Think production is easier in countries outside of America? Think again. Much has been said about jobs in the U.S. entertainment sector dwindling due to the benefits being offered by other countries — hell, our President even seems willing to treat it as justification for yet another trade war — but not enough is said about just how difficult it is to facilitate these international productions.
Speaking with IndieWire editor-in-chief Dana Harris-Bridson during our Future of Filmmaking summit at Cannes, Emily Korteweg (Producer, “Splitsville”), Andrew Hevia (Head of North American Production, Fabula), and Caroline von Kuhn (Executive Director, Oxbelly) all offered their expertise on what it takes to put these kind of productions together. Though each have different experiences, they all have faced similar challenges in working internationally.
“You have to be prepared for that level of bureaucracy and that level of detail oriented research because there’s a way through the system and you have to get really good at that,” Hevia said of securing financing in countries outside of America. “So the producers I’ve worked with internationally…They have a tax auditor mindset to how you navigate, which is very different than the American system. The American system is, ‘Don’t ask where the money came from, but it’ll be here tomorrow.’ Those are where I find the cultural differences really, the American cowboy system versus the bureaucratic.”
Von Kuhn echoed these sentiments, while also adding that this is where a really sharp producer can come in handy. Often it’s this figure who’s tasked with making things happen, but von Kuhn believes it’s equally important that they set reasonable expectations and offer multiple strategies for execution.
“We always analyze the dynamic between the director and producer to be like, ‘Are they serving the same film in these complementary roles?’ Because if they’re not, that’s going to come out at some point,” she said. “It could be the director understanding the consequence if you go this path versus this path: budget, scale, some of the details of like, ‘We’re going to have to hire 60% local crew, we’re going to have to spend x amount on this.’ Having that producer who can speak that way to the director and then really be bullish about figuring out that path to me is everything.”
Korteweg, who was the only one on the panel not originally born in America, said the quiet part out loud when she acknowledged how many productions from around the world would love to shoot in America, but simply can’t make it financially feasible. She pointed out how this speaks to a larger problem of artists being boxed in by bureaucratic and economic parameters.
“I think all of us would love to shoot more in the US. We really wanted to shoot ‘Splitsville’ in the US, specifically in New York. We’re based there. We would have had it all figured out very fast, both financially, but also it wasn’t as attractive,” said Koreweg. “Also there was another potential strike, and so we decided to go. So for me all of these conversations are interesting to observe and extremely crucial, but really what it is about is just how can we freely create.”
All of the restrictions put on productions has hampered the business across the globe, not only making it more of a challenge to get films made, but also seen. The irony in all this, Korteweg finds, is that most productions just want to bring economic value to wherever they’re shooting.
In bringing up another heroic, cinematic allegory similar to cowboys, she added towards the end of the panel, “I think that’s innately what filmmakers are drawn to because we’re a bunch of pirates just trying to, out of thin air, create something that then creates 300 jobs.”
About United for Business:
United’s shared purpose is “Connecting People. Uniting the World.” United offers the most diversified international route network among US airlines based on the number of international destinations served and is proud to offer a specialized travel product designed for the entertainment industry. United for Business comes with everything that will keep your production moving forward – reduced airfare, special rates for equipment, custom booking options, airport escort services and a dedicated entertainment support desk. For more information about United visit www.united.com and to learn more about United for Business visit https://www.united.business.
