on location bureaucracy to maximum advantage. The editing suites were state-of-the-art, Productions shot in They can also negotiate favorable ar- as stylish and comfortable as any you Argentina include… rangements with the unions for talent would find in Hollywood (I’m almost cer- TELEVISION and technicians, and with vendors for tain I saw Red Bull in the refrigerator), Project Runway Latin America equipment, transportation and accom- and there was a casual atmosphere Big Brother Ecuador modations. sustained by an inherent professional- Fear Factor ism and seriousness of intent. Vientos de Agua (miniseries Buenos Aires/Argentina In January, I had an opportunity to tour co-production with Spain) some of the major production facilities Last June, I met some of the BAFC staff The Amazing Race In this issue, Produced by is proud to premiere a new department, “On Location,” in Buenos Aires, and it was immedi- at the AFCI convention in Los Angeles, which will provide producers with essential information, both pro and con, regarding ately apparent that Argentina has the and we spoke again during my visit to FILM the experience of producing on location in both domestic and international venues. capacity and resources to handle even Buenos Aires. They assist with every- Tetro the most sophisticated, large-scale pro- thing production companies may need Seven Years in Tibet ductions. from the municipal government for film- There Be Dragons ing in Buenos Aires. The office of the The Motorcycle Diaries Children of Men Location, location, location — it is as Argentina has a long filmmaking his- and kitschy shops, could be Mexico Camaras y Luces (C&L) in the Palermo Director General was extremely helpful Lucky Luke true in motion pictures as it is in real es- tory, dating back to the early 1900s. or Puerto Rico. A few blocks away, La barrio of Buenos Aires is one of the in making arrangements for facility tours (French, starring Jean Dujardin) tate. The country has twice won the foreign Boca begins to look more like the devel- largest rental houses in South America, and introductions, and later we had an On the Road language Oscar, most recently for El se- oping world, with buildings and streets with an excellent selection of cameras, opportunity to talk in more detail. Finding the right locations is painstak- creto de sus ojos (The Secret in Their in disrepair. grip and electric equipment for any size ing, time-consuming work. Sometimes Eyes) in 2009. production. I was impressed with the The BAFC acknowledges that while in Buenos Aires. While there are local the ideal location creatively, is also the The key to unlocking the benefits of quality and maintenance of the equip- there are currently no tax credits for crews available in most of the important least feasible logistically or economical- At the center of the Argentine film indus- production in Argentina is working with ment, the organization of the facility, foreign productions, if a production cities of every province, the most expe- ly. It is a process where all of the stars try is the city of Buenos Aires, a bustling one of the many qualified production and the knowledgeable staff, many of company establishes an office in the rienced are in the capital. Typically, for- need to align in terms of creative con- metropolis with a strong European in- services companies in Buenos Aires. whom were bilingual. It was also almost Audiovisual District, they will be entitled eign productions work with a produc- cerns, budget, access to resources — fluence. Separated into distinct neigh- Recognizing its increasing stature in impossibly clean! C&L has a small on- to certain City tax exemptions for 10 tion company in Buenos Aires — and and weather! borhoods called barrios, Buenos Aires the international film and television in- site stage (suitable for commercials and years. As far as filming in other parts of they take care of everything. is celebrated by the Buenos Aires Film dustry, the city of Buenos Aires has de- television), as well as an array of stag- Argentina, the national government en- As producers search for more cost- Commission (BAFC) as “one place, all veloped an “audiovisual district” — an es at an offsite location, the largest of tity is INCAA [National Institute of Film Whether your production requires a effective ways to realize their creative places.” official geographic area populated by which is more than 11,000 square feet. and Audiovisual Arts], which can assist substantial amount of shooting or only team’s vision, it has become increas- local production companies. The gov- producers with filming in other parts of a few scenes, there are production ingly common to look to South America The French and Italian architecture ernment has also officially recognized I also toured Cinecolor Argentina, one the country. companies in Buenos Aires with expe- as a