Film in India
From the snow clad mountains of the Himalayas to the azure seas of the Andaman islands, from the golden desserts of Rajasthan to lush green backwaters of Kerala, the Indian subcontinent has a location for every occassion. With a unique mix of the old and the new, it offers you ancient palaces in Gujarat along with modern skyscrapers in Mumbai. India is diverse, India is mysterious, India is breathtaking, but ultimately India is what you want to make of it. And that is why India is Magic.
We at Film in India, a subsidiary of Magic Hour Films Pvt. Ltd., are here to help you capture that Magic creatively, efficiently and cost effectively. Film in India is a film service production company. We line produce feature films, tv commercials, documentaries, corporate films, music videos and photography campaigns.
It is a known fact that India is the largest film producing nation in the world and we at Film in India work with some of the best who work in it. Our offices are in Mumbai, a mega filming hub to cater to the western regions; New Delhi a television production hub to facilitate shoots in the northern and eastern parts of the country and Pondicherry, 160 km south of Chennai, to handle productions in the south. With offices in the three corners of the country, we are a one stop solution for all your shoots in this diverse subcontinent.
We have produced for some of the most reputed production companies from across the globe including FOX, ARTE, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, Independent Films, Gang Films. We have also worked with many acclaimed directors from diverse backgrounds including Oscar winning director Ang LEE, BAFTA winners Shekhar KAPUR & James W. GRIFFITH, popular Bollywood director and choreographer Farah KHAN. Film in India is committed to providing you transparency, efficiency, flexibility, commitment and skill in all its services.
With the aim of offering you the most competitive quotes, Film in India offers you a complete package for your shoot in India.
We would be delighted to serve you on your next shoot in the Indian subcontinent.
India Facts
- India is the largest film producing nation in the world. At over a 1000 films a year India produces almost double the number of films as Hollywood does.
- Ramoji Rao studios in Hyderabad is the largest integrated studio complex on the planet. It is spread over 2000 acres of land and houses 47 soundstages.
- There are more than 600 TV channels in India.
- Indian cinema is over a 100 years old.
- India is the largest democracy in the world.
- India is the world’s largest, oldest, continuous civilisation.
- India is the 7th largest nation area wise in the world.
- India has more than 7500kms of coast line.
- India has 94 national parks.
- The mainland consists of four well-defined regions: (i) The great mountain zone, (ii) The Indo-Gangetic plain, (iii) The desert region and (iv) The Southern Peninsula.
- India’s Hindu Calender has 6 season – Spring, Summer, Monsoon, Autumn, Winter and Prevernal.
- Indian Time Zone – +5.30 GMT.
- Indian Currency – 1 US$ = @Rs. 67; 1 Euro = @Rs. 75.
PRE PRODUCTION SERVICES
We give productions a head start by providing in-depth research and transparent budgeting. We then assist in permits, location scouting, multicity casting, travel & visas.
PRODUCTION SERVICES
We source the right multilingual crew & technicians for the job. We have access to state of the art film equipment, production design & studio spaces.
POST PRODUCTION SERVICES
We work with the finest post production houses in the region. We provide offline and online editing, special effects, animation, dubbing, sound engineering and music.
Locations & Studios
India is known for its diverse shooting locations: mountains, forests, deserts, beaches, rivers, backwaters, waterfalls, palaces, skyscrapers and various kinds of studios – we have it all. These locations can stand in for almost any desired location on the planet. What locations cant provide can be filled in by skilled crafts in one of the many state of the art studios spread across the country
India has some of the largest sound stages in the world sized upto 30,000 sq feet (2800 sq meters) for big set ups as well as various other sizes of studios for visual effects & photography shoots.
The largest number of studios are found in Mumbai in the west as well as Chennai and Hyderabad in the south. New Delhi, a gateway to the north, which is also India’s television hub has its share of studios too.
