Turkey
Film Locations. Turkey has a rich architectural heritage dating back thousands of years ranging from contemporary modern through to ancient ruins. Istanbul is a great example of where old and new, Middle Eastern and European coexist and blend together. Other interesting locations in Turkey include the Cappadocia rock formations, Pamukkale white cascades, windy roads, beaches and islands, snowy mountains, arid desert looks, lakes and
forests.
Istanbul is the main production centre and all must travel from there.
Permits. There are no set rules. Everything is negotiable. Permitting for historic sights needs to be processed with the municipality and that typically takes a week or two.
When to shoot? Turkey has
a typical four-season climate - warm summers,
colourful leaves in fall, white winters, and spring in full bloom.
For monthly weather statistics please see here.
Please contact us for more specific weather and sunpath information.
Costs. Turkey is the least expensive of the European Mediterranean countries. Istanbul's depth of European and Middle Eastern looks allows those looks without the additional travel costs. Turkish production is set up to offer some great deals such as filming of demos. The Turkish currency remains relatively weak against most major currencies making it for many projects a cost efficient place to shoot. On the whole Turkey offers a fairly high production value.
Talent is non-union and buyouts are always negotiable. A talent union is in the process of being formed however rates will still remain negotiable.
Turkey has a variety of talent looks available locally especially Middle Eastern and Caucasian looks. All other featured talent is best brought in from abroad. Its close
proximity to major European production centres allows easy access
to those pools of talent should you ever need to look further.
To view an example of some of the local talent looks please visit the following:
Rendaguner Casting
Cast Sumru Onat
Harika Uygur
Creative talent. Turkey has a small local pool of directors, directors of photography and stills photographers. Its close proximity to major European production centres allows easy access to those pools of creative talent should you ever need to look further.
Please contact us for recommended directors, DoP's and photographers for your project.
Crews. There is a camera union but as it is not strong rates remain at non-union levels. Turkish crews are skilled and hardworking. For western producers the process may appear to be somewhat chaotic but as many repeat visitors will tell you, Turkey can be trusted to deliver the final product.
Fringes. No hidden extras.
Premiums. Turkey works on a
fourteen-hour shoot day. There are no premiums. Overtime is negotiated.
Equipment. Turkey has all the basic equipment required for a standard shoot. Some equipment such as the technocrane would need to be brought in but given Turkey's close proximity to major European production centres, importing is easy.
Art department and set construction. The best art directors in Turkey are of an international standard but they are also expensive. On the whole, art department in Turkey is good, of course depending on what your project requires.
Studios. Turkey has some state of the art
studios such as:
Film Sokagi Studios
Backlots. At present there are no backlots in Turkey.
Tax Incentives. There are no
tax incentives for foreign feature films or commercials shooting in Turkey.
Film Stock. Both Fuji and Kodak are available locally.
Post Production. Some good facilities exist including:
1000 Volt
Imaj Production
Visas and Work Permits. Russians do not require visas to enter Turkey. All other countries require visas, some passport holders can collect visas at port of entry. There is no need for work permits. Contact your local Turkish embassy / representative for more information.
Transportation Infrastructure is all up to known and expected world standards. Turkey is serviced by several international and regional budget airlines.
Accommodation. Recommended Istanbul hotels include:
Bentley Hotel
Marmara Hotels
Kempinski Istanbul
Swiss Hotel
Please contact us for corporate rates.
For longer stays we can also organize serviced apartments.
Communication. Web posted casting, scouting and videoconferencing.
Safety. On the whole Turkey is a safe and reliable filming centre. Of course there are certain areas that caution is recommended. Local customs as always should be respected.
Projects. For an example of TV commercials, online advertising, corporate videos, stills campaigns, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in Turkey, 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 Turkey, please contact us.
We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.
