international photo production Oct 2009

New Zealand-based AJ Films is a line production service company committed to high-end service for advertising photography and television commercials. Since 1999, the company has produced throughout New Zealand, Australia, and recently teamed up with production partners in the South Pacific region.

AJ Films has a solid reputation for providing unique and fully bespoke facilitation services and for over 10 years has enjoyed consistent success working with a wide variety of international and world-class clients, film companies, photographers and brands.

Recent productions include a summer 2010 photo shoot in Fiji for Marie Claire Australia, a Maire Claire winter 2009 shoot in New Zealand, a commercial shoot for iiNet in Australia, Decathlon summer and winter catalogues for 2009, and a CGI shoot for Steffen Schraegle and Nissan using the new Move 'n Shoot CGI dolly in New Zealand.

Aproductions is a full service company that offers photographers, directors and production services for foreign and national companies. Aproductions also provides art buying advice for clients and ad agencies as well as its own studios and equipment hire facilities.

Visit the website for more information.

Based in in the Croatian capital Zagreb, B2B Production has access to locations all across Croatia and Montenegro. The full service production company manages a library with thousands of sites suitable for any type of project and has vast experience leading foreign teams in achieving highly successful and memorable productions.

B2B is currently finishing work for UK fashion catalogue Boden on the beautiful island of Hvar. Other clients include Porsche, Jupiter Adria, Jet Republic, MTS, Renault, Sandoz, L'Oreal Adria, and many others. The company is already starting preparations for 2010, but the winter season sees Croatia reveal its many charms and offers an exciting alternative to Europe's traditional winter shooting destinations.

This year the company has worked with top photographers including Julian Calverley, Goran Tachevski and Hugh Stewart as well as with clients from the UK to Russia, while its ongoing partnership with First Production Cape Town has confirmed Croatia's status as a top international production destination.

For over twenty years Contra has been providing full production services for all types of photo and film production worldwide. The company opened its first office in Germany and quickly expanded into France and Spain. Contra has also been present in Hong Kong since 2005.

The company's international team of experienced producers ensures smooth and successful productions, from the very first customised estimate to final accounting procedures.

Contra proposes to arrange all shoot preparations, coordinate travel arrangements, organise permits and castings, and handle all financial matters during a production. The company's experience and worldwide contacts with reliable and professional crew members guarantees committed and pragmatic support throughout the duration of a shoot.

Recent productions include a photo shoot for Linde in Manaus, Brazil, with Rüdiger Nehmzow, a photo shoot for DHL in Germany with New York photographer Julian Dufort, a new ad campaign for OTTO in Los Angeles with Leo Krumbacher, a photo shoot for IWC in Nice with Paul Ripke, and a production with photographer Michael Schnabel for Agger Energie in Germany. Current projects include an around-the-world photo shoot for DHL and photo productions for Audi, Pfister and Fujitsu.

Fernsicht Produktion is a full service production company offering more than 10 years experience in car, fashion and advertising photo shoots worldwide. The company's reference list includes clients such as Adidas, Audi, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Playboy and Wallpaper.

With various national and international productions, 2009 has been a busy year for Fernsicht Produktion. The company supported Frank Kayser photography for an outstanding shoot in Spain for the second edition of the award-winning Audi R8 book, featuring the new Audi R8 V10 together with a Red Bull combat helicopter piloted by the legendary Siegfried "Blacky" Schwarz.

Once again, Sport Scheck relied on the company's expertise for photo shoots in Seville, Berlin, Lake Garda, Saas Fee and Stubai with photographers Michael Müller, Stefan Schütz, Roger Weber, Franz Faltermeier and Michael Detter. 

The company also completed an advertising campaign and image brochure for lawyers Stockmann und Kollegen in collaboration with photographer Günther Philipp, and is currently underway with a photo shoot for Takko and Karstadt between Austria and Switzerland with Gudrun Hamann, Hamburg. More information on this latest project will appear shortly on the website.

Hard Drive Production is one of the few production companies in the world that offers still photo production coordination exclusively for automotive advertising photographers.

As an automotive shoot requires highly specialised knowledge and experience, Hard Drive Production provides the full range of services necessary to successfully manage an entire project, including project estimating, budgeting, location research and scouting, casting, crew (including multi-lingual staff) and crew management, location management, equipment rental and post production services.

Being based in the Los Angeles area is of great benefit to the company's clients, primarily due to the combination of southern California's consistently fine weather conditions and the wide variety of location options. Additionally, Hard Drive Production has produced both large scale productions as well as smaller scale CGI projects in North, Central, and South America for photographers from around the world.

Over recent years, Landing Zone's team has developed an optimised way of working in the Canary Islands by assisting clients with the most effective and professional support.

The company has produced for brands including Versace, Land Rover, Orange, Lexus, Clarins, Seiko and Escada.

Landing Zone works to improve infrastructure beyond what is expected of a good service and has created a professional photo light rental department as well as a fully equipped location motor home to offer the ultimate in flexibility and choice. Combined with a diverse range of amazing locations, local knowledge and contacts, highly effective and friendly crews and a passion for the audiovisual world, Landing Zone is the perfect partner for shoots in and around the Canaries.

Contact Landing Zone for more information.

Having only opened its doors four months ago, Landon Production has already established itself as a real contender with clients such as Reebok, Adidas, Speedo, Loewe, New Look and PlayStation, to name a few.

Based in London, the company specialises in photo production in the UK, mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands.

