houses the sets of ancient imperial cities, 1930s Shanghai and contemporary scenes.

On the downside, it is heavily regulated, its censors have a heavy hand, and it is wary of foreign input.

Making movies in China can be a rewarding and financially savvy decision -- the key is to proceed carefully with both eyes open.

One thing China has no shortage of is labor. China has excellent crews, with topnotch training in the old Communist studio system; labor and equipment are cheap and readily available.

China's main production incentives are related to its low cost and sophisticated infrastructure. There are tax breaks for co-productions -- they are taxed at the 10% corporate tax instead of 25%. There is no restriction on percentage of co-production sharing, no restriction on filming locations and a 20-day approval process for a project. However, one-third of a pic's cast must be from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan or Macau.

"We improve our production facilities every year, especially lighting and cranes, and I'd say our facilities are as good as anywhere in the world by now," says Zeng Yuling, spokesman for Hengdian World Studios.

With 13 shooting bases for a total area of 815 acres, around 50 films are shot at Hengdian every year as well as scores of domestic TV series.

"Most foreign films cooperate with local producers, such as Huayi Brothers, as it makes it more convenient to get through the process of examination and approval," Zeng says. Polybona is local another Chinese production giant that Western producers can tap into.

War epic "The Children of Huang Shi," starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Radha Mitchell, shot at Hengdian using some 500 extras -- sometimes more. Shooting in China with a Chinese crew -- indeed, with very few non-Chinese involved at all -- allowed the producers to make the picture happen.

"We couldn't have done this movie as a Western production," says pic's German producer Wieland Schulz-Keil.

Bonus: The People's Liberation Army does a great sideline in suiting up and playing a rampaging horde from the Warring States period.

Shot there:

Roger Spottiswoode's "The Children of Huang Shi"; Marc Forster's "The Kite Runner," in Kashgar, western Xinjiang Province; "Dead or Alive," helmed by Cory Yuen; "The Restless," helmed by Jo Dong-oh.

Links:

*Huayi Brothers: hbpictures.com; email: var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addy73752 = 'felicebee' + '@'; addy73752 = addy73752 + 'hbpictures' + '.' + 'com'; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy73752 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //\nfelicebee@hbpictures.com

document.write( '' ); // Polybona: ent.sina.com.cn/f/m/polybona; email: var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addy4619 = 'polybona' + '@'; addy4619 = addy4619 + 'vip' + '.' + 'sina' + '.' + 'com'; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy4619 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //\npolybona@vip.sina.comShooting Guide : Hong KongThe scoop:* While Hong Kong doesn't offer a rebate program or favorable exchange rates for international film crews, it does have a simple tax regime -- 17.5% for corporations and 16% for unincorporated businesses. Only those profits and income made in Hong Kong are subject to the tax; and if you're working in Hong Kong from overseas for not more than 60 days in a tax year, then there's no need to pay a salary tax. If you're an overseas crew member, you might not even need an entry visa or permit while working in Hong Kong, but it's best to check with immigration.

There's also the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), which allows filmmakers to distribute films in China on a quota-free basis as opposed to falling under the foreign-film category. However, it only applies to Hong Kong filmmakers, and films must have a strong Hong Kong element.

Bonus:

If you need a local crew, those in Hong Kong are "famous for their professionalism, and they work within your budget," says a representative from Hong Kong's Film Services Office (FSO). For filming in public places within the city, a general-purpose filming permit isn't required, but an OK is needed for filming on government land or on Hong Kong waters.

It's always a good idea to give the TV and Films Liaison Section of the Hong Kong Police a heads-up. The FSO has all the contact information you'll need and can answer other film-related questions.

Shot there: "Irreversi," helmed by Michael Gleissner; Olivier Assayas' "Boarding Gate"; "My Wife Is a Gangster 3," helmed by Jo Jin-gyu

Hot spot:

The Shaw Group's Shaw Studios has been slow to open its doors -- the $180 million film production and digital post-production facility was originally slated for a summer 2006 launch -- but its five soundstages have been completed and are mostly booked through the year. Ang Lee did a few weeks of interim work on "Lust, Caution" there last October. Post-production studios won't be ready until the end of this year, and the new lab will open before Chinese New Year, which is in the first quarter of 2008.

Link: Hong Kong Film Services Office: fso-tela.gov.hk