Kenya
Film Locations. Within one hour drive of Nairobi you can find wildlife parks, mountains, desert, savannah, lakes, urban cities, industrial neighborhoods, slums, rural areas, farms, estates, colonial houses to name but a few. Further out you can find year round snow-covered mountains, dormant volcanoes, rainforests, waterfalls, lakes, dry savannah, deserts, and coastal looks.
Nairobi is the principal city from which to base your production. It also often serves as a hub for all filming across East Africa.
Permits. In Kenya, film permits are simple to obtain and are available within 24 hours of application in almost all instances. Firearms, SFX (explosives), aerial photography, and other such specialties require additional licensing that can take up to 7 work days to acquire and may require additional fees. While the standard film license is easily processed, additional licenses (mentioned above) are issued at the whim of the government official in charge so allowing as much advance time as possible is critical.
When to shoot? Kenya sits directly on the equator so sunrise and sunset do not shift. There is no “daylight savings” in Kenya for this reason. The short rains come in October-December and the long rains come in March-June although in recent years these seasons have become less predictable with less rain falling during both time periods. Rains are usually intermittent and do not last for hours on end.
For monthly weather statistics please see here.
Please contact us for more specific weather and sun path information.
Costs. The favorable exchange rate means that your currency goes far in Kenya. The greatest cost is the possible need of bringing in your equipment and key crew but that is offset by the low local costs. Kenya is best compared to South Africa given that both offer many of the same types of locations. Although Kenya is not as established as South Africa, Kenya makes up for it in it's enthusiasm to provide a personalized high standard of production service. Local costs in Kenya are also considerably more competitive than South Africa.
Talent is non-union. Contracts are offered by the producer which provides latitude for negotiations.
All talent is paid, in cash, as a buyout for Africa/worldwide rights. Occasionally, a performer will ask that his/her work not be shown in Kenya (for an HIV documentary, let’s say) but this is rare. There are no “average” talent fees. The professional actors and actresses in Kenya will negotiate their fee based on the overall budget and the role they are being offered. For television series, they will require a “per episode” fee which, again, is all contingent upon how much production is offering versus what they would like. Extras can be paid 500KES (or about $7.00/day) and higher. Principals can be paid 3000KES (or about $40.00/day) and higher. Again, it all depends on the role, the number of scenes, etc. We are happy to clarify for you the exact rates you should pay. Typically, talent is paid directly by the client for contractual reasons but our producer can also do this if requested.
Kenya is one of the few "melting pots" on the African continent. Nairobi has UN and other agencies headquartered there, so you get a blend of African looks. The Kenyan community consists of 42 African tribes, East Indians (who immigrated centuries ago), Arabs, and Caucasians from Europe, America, and other regions. Many looks and accents (English, “African”, American, Indian) are available within the local acting community. That said, the talent depth for featured cast with substantial film experience is limited and requires more coaching / directing than in other more established markets.
Casting is handled by a handful of representatives. That said, most professional actors do most of the work finding jobs. There are few, if any, websites for casting directors. If your job requires casting, our producer can coordinate casting to meet your specifications. Headsheets and proper resumes are unheard of. If you require a standard actor’s headsheet, clarify as such in your initial brief. Additionally, specify if you want casting sent via DVD with stills, etc. as there are many interpretation of what proper casting session materials contain.
Creative talent. There are very few, if any, properly trained directors or directors of photography in Kenya. Please contact us for specific DoP information as our recommendation will rely solely on what you need to accomplish. Stills photographers are numerous.
Crews are non-union and are hard-working professionals. Most crew speak English effectively and are comfortable with foreign crews. We would recommend bringing your keys for all large productions and/or feature film work. However, for documentary and other such projects, Kenya crew can easily manage the work. Please note that there is NO 35mm crew base in Kenya. If you are shooting 35mm or 16mm, you must bring in all camera crew (focus, loader, etc.) as well as equipment.
Fringes. You are not required to contribute to any fringes as this system does not exist in Kenya. Any crew member who makes a total of 24,000KES or more (about $300.00US) will be required to pay a 5% tax deduction, and this is handled by the service provider anyway.
Premiums. Shoot days run 12 hours, 7 days a week although shooting on Sundays should always be cleared with crew prior to booking the day as 85% of Kenyans attend some sort of church service on Sunday. Overtime, and other such payments, should be negotiated well in advance of shooting and must be part of your final Kenya crew contract prepared by our producer. Kenyan crew are not whiners but certainly appreciate any project that pays a proper per diem (about 3000KES/day or higher) and provides “local” food at all meals rather than serving solely “western fare”. Holidays make very little difference to all crew save for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. If you need to shoot between December 15th and January 5th of any year, give yourself as much lead time as possible as crew/Kenyans tend to go “up country” for extended visits with family and can be nearly impossible to contact during this time.