potential option for filming loca- throughout Buenos Aires suggest obvi- audiovisual production as an “industry,” of South America’s premiere post-pro- rienced producers and first-class re- tions, especially given the diversity of ous stand-ins for Paris or any number and provided some key tax exemptions duction facilities. There I witnessed a The best way to ensure a positive expe- sources to ensure a high-quality, cost- locations and ethnicities that can be of cities in Italy. The upscale Puerto for companies in the District. coming together of traditional filmmak- rience, suggests the BAFC, would be to effective positive production experience found there. Madero could pass for many different ing and cutting-edge digital technology. work with a local production company on location in Argentina. waterfront metropolitan cities, including These companies have access to ex- Nowhere is this more abundantly true Los Angeles. El Caminito, the famous perienced local crews, and the local K&S Films is a Buenos Aires produc- than in Argentina. street in La Boca, with its bright colors producers know how to navigate the tion company with substantial interna- tional credits. They have produced a number of their own projects as well as provided production services for foreign clients across a wide range of budgets and scale. For the French filmLucky Luke (budget of $25 million), K&S Films provided production services over a six-month shooting schedule. On an- other high-profile project, they provided production services for just a few short scenes. It was August 2010, and producer El Caminito in La Boca, Buenos Aires. Charles Gillibert (MK2) was looking for a Bariloche, in the lake district of Patagonia. May – June 2013 79 on location stand-in for Montana in winter. He was As is often the case producing On the Road, directed by with weather, things Keever Vineyards is a proud sponsor of the Producers Guild of America. For more information on our winery or our wines, or to schedule a tour Walter Salles, and they needed moun- somehow worked out and tasting, please go to www.keevervineyards.com or call tains with snow. South America imme- in the end. 707.944.0910. Cheers! diately became an option since it offers winter in August. “We were making a company move,” Gil- Salles was familiar with K&S Films, and libert continues, “it was View from the stage, the company was hired to provide pro- raining — and then sud- Teatro Colón Opera House, Buenos Aires. duction services. It was a quick five-day denly, it started snowing. shoot with only 20 days lead time, but The snow began and in La Angostura in Patagonia, with its pe- 10 minutes everything rennial snow-capped mountains, was a was white. It was amazing!” only possible,” Gillibert said, “because perfect match for the terrain that was there was somebody we trust, a true required. Gillibert recommends Argentina as an professional, in Argentina.” excellent option for producers looking “Most of the crew were from Argen- for a wide variety of locations, profes- For those key scenes in On the Road, tina,” says Gillibert, “and there was a sional crew and cooperative govern- that professional was producer Matías high level of professionalism.” ment agencies. He also noted that it is Mosteirin of K&S Films. I talked to less expensive than filming in Canada Matías about On the Road and other As with many productions filming dur- or the United States. “In Argentina, aspects of filming in Argentina at K&S’s ing the winter, the weather didn’t al- you go there and trust the country and impressive offices in downtown Buenos ways cooperate. people you work with and everything is Aires. The space was upscale modern, easy with administration. There is great with keycard entry and minimalist dé- “The first day was a driving scene,” support at every stage.” cor. Matías made himself available on Gillibert recalls, “and it was windy and short notice and was refreshingly can- raining, which was OK for the script. The shoot for On the Road posed did about the process of filming in Ar- We shot all the scenes, but the last some other challenges in addition to gentina. day leaving La Angostura there was still the weather. High-profile actors (Kris- no snow. We were disappointed that ten Stewart and Garrett Hedlund) were I proposed to him that the only element we did all that traveling and didn’t find traveling with the company. They also missing to make Argentina a superior snow.” needed to find a 1950s car. “This was option as a filming location was some form of tax incentives for foreign pro- ductions. He was not optimistic about this possibility. “The government,” he said, “while helpful and supportive of the motion picture industry, would be reluctant to favor the industry over other industries where taxes are concerned.” Matías also cautioned against choos- ing a location purely for economic ad- vantage.