Puerto Rico is one of the most important and exciting filming destinations in the world. The island has hundreds of key members of crew, cutting edge equipment, and a film-friendly government and film office with generous tax incentives. The island has played in many feature films as herself and doubled for global destinations in a contemporary and historic setting.

With almost year-round summer her climate is a huge factor in attracting productions and along with close proximity to mainland USA and a lack of international border headaches, it is no accident that PR ranks high on every savvy producers list of potential filming locations. Some of the features that continually draw filmmakers to her shores are the following:

• Less than 4 hours direct flight from New York

• Hundreds of industry experienced crew members across all departments and positions

• Part of the USA and uses the USD as currency

• Native Spanish language with wide usage of English language, particularly in film crews

• Tax incentives across all production types, as well as post production

• High level film production equipment such as cameras, lenses, grip and lighting

• Local crewing for both union and non-union projects

• Broad range of location types in close proximity

• Diverse on-camera talent based locally with a range of performative traits and skillsets

Since the COVID 19 pandemic wreaked havoc on virtually every industry across the world, disrupted economies and supply chain systems, and added a multitude of restrictions and procedural requirements to everyday life, companies are just now, almost 3 years later, beginning to settle in to the idea that COVID 19 is not going anywhere and that we, as a civilization, must reevaluate and modify our operations to improve and enhance health and safety and viral mitigation strategies.

New Protocol

Without resting on any laurels, general industrial sentiment is that changes have already happened to help mitigate the spread and proliferation of COVID 19. Social distancing, regular sanitization, N95 particulate masks and widespread apportion of mRNA and more traditionally designed vaccinations have helped to vastly reduce the devastating impact the pandemic had. In film production, certainly in union productions the introduction of a “zone” system helps manage close contact with people and try to safeguard on camera talent and HODs from infection.

From a Distance

The restrictions in travel have led to an explosion of remote viewing, certainly for a lot of commercial clients who may have previously travelled to set to manage a shoot, now fed live streams through Zoom, Raptor and other related systems to allow for real-time lossless direction and brainstorming. With new developments in immersive LED studio structures, we can literally bring your talent anywhere in the universe from the comfort of our studio, monitored from your office anywhere in the world.

Credit Where Due

One of the big attractions to filming in Puerto Rico are the generous tax incentives available to qualifying projects, that being projects with a total budget of $100,000 or more. With annual caps on incentives these credits are always in high demand, but with savvy and strategic coordinators your project can enjoy up to 40% of its local spend reimbursed in the form of a tax credit.

Exotic Yet Local

As an island of almost impossible beauty this land has always attracted visitors wishing to experience the unique sights and sounds that make up the Boricua experience, and none more so that filmmakers wishing to capture idyllic beaches, crystal clear waters, ancient rainforests and historic Spanish colonial architecture, contained in an easy to navigate and relatively short range.

Devil In The Details

For all of its natural beauty, at times it can be challenging to navigate the terrain, both physically and metaphorically. Puerto Rico has close to 80 different municipalities each with its own permits procedure, and local and national government agencies presiding over parts of the rainforest, certain beaches and reserves. It is important to have solid local knowledge and an experienced service provider to facilitate your production and draw from the many benefits available on the island.

If you’re interested in making your next film or video project in Puerto Rico, contact us now.