Equipment. “RED” cameras, high definition, 1Z1 and similar cameras are available for hire within Kenya. 35mm and 16mm film cameras must be brought in from abroad on a temporary bond where fees will apply. Clearing equipment is standard and does not usually pose a problem so long as you have provided all of the necessary documentation to our producer. There are two main grip/electric providers:
Film Studios
Kenya Grip
Film Studios offer more equipment than Kenya Grip but don’t necessarily offer the best crew - particularly gaffers. Make sure you get an equipment list to your service provider so availability can be checked and unavailable items can be arranged for shipment from South Africa or Europe.
Art department and set construction. We would recommend that art department be sourced from abroad as there is no sophisticated depth in this field. Our producer can review your storyboard and make a recommendation as to whether or not a Kenyan art department crew can successfully complete the work. Any art department brought in from abroad should be adaptable as materials, etc. readily available at home are not so available in Kenya.
Studios. There are no sound stages, studios, etc. that provide modern facilities beyond basic recording. There is a single hard-cyc in Nairobi that is a converted squash court but is fairly small.
Backlots. There are currently no back lots in Kenya.
Tax Incentives. Incentives are pending with the new budget set to be passed in June, 2009. Please check in with us for the most current status. Additionally, there are a few, select service providers who can offer your production EPZ (tax free) status where by the 16% VAT is not charged on most goods/services.
Film Stock. You must bring all film stock into Kenya and be prepared to pay a small customs import fee. Do not trust stock available within Kenya as there is no guarantee that it has been purchased from a reliable source and/or stored properly.
In getting stock out of the country airport authorities will nearly always x-ray your film, even with letters from the Ministry of Communications. British Airways will let you bypass the system if you’re in “good standing” which takes 5 business days to accomplish. Usually the film is fine but good to know options available anyway.
Post Production. Offline systems such as AVID and Final Cut Pro are available throughout the city but there is a serious shortage of qualified, creative editors. There is no film processing and/or color correction service offered in Kenya. Any/all 35mm or 16mm film shot in Kenya must be hand-carried to a lab in Germany, London, South Africa, or America. We do not recommend that you try to ship any negative using a local courier service. Plan on putting the holder of a US or EU/UK passport on a plane as needed to meet your insurance requirements.
Visas and Work Permits. A tourist visa is easily obtained either at the Kenyan consulate prior to your arrival or at the airport. A “special pass” must be obtained for all foreign crew by the local service provider 2 weeks prior to your arrival. In order to secure a special pass, you must provide passport sized photos of all crew as well as a scan of the first page of their passport to our producer. There is a 2000KES fee, per person, for each special pass that is granted.
Transportation Infrastructure. Major roads are paved, sealed roads. However, once you leave city centres, all roads are unsealed and that will affect your travel time. Drivers and equipment trucks are well suited for all road surfaces. 4x4’s are readily available for more rural, “safari” locations and most equipment trucks can access these areas as well. Traffic is chaotic and intense most of the time all over Kenya with random police check-points. These check-points are technically to ensure safety but are more suited to collecting a bribe. Very few crews being driven by professional production drivers are hassled but you should be aware. Driving at night, after 6PM, in any rural area outside of Nairobi city centre is not advised and most service providers will NOT allow their drivers to operate for any real distances at night.
There are at least 10 domestic airlines with KQ (Kenya Airways) being the main provider. British Airways, KQ, Virgin-Atlantic, KLM, Air Arabia, Delta, and a host of other international carriers provide service in/out of Nairobi. Flights are generally not an issue and domestic airlines are eager to negotiate if you’re flying a large group/crew. Private air charters are also available and can accommodate up to 12 people per aircraft.
Accommodation. Recommended hotels in Nairobi include:
Palacina
Fairview
Sankara
Many of the five-star and chain hotels are not particularly impressive. Also very little time is spent in the city centre so a hotel's promixity to downtown Nairobi is not paramount.
Please contact us for corporate rates.
For longer stays we can also organize serviced apartments.
Communication. Web posted casting, scouting and videoconferencing.
Mobile phone use is rampant in Kenya. Be sure to check with our producer if the local Kenyan cell operator offers coverage in the area where you’re filming – not all companies have coverage everywhere. We strongly recommend you purchase a local SIM and phone upon arrival. Roaming anywhere in Africa is outrageously expensive. Voice-mail is not a typical service with local providers. Pre-paid scratch cards can be purchased all over the country and offer the simplest way to “top up”. Post-paid use is only provided to Kenyan residents.
Safety. There are areas within Kenya that remain sensitive to bandits and therefore are off-limits to all/most film crews. These areas include the Northern border with Somalia, Ethiopia, and Sudan. The border area with Uganda is also prone to trouble at times. That said, plenty of documentary crews travel into these areas for filming but they are small crews moving quickly so as not to attract too much attention. The political activity within states such as Somalia mean that there is an ever-changing dynamic along the border that must be addressed with your service provider should you determine that you need to go into these areas. The rest of Kenya is relatively stable and safe. Police escorts/armed security is easily managed if required/requested as are local Maasai warriors (Askaris) who can guard a camp at night for instance. Our producer can arrange for security as needed.
Projects. For an example of TV commercials, online advertising, corporate videos, stills campaigns, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in Kenya, 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 Kenya, please contact us.
We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.
