South Africa
Film Locations. South Africa offers a world of unique and international location looks. Cityscapes, mountains, expansive open vistas, a variety of different roads through as varied surroundings, white sandy beaches, waterfalls, sports stadiums, vineyards, typical African savannah, the ocean, lakes, waterfalls, orchards, city centres, a range of architectural styles.
Johannesburg, Capetown and Durban are the main production centres. Capetown is world renowned for its vast variety of locations within an hour drive.
South Africa is the most established production service centre in Africa and as such is a gateway to much of the rest of the continent.
Permits. South Africa has a film friendly and streamlined permitting process, with a number of privately owned locations as well as those that run through the film office. There are no extraordinary restrictions or rules. It is recommended to shoot downtown streets on a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday.
When to shoot? South Africa's climate is generally sunny and pleasant, but there is considerable regional variation. The north-west is very arid, the south is temperate, and the north-east has a more tropical climate. Winters (May to August) are generally mild, particularly in the Western Cape. Most of the rest of the country receives only a brief cold spell, when snow falls on the mountain ranges and occasionally in lower-lying areas. The rainiest months in Cape Town are May to August. Johannesburg receives most of its annual rainfall in the summer, between November and March making it dry to shoot in during the winter months. During mid-summer South Africa has 15 hours of sunlight.
For monthly weather statistics please see here.
Please contact us for more specific weather and sun path information.
Costs. South Africa is a relatively cost efficient production centre given the rate of exchange of most currencies against the South African Rand. That, along with the established industry and professional infrastructure, South Africa offers real value for money which can compete with the best in the world.
Talent. South Africa has a diverse range of people that can fulfill the majority of casting requirements from extras, to characters, to actors and models both local and international. A large number of international models spend the summer months in Cape Town. Talent is non-union and although buyouts are worked out on guideline percentages, these are somewhat negotiable. Some examples:
Boss Models
Fusion Models
Infinity Models
Zero Models
Y Models
Creative talent. South Africa has a good pool of local directors, directors of photography and stills photographers. The majority have local and international experience.
Please contact us for recommended directors, DoP's and photographers for your project.
Crews. There is a great depth of skilled, hard working, dedicated, professional and technical crews. Crews speak fluent English as well as many other languages, should it be required. There are a number of DGA accredited ADs based in South Africa. Crew are non-unionised.
Fringes. No hidden extras.
Premiums. South Africa works on a 10 hour day with one hour break for lunch. Overtime is charged at time and a half for the next 4 hours and double time after that. Sundays, public holidays, the first night of a night shoot and the seventh consecutive day of filming are charged at time and a half. Gear checks, travel days and technical recces are charged at a half day rate providing they do not exceed 6 hours. Turnaround is 10 hours. Travel time is charged when the location is further than 40 minutes from the city centre.
Equipment. South Africa has as an extensive range of standard and specialized equipment available, as you would expect to find in any other established film production centre, including both Arri and Panavision:
Arri Media
Panavision
Examples of available equipment include: Motion Control, Cineflex, Phantom, RedCam etc.
Art department and set construction is of a very high standard. South African Art Directors have worked with most countries and are flexible and used to the demands of international clients both for commercials and features.
Studios and backlots. Varying studio sizes from large sound stages to small pack shot studios. See here for some examples:
Waterfront Studios
Roodebloem Studios
Cape Town Film Studios
Propaganda Studios
Tax Incentives Depending on the type of production there are various tax incentives available for features in South Africa.
Please contact us for more information.
Film Stock. Both Kodak and Fuji are available locally.
Post Production. South Africa offers high-end post production facilities in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Labs are Kodak approved and are open 24 hours a day all year round. Telecine options include URSA Gold, URSA Diamond and Spirit with grading on Da Vinci.
There are various options for VFX and CGI work, South Africa is becoming a well established centre for post and animation. See here for some local options:
The Film Lab
Waterfront Post
Visas and Work Permits. Entry is subject to regulations from country of origin. Contact your local South African embassy or representative for more information.
Transportation Infrastructure. Main roads are up to international standards. Several international airlines service flights to South Africa.
Accommodation. South Africa offers a wide range of accommodation options: Luxury hotels, business hotels, boutique hotels, villas, houses on the beach, serviced apartments etc.
Some options in two of South Africa's most popular destinations include:
Johannesburg:
The Saxon
Melrose Arch
The Westcliff
Michelangelo
Fairlawns
Sandton Lodge Rivonia
Capetown:
One and Only
Mount Nelson
Westin Grand Arabella Quays
Cape Grace
15 on Orange
Cape Milner
Hippo Boutique Hotel
Please contact us for film production rates. Most of the time we can arrange a fair discount (up to a 50% depending on the establishment) on the normal rack rates.
For longer stays we can also organize serviced apartments.
Communication. Web posted casting, scouting and videoconferencing.
Safety. While South Africa does have a crime problem compared to some countries, most of the crime is isolated to certain areas and the country is far from lawless and continues to be an extremely popular filming destination with hundreds of productions shot and many producers returning frequently. The recent successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is further proof that South Africa is a safe place to film your next production.
Projects. For an example of TV commercials, online advertising, corporate videos, stills campaigns, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in South Africa, 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 South Africa, please contact us.
We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.
