WHAT OUR LOCAL FILM FIXERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT FILMING ON LOCATION IN ISRAEL
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the south-eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea, and shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the southwest, it is also bordered by the Palestinian territories.
Israel is considered to have a Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and cool and wet winters. The start of the year is the chilliest with average daily temperatures in January settling between 43 and 60 degrees F (6 to 16 degrees C). In the summer, July and August are typically the hottest months with average across-the-country temperatures between 72 and 91 degrees F (22 and 33 degrees C). Depending on where you’re at in the country, along the coast, in the desert, or in the highlands, the weather varies, however. In the desert regions, for example, summer daytime temperatures can reach 115 F (46 C). Due to the high heat in the summer, it’s recommended to visit Israel in the spring or fall, when the weather is warm, but not too hot, and the nights are cool, but not too cold.
Hebrew is the everyday and official language of Israel and roughly everyone speaks it, but the Arab minority which accounts for about one-fifth of the population, also speaks Arabic. Additionally, a high percentage of Israelis know English and over a million of them speak Russian as a result of immigration from the Soviet Union
Israel is a sovereign nation, and it’s currency is the shekel. Use your ATM card to withdraw shekels at the airport or at any major bank. Check with your bank on what they will charge, but it’s likely the then-current rate plus a 3% foreign currency transaction fee plus a small, per-transaction fee for using an ATM outside your bank’s immediate network. Israeli banks do not add their own charge, though some non-bank, stand-alone ATMs do. You can simply use your credit card for all larger purchases.
Israel is overall safe to travel to, with considerably low crime rates and international film crews are free to work and explore without having to worry about street crime.
The Ministries of Culture and Sports, Economy and Industry, Foreign Affairs, Finance and Tourism have put together incentives to encourage foreign productions in the country.
Over the next two years, the inter-ministry collaboration will grant reimbursement for production expenses of up to 30% to foreign productions of films and TV series shooting in Israel, for an amount up to ILS16.6 million ($4.9 million). The financial aid will be given by the ministries to strengthen Israeli production companies operating in cooperation with foreign production companies in Israel. The aid will be granted through a special grant track of the investments and development authority for industry and the economy at the ministry of economy and industry.
WHAT OUR LOCAL FILM FIXERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT FILM EQUIPMENT CLEARNCE , FILM PERMIT ,VISAS AND WORK PERMITS WHEN FILMING ON LOCATION IN ISRAEL
General film permits
There is no need for a general film permit. Municipal film permits are required when filming in public spaces in the big cities (Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa), when filming in national parks, historical sites, religious sites etc. Each permit takes about 10 days to be issued from date of application. The costs of these permit vary for example Tel Aviv – around $65 per day, Jerusalem – $31 per day, Churches – $100-300 per day, national parks around $90 per day.
Film equipment clearance into the country
Israel is an ATA Carnet country so all that is needed is a Carnet Certificate.
Accreditation for international film crew
Accreditation is not required bur journalists may want to have an Israeli Government Press Pass if planning to work between Palestine and Israel. The costs of this is about $20.
Visas & Work Permits
No visa requirement for US, Canada, EU, UK citizens. Other nationalities need to get a visa prior to departure in country of origin and these take about 1 week to be issued from date of application
Film Location Permits for Israel
Privately owned locations carry a location fee which is best negotiated by our local film fixers. Internal production companies will need to obtain signed location release forms for each location used.
WHAT OUR LOCAL FILM FIXERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT FILM LOCATIONS IN THE ISRAEL
Israel also known as the holy land is a Middle Eastern country on the Mediterranean best known for its religious locations.
A small country offering a vast variety of locations in close proximity to each other. From the main production centre of Tel Aviv, it’s a short 2hr drive to the Dead Sea and Negev Desert, a 3hr drive to the Arava Desert, and a 4hr drive to Eilat and the Red Sea.
With a climate similar to California, Israel offers a wide range of agricultural film locations including plantations of wheat, corn, flowers, citrus, avocados, grapes, tomatoes, mangos, bananas, and cotton. Cattle and sheep are farmed. Israel is home to two unique types of agricultural communities, the moshav and the kibbutz. Moshav village plantations make for interesting aerial photography. Industrial locations include high-tech manufacturing of aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and polished diamonds. Energy locations include gas-fired power plants and solar power farms.
WHAT OUR LOCAL FILM FIXERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT FILM CREWS,EQUIPMENT AND TALENT IN ISRAEL
Local film crews
Israel has talented local directors, directors of photography and stills photographers and experienced film crew. Israeli crews are unionized. All sp
Film equipment
The region has a variety of film equipment on offer and is primarily Arri based. Bringing in specialised gear aboard is easy as Israel is an ATA carnet country.
Talent
Israel is made up of a great mosaic of Jewish diaspora faces, ethnicities and cultures including Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardi Jews, Mizrahi Jews, Beta Israel, Cochin Jews, Bene Israel, Karaite Jews, and many other groups. Both unionised and non-union. Arabs are the main minority group in Israel. All other looks are best cast abroad.