Citygate Films

Lessons Learned Filming in Africa: Pre-Production

Oct 13

We’ve been back from Africa for a few weeks and I’m still sorting through mounds of paper. I’ve got receipts in six different currencies, talent releases, call sheets, itineraries, and notes galore that need to be properly recorded and filed. With each bit of paper, however, there is a learning curve that begs to be shared with other filmmakers. Even though I’ve been shooting internationally for four years, there are always lots of variables and it’s hard to find reliable information. Therefore, this blog entry is my attempt to shorten someone else’s curve.

As the owner of a start-up film company, I wear a lot of hats. One day I hope to be able to afford lots of other heads to put those hats on. But until that glorious moment, keep in mind you are reading the experiences of a producer/director/writer/bookkeeper/publicist/PA. Thank God I can hire assistant directors, cinematographers, sound recordists, gaffers, grips, editors, composers, sound designers and even CPAs and lawyers, or else I might expire. What follows are mostly the trials and tribulations of the producer/production manager/assistant director realm, for when you have a great and skilled crew, flexible and talented cast members, and incredible visuals in every location, the director gets to have all the fun. “Let there be a memorable and picturesque shoot,” the director says–and everyone merrily complies, both in front of and behind the camera(s). No sweat there. Meanwhile, the production manager is ready to pass out, trying to anticipate the next bureaucratic snafu. This blog’s for you.

Let’s start with the ramped-up weeks called pre-production. The lessons in pre-production were numerous, especially as they related to raising money. But that’s another post for another day. I will tell you a lot of travel prep stories, however, because when you decide to travel with 13 people to five nations (including one in transit) for only three weeks, prep is everything. Finally, to state the obvious, this article assumes a U.S.-based crew on outbound travel.

1) PASSPORTS: Lesson number one: count the number of valid visa pages you have in your U.S. passport and then check for everyone else. Those last pages that look like valid visa pages? Not so much. They may look like pages you can use, but they are not marked for visas and therefore they will not be filled. One of our traveling companions ran out of valid visa pages on my fourth and last embassy visit–which meant I had to smile and dial the National Passport Information Center all day long to get an in-person appointment STAT to add more pages. Another tip: Keep dialing that agency for better appointments. With persistence and providence, I was able to get an appointment for this individual the next day. But that was only after scheduling and canceling many other appointments first. That churn is what gives you the hope of calling in just as someone else is dumping a time slot that you need. Oh, and don’t forget to either photocopy or photograph your passport (and everyone traveling with you). In case of loss or theft, it’s good to have the correct information both at home and with a traveling companion.

2) VISAS: If you are going to shoot exclusively on DSLR cameras such as the Canon 5D Mark II that we traveled with, then you may not draw as much attention to your filmmaking efforts. But if you add other professional cameras (such as the three Sony EX-1 cameras we brought), a wide range of professional lenses, camera support gear, audio gear (with multiple mics), you are not going to be the slickest tourist at the border. Therefore, I believe the wisest course in most countries is to get the business visa and check with the consulate about special regulations regarding filmmaking. Then Google for a second opinion because even the consulate officers will not always volunteer the vital information you need. And the last thing you want is to be held up at the border and losing valuable shoot time to paperwork problems.

For example, if you are going to shoot in Ghana and expect to film at any important landmark, you will need press accreditation as a practical matter. That must precede your visa application. First you are approved for accreditation, then you get your visa, and then when you arrive in country, you complete the process. Therefore, you need to contact your local Ghana consulate fairly early on and ask to speak to the press office first. At the Ghana embassy in Washington, D.C., I made so many visits that I had the press officer’s personal mobile number and email account. (I showed her the trailer on my iPhone for A NOTE OF HOPE at our first meeting, which helped her understand my goals … and maybe garnered a small degree of empathy. This is also my opportunity to plug the iPhone, not just because it’s an excellent smart phone, but because that phone and a set of headphones turn you into a mobile theater. Even if you only have an old iPhone, like I do. Apple: hint, hint.) While Ghana had extra regulations for film crews, Uganda, by contrast, was extremely laid-back about filmmaking regulations and required nothing additional.

3) CARNETS AND CUSTOMS: On this topic, I tread lightly because I’m still not sure I understand the labyrinth of regulations regarding professional equipment crossing borders. Suffice it to say, you just can’t pack your gear in your suitcase and hit the plane. Though you may not have any problems at your destination (increasingly unlikely), I can guarantee you will not be popular with U.S. Customs when you return home. So the first thing to do is find out whether your destination is a carnet country. The carnet is like a passport for the valuable equipment you are importing and exporting during your travels. (You may not think you are importing and exporting anything, but I can assure you governments largely do!) It will cost you a processing fee (around $300-$400), as well as a deposit or surety bond of 40% of your gear’s total value that is returned/canceled when you come home with all of your gear. As opposed to not coming home with all of your gear? Yes, as opposed to selling it abroad and not paying the appropriate taxes–which if you do that to rental gear, you will have bigger problems in the production community than you ever would have with Customs!

Though it costs some money, having a carnet definitely speeds things up in reciprocal nations. But when you are traveling to non-carnet countries, as we were for this last trip, what options do you have? One U.S. Customs officer said I should still get a carnet because it thwarts last-minute demands for taxes at the borders of even non-carnet countries. That may well be true, but for the cash-strapped doc maker, U.S. Customs Form 4455 is all you need to get back home. But is it true about the last-minute taxes? ‘Tis true. I give you example one: Despite all the time I spent with the Ghana consulate, the press credential packet I had, and the extensive information attached to my U.S. Customs Form 4455, I did not learn of Ghana’s 40% temporary importation tax on professional equipment until I arrived. So I pointed out to the customs officer–nicely–that this vast sum was more than the legal limit of cash I could bring into the country, it exceeded the daily cash limits on my debit cards (more on that in the next installment), and it could not be extracted from a credit card because they didn’t accept Visa. (Also in the next installment: hitting ATMs like a gambling addict and being a millionaire in two different nations). Therefore, I was stuck. The customs officer then said we could leave one of our passports behind as surety, which we did. True to their word, the Ghana customs office returned the passport with no problems when we returned with all the gear. But this requirement is not easily discovered unless you search for “Ghana customs duties.” If you search for filming requirements or other related terms, this isn’t evident. That’s why I recommend specifically searching for customs requirements of your destination.

Finally, you should also search for information about additional ministry of information or other press office requirements. Ethiopia, for example, is not a carnet country and in three trips over the past two years, I’ve never encountered a problem with taxes or duties. However, Ethiopia X-rays every bag going in and coming out of the international airport at Addis Ababa. When they discover film equipment (anything more than a personal camera), there is an entirely separate process that kicks in and it starts with confiscating your cameras until you have the right permissions. And no amount of badgering, whining, pleading, stonewalling, or threatening will change that process. It is what it is. And because that tale is such a long and bureacratic one, I will save it for the next installment of lessons learned while filming in Africa.–Carolyn McCulley

(photo by Carissa Gallo)