The Hindu Business Line : Why foreign locales attract film producers

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.

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