Visas

Many clients call me asking to clarify the process to secure filming visas for Brazil. There are a number of steps involved and it's quite simple. The whole process takes from 5 to 10 days.

To film in Brazil you need to sign an agreement with a Brazilian production company. The Brazilian company must be registered with Ancine (Ministry of Culture).

Steps:

1. Find a Brazilian production company that suits your budget and needs, check if they are registered with Ancine.

2. Once you're ready to go ahead with the job have them send you their production agreement. That agreement (signed by both parties), with a copy of the passports of your technician(s) traveling to Brazil, specifics of the job, equipment list (if applicable), will be sent to Ancine. Ancine will issue a letter to your local consulate authorizing the visa(s). Ancine portion can take from 1 - 5 days.

3. Your passports can now be dropped off at your local Brazilian consulate with the applicable forms/fees (these can vary from country to country). The consulate time frame probably will depend on how many vitally important drinks parties they have scheduled that week. If the visa is urgent the shedding of a few tears and gentle cries of persuasion come in handy.

Reasons for above? There are several including your country requiring Brazilians to have visas, Brazilian labor laws (number of Brazilians hired vs foreigners), general filming permit from Ancine, temporary import of equipment, and ensuring you are connected with a qualified local production service provider. The primary reason, however, is customs. Getting equipment, wardrobe, and any bulky production items through customs in Brazil can be a major pain if you don’t have the correct paperwork. A filming visa eliminates the pain. With the filming visa you can temporarily import equipment and related items (without customs duties) by bringing them as accompanied baggage. And/or your production service company in Brazil can do a temporary import of your equipment via shipment to Brazil on your behalf. See customs below.

Client and agency personnel qualify for regular business visas, no need to include with the Ancine authorization. UK and European passport holders (as well as some other countries) do not require visas for Brazil, in which case clients and agency do not need to apply for the visa. They travel on their passports and get a 90 day stamp on entry. Working film crew from these countries do, however, need to get the visa as outlined above. Visa rules change so always best to double check with the local Brazilian consulate.

Photo Shoots - Ancine does not authorize visas for photo shoots. Your production service provider can send a letter to your local Brazilian consulate stating that they will be responsible for your production in Brazil, and list the names and passport numbers of crew requiring visas. Take the letter to the consulate along with passports, application and fees.

Customs

Equipment or production items imported as accompanied baggage:

1. Your Brazilian production service provider pre-files your equipment with customs through their customs broker. The Ancine authorization is proof that the import is temporary. You arrive in Brazil and pass through customs usually without hold-ups. If you have a lot of items customs may verify the items, and customs broker will accompany the entry and verification. When leaving Brazil customs may verify the items again. If anything is missing you or your local production service provider will be charged import duties on items left in Brazil (since they are no longer temporary), unless you can prove they were lost or stolen. Note that custom broker fees will apply for this service.

Or

2. Upon arrival in Brazil your technician declares the equipment on form DBA, shows the visa and equipment list with serial numbers, values etc. The DBA process can be time consuming. If it’s a large equipment package go with option 1. More costly but ensures entry without hold-ups or problems.

Equipment or production items imported via shipment:

Your Brazilian production service provider files your equipment list with customs through their customs broker. The Ancine authorization is proof that the import is temporary. Once the shipment arrives in Brazil it usually takes from 3 - 5 days to clear customs. It is vital, however, that all paperwork is filed correctly and on time. If there are mistakes in the filing there will very likely be hold-ups. Brazil has a reputation for bureaucratic customs issues, though in recent years it has improved considerably. Make sure your service provider and their customs broker have experience with the import/export process for productions. To be safe it is best to allow a minimum of 1 week to 10 days for clearance. Certain items such as cosmetics and certain liquids may have entry restrictions, so check these with the customs broker in advance. Some items may need to be transported as accompanied baggage to avoid hold-ups. Customs broker fees will apply as well as possible transport, storage, and port fees.

A foreign production company can do all the above (legally no less) – but unless you’re doing a major production, which includes opening a local production company in Brazil to handle all your local requirements – save yourself the headache. Contact a qualified local production service company or fixer who speaks your language. These companies are structured within the local laws, can apply for all your permits, make all your local payments. They have established relationships with local vendors enabling them to secure the best rates on equipment, locations, transport, hotels etc.

Brazilian production companies:

Utopia Films, my company, is based in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo and works throughout Brazil. We do the above on a regular basis – www.utopiafilms.com. There are many other qualified companies, check Film Brazil www.filmbrazil.com, or Ancine www.ancine.gov.br for a full listing.

In The Shadow Of The Christ

If the world were a city it would be called Rio de Janeiro. Beauty sits nestled in tragic poverty. Immense wealth, ugliness, huge urban sprawl and spectacular rural expanses are close neighbours. It is a city of contrasts unlike any other. Touching at the heart of what attracts so many people to Rio is probably that one definition. You can see the past, the present and the future of your own life mirrored in some aspect of this city. You can feel at home, or you can feel completely alienated. But it is never less than fascinating.

