Shooting a feature in a foreign country.

Cracker Funk

Cracker Funk

Anybody here ever done it? Of course, "foreign" has different meaning to different people, so I should add the context that I'm American.

I have a really great idea for my next feature, but I just don't know how in hell I'll be able to raise the funds necessary for the estimated budget.

So the thought occurred to me -- what if I write a story that takes place in a Country where, because of the conversion rate, the American dollar stretches a long way. I happen to have a very talented actor friend who is Filipino. Maybe I could write a movie for him to be the lead in, that primarily takes place in the Phillippines? Sure would make it easier to pay what little cast & crew I might be able to hire, paying them at local rates.

Any thoughts?
 
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I never shot a feature and I'm a EU citizen.
I've shot videos in other EU countries by just driving there and shoot. So, that is more like you driving to another state and shoot.
 
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This is what "Hollywood" has done for decades. Even small low budget prodCo's
like Empire Pictures did this - most notably in Romania and Italy. I see no reason
why you couldn't do it. If you are the only person traveling from the States and
you can get the proper visa you might save money on labor costs.

Do so research. What is the local rate for crews in the Philippines? Is it much
less than the States? Put together a complete line item budget. If you will save
enough money to make it worthwhile...

Then do it.
 
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Cracker Funk,

You should speak to an entertainment lawyer in the US about shooting in that country. He can then refer you to the appropriate expert in that country who can process the appropriate permits for you. The Philippines may be a cheap locale, but there are stories of corruption and kidnapping, and you must be aware of those risks.
 
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As a director I would want to speak the language and not rely on interpreters or script supervisors, kinda like Americans that get Chinese tattoos, they almost always mean something different than they think lol.

Language?
Will story suffer if written for location? Or do you have a good story that is easily adapted?
Cast/Crew?
Equipment/Vehicle rentals/Logistics?
Legalities and permits?
Visas?

Lots to think about.
 
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Thanks, everybody. Yes, there's definitely much research that needs to be done.

I would probably opt to take on a co-director, one who is fluent in Tagalog, as that's the language that most of the film would be in. There'd also be some English.

The reason the P.I. was the first locale to pop into my head wasn't just because the conversion-rate from the US$ is so much to my advantage, but also because I'm quite familiar with the culture. I'm not an expert or anything, I mean I am a white American. But I did spend about 1/4 of my life surrounded by Filipinos (they comprise about half of the population of Saipan, my 2nd home). Also, though I'd want most cast/crew communications to be in Tagalog, if i ever found the need, I could revert to English, a language that almost all Filipinos speak quite well.

As far as story is concerned, I really don't see much need to concoct a story specific to that locale. I mean, let's say I just got the brilliant idea for "Back to the Future". Is there any reason why that story has to take place in American suburbs? Couldn't you tell the same story pretty much anywhere in the world? Think of "Let the Right One In" vs. "Let Me In". I prefer the original, but they're both good movies, and the location really doesn't matter. So, I've got a small handful of original ideas for stories in my head, and they could easily be adapted to a new locale. The only thing you need to pay mind to is the particulars of the local culture, but the overall high-concept could be basically the same.
 
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Ah, now you're starting to think like a commercial filmmaker! :)

While I have no experience of filmmaking in the Philippines, I do have considerable experience with regard to filmmaking in "foreign" countries. As directorik mentioned, it's entirely common and has been done for decades but, not only by "Hollywood" but by smaller, more indie filmmakers.

Cracker Funk said:
I have a really great idea for my next feature, but I just don't know how in hell I'll be able to raise the funds necessary for the estimated budget.
Click to expand...

There is a solution but it's rather complex and time consuming, what in filmmaking isn't though? The first thing to consider is that film funding in foreign countries is often a completely different kettle of fish to film funding in the US. Many countries have considerable funds available for the promotion of local culture and/or the promotion/use of local labour. Let's say you have a feature script which needs a $2m budget. Making the film in a foreign country could cut that budget requirement in half, due to lower local prices/wages. Furthermore, a local co-producer/s could likely apply for government funds and raise a significant portion of the required $1m budget. You'd still have to raise some funds yourself but whereas raising $2m to fund a film as an indie is incredibly difficult, raising say $300k to make a $2m film ($2m in effect, $1m in practise) is not quite as difficult. In fact most of the films I work on ($300k - $2m) are partly funded/co-produced with Balkan or other eastern European funding.

Even without foreign co-production/funding, the cost saving in many countries more than offsets the cost of flights for the key personnel. If it's so much more cost effective why don't more do it? Well actually a great many do, they just don't publicise the fact much because they also want the
benefits of an "American" or "British" film. A good example is the Nu Boyana film studios in Sofia, Bulgaria, which is a good professional facility, about a third of the price of equivalent US or UK facilities and is in fact actually American owned.

