photo & commercial production Feb 2008

AJ Films was established in 2001 by Amanda Jenkins to provide international clients with comprehensive production services. The company specialises in advertising for car shoots on location throughout New Zealand and Australia.

An experienced team of producers works alongside leaders from the automotive industry to deliver technical solutions and key support to creative challenges, operating to realistic budgets that produce highly successful car photography and commercials.

Providing skilled producers, enjoyable creative environments, location scouting, budget management, crews, art department, casting, support vehicles, car transport, access to the latest equipment and post production houses, the company can facilitate everything to achieve a successful production.

Recent television commercials have included Nissan X-Trail and Volvo XC70.

Photo production clients include Amex, Audi, BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, Nike, Peugeot, Porsche, REI, Toyota, Volvo and Volkswagen.

Contact Amanda Jenkins on +64 21 2201022, or visit the website for more information.

Artists Group was established in 1988. The Anglo-Canadian company services international clients from all over the world and specialises in both film and photo productions. Based in Portugal, the company has several complimentary departments, including child and adult modelling agencies, SnowFX, an immense location library and international Directors and  DOP's.

Portugal is the place to shoot in Europe due to its many fantastic locations, wonderful weather, competitive costs and strong infrastructure that supports any type of production.

The company's clients come from Europe, North America, Russia and CIS countries, Dubai, Capetown and the Far East. A strong enthusiastic group with international networking, comprehensive production services and seventeen years of experience. "No job is too big, or too small!"

Caspar & Co. Productions has worked on many prestigious international production projects. With over twenty years of experience working between the production and advertising industries, the expert team at Caspar & Co. offers intelligent and cost effective solutions aimed at meeting every clients' requirements.

The company recruits only the skills best suited for a particular project, its production teams providing a diverse range of experiences, languages and local knowledge.

As a full service production company, Caspar & Co.'s services include, budgeting, project estimation, billing, casting, location scouting, permits and insurance, crew, equipment rental, catering, travel management, production management and full coordination. A comprehensive international location library is also available.

The company has dedicated resources to research and plan location proposals, and a wide range of local partners to offer the combination of expert on-the-ground knowledge alongside the company's professional approach.

The London-based company can also offer production facilitation to international clients looking to shoot and produce in London and the UK.

Casting and Production International is a full service global agency dedicated to providing its clients with a superior level of service which is both transparent and professional. Client satisfaction is the company's number one goal. From casting and production to marketing, PR and photography, CPI prides itself on representing creative talents.

Recent projects have included Tunisair, Office of Tourism of Tunisia, Young and Rubicam Dubai, JWT Dubai, Eve magazine and Harper's UAE.

Recent projects by the agency's photographers include:

• Andre Rau: ranked among the world's top three most published photographers, he shot for Estee Lauder, Dior, Vogue, Elle and L'Oreal.
• Stephan Dessaint: creator of "Golf by Stephan Dessaint," and NYC Production, he contributed to the development of Kookai and has photographed covers for l'Officiel, La redoute, L'Oreal and Gallerie Lafayette.
• Michel Perez: has shot campaigns such as Aubade, L'Oreal, Elle Magazine and Procter & Gamble.
• Jenny McLaughlin: assisted Carlton Davis for five years before striking out on her own. She recently shot for Bloost Mobell Advertising, Kissable Couture Cosmetics and Trace Magazine's 10th anniversary issue.

Central has established itself as Mexico's leading all-inclusive photo and photo service production company, aiming to provide international clients with the capacity to produce their work with a proficient multilingual team in a fun and trusted environment.

Owned and managed by German founder Nicole Roxin, Central offers an exclusive and personalised service to match the needs of each individual client. The company's success is based on an understanding of the need to combine a clear creative vision with a strong commercial sensibility.

From beautiful Caribbean and Pacific beaches, sprawling jungle and barren deserts, to tall pine forests, peaceful lakes, colonial cities and charming villages, Mexico has it all. As for the urban aspect, Mexico City is the largest city in the world and offers contrasting urban architecture from the colonial to the ultramodern.

Check the Gate is a Lisbon-based production company that works throughout Portugal.

The company's entire approach is based around client satisfaction. With multilingual staff, including English-speaking crews, Check the Gate offers a wide range of production services. The company is currently in the process of expanding into the Italian market.

This Spotlight features stills from a recent short film project directed by award-winning Italian director Gabrielle Muccino and starring Monica Bellucci. "HeartTango", for lingerie brand Intimissimi, is a Last Line production for Indiana Films, Italy.

Other projects include ALDO through Blondie NYC, BMW through Steiner-Films, and Ford Mondeo through Olaf Veltman.

Berlin-based Claas Cropp Creative Productions is a full service production company with vast experience in all areas of still photo production, location scouting and casting. The company works both nationally and internationally on all kinds of photographic shoots, from fashion to cars, worldwide campaigns to catalogue or small editorial productions.