Two hours north east of Rio lies Arraial do Cabo. It is a small paradise of white sand beaches, turquoise ocean waters, desert dunes, and some of the best diving in Brazil. The constant clarity and colour of the water is due to the underwater current that arrives directly from the Falkland Islands. It is a phenomenon known as up-welling. Cold currents are carried in a stream over hundreds of miles and, upon meeting the warm Brazilian current, surface here in Arraial do Cabo. Two hours south of Rio is Angra dos Reis. 365 tropical islands are scattered amongst the bays and coastline of lush jungles and waterfalls. One hour north of Rio are the mountains of Teresopolis, Petropolis and Novo Friburgo. Roads circle around huge mountain peaks. Forests, rivers and waterfalls split the valleys. Early settlers were from Austria, Switzerland, Norway and Finland. The hotel Sao Moritz is an immaculate replica of Swiss chalets located on the road between Teresopolis and Novo Friburgo.

The city of Rio de Janeiro is at the center of this amazing contrast of landscapes. Yet it’s biggest claims to fame are the beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema, Carnival, samba and, of course, football. All within the shadow of the huge statute of Christ, perched on the mountaintop of Corcovado. His arms held wide, embracing all that lie below. Anyone who has truly experienced Brazil knows that it is a bit like a giant dog chasing it’s own tale. Rio is no exception. The problems have solutions and the solutions have problems, which have solutions. And within that structure there are chaotic smiles and happy tolerance. Brazilian patience is virtually impossible to define. It is part of what makes them appealing. ‘Jeitinho’ is the famous way of getting anything done. “Vou dar um jeitinho” means literally “I’ll find a way”. It is a way of life that is the structure of the unstructured. As you look out over the steep granite hills shrouded in ocean mist, across the wide open bays, the endless beaches, the city skyscrapers, the historic buildings, the urban forest, the favelas – it strikes you as an endless mix of chaotic, yet unique beauty. No wonder they call this the Marvelous City

Rio is hot; it is sensual and scintillating. Neighbourhoods like Lapa and Catete are deliciously seedy. Copacabana is crowded and touristy. Ipanema is chic and respectable. Santa Teresa is bohemian artist mansions. Leblon is elite, while Barra de Tijuca is Miami. In between are the forgotten souls. The driving heartbeat of the city known as favelas. “The unfortunate are born over there,” people say. There are no walls of separation but the barriers are greater than any brick wall. Poverty is a curse. When it spreads beyond control it is a moral disgrace. Decency is a human right and without decency there is no respect for humanity.

Some time ago I visited a school in one of these regions of Rio. 400 children crammed into an area the size of a regular house in any respectable country. These children are the cast-offs. They have lost parents, brothers. They live amongst drug dealing, gun-wielding illiterates. The local public school system has branded them as un-teachable. Yet in little more than a few months these young beings aged between 5 – 16 years of age are being taught to connect thoughts, to maintain and train their memory. They are being salvaged from the wreck of humanity that makes up these neighbourhoods. This small school was founded and is run by Ivonne Bezerra de Mello who is a driving force for human rights in Brazil. She has created a very simple solution to a very complicated problem. Education. Learning to think. Imagine that! It is an amazing and heartwarming process. This story, amongst many others, forms the basis of “Cade O Dinheiro”. A documentary that Utopia Films is producing, using Rio de Janeiro as the model of the world within a city. Literally translated it means, “Where’s the Money?” It is a question that occurred to me while driving through a residential area of upscale Rio. I stared all around wondering who could afford to live here? The hills, just above the luxury apartment buildings, were lined with slum houses. It illustrated perfectly the contrast that is Brazil.

In addition to developing local projects, Utopia Films stays busy servicing international productions from around the world. “Dream Hotel” for Austria/Germany, “Panasonic” for Dentsu, Japan, “TENA” for directors Blinkk and the agency DLKW Lowe in the UK, “Fear Factor” for Endemol, “Mastercard” for Canada, are just a few of our recent projects. In the world of the unstructured structure that is Brazil, Utopia Films prides itself on maintaining familiar levels for international clients. The world outside our structure holds advantages for the budget constrained international production community. Prices can be negotiated; there is flexibility in regulations, and always a means to an end. All within the wide embracing arms of the man upstairs, in the form of a statute on top of a hill. Day and night he has watched over the city. Despite the exasperating struggles, I suspect, now and again, he gives a consenting wink. For more than 70 years he’s observed people who are black, white, brown, and every shade in between jostle with the good, bad, evil, overbearing, generous, pious, selfish, and corrupt. Rio is sexiness, it is religion, prostitution, it is nuns on bikes. Beauty and ugliness live hand in hand. One feeds from the other. Nowhere else on earth has the hypocrisy of humankind been displayed (and tolerated) more successfully than in Brazil. Life is about life. Live it, enjoy it, as Brazilians do. Despite its contradictions this city holds the key to my heart. If the world were a city it would be called Rio de Janeiro.

Originally published in Filmmakers Guide - Service Companies Of The World - 2007