Tanzania
Film Locations. Mt. Kilimanjaro, Serengeti plains, Ngorongoro Crater, tropical beaches of Zanzibar, wildlife parks, volcanoes, desert, savannah, lakes, urban cities, industrial neighborhoods, slums, rural areas, farms, estates, ocean views, rain forests, waterfalls.
Dar es Salaam & Arusha are the principal cities from which to base all productions. However, all crew and equipment must be sourced from Nairobi, Kenya and trucked/flown in. There are no production services (grip/electric/crew) in Tanzania.
Permits. A filming licence in Tanzania is a complicated process. You must first complete the necessary applications with the help of your service provider and visit the closest Tanzanian consulate in your area so that they can complete the document. Then you must overnight the original back to the service provider for finalizing with the Tanzanian authorities. A minimum of 30 days is required if you want to avoid paying additional “rush fees”. You will typically pay $1,000 US for a license. However, if you must rush the process, the fee can increase to $3,000 US. Again, the process is time-consuming so start working well ahead of your shoot date. Additional licenses to shoot in wildlife parks, etc. are also time-consuming.
When to shoot? The climate is tropical and coastal areas are hot and humid. The rainy season lasts from March to June. The central plateau is dry and arid. The northwestern highlands are cool and temperate and the rainy season here lasts from November to December and February to May.
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 Tanzania. The greatest cost is the need of bringing in all of your equipment and key crew but that is offset by the low local costs. Tanzania, because there are no facilities, is MORE expensive than other African countries and in many ways more remote. Currently, Tanzania offers no incentives package and has no intention to introduce them. Given the similarity in geography and people, shooting in Kenya, for example, should be considered an option to Tanzania.
Talent is non-union. Contracts are offered by the producer which provides latitude for negotiations.
All Tanzanian talent are paid, in cash, as a buyout for Africa/worldwide rights. Occasionally, a performer will ask that his/her work not be shown in Tanzania (for an HIV documentary, let’s say) but this is rare. There are no “average” talent fees. The professional actors and actresses 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 9500TZS (or about $7.00/day) and higher. Principals can be paid 47000TZS (or about ($40.00/day) and higher, again it all depends on the role, the number of scenes, etc. Our producer can 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.
While the Tanzanian community consists of many tribes, East Indians (who immigrated centuries ago), Arabs, and Caucasians from Europe, America, and other regions, it does not offer any real depth of talent. All principal talent must come from Kenya or abroad.
Creative talent. There are no locally based directors, directors of photography or stills photographers in Tanzania.
Please contact us for recommended directors, DoP's and photographers for your project.
Crews are non-union. There is no established film community. Crew must be brought in from abroad. Local supporting crews can help with basic projects. Some more experienced crews exist in nearby Kenya.
Fringes. You are not required to contribute to any fringes as this system does not exist in Tanzania.
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 Tanzanians attend some sort of church service on Sunday. 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.
Equipment. Very little equipment exists locally. Some basic equipment can be brought in from nearby Kenya otherwise all else must be improvised or come from abroad.
Art department and set construction. Art department is best sourced from abroad as there is no sophisticated depth in this field in Tanzania.
Studios. None exist at present.
Backlots. There are currently no backlots in Tanzania.
Tax Incentives. At present there are no tax incentives for foreign
commercials or films shooting in Tanzania.
Film Stock. Bring from abroad. A small customs fee applies for all stock brought into Tanzania. Do not trust stock available within the region, as there is no guarantee that it has been purchased from a reliable source and/or stored properly.
Post Production. Tanzania has no post facilities. Nearby Kenya has some basic facilities but best to post abroad.
Visas and Work Permits. Visa and other entry and exit conditions (such as currency, customs and quarantine regulations) change regularly. Contact your local Tanzanian embassy or representative for more information.
Please note that it is advised to have your International Certificate of Vaccination for Yellow Fever with you upon entry. Although it may not be stipulated as a requirement on any official website, procedures at the airport fluctuate and you could be denied entry.
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. Several international airlines service flights to Tanzania.
Accommodation. Recommended hotels in Dar es Salaam include:
Coral Beach Hotel
The Oyster Bay Hotel
Moevenpick
Please contact us for corporate rates.
For longer stays we can also organize serviced apartments.
Communication. Web posted casting, scouting and videoconferencing.
The internet is available in most parts of Tanzania and is accessed using a 3G satellite connection. Please note that connections can be slow and generally are not recommended for sending/receiving large files (for Art Dept. for example), but broadband is available in Dar es Salaam. Our producer can arrange for 3G connections for all necessary crew/talent/clients.kype is used by most service providers however keep in mind that slow connection speeds at specific times during the day may limit access. Websites are not censored in Tanzania.
Mobile phone use is rampant in Tanzania. Be sure to check with our producer if the local Tanzanian 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”.
Safety. On the whole Tanzania is generally a safe place to shoot. The border areas with Rwanda, Burundi and the DRC are best avoided due to ongoing conflict. If you must shoot in these areas then appropriate personal security measures are essential.
Projects. For an example of TV commercials, online advertising, corporate videos, stills campaigns, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in Tanzania, 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 Tanzania, please contact us.
We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.
