Film Crew Hire in Taiwan
Stone Soup Production Company offers assistance with film crews in Taiwan for visiting productions, from our base in Taipei. We keep a roster of around 40 local crew members, from production assistants up to assistant directors, and we send them anywhere in Taiwan.
Every crew we put together can include members who speak English and Mandarin and is used to working under foreign heads of department. Your director, DP or producer gets a local team that understands the brief, the language and how things are done here.
We are a Canadian-Taiwanese company and have been crewing shoots out of our Taipei office since 2013.
The Roster
We have an always building and rotating roster of around 40-60 crew that we work with here in Taiwan.. We build each crew from this list to fit the job. Be it a two or three person interview unit, a five to seven person commercial crew, or 20-60 for a feature or multi camera travel show.
We have 1st and 2nd assistant directors, production coordinators, production assistants, runners, location scouts, translators,
DPs and camera operators (if you are not bringing your own), 1st and 2nd ACs, DITs, drone operators
Gaffers, electricians, grips and swing positions, location sound recordists, boom operators
Production & Set designers, art assistants, props, wardrobe, styling and hair and makeup artists.
Some of our crews in action:
Bilingual Crews Who Work Well With Foreign HODs
Most of our international jobs run the same way: the director, DP and often producer fly in, and the rest of the crew is hired in Taiwan. Our people are used to that setup.
• How we usually work: Your HODs give direction in English. Our HODs or local procures or coordinator makes sure it reaches the local grips, sparks and camera or art team directly and that their questions reach you early, not at wrap.
• The same set language. Our ACs, gaffers and sound recordists know international set terminology and workflow, so your DP is not explaining the basics.
• Translation off the set, too. Location owners, interviewees, building managers: our team handles those conversations so your producer is never stuck on the phone.
Local Customs, Etiquette and Work Rules
Our local crews should know how to look after your production while filming here.
• Hours and overtime. We agree on call times, day length and overtime before the shoot, so nothing surprises your budget or the crew. [Taiwan crews work on an 8/6/6/4 shift schedule as stipulated by the Taiwan Film Commission, longer days such as 10 or 12 hours can be negotiate for longer shoots]
• Meal breaks. On a Taiwan set, meals are a fixed part of the day. We schedule and order them so the crew eats on time and the shoot keeps moving. We don't take snack breaks but often have a crafty table for certain productions that requite or want them.
• Hierarchy. Local crew tend to defer to HODs and senior crew, and may not interrupt a visiting director to flag a problem. Our ADs make sure issues are raised, and that feedback is passed on in a way the crew will act on.
• Respect for locations and communities. Temples, night markets, homes and neighbourhoods each have their own expectations, from shoes off at the door to keeping noise down for neighbours. We brief your team, talk to residents and leave every location as we found it.
• First-day traditions. Many Taiwanese crews open a shoot with a short blessing ceremony (開鏡). If your team wants to take part, we will walk you through it.
• Permits and paperwork. Location permits, drone permissions and local paperwork are handled by our production team.
If you have any other questions or want to get in touch, please do so: info@stonesoupproduction.com