You travel halfway around the world to capture that special something to share on the screen. You’ve chosen to work locally with a production service company to facilitate your filming while controlling costs. You’re on track as you pour your energy into creative execution. Until a hurdle breaks your stride, putting your vision in jeopardy.
Veteran filmmakers know to expect the unexpected. Time and again, the structure and reputation of PSCs have shown their worth in delivering film support above and beyond what an individual line producer can accomplish. Production Service Network Partners are super PSCs, prepared to step in to boost the storytelling of foreign projects to a new level.
Film Like A Local Worldwide
Underneath Istanbul sits the Cistern Basilica – a cathedral-size structure built in the 6th century. Authorization to film there is uncommon. Netflix Turkey tried and failed more than once. PSN Turkey secured the location for the Netflix Original, Habib.
“There was a kind of disbelief we could film in there,” recalls EP and PSN Turkey Partner Chad Ozturk. “But it was in the script so we went after the real thing.”
“There are other cisterns where you can film in Istanbul. They’re used to double for this one,” explains Ozturk. “The experience and reputation of our company enables us to access very special locations where filming is not normally authorized. Once we received the formal letter of authorization, Netflix could see we would film in the actual Cistern Basilica.”
Filming in an actual prison presented a different challenge for the producers of Habib – one of timing. Up against regulations in their home country of Kuwait, the Habib team pivoted to shoot prison scenes in Turkey. But their calendar did not allow sufficient days to secure the needed location permit.
That’s when PSN Turkey turned to PSN Partners in neighboring countries for a solution. They set out to fast track the shoot permit at a suitable prison and secure travel visas for more than a dozen of the Habib production team.
The production service company that is PSN Serbia found and secured the chosen location. Company structure enabled them to guarantee results. “Authorities want to see a legal representative of a company, not an individual line producer,” comments EP and Serbia Partner, Giuliano Doman. “I had to go to the internal affairs ministry in the name of our company and file a statement taking responsibility for the more than dozen Arab filmmakers coming here to shoot scenes of their series.”
Local Know-How With A World View
Producers of the HBO series, The Flight Attendant, relied on PSN worldwide reach to help steer their creatives. During development, we discussed the ground truth of film hubs where they envisioned Kaley Cuoco’s character caught in the crossfire. Cultural norms and logistics of select film hubs that were incompatible with the expectations of the writers prompted a dialogue. PSN suggested suitable alternative locations. Production executives of the series took our advice onboard. They coaxed the showrunner to pivot toward destinations that enhanced the narrative without compromising their calendar or target production costs.
One reward for their diligence was authenticity. “We secured filming permits for Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, including a customs detention zone,” shares service EP and PSN Italy Partner, Luca de Angelis. “I don’t think you can do that so readily at JFK.”
Beforehand, the studio’s production service agreement outlines expectations for which only the most experienced need apply. “When you review all the details of the agreement, you see how detailed it is, and what they require, you cannot say yes yes yes if it’s not true,” affirms de Angelis.
Building upon the success of PSN film support in Italy and Thailand for season 1, studio executives and creatives called on PSN to discuss far-flung destinations for season 2 of The Flight Attendant. Germany and Iceland surfaced as two suitable film hubs with a variety of locations that fit the narrative still coming into focus. Amongst the most challenging locations to secure was the privately-owned Sky Lagoon.
“The owners took into account that we were a local company with the track record that was applying for the permit,” says service EP and PSN Iceland Partner, Beggi Jonsson. “An individual line producer may be looked at with suspicion. The owners may not let them in. Even for Warner Bros., there is a need to work with a local company to instill the trust that opens doors.”
Nothing Like Filming At The Real Thing
Filmmakers who go the distance to shoot at authentic locations have our utmost respect. They inspire our Production Service Network and its Partners. Together we’re driven to achieve award-winning results. CNN’s Why We Go won an Emmy and multiple other accolades for its portrayal of Syrian refugees fleeing their war-torn country.
“It was very tense. The NGOs didn’t want reporters or cameras in their way,” relates EP owner and PSN Greece Partner, Andreas Tsilifonis. While most media attention focused on Lesbos Island, he suggested producing the story in a border town on the Greek mainland where an equal number of refugees sought safety.
“We went there because the refugees had set up camp on my own family’s land. I’ve known the mayor and the police since we were kids,” continues Tsilifonis. “I was sad that our family crops had been destroyed by the crowds. But no one could tell us not to go there. In fact, the local government and townspeople all helped us film under those challenging conditions.”
"It's Just Not Doable." Or Is It?
Guy Ritchie’s Fountain of Youth pushed the boundaries while filming with Natalie Portman, Eiza González, and John Krasinski at the Giza Pyramids near Cairo. PSN Egypt Partner and EP Amin El Masri still marvels at the sheer scale. “We were flipping cars, detonating explosives with helicopters flying around. The film’s location manager confessed that doing this at any other World Heritage Site would be impossible.”
“An individual can’t do this kind of stuff,” insists El Masri. “We had meeting after meeting with the army, to coordinate logistics and four days on the military base to install special camera mounts requiring a change of the mechanics on two army choppers. Here in Egypt, your name and your company open doors to achieve the unimaginable.”
Access to the iconic filming locations that draw foreign filmmakers from afar is dependent on the relationships a PSC has built over years with those who hold the keys. EP owner and PSN Brazil Partner, Justin Bird, remembers how the director of the Chinese feature, Line Walker, insisted on filming in a favela run by gun-wielding, drug-running gangsters.
“The production went flawlessly – despite action scenes such as a pick up truck mounted with a machine gun hurtling at great speed down a narrow road of the most violent favela in Rio firing thousands of rounds,” illustrates Bird. “We pulled it off with surgical precision while saving more than 50k on the estimated costs.”
The added value of budget management is a facet we’ll explore in our next instalment.
In case you’ve missed prior articles in our series identifying the advantages foreign producers tap into by working with production service companies (PSCs), here are links to the insights we’ve shared.
Trusting A Local Partner In The Production Trenches
PSCs Cut The Friction When Filming Abroad
Line Producer or PSC – A Rethink (from the UK perspective)
