Shooting in Egypt

[Fabian Perez]

Hey all,

I'm headed to Egypt (Cairo and Alexandria) this week to shoot a series of promotional videos for a non-profit, but have no experience shooting there. Is there anything I should be particularly aware of as far as general shooting conditions/experience goes? Advice/tips would be great.

Thanks!

 

[Perry Wilson]

watch out for mummies...

 

[Mark Collins]

If Stephen Sommers shows up, run?

 

[Nick Gardner]

Get a carnet. Customs in egypt is a straight up nightmare. You know the shot at the end of raiders of the lost ark? Thats what Customs at cairo looks like. If you do not have a carnet god help you. Also, beware the swarm. People yelling at you in a language you do not understand will swarm all over you and try to help carry all your stuff. Even your crew members will swarm. A bunch of helpfull egyption crew members swarmed all over the jimmy jib when it was time to tear it down, and reduced i to it's base components - a big pile of parts and bolts. Have fun. Traffic in Cairo is like level 10 of some horrible nightmare video game.

Nick

 

[Mark Whatmore]

Hi Fabian,

I shoot a lot in Egypt - customs clearance and permissions are the main issues, a good fixer is the answer. I'd recommend Ramy Romany - egyptfixer.com - he'll help you get your kit in and out and enable you to operate in the country. I'd say that trying to operate in Egypt without local support could be very problematic - you'll spend a lot of time trying to explain yourself to the police and unable to operate.

Good luck. It's a fantastic country, great to shoot in, and Egyptians love to have a good time.

Mark

 

[Sally Shamas]

sunscreen and Kaffiya

 

[Perry Wilson]

Stay way from beetles, you never know which ones are going to dig under your skin and eat your brain...

 

[Rob Gardner]

Schedule more time than you would in the US. Things will not work out the way you planned, no matter what. Be patient with the Egyptians and treat them with respect. Don't expect everything to work out in American terms. Be prepared to be flexible. Have a flexible equipment package.

Ditto on the fixer advice, but make sure the fixer has experience in whatever kind of production you are doing. You don't need a news fixer if you are doing big production and you don't need a big production fixer if you are doing run-and-gun. But you will need somebody for customs and dealing with the local and national government.

Make sure you have very good translators (at least one) and pay attention to him/her. He should not only be translating the language, he should be translating the cultural context of the actions going on around you. If you have western women on your crew, make sure they dress modestly and don't flirt with the Egyptian men.

Many many many people will expect some kind of bribe/tip. Don't get pissed off about this. It is a very poor place and the amounts are small. Be prepared to pay in good spirit.

Egypt is a fantastic place, the people are great and it can be a life-changing trip but if you go into it thinking that it will be the same as shooting in LA, you will end up losing your mind.

If you have issues with Muslims, you probably shouldn't go. There are a lot of Muslims there. If you go into a mosque, follow the rules. Be respectful.

Good luck