Productions last year have included:

• VW Caddy brochure shoot in Berlin, with Juergen Berderow.
• Audi A8 culture sponsoring ad, with Uwe Duettmann in Berlin.
• Opel van range, shot by Stephan Gast in Berlin, Leipzig and Vienna.
• A variety of catalogue productions for Heine, Otto, Woehrl and more.
• BMW-Mini Collection catalogues, with Karel Kuehne in Berlin and Barcelona.
• GQ men's fashion editorials, with photographers Ralph Mecke and Elisabeth Toll.
• Louis Vuitton campaign, with Mikhail Gorbachev, shot by Annie Leibovitz in Berlin.
• Daimler re-branding campaign, shot by Piet Truhlar in Berlin, Leipzig and Stuttgart.
• Campaign shoots for Hutchison/Drei in Vienna, and Berliner Bank with Piet Truhlar.
• Men's Vogue editorial with actor Sebastian Koch, with photographer Frederike Helwig.
• Disney Parks campaign with top tennis player Roger Federer, shot by Annie Leibovitz in Zurich.

Established in 1997, George Productions is a New York-based production company that provides a full range of production services both locally and internationally. Clients include Missoni, L'Oreal, Cerruti, Microsoft, BMW and Tag Heuer.

Company chief Kim Handley has 25 years of experience in production, winning awards for music videos (directed by Marcus Nispel), and a print campaign for Pro-Choice. Kim takes an independent approach to every project: "Each client has different needs, expectations and requirements. There's never one job exactly like the other."

The company's latest project is for New Balance. Shot by Mark Newton and produced by George Productions, the main idea was to have a strong, distinctive cast. The client wanted to use real athletes; the photographer wanted them to be edgy-looking, with personality and energy.

The company approached the casting from every direction; the streets, running tracks, sports stores, tennis clubs, dance studios - the team even contacted rock climbers, personal trainers, and utilised modelling agencies that specialise in athletes. This strategy worked wonderfully, provoking a huge and incredibly diverse turnout that ultimately led to a successful shoot.

La Jolla Films offers dedicated production services throughout Uruguay. The company has produced numerous commercial and film projects, and has collaborated with some of the major production houses in Argentina, Chile, USA, Mexico, and Brazil to offer a comprehensive region-wide service.

The company's directors have filmed throughout the Americas and Europe, in countries including Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, USA, Spain and Portugal. A recent film project included an 8 week shoot in Uruguay for a Spanish/Argentine co-production.

La Jolla's busy production calendar allows for competitive rates with suppliers and crews, a benefit the company transfers to all its clients. La Jolla also has strong ties with service providers and suppliers in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, only 30 minutes away by plane.

Uruguay possesses a world of diverse locations, often with only minutes separating starkly contrasting environments. Amazing beaches, sprawling countryside, European-style cities, traditional and ultramodern architecture, and much more.

Located in Latin America and Spain, Latinstock is a unique group of companies dedicated to accurately managing the production and distribution of image content.

The image production unit is located in Buenos Aires, one of the ten most populated cities in the world. Different waves of immigration have provided this metropolis with a cosmopolitan profile and an incredible culture.

A favourable local exchange rate against the Dollar and Euro has turned Buenos Aires into the ideal destination for international film and photo production companies. Great locations, a wide variety of talent and professional expertise make Argentina's capital the perfect setting for production.

With seven years of experience in stock and assignment photography, and a team of Latin-American photographers with broad international experience in photojournalism, corporate, fashion, advertising and stock photography, Latinstock is able to satisfy the growing demand for diverse image styles according to the needs of a global market.

LouLou Locations & Productions are based in London and are one of the UK's leading production companies, offering a fully bespoke production service to national and international clients. LouLou provide creative and unique scouting and can offer locations from their extensive database.

Recent projects have seen LouLou producing some exciting and diverse campaigns, from South Africa to the Mangroves of Tobago, for clients including O2, Skoda, Volkswagen, Hellmanns and HSBC.

LouLou is currently in the process of compiling an online locations library, boasting a variety of excellent residential locations amongst others, and are happy to provide clients with individual location pages whilst this service is under construction.

Visit their website to see more.

Marta Calheiros is a Barcelona-based photography agency and production company, supplying top advertising agencies with internationally established photographers.

The company does in-house production on the work it secures for its photographers. It also offers a production service to both foreign photographers and agents alike, which is designed to satisfy clients' specific requirements. The company can act as a local fixer or provide an extensive production service anywhere in Spain.

Clients include: BMW, Movistar, Nike, Reebok, SEAT, Volkswagen, Endesa, Decca Music Group, DDB, Leo Burnett, Publicis, SCPF, Webber Represents, Wieden+Kennedy, White Label Productions, Florian Geiss, Paul Murphy, Valerie Phillips, and Vincent Dixon.

Photographers represented by Marta Calheiros: Anke Luckmann, Jaap Vliegenthart, Neil Massey, Philip Lee Harvey, Stuart Hall, Tim MacPerson and Uli Weber.

Mission Photo Production offers complete production services worldwide.

