Media services and film productions

Do you need to write down a long-form, shoot a documentary or produce a reportage around and about the former Eastern Bloc? Are you interested in a topic that is particularly difficult to cover? Do you fear that language barriers and/or bureaucratic hurdle could hinder the achievement of the project you are working on? Are you after some peculiar subjects you were unable to reach on your own? Or maybe you just wish to shoot videos and snap pictures at your own pace with the assistance of local professionals?

Thanks to our extensive network of local contacts, we can connect you with the right persons on site: fixers, drivers, translators, political activists, writers, photographers, journalists, and video makers. Through our partners in the region we can also provide official press accreditations, detailed risk assessment reports, and recce (tech scout) in the areas you wish to work in.

Our team can also proudly count on the external consulting, assistance and media services of award-winning explorer, filmmaker, writer and Royal Geographical Society-fellow Reza Pakravan, as well as on the decade-long photojournalism-experience of our company’s founder Gianluca Pardelli, whose reportages from the former Eastern Bloc, Africa and the Middle East have been featured in major magazines and newspapers around the globe.

WHAT WE DO

Story Consultation 

We help you in every stage of developing your storyline, sharing our ideas and suggestions to bring your story to life.

LOCATE, SECURE AND CONNECT

Our perfectionist location management team will relentlessly and painstakingly work to guarantee a successful outcome of your production, scouting the best locations and securing contact to the subjects of your story, be they Kalashnikov-toting militiamen in South Ossetia or GULAG survivors in the Russian Far East.

PRODUCTION LINE

We manage your production line, overseeing all the managerial aspects of your project.

Recce

Based on the storyline and your angle, we provide detailed location reconnaissance services conducted by experienced producers, ensuring a high level of information-transfer throughout the process.

Access

We always find a way to provide access into sensitive stories and challenging locations in this ever-complex region, no matter how difficult it looks like. We can take you down to the coal-mining depths of war-torn Donbass and then up over the frozen clouds of the Russian Arctic.

budgeting

With expertise developed working in mainstream television, we can assist you from the early stages of pre-production planning and story boarding. We provide comprehensive budgets, put together call sheets, and provide logistical plans for the smooth running of production.

Redtape

Shooting in the former Eastern Bloc requires permits, no matter where. Whether you wish to film in central Moscow or in an isolated mountain hamlet of Eastern Tajikistan, you’ll need the relevant piece of paper to do so. The application process varies in each country and can be complex and time-consuming. We have been through such processes many times across our region of expertise and know whom, when, where and how to approach in order to secure your permits in the most cost-effective and timely manner.

Risk

Every production is unique, so as the risks associated with it. We understand risk and, through rigorous analysis, we identify and manage it to protect your crew, ensuring continuity in the wake of disruptive events. We provide a detailed and systematic risk analysis of your production, delivering safety, medical and communication methods and backup plans. Thanks to our extensive knowledge of the regions we work in and a deep understanding of the vast plethora of the inherent risks, we prepare a response at any stage of your project – from development to full scale production.

LOGISTICS

We plan, implement and monitor the entire logistics of your project, securing a seamless flow of people, vehicles, equipments and stage materials.

CREW

We source the best available local and international professionals to create a perfect crew for your shooting.

Where we work

UNRECOGNISED COUNTRIES + CONTESTED REGIONS
Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Somaliland, Transnistria, North Cyprus.

CAUCASUS (NORTH + SOUTH)
Chechnya, Dagestan, Circassia, Ingushetia, Ossetia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Pankisi Gorge. 

CENTRAL ASIA + AFGHANISTAN
Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Karakalpakstan, Mongolia, Afghanistan.

SIBERIA + FAR EAST
Tuva, Altai, Yakutia, Buryatia, Khakassia, Lake Baikal, Kamchatka, Birobidzhan, Chukotka, Sakhalin, Kuril Islands, Magadan, Kolyma, North Korea.

RUSSIAN ARCTIC
Yamal Peninsula, Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Yugra, Karelia, Komi Republic, Kola Peninsula, Norilsk, Kola, Evenkia, Northern Islands.

EASTERN EUROPE + BALKANS
Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Baltic States, Visegrad Countries, Romania, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Republika Srpska, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia.

Contact us to learn more about our media services.