Budgeting for shooting in Italy

[Jim Brodie]

I haven’t spoken to Lauren in years but she has shot some high profile works in Italy. She is a wonderful person and a terrific producer. Try this link.

https://www.thebigchimphouse.com

Lauren Drewery works as a writer, producer, director and story editor in partnership with filmmakers in Australia, Canada, the US and Italy. Recent documentary productions include: The Graduate from Sudan for SBS (director/co-producer); The Love Market for Nat Geo Australia (story editor); The War on Ideas for the PBS docu-drama series The Secret Files of the Inquisition (writer); The Lost Ship of Venice for Discovery Europe/France5 (writer/series producer); and Born to Fly for National Geographic International (writer).

[Ned Miller]

I can forewarn you that it is like shooting in Mexico in that everything takes much, much longer than in the US. Laid back, it’s rude to hurry them. Places close early and the people you are counting on are late by American standards. Meals will take 3X as long, especially dinner. Whatever they tell you the time it will take for traffic, double it. They don’t plan for Murphy’s Law.

But it’s a great place and the people are my favorite Europeans, try to stay a few days extra after your shoot.

Ned Miller
Chicago Videographer
http://www.nedmiller.com
http://www.bizvideo.com

[Mike Cohen]

If it were me I would find a local HD shooter – someone here on the COW or elsewhere probably knows someone with a good reputation – let them do the work and rely upon their local knowledge – you act as producer.

Mike Cohen

[Cheryl Beckley]

We’re shooting this as part of a larger project and will be taking students with us as part of the content and therefore can’t use a local shooter from Italy. It would seem to be more difficult to shoot in Italy. Do you have to have a permit to shoot each site or can you get a shooting permit that covers the entire country?

[David Roth weiss]

Cheryl,

I worked on a school recruiting video a few years back and we followed a group of students all over Italy, including Pompeii, and we never once were hassled by anyone.

How big is your crew? How big is your camera? Can you shoot without sticks?

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

EPK Colorist – UP IN THE AIR – nominated for six academy awards

A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.

[John Cummings]

Hi Cheryl-

If you still need help, feel free to contact me off-list, I can give you the name and email of a great fixer I worked with in Rome last summer.

J.Cummings
Chicago
HDX-900/HDW-730S/DXC-D50

[Cheryl Beckley]

We have a 5 person crew and there will be 1 professor and 2 or 3 students. We’ll need our tripod and lights because at least 1 of the sites is in a 500 year old chapel that is quite dark. We have a sony xdhd700, with a new LED light system that can be run entirely from batteries for several hours.

[John Cummings]

Do yourself a favor and hire a local fixer and driver that know the area and local customs and can cut the red tape. They can make everything happen and take care of any problems that will pop up. Worth every euro you’ll pay them. Bring some extra cash, because nothing seems to get done without it.

Like my buddy Ned said, things can move slowly there and without some help, you may run into some very expensive and/or time-consuming roadblocks.

Good luck!

J.Cummings
Chicago
HDX-900/HDW-730S/DXC-D50
847-220-3172

[Connie Simmons]

HI. I recently shot in France and faced many of the same issues.

I also have worked with a wonderful American woman who lives in Florence and has been a location manager/assistant producer for many big projects. She of course speaks fluent Italian. Please contact me if you would like to speak to her. She was helping me get different permits for historic sites in Italy as well.

Good luck on your production.

Best, Connie