Recent productions include:

• A series of new images for the award-winning ongoing XL Capital campaign, photographed by Tom Nagy in Singapore, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Japan and the US.
• Launch campaign for the new VW Scirocco, photographed in New York City by Ralph Richter (images not yet released).
• Fashion shoot for German label Broadway, photographed by Max von Treu (those masked hotties apparently caused quite a ruckus!).
• Mercedes shoot in Alabama with Markus Bolsinger, featuring cars manufactured locally in Tuscaloosa, AL.
• Helena Christensen for Danish accessories label Pilgrim, shot by Signe Vilstrup.

Mission is currently working on a global Microsoft campaign with fine art photographer Richard Renaldi. Thanks to Mission's large network of local contacts built up over many years, this is turning into a successful and beautiful campaign. Images to be released in late spring.

Poplight is a photo production service company based in Athens, Greece. Established in 1999, Poplight provides services for both local and international clients.

With an average of 300 days of sunshine and locations that range from natural vistas to urban environments, Greece is "the new destination for photo production".

The company works with a wide range of artists including fashion stylists, hair stylists, make-up artists and production coordinators. Services include travel and hotel reservations, transportation, castings, and bookings of all necessary crew.

Poplight also owns a photographic and lighting equipment rental house, carrying a full range of Hasselblad, Canon, Profoto and Manfrotto equipment.

Client list: Self Magazine, Marie Claire Italy, Vogue Nippon, Vogue Australia, Conde Nast Traveler, Elle UK, Mustang Cologne, Panos Emporio, Report Footwear, Hechter Studio, Bulgari and others.

Operating in Greece and Cyprus, yet producing a lot in Santorini, Queen of Spade Production Services covers the south east European region and offers a great pool of locations with a diverse variety of landscapes.

With an average of 300 days of sunshine and locations that range from summer islands to urban scenes and mountain ranges, Greece is the new destination for shoots.

Focusing mainly on servicing international productions, Queen of Spade offers services such as complete budgeting, production coordination, location management and casting, as well as bookings for all necessary crew and equipment for clients within the advertising and fashion industries worldwide.

Look out for the new fashion and advertising campaigns shot in Santorini, that will be released in 2008!

Q). What do Getty Images, Jupiter Images, and Microsoft's Corbis have in common?

A). They all spent the last 10 years shooting with San Diego Model Management.

The company's integrated approach gives it the necessary resources for a punctual, on-budget and ultimately successful production.

Production, casting, location, and modelling services are all located under one roof. Over the years it has proved a winning formula for industry leaders, top photo crews, and clients alike.

SGM Productions expertly manages print production, casting and scouting for the smooth and successful execution of every client's creative vision. Recent projects include:

• Michael Jackson for Ebony Magazine.
• A.B.S. by Allen Schwartz Fall and Spring campaigns.
• Anne Cole Collection 2008 Swim Campaign.
• 'What Happens Here Stays Here' Las Vegas print campaign for American Vogue.
• Rolling Stone Magazine with Timberland clothes and Wenner Media.
• Sony Pictures.
• Vogue Latin America.

Two recent testimonials sum up the company's many qualities:

"SGM is an absolute pleasure to work with on all levels. Their enthusiasm and passion for the business is reflected in outstanding service and results." Cynthia Erland-Rubin, ABS Style.

"SGM brought the element of high fashion to our ads, giving us access to top models and stylists on the cutting edge." Robin Milgrim, R&R Partners.

Visit the company's new website for more information.

Project Argentina, The South American arm of Work Production Company, ended a spectacular year with projects in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Miami and New York. 

Founded by Work Production Company producer Wendy Gordon, Project Argentina provides full service New York-quality photo production to shoots worldwide and in Argentina, Latin America at nearly a third of the regular cost.

"During 10 years producing in places as far reaching as China, Europe, the Caribbean and Canada," says Executive Producer Wendy Gordon,  "I learned first hand that there are very special challenges that arise when a large production goes on the road.  Our North American, European, and Asian clients have very high standards when it comes to production values, scheduling, and budget management. We believe their experience abroad should be conducted with the same professional standards they are accustomed to at home."

The company has completed projects with Brian Doben, Liz Von Hoene, Sandro, Clang, Chino Zavalia, Michael Crouser and Mark Zibert, for Jupiter Images, Neiman Marcus, Sports Illustrated, Narrow Jeans, Samsung, Lucky Magazine and 2 campaigns for Dove.

It recently began pre-production on a project for BMW, involving some spectacular locations in Argentina.

Zap Productions provides first class production support to photographers and film makers from all over the world. The company's offices in the West End of London are situated at the centre of the UK film production and advertising industries.

Zap was established in 1996 by Mark Parsons. Mark's experience in advertising film production is extensive. Over the last 25 years, he has worked as a production manager, producer and agency Head of TV in some of London's busiest and most prestigious companies. His comprehensive knowledge of the UK production scene ensures that Zap's clients are offered solutions that are reliable, cost effective and efficiently produced.

Over recent years Zap has managed productions for clients from China, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, the USA, and Europe, featuring internationally renowned celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Sting, Pierce Brosnan, Gong Li, Boris Becker and Mika Hakkinen.