G
 
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Sounds good. When you know local people problems can be solved with no cost.

The location matters to the extent that you now seem to adjust the production for the Filipino market, just like the Let the Right One In was made for the Swedish market. It did well and got a remake for the American market. As did The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Both superb movies.

Normally American productions like yours have American Tourists traveling. Romancing the Stone, 6 Days 7 Nights, Frantic. Or The Descendants where George Clooney played a Hawaiian. But these productions are designed for a big release, yours will not be, so you can just as well make it for the Philippines exclusively and when it is a local success, someone will think about remaking it.
 
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This is why we have many Hollywood productions shooting in Australia. Good dollar value, and great tax breaks.

I worked on an American Netflix series for a couple of weeks earlier in the year, not to mention the HBO series shooting 20 minutes away from my house. Not only do you get $1.30 of value for each $1USD, but overall the associated costs (equipment, crew, cast etc.) are lower, yet as professional as any US film crew.

I would probably want a good local friend, preferably a good Producer, to help me with securing everything, particularly in the eastern countries.

I have a close friend who is a high-end commercial producer in Vietnam, and whilst it is a lot cheaper to shoot there, you do need local knowledge for many things, including ensuring you hire the right crew.
 
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I would think for the small/shoestring filmmaker it would be much easier and more economical to film in your own country. You can work all kinds of deals, DIY stuff, etc., and avoid unknown pitalls and travel expenses. On a large scale it makes sense, the travel is a grain of sand in the budget and they reap tax benefits etc.
 
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I'm in Canada. I considered shooting a feature script in Indonesia before in order to save money, and get a bigger budget. But other filmmakers talked me out of it, saying that it would be hard to bring the movie back home, do all the post production, and then try to market it to a Canadian/American audience as a foreign language film. So I didn't do it, but maybe it's a good idea after all, with these comments.
 
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Are you guys talking about doing a foreign language film??
Or are you talking about bringing in english speaking actors, and using a foreign language crew in a foreign country.

If you have a foreign language film then I dont understand on how you're increasing profit - because then it has to be marketed to the people in that country and you're not going to get an inflation on your return profits through an american audience.
 
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sfoster said:
Are you guys talking about doing a foreign language film??
Or are you talking about bringing in english speaking actors, and using a foreign language crew in a foreign country.

If you have a foreign language film then I dont understand on how you're increasing profit - because then it has to be marketed to the people in that country and you're not going to get an inflation on your return profits through an american audience.
Click to expand...

Bringing in English speaking actors can appear weird though. Audiences might wonder why all the background extras, are of a different race, looking like they are in a different country compared to all the white, American looking major characters.

Also flying in actors and paying for them to have to stay, also increases the budget. I mean how does flying in a cast from America, save money on hiring a crew from the Phillipines for example? It seems the best way to save money is to have a foreign language cast as well. But you can market a foreign language movie to American audiences, to a degree, can't you?

I mean a lot of foreign language films have found success in English speaking countries, and a lot of audiences do not mind subtitles.
 
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sfoster said:
Are you guys talking about doing a foreign language film??
Or are you talking about bringing in english speaking actors, and using a foreign language crew in a foreign country.

If you have a foreign language film then I dont understand on how you're increasing profit - because then it has to be marketed to the people in that country and you're not going to get an inflation on your return profits through an american audience.
Click to expand...

Some Americans watch foreign language films. I see no reason why a film shot primarily in Tagalog couldn't gain an audience in America, especially since there are so many Filipinos living here.

And you talk about profit like you know anything about it. We're basically chasing unicorns here. Furthermore, the main reason why I asked this question isn't because I was wondering whether or not I could turn a profit.

I'm just trying to make the damn film.
 
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The current political situation in the Philippines makes it somewhere I definitely wouldn't want to film. Knowing your work, CF, I suspect that there might be some adult themes involved in the movie (?), in which case I don't think it would be a sensible place to work.
 
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One worry I would have about shooting with actors who are speaking a different language is, is that, how do you know what they are saying is the actual script, if you do not know the language as well? Even if you have a translator, what if the translator doesn't say cut or point out any errors in the dialogue and what the characters are suppose to mean in the context of the dialogue?

You would be subtitling a movie, based on the assumption of what is actually being said for a lot of it, or the translator's assumption.
 
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Cracker Funk said:
Some Americans watch foreign language films. I see no reason why a film shot primarily in Tagalog couldn't gain an audience in America, especially since there are so many Filipinos living here.

And you talk about profit like you know anything about it. We're basically chasing unicorns here. Furthermore, the main reason why I asked this question isn't because I was wondering whether or not I could turn a profit.

I'm just trying to make the damn film.
Click to expand...

I thought profit was when your income is greater than your expenses.
I guess I'm just a big dumb idiot, thanks for point out how I don't understand this concept.
 
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