The Work On Location
The global filmmaking industry has hit the ground running in 2023. Feature films and TV series shot in foreign locations during the throes of the pandemic demonstrate the resilience of PSN Partner service companies worldwide. And innovative initiatives are behind the scouting of new stories still to be told. More in The Prep below.
Last month’s theatrical release of Korean-hostage drama, The Point Men, – in which Jordan doubles for Afghanistan thanks to our local crew – continues the 2022 trend of action-packed movies luring cinema goers back to immerse themselves in stories where locations are a main character on the big screen.
Under the restrictions of quarantines that grounded commercial shoots in Thailand, the country soared to success by pivoting A-list crew to execute long form work, including features filmed on location with the PSN Thailand team like TÁR, 13 Lives, The Greatest Beer Run Ever, and The Gray Man.
US Producers of season 6 of the elite police-force TV series SWAT set their story in Thailand too. Korean producers of Taxi Driver turned to PSN Vietnam to facilitate the filming of the second installment of their successful series.
Unscripted shows have also ventured beyond their borders to satiate an audience hunger for fresh frontiers. The PSN Philippines team is on a roll these days in providing film support to 5 unscripted franchises for 5 territories around the world. Heidi Klum with special guests including Jean Paul Gaultier, Kylie Minogue, and Snoop Dogg sprinkled stardust on Germany’s Next Top Model filmed with the team at PSN Greece.
UK producers of The Crown relied again on Spain to add sunshine to season 5. Following in their footsteps were creators of the Stonehouse series filming in Andalusia to double for Florida and Australia in their portrayal of a British politician who faked his own death.
Bollywood producers of Indian spy thriller Pathaan at Yash Raj Films also chose the team at PSN Spain for a month of filming drama and elaborate dance scenes in Cadiz and Palma de Mallorca.
What these film and HETV works all have in common is foreign locations worth traveling for. Dialing into location inspiration is the new Creative Director for LVMH menswear, Pharrell Williams. His presence in this new commercial film executed in Abu Dhabi by our PSN UAE team demonstrates there’s just nothing like being there.
A major US studio series shoot underway in Vancouver recently called on PSN for the real thing in London. Night filming at celebrated locations, including Westminister Bridge, The River Thames, and the historic Old Naval College in Greenwich, executed by our PSN UK team, employed a heavy-lift drone carrying an anamorphic lens, 30-foot Technocrane, fog, full wet down, and multiple lighting towers. Local crew included Sam Mendes’ go-to Stedicam Operator (1917, Blade Runner: 2049, Stranger Things).
The Prep For Filming Abroad
Identifying where to film abroad is a layered process influenced at least as much by budget limitations as creative aspirations. Film offices promoting national and regional film incentives attract filmmakers to territories. Joining them now are leaders in the travel and tourism industry. They recognize that the pandemic halt to leisure travel did not ground filmmakers. Our essential industry provided critical cash flow to keep their doors open.
A dozen influential US-based filmmakers converged on Scotland in early December to discover the charms of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Timed to coincide with FOCUS in London, event organizers at The Location Guide planned an itinerary with the Radisson Hotel Group and United Airlines to showcase each company’s services and film-friendly spirit.
Portugal was the destination of choice where PSN tapped into support from the Madeira Tourism board to welcome members of PGA, PGGB, and LMGI to discover the Pearl of the Atlantic. Industry news published by KFTV and The Location Guide featured visiting producer and location manager insights while behind-the-scenes films captured their genuine surprise at all the scarcely-filmed archipelago just north of the Spanish Canary Islands offers to filmmakers.
As location-driven storytellers, our scouting with screen industry creatives is an adventure to discover the unseen as much as a search for a fresh perspective on the places we know and love. We’re passionate about sharing it all with them to build stories that draw inspiration from our planet Earth.
Recent scouting and shooting with PSN Partners showcased the expected in Chile, Malaysia, Peru, and Vietnam.
It also unveiled a less obvious side to each of these same countries. Can you guess which photo below also corresponds to Chile, Malaysia, Peru, and Vietnam? The answer is at the end of this blog.
The Talk...In Person
There’s no substitute to pressing the flesh, as Mark Foligno, British producer of The King’s Speech and more titles, reminded me during our Portugal FAM trip.
With pandemic prohibitions still in recent memory we found industry enthusiasm overflowing at year-end events. PSN US Liaison Amanda Rosenberg spread holiday joy at the AICP West Holiday Gala in LA, just as UK Liaison Pippa Bhatt did at the Rose d’Or Awards and Content London, where PSN Partners from India, Spain, and Iceland also made their mark.
The following week Cristina and I rendezvoused with long-time industry friends and made new ones in London at FOCUS – an annual gathering where we enjoyed catching up with trade organizations like LMGI, PGGB, and AFCI, while seeing PSN Partners from USA, Ukraine, Turkey, Portugal, Iceland, and the UK.
The Producers Without Borders gala dinner capped off our London week and marked a stupendous end to a remarkable year.
We can’t wait to gather again in person to celebrate more industry achievements and discuss new collaborations.
Answers to The Unexpected:
Clockwise from top left: Peru, Chile, Malaysia, Vietnam.
