Indonesia
Locations. Consisting of over 17,000 islands, Indonesia offers a wealth of diverse filming locations. Indonesia has a tropical climate with the wet monsoon period from December to April.
For monthly weather statistics please see here: http://www.gaisma.com/en/dir/id-country.html
Please contact us for more specific weather and sun path information.
Bali. Eleven volcanoes to chose from with Mount Batur still active. Black, white and yellow sand beaches. Balinese palaces. Modern architecture. Three world class golf courses. Surfing, scuba diving, sailing and white water rafting. Lakes and Caves.
Irian Jaya. Tropical rain forests, craggy mountain peaks, alpine meadows, swampy lowland forests, grassy savannahs, mangroves and beautiful coastal islands. Small permanent snowfields and relic glaciers grace the highest elevations at Puncak Jaya. Climate is hot and humid in the lowlands and can be cold in the highlands.
Java. A very beautiful island where beaches, rice fields, palm forests, plantations and volcanoes shape the land. The capital Jakarta is a vibrant and densely populated cosmopolitan city of around ten million. Java boasts world renowned locations including the active volcanos Mount Krakatau and Mount Bromo. Ujung Kulon National park with it’s monitor lizards, gray macaques, peacocks, rhinoceros, banteng cattle, leopards and unique Javan crocodiles. Kebun Raya Cibodas high altitude botanical gardens. The Borobudur and Pranbanan temples.
Kalimantan (Borneo). One of the last great wilderness regions on the planet. Kalimantan has a variety of unique looks. Tropical rainforest. Exotic animals such as orangutans, pheasants, clouded leopards, tarsiers and proboscis monkeys.
Exotic plants such as the enormous Rafflesia flower.
Cascading rivers. Traditional Dayak architecture.
Lombok. Lombok is a pristine tropical island a short plane or boat ride from Bali. The interior consists of a luscious jungle surrounding the huge volcanic centerpiece of Gunung Rinjani. Lombok has near-perfect, white sand beaches, azure seas and tropical islands a short distance offshore. Lombok is also known also for it’s scuba diving.
Nusa Tenggara. Sumbawa and Flores are famous as the home of the Komodo Dragon. Flores is a rugged island with dramatic volcanoes, mountain lakes, grassy savannahs and mountain forests. Sumba is a dry island south of Komodo and is distinguished by spectacular rituals, huge megalithic grave sites, peaked houses
and beautiful ikat cloths.
Sulawesi. Tana Toraja in the mountainous northern part of South Sulawesi is one of the most beautiful regions of Indonesia. Traditional Toraja Villages sit in a backdrop of rugged mountains and green terraces. Sulawesi is also world renowned for it’s scuba diving.
Sumatra. Lush rainforests, exotic flora and fauna, cascading rivers, sparkling crater lakes, white-sand beaches, spectacular volcanic landscapes. Home to the Sumatra Orangutan Society who rehabilitate and release orangutans back into the wild.
Permits. With the right local connections permitting in Indonesia is a quick and easy process.
Costs. The favorable exchange rate means that your currency goes far in Indonesia. Locations and talent are very inexpensive. The greatest cost is the need to bring in your key crew and equipment. Indonesia is a very large country and locations are often remote which also adds to costs.
Talent. Indonesia is the worlds fourth most populous nation and offers a variety of mostly pan Asian and indigenous talent.
Talent is non-union and buyouts are negotiable. Day rates are very reasonable and negotiated on a personal basis.
Casting facilities are rather undeveloped in Indonesia so street casting is often required.
Bali as a major tourist centre offers a variety of locally based multicultural looks to choose from.
Irian Jaya is home to many unique indigenous looks. One fifth of the world's languages are spoken in Irian Jaya.
Java offers pan Asian looks with some multicultural talent available in Jakarta.
Kalimantan, Lombok, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi, Sumatra also offer an array of pan Asian and indigenous looks.
Creative talent. Indonesia has a 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. Unfortunately the depth of local crews is quite limited and most don’t speak fluent English. It is advisable to bring your key crew from outside of Indonesia.
Fringes and Premiums. No fixed or enforced rules here. All of this is looked after by our service producer on a case by case basis in a way that is fair to everyone.
Equipment. Indonesia is Arri based. Basic equipment is available out of Jakarta and the rest needs to be flown in from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Hong Kong. The two largest equipment houses are Elang Perkasa and Cinerent.
Art department and set construction are up to international standards. Master craftsmen and construction teams are plentiful and inexpensive.
Studios do exist but facilities are very basic.
Backlots. At present no backlots exist in Indonesia.
Tax Incentives. There are no tax incentives for feature films or commercials in Indonesia.
Film Stock. Both Fuji and Kodak are available locally.
Post Production. Up to telecine exists. The best facilities are offered by G1 post. Eltra Studio and VHQ Jakarta also have facilities.
Visas and Work Permits. Foreign directors, DoP's, models and talent require work permits. Contact your local Indonesian embassy / representative for more information.
Transportation Infrastructure. The road system is quite undeveloped. Indonesia is well serviced domestically by several airlines, Garuda being the best.
Accommodation. Film friendly hotels include:
Bali:
The Elysian - http://www.theelysian.com/
Clio Bali - http://www.cliobali.com/
Four Seasons Bali - http://www.fourseasons.com/jimbaranbay/
Sheraton Laguna Nusa Dua Bali - http://www.starwoodhotels.com/
Westin Resort Nusa Dua Bali - http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/bali
Irian Jaya:
Swiss-Belhotel Papua - http://jayapura.swiss-belhotel.com/
Java:
Alila Jakarta - http://www.alilahotels.com/jakarta/
Grand Kemang - www.grandkemang .com
Kemang Icon - http://www.alilahotels.com/kemangicon/
Grand Flora - http://www.grandflorahotels.com/
Kalimantan:
Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu - http://www.starwoodhotels.com/
Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort - http://shangri-la.com/tanjungaru
Lombok:
The Oberoi Lombok Hotel - http://www.oberoihotels.com/
Nusa Tenggara:
Golo Hilltop - http://golohilltop.com/
Sulawesi:
Siladen Resort - http://www.siladen.com/
Sumatra:
Grand Angkasa - http://www.grand-angkasa.com/
Please contact us for corporate rates.
For longer stays we can also organize serviced apartments.
Communication. Basic web posted casting, scouting and videoconferencing exists in Indonesia. Bandwidth in Indonesia can be unreliable.
Safety. Shooting in Indonesia is safe and easy providing you have the support of the government and local decision makers. Our producer on the ground has spent many years building such relationships.
If you are looking for a film or photographic production service company, line producer or fixer in Indonesia, please contact us.
We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.
