The Philippines
Film Locations. The Philippines constitutes an archipelago of over 7,100 islands. It is home to over 14 million people and offers a variety of looks such as modern cityscapes, bustling business district, busy and colorful downtown areas, Chinatown, bay walk, old churches and urban slums. Driving out of the city can take up to two hours. Within three hours drive you can find easily accessible rice fields, mountain resort area (Tagaytay) where there is a great view of a lake and a volcano, a man made lake (Caliraya), waterfalls (Pagsanjan) and beaches (Batangas). Further still you can find the stunning Banaue rice terraces, white water rafting adventures in Kalinga and Cagayan, thousands of untouched island beaches, coves, volcanos, small villages and more.
The capital Manila is the main production centre and all needs to travel from there.
Permits. Typically it takes at least one week for filming permits depending on the nature of the shoot. Shutting down roads and more complex requests will require more time. Some areas in the southern island of Mindanao need clearance from government before a foreign team can shoot there.
When to shoot? The rainy season peaks in June / July and tapers off in November going into a colder season and then warming up to summer in March / May.
For monthly weather statistics please see here.
Please contact us for more specific weather and sun path information.
Costs.The Philippines is one of the most cost competitive service centres in South East Asia. Costs of the factors of production are comparatively lower and the competitive exchange rate offers foreign productions great value for money shooting in the Philippines. In comparison with other Asian countries, the Philippines is similar with Thailand and Indonesia in terms of costs and available equipment and crews.
Talent is non-union and buyouts are negotiable. Day rates are very reasonable and negotiated on a personal basis.
Filipinos are a mix of Malay, Hispanic, Caucasian, Chinese descent. The Philippines offers mostly South East Asian, some Hispanic looking options and there is also Caucasian talent working in the country as well. The Philippines offers a high standard of local talent with many even working abroad.
Creative talent. The Philipines have 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. A vibrant local industry has created a decent pool of technical and creative talent. English is the second language in the Philippines and all key crew speak it fluently. For more complicated jobs It is recommended to bring in the DoP, Operator, Art Director and AD.
Fringes. No hidden extras. All included in the project costing. Our producer takes care of the taxes.
Premiums. The Philippines has a twelve hour working day. Anything over that is worked out on a case by case basis. Typically our producer would package a rate that is fair for all. No extra charges for weekends and holidays. Out of town rates are usually 50% higher than metro Manila rates. No extra charge for travel days and off days but provide for per diem.
Equipment. Arri based. The Philippines is NTSC format. Shooting in PAL can be done using Sony or Panasonic HD cameras or the Panasonic P2 and Sony Z1’s which are locally available. For HD’s, they have Sony F900 cinelalta. The Panasonic Varical is also available but fewer units. Panasonic P2’s and the regular HDV and DV cameras are available. Arri 35mm and 16 mm also available. The Philippines does not have Super 16mm or Panasonic HDPro. In shooting cinemascope, they have the BL5 but client will have to bring in the glass needed to attach to the lens. Underwater housing and cameras are available for 35mm, 16mm and Panasonic P2.
Art department and set construction. Only the most expensive art department crew are working to international production standards. Construction crews are good and hard working.
Studios. Recommended studios in Manila include CMB Films and Videosonic Studios. If you are looking for sound studios you need to travel out of Manila to Cebu. Bigfoot Studios offer good facilities. They have all the equipment and a very basic crew. The main crew needs to be brought in from Manila. See here for more information:
Bigfoot Studios
Backlots. At present there are no backlots in the Philippines.
Tax Incentives. Foreign productions are exempt from the 12% Value Added Tax. Otherwise there are no tax incentives for foreign
commercials or films shooting in the Philippines.
Film Stock. Both Fuji and Kodak are available locally.
Post Production. It's best to do video to film transfers in Bangkok or Hong Kong. In the Philippinesthere is one main facility for telecine and a few good facilities for offline and online. There are two reliable facilities for processing. Please see:
Optima Digital
Visas and Work Permits. Foreign team must first apply for a media visa at the Philippine embassy in their country. Allow two weeks for processing. Our producer then endorses the team at the International Press Center and foreign crew media cards are issued thereafter. Contact your local Filippino embassy / representative for more information.
Transportation Infrastructure. Most cities and key municipalities are accessible by domestic airlines. Recommended domestic airlines include Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines and Sea Air. Many international airlines flying to Asia have flights to and from the Philippines.
Accommodation. Recommended Manila hotels include:
Mandarin Oriental
Dusit Thani
Intercontinental
Shangri La
Please contact us for corporate rates.
For longer stays we can also organize serviced apartments.
Communication. Web posted casting, scouting and videoconferencing.
Safety. It is relatively safe to shoot in the Philippines but unless needed and pre-arranged, shooting in Mindanao is not recommended for foreign teams. If you do need to shoot in Mindanao, then we can arrange this for you also.
Projects. For an example of TV commercials, online advertising, corporate videos, stills campaigns, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in the Philippines, 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 The Philippines, please contact us.
We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.
