www.lionsdailynews.com friday, june 24 , 2011

n Greece’s
Green Olive Films
serviced the
Omega shoot with
ASAP Production
of Italy for agency
Eye to Eye
tions in the Federal District of Mexico City have been for Volkswagen,
General Motors, Panasonic, and Trident — and most
commercial shoots are for TV. The Commission gives guidance
to crews, and also offers alternative suggestions when needed.
“We also have all the contacts with public authorities and institutions
to help them during their production.”
Markos Holevas from Greece’s Hellenic Film Commission
says that while his office doesn’t have a dedicated policy directed
specifically at commercials producers, it can help with arranging
shoots in Greece, and has been working with the Film Office
of the City of Athens to facilitate shoots. Recent examples of
successful shoots in Greece include TVCs for Infiniti, Samsung
and Omega, by Green Olive Films. The company’s executive
producer, Simos Manganis, says: “In recent years we estimate
around 150 shooting days annually in high-end professional
formats for commercials and TV; for commercials we anticipate
70 shoot days per year.”
The attraction of Greece for commercials producers is
summed up by Athens Central Film Productions executive producer
Andreas Tsilifonis: “Great weather with low precipitation;
long daylight shooting days; convenient short flights from
all European capitals; multi-ethnic casting options; experienced
English-speaking crews; a wide variety of locations, including
several sport stadiums from the recent Olympic Games; and
last but not least, the lowest rates in Euro zone.”
FILM COMMISSIONS 63
Annabelle Aronis, executive producer at Avion Films, says
that in recent years, Greece has been attracting commercials
that don’t only require clichéd Greek locations, like temples,
white houses and beaches. “Greece is also attracting commercials
that have other location requirements — for example contemporary
interiors and exteriors, urban landscapes, roads for
car commercials, and Northern European nature including lakes,
rivers, mountains,” she says. “Not to mention shoots in studios
with big set builds, as well as table-top productions with motion
control and mock up construction.”
Pierrette Baillot from the Brussels Film Office in Belgium
says that her office strives to “create a frame to guide the commercial
producers”, especially concerning the problems of shooting
in busy cities where timing is an important factor, specifically
where permits are concerned. She also stresses that “harmony
within local neighbourhoods” is important to ensure that the
city remains film-friendly.
For a recent shoot for a TV commercial for food brand
Nutella, the Brussels Film Office negotiated with police authorities,
in their offices, to arrange closing streets and reserving
space for parking.
These negotiation skills, sensitive to a local area, are powerful
components in the toolbox of film commissions around
the world, and Baillot identifies another attractive offer: “Our
office’s services are free of charges.” Slam-dunk.^
FRIDAY, JUNE 24,2011