WHY FOREIGN LOCALES ATTRACT FILM PRODUCERS
by K.V. Kurmanath

Business Line
May 4, 2005

Hyderabad, May 3 – AT LEAST 25 Telugu films were shot in Tirol,
a picturesque region in Austria, in the recent times. Every other
Telugu film has got at least one song shot in New Zealand, Germany
or Australia. Greece too forms part of the list.

Now some producers are seriously exploring locations in Armenia,
Uzbekistan and other countries that formed part of the former Soviet
Union. Why do producers prefer to shoot part of their films, songs
in most cases, in foreign countries? It is not just aesthetics and
the foreign tag that drive them to foreign countries.

“It makes some economic sense too,” Mr Sravanti Ravikishore, a senior
producer, says.

“We can make two songs there by spending the amount we incur on one
song here,” he says.

Mr Ravikishore had shot some songs in Tirol, Germany and New Zealand.

On an average, producers spend Rs 30 lakh on sets and locations to
complete a song.

This is not the only incentive. There is no fee for using locations
for film shoots. Film crew can work for longer periods, say from
7 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. “Usually, we work eight hours a day here,” Mr
Ravikishore says.

It also involves less number of hands. Heroes and heroines carry
their own luggage.

“We work with just 20-23 people for a film when we work abroad.
Compare this against an army of 150 here. Plus, there are about 50-60
people for group dances,” he says.

Seeing more and more producers trickling in, some countries have
started offering incentives to filmmakers.

Tirol, for example, offers free location counselling. This included
free boarding and lodging for three persons. Besides assisting in
visa procedure Austrian embassy in Delhi, Tirol also helps in finding
partners locally, according to Mr Johannes Koeck of Cine Tirol Film
Corporation.

This year, Cine Tirol hopes to attract 10 Indian film productions.

A foreign schedule brings in discipline, feels Mr D. Rama Naidu of
Suresh Productions.