Shooting in China

[Jordan Beard]

We're prepping for a week-long shoot in China in July and I'm curious if anyone could lend some advice on shooting there. Has anyone had any trouble bringing gear in or out of China? Any advice on visas (tourist or otherwise)? Thanks!

 

[Nicholas Austin Skinner]

Jordan -

I've been based in China and Hong Kong since about 2006 and would be happy to help in anyway I can. I'm not primarily a cinematographer, but have plenty of experience working on international shoots between China and many other countries.

First of all, please feel to reach out to me via PM here.

Secondly, the basic advice is like this:

Definitely get a Carnet. Customs in Shanghai is very open, and generally will not stop you even if you are carrying in pelican cases. I've come in and out with my own Epic and loads of kit no problem many times. But you can get stopped. Although I have never been stopped by customs entering China through the airport, I did have a problem with a crane that we brought in parallel with us as cargo. We thought that we had declared the crane properly, but apparently we did not. We got fined, the crane got held in customs for over 2 months, and was not 100% there (missing some small components) when we finally did get it back. A carnet would have saved us that hassle and expense.

Do not underestimate the need for a good fixer. This depends upon what you plan to shoot, where, with whom, etc. But having a real local fixer can save your ass when you least expect it. China is a wonderful country filled with incredibly friendly people, but unless you are working with some real Mainland Chinese crew who can understand you and your needs and will stick their neck out for you if need be, you may find yourself quickly in a fish out of water scenario that could interfere with your shoot, or worse. Like I said, Chinese people are some of the friendliest, most hospitable you find around the world, especially to foreigners. But you are still going to be a fish out of water and that alone is a strong reason to hire a real fixer who can at least make sure your shoot runs smoothly and help you navigate the fish out of water situations likely to pop up. I can provide references for serious and trustworthy fixers who work regularly with the BBC, PRI, CNN, as well as on commercial shoots for major international brands like Heineken, Puma, New Balance, and so on. Hit me up if you want some referrals.

Peace from the far East,

Nicholas

 

[Cameron Currier]

Ditto everything above.

I just came back from a shoot in China. Had no issues with customs, but we had a Carnet just to be safe. We had an amazing fixer who works in film production. Super helpful arranging rentals, translating, and driving us around.

Visa was not difficult to obtain. Just need the proper paperwork from our client, proving we are doing work for a US based company and getting paid by them, yada yada. Our producer took care of all that so I can't really go into more detail. We had a last minute shoot, so we had to fly to San Francisco and spend a day in the consulate to get our paperwork in order and got the visas the next morning.

 

[Rich Miro]

Ask Ethan Tian. He shoots there a lot.

 

[Ho Perry]

Hello Jordan!

Here's Perry Ho form Hong Kong and based in Beijing, I am a dop lived in China for more than 10 years, if you wanna bring in your own gears, then you need the Carnet and local production to clean out all your gears form the customer department, if you need any support, please feel free to let me know. Cheers!

Perry Ho

 

[Finn Möller]

What is with using drones? Are there any restrictions in China?
We plan to travel to Hong Kong for some stuff and it is in February 2018 so I have to make some plans now.

 

[chris alstrin]

I've traveled there a few times with my equipment and have never had an issue. I've flown drones there with no issues (but have never flown in Hong Kong proper). I would assume permits are required or as everyone has mentioned get a fixer who knows the local rules for that area. Good luck and have fun over there, it's amazing!

 

[Jordan Beard]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I've heard that Chinese customs sometimes asks for a deposit of 20% of the value of whatever you bring in— has anyone encountered that? I'm also looking into the option of renting gear there to avoid the hassle of getting a carnet, dealing with customs, etc. Has anyone had a good experience with a rental house in Shanghai?