I was recently asked to be a guest speaker for a class on International Filmmaking for UCLA Entertainment Studies. It's always a good feeling to give back to the community when I'm able, and especially to speak about practical subjects that I wish we covered when I was in school myself.

In brief, Asia in general is a pretty topical subject right now, but as it regards to the entertainment industry, fears shouldn’t impact long term projections for the region except as it affects the Chinese box office for comps in the coming year. If there's one thing that the current situation has proven, it has been their ability to build new hospitals in a week’s time, so a new sound stage shouldn’t be too difficult an undertaking should the need arise.

All kidding aside, the reasons for looking to Asia are pretty great, with China projecting to surpass the US box office in a couple years and with greater interest in Asian-American content here in the United States, it’s no wonder so many studios are looking for ways to tap into the Asian market.

China’s ambitious new Belt and Road initiative based on the two thousand year old trade route between Asia and Europe led to increased wealth and infrastructure for all the countries along the route, as well as the exchange of philosophical ideas and scientific thought.

As western populations age and economic strength stagnates, the importance of developing countries in South Asia and Africa will become more important in providing the workforce for continued growth in coming years. China has committed significant resources to remain relevant in these areas in coming years, but what does this mean for Hollywood?

China has signed agreements on Film & TV cooperation with 15 countries along the route, collaborating with those countries to hold annual film events, including screenings, festivals, and distribution. China’s investment will also help build necessary crew and infrastructure that can support film production

Hollywood has a great opportunity to provide much needed leadership in this growing market, and showcasing the value of Western intellectual property protections that serve to as an example how creative industries thrive in a free market.

The fish out of water in an exotic Asian location is a common trope these days, where the city identified on screen to shoot the scenes is less important than informing the viewer that they’re not in Kansas anymore. It doesn’t even have to be filmed in the city identified on screen, ‘6 Underground’ cheated Abu Dhabi for Hong Kong, Wellington provided the fictional Japanese metropolis in ‘Ghost in the Shell, and early drafts of ‘Black Panther’ called for another city where T’Challa goes to find Klaue, however the availability of the Gwangan ‘Diamond’ Bridge in Busan convinced Marvel to use and name Busan instead. 

Most of Americans know what Tokyo looks like. After Hong Kong, it’s probably one of the most identifiable East Asian locations even for those who have never been there. It’s been featured in films as far back as the 50’s in Marlon Brando’s ‘Sayonara’ and James Bond’s ‘You Only Live Twice’, and more recently in ‘Lost in Translation’ and ‘Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift’. It's often seen as the model of 'modern Asian metropolis', however several cities in Asia could also fit that bill.

As we know, a lack of production infrastructure adds significant cost to our budget whether due to lost productivity, or need to ship everything in, and that currency fluctuation and political instability may affect our cash flow...Sadly, that rules out Hong Kong for the time being.

The next question is physical requirements. What’s the crew base? What stages & equipment are available locally or within the region? Are there any other big productions in the area taking up all the experienced crew, stages, and hotel rooms, or is the town big enough to accommodate the entire travelling crew, construction materials, food for catering, and fuel for trucks & generators?

Even on a low budget where the crew is used to guerrilla style shooting and willing to double up and eat whatever fast food is available, will any above the line talent require a luxury hotel and ability to travel home on weekends? Will the bonding company allow you to shoot without permits? How much support can you expect from the government? Can they issue permits and authorize filming in a timely manner?

Japan has just instituted a new 20% incentive and has a long commercial filming history dating back 1896, however it is notoriously difficult both culturally and bureaucratically for Western crews. Creatively, it is an absolutely beautiful and unique city, but the currently high minimum spend and vague details regarding the incentive all point towards an unofficial policy discouraging filming in Tokyo. Paramount believes its creative advantages outweighed its disadvantages and started production on ‘Snake Eyes', but we’ll have to wait and see what happens before making an educated assumption regarding Japan for the time being.

Seoul is a great option for productions looking for modern Asian cities. South Korea has a proven incentive and proactive film commission, even offering funds for research and scouting. The crews are accustomed to Western demands with some stages available and even a standing DMZ set if you’re looking at a North Korean story, and of course everyone is now talking about Parasite.

Their incentive is pretty comprehensive, with a minimum spend of US$100K with sweeteners for spending over US$2 million and additional regional incentives as well. South Korea is definitely a strong contender and hungry for more filming so they're currently on the top of my list for modern East Asian locations.

Thailand has been one of my favorite filming locations in Asia due to its combination of great value for the dollar, proactive officials willing to go to bat for the production, and a deep crew bench experienced with western filmmaking.

Creatively, Bangkok is a little rougher around the edges than Tokyo or Seoul, but it makes up for it in value. On the logistical end, its distance is a disadvantage with no current direct flight from Los Angeles, but be sure to check flight schedules yourself if you're interested.

Thailand used to be the king of indie and mid-budget Hollywood films looking for Vietnam and post-war content in the 80’s & 90’s and didn’t believe they needed an incentive to keep up, but lost a lot of traction when closer regions started offering incentives and 9-11 made Americans start thinking of deserts instead of jungles when we think of war.

Now that they have an incentive, they’re excited to start gaining some of those production dollars back, but as of yet it’s still relatively untested. They currently offer a 15% base incentive with a minimum spend of US$1.6 million, with an additional 3% if you hire key Thai crew and 2% if it meets their cultural and marketing requirements. 

As we know, there are an infinite number of variables which can make one location better than another, whether creative, budgetary, or even talent demands. For my money, I’ll take a proactive and friendly government over a bureaucratic one that doesn’t do well with the creative liberties that come with Hollywood. The ability of government officials to prioritize creative needs is essential for us to get our shot.

The conclusion we determined in the class was that Bangkok and Seoul our favorite options, with Seoul slightly edging out Bangkok due to convenience. However, if money is more of an issue than convenience, Bangkok would probably be the way to go.

Other options we discussed but not mentioned here are Hong Kong, which we ruled out due to a current lack of incentive and current political unrest which would make bonding difficult, and Singapore, which while attractive, is expensive and limited in locations. Taipei is a great alternative to mainland China and cheaper than Tokyo, but if incentives and Chinese distribution are an issue, could be problematic. Honolulu is the hardest creative match, but convenient with a large Asian population and with a great incentive and crew, but also comes at the cost of union crew and restrictions.