Colombia
Film Locations. Spanish colonial towns, urban looks, modern
cities, football stadiums, roads, tropical beaches, countryside, all
year crops, mountains, easy access rock climbing, lakes, waterfalls,
jungle, desert, flat prairies. Colombia sits on both the Caribbean Sea
and Pacific Ocean allowing for different coastal looks. Colombia has
some extraordinary undiscovered locations.
Permits. No extraordinary restrictions or rules apply. Permitting in
Colombia is a very straightforward process requiring only 48 hours for
most locations.
When to shoot? Colombia has a tropical climate with long sunlight hours
all year around. Crops are in season almost all year around also.
For monthly weather statistics please see here.
Please contact us for more specific weather and sunpath information.
Costs. On average Colombia costs about 30% less than Brazil or Mexico and 20% less than Argentina or South Africa. The relative weakness of the
Colombian peso against all major currencies combined with Colombia's status as a relatively undiscovered service centre makes Columbia one of
the most cost efficient options in the world. Shooting away from Bogota you have to travel everything and everyone but even with this taken into account Colombia is still a very cost competitive option.
Talent is non-union and buyouts are always negotiable. Day rates are
very reasonable and negotiated on a personal basis. On average a
one-year worldwide buyout for TV and internet is around 300% of the day
rate.
Colombia has a multicultural mix of looks with only Asian and
Indian looks more difficult to find. Colombia's close proximity to
Miami allows us to access that significant talent pool should you ever
need to look further.
To view an example of the local talent looks
please visit:
Informa Models
La Agencia Models
Lott Models
Creative talent. Colombia has a rather limited pool of local directors, directors of photography and stills photographers.
Please contact us for recommended directors, DoP's and photographers for your project.
Crews are also non-union. Crews are good, hard working, flexible with
overtime and turn around times. Heads of department all speak fluent
English.
Fringes. No hidden extras. We pay crew the day rate and crew
contribute to their own medical and accident insurance.
Premiums. Colombia works on a twelve-hour shoot day from arrival on set
until wrap time. Time and a half over time after that. Sundays and
public holidays are normal time. Six hours turn around time can be
negotiated if need be.
Equipment. All the standard equipment is available locally in Colombia
and anything additional can be easily brought in from Miami. Colombia's best rental company is Congo Films. Their equipment summary
list can be seen here.
Art department and set construction are up to international standards.
Our local producer has in the past constructed airports, supermarkets,
hospitals, Chinatown exteriors, African villages, old western towns and
Mexican towns for "El Zorro" to give a few examples.
Studios. They do exist but are not Colombia's strong point. Most are
booked up by soap operas and mini series.
Backlots. At present no
backlots exist in Colombia.
Tax Incentives. There are no tax incentives for feature films or
commercials in Colombia. The government is considering implementing a
plan to attract foreign productions with 15% tax return, but these laws
have still to be passed.
Film Stock. Both Fuji and Kodak are available locally.
Post Production. Telecine will be up and running by the end of 2008.
Cinecolor is in the process of setting up shop in Bogota. For now we
develop and transfer in Miami.
Visas and Work Permits. Only certain countries need visas and there is
no need for work permits. Contact your local Colombian embassy / representative for more information.
Transportation Infrastructure is all up to known and expected world
standards. Avianca is Colombia’s best domestic airline. Most European and American airlines fly to Bogota at least two times per day.
Accommodation. Recommended hotels in Bogota include:
104 Art Suites
Radisson
Please contact us for corporate rates.
For longer stays we can also organize serviced apartments.
Communication. Web posted casting, scouting and videoconferencing.
Safety. Despite occasional sensationalist media reports to the contrary
Colombia is actually quite a safe centre for filming. The political
climate is stable and crime rates have fallen significantly.
Projects. For an example of TV commercials, online advertising, corporate videos, stills campaigns, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in Colombia, please see below:
Our production service companies, line producers and fixers have serviced TV commercials, online advertising, corporate videos, stills campaigns, feature films, TV series and documentaries for:
AXA Belgium, BBC UK, Canon Singapore, Coca Cola Indonesia, Concord Canada, Dove Malaysia, Deutche Bank Germany, Dressman Sweden, Evian France, HBO USA, Heineken Ireland, Hyundai Korea, Intercontinental Hotels Global, ITC India, Kirin Japan, Kraft USA, Landrover UK, LG Korea, Meunil China, McDonalds Australia, MUFG Japan, Nikon Hong Kong, Nokia China, Orange Moblie Slovakia, Philips Netherlands, Proctor & Gamble USA, Chery Riich China, Rimowa Germany, Samsung Korea, Sinoland Hong Kong, Skipper Italy, Smirnoff USA, Sony United Arab Emirates, Stella Russia, Telefonica Spain, Vidal Sassoon China, Virgin Media UK, and much more.
If you are looking for a film or photographic production service company, line producer or fixer in Colombia, please contact us.
We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.