Permisions & Visa
In order to shoot in India you need a permission from the Ministry Of Information & Broadcasting for Feature Films and from the Ministry Of External Affairs for commercials, documentaries and music videos. Both Ministries are located in New Delhi. The permission process will take between 2 and 4 weeks depending on the kind of project and the content of what you are shooting in India.
Through our representatives we will help you with the permission process and obtain all necessary clearances including those that adhere to state and local permits.
All foreigners need a visa to enter India. The correct visa type for filming purposes is a ‘J’ Visa and for Business is a “B” Visa. Processing times to obtain visa can vary from between 2 working days to 7 working days. A shooting permit from the Government of India is required before you can apply for your “J” visa. A “B” visa can be obtained through a letter of invitation.
We are here to facilitate the visa procedures for you.
More details for obtaining permission to shoot in India can be found in the two links below:
India Film Commission – https://indiafilm.org/
Guide to shooting your feature film in India – https://mib.nic.in/WriteReadData/documents/flm1.pdf
Budgeting & Scheduling
India offers you some of the best quality to price ratio allowing you to put more money on the screen. From equipment to crew, locations to set building, hotels to travel India is value for money.
Labor in the Indian film industry is highly skilled and cheaper than most western countries and therefore labor intensive budget lines like set building and costumes are executed at a much more affordable rate here. Indian art directors can be compared to the best in the world and have earned their stripes on several reputed Bollywood, Hollywood & international projects
We at Film in India will analyze and break down your script, work out a transparent and precise budget and help you with your scheduling. We will negotiate, where required, the most economical rates in the various areas of our services. We are on your our side.
Cast & Crew
Film in India is your partner in assisting to find the appropriate local cast and crew for the job.
The Indian film industry offers world class professionals, including actors, line producers, cinematographers, sound designers, art directors, editors and other crew who work to the highest standards at the fraction of the cost to their western counterparts.
We carefully screen our crews. Having worked on international productions they are experienced, committed, skillful and multilingual. We will help you contract and negotiate the best possible deals with them.
History has given India a diverse gene pool allowing projects to tap into a vast wealth of faces and body types that cater to various kinds of plot lines.
The past decade has seen Indian actors breakthrough into the international arena. They are technically trained, agile and creatively support the directors vision.
Film in India will assist you through the entire process of casting.
Equipment & Post Production
Film in India has partnered with the most reputed rental companies from across the country to provide you with the latest, well maintained, state of the art gears that include camera, sound, light and grip equipment.
Being the largest film producing country in the world, India has no dirth of choice for film and video equipment. The list includes Arri Exela Xt Cameras, Panavision Cameras, Cook & Prime Lenses, Russian Arms, Giraffe Arms, Panther & Magnum Dollys, Drones, a range of Kino Flow and Arri Lighting packages. Therefore importing of equipment into India for your shoot can be greatly reduced.
In case you have a need to import gear for your shoot, we will facilitate the process by helping you obtain an ATA carnet that will allow you temporarily import your equipment into the country duty free and tax free.
India offers post production facilities along with highly skilled technicians that are at par with the best in the world. From offline editing on the Avid and Final Cut Pro, online editing on the Smoke and the Flame, DI on the Luster, visual effects, subtitling, dubbing, sound engineering and music, Indian studios provide it all.
Weather
India has a large number of climatic regions. A tropical climate in the south to temperate and alpine in the northern Himalayan regions.
India’s weather is mainly warm during most of the year and offers warm bright sunlight with significant variations from region to region.
The elevated Himalayan regions receive snowfall in the winter months. The Thar Desert attracts the south west monsoons between the post summer months of June and September, providing India most its rainfall, except in the southern state of Tamil Nadu where the north east monsoons bring rainfall between October to December.
Post monsoon seasons generally bring clear skies and comfortable temperatures. The coolest weather lasts from around the beginning of November to the beginning of March, with fresh mornings and evenings, and mostly sunny days. Depending on the exact region the really hot weather, when it could be dry and dusty, is between March and June.
The lighting conditions are the best in India between the months October and March.