With over 15 years experience in production its team offers a full production service, art buying, budget control, locations, access to a large location database, multi-lingual crews, and all equipment hire.

From the most demanding projects to picking a location from its library, Landon Production is happy to help at any stage of a production.

Location Scotland offers location scouting, location management and full production co-ordination for stills, TV and film shoots throughout Scotland. With an extensive locations database of over 30,000 images as well as a highly experienced team, the company can provide perfect locations to suit any type of project and supply the best crews tailored to individual shoots.

Recent campaigns:

• Pringle of Scotland SS10. Photographer: Ryan McGinley.
• Playlife for Benetton AW09. Photographer: Carlo Miari Fulcis.
• Boden Menswear AW09. Photographer: Cathrine Wessel.
• 3 mobile Cricket Australia calendar 2010. Photographer: Simon Upton.

Clients: Pringle of Scotland, Playlife for Benetton, Mini Boden, per una for Marks & Spencer, The White Company, Nike, JD Williams, Gray & Osbourne, Boden Menswear, Toyota, Ports 1961, Long Tall Sally, L'Uomo Vogue, Elle Magazine, Charles Tyrwhitt, Otto and many more.

Call Marie, Michelle or Katie on +44 (0)131 561 0120, or visit the website for more info.

Luminosa Production is a full service production company based in Lugano, Switzerland. Founded in 1999 by Matteo Skory, its team of German-speaking multilingual professionals operates between Switzerland, Germany, Italy and France providing a superior level of service for international productions.

Luminosa opened an additional office in Munich in 2003. Thanks to an extensive network the company can provide locations and production services all across Europe and is equipped to organise and coordinate complete production for catalogues, advertising campaigns and editorials. From the first phone call to the final shot the company provides both creativity and practical solutions, offering professional, personalised services tailored to the various needs and requirements of each individual client.

Clients include Basler, Bogner, Breuninger, BMW, EscadaKids, Gil Bret, Konen, Peek& Cloppenburg, Ansons, Versace Sport, Quelle, Boden, Travel Smith, Manor, Coop, Migros, Heine, Post Finance, Amica, 3Suisse, Brax, Chicco, The New Yorker, Appelrath-Cüpper, Calida, Laurel, Scapa Sports, Frankonia, Karstadt, Land Rover, Ovomaltine, and many more. Featured in this Spotlight is a selection of the company's latest work in Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Germany.

Muse Industry is a new fashion and production brand based in Barcelona. Born out of many years of experience in the Italian market, the company offers highly competent creative direction and brand development services, providing bespoke projects for each client.

The agency has built strong national and international ties through campaigns and catalogues for brands including Diesel, Daniel Alessandrini, Condor, Fiat, Breil, Lotusse, PierreCardin, L'Oreal, SeaPort, Radiosa, Basmar, Germaine de Capuccini, The Seller, Janira and Vodafone.

Muse Industry also works with many of the current top photographers, including J.M. Ferrater, Sergi Jasanada, Filippo Marconi, Joan Alsina and Victor Moscardó. In terms of creativity and styling, the agency regularly produces editorials for leading publications, including Vogue Italia, Elle, Tendencias, Noviasde España, Sposabella, RagazzaModerna, Alterego Magazine and HMagazine. Over the coming months, the company's work will also appear in Vanidad and 5 magazines.

Muse Industry is also pleased to announce the October opening of its new Milan office.

Ibiza, with the chalky white walls of its old town, a rugged coastline dotted with chiringuitos and incredible houses hidden away in the hills with views overlooking the glistening turquoise blue waters of the Mediterranean sea, provides the ideal destination for any type of photo shoot.

Art Partner Paris chose Palma Pictures Photo for its expert local knowledge and highest quality resources to support the exciting new Kipling advertising campaign with photographer Alasdair McLellan.

The shoot took place over three days in July. Shaded narrow streets between centuries-old fisherman's houses, beaches along the sun-drenched south coast, a design house with incredible vistas out to Formentera and a lingering summer sunset were all used to maximum effect to create the perfect vision of Ibiza's endless charms.

Julia Griffiths founded PLC in 1999 following a long career in stills production and commercials. Her ambition was to create a full service stills production house providing for the needs of the world's top commercial advertising photographers.

Now in its 10th year, PLC offers clients a range of services including stills styling, wardrobe, casting, location, art direction, logistics and management. Julia remains in day-to-day control and the team relies on her excellent eye, long experience and unrivalled contacts.

PLC has formed strategic partnerships with some of the best casting and location specialists around the globe, providing photographers with access to a world-class international service.

Clients include Agent Orange, The GettyLibrary, and other leading photographers and directors. Campaigns include Coca-Cola, Peugeot, Master Card, Mercedes, Guinness, Ralph Lauren, American Express and Vodafone.

2009 has been a busy year for Sonda Productions with the establishment of Sonda Films confirming the company's intention to offer a high level of production service in film as well as photo.

Working closely with the agency Atletico International, Sonda Productions has completed projects in both photo and film, including the new Seat Exeo and Seat Leon shot in the Canary Islands with photographers Manu Agah and Torsten Klinkow. Sonda Films also shot commercials for the new Seat Exeo in Lisbon with director Alexander Paul and the Exeo ST on location in Morocco with director Stuart Douglas.

The new Volkswagen T5 catalogue and campaign, in conjunction with agency Grabarz and Partner, was a huge project that involved working on six simultaneous productions as well as three studio shoots. Photographers Manu Agah, Anke Luckmann, Tom Menneman, Yona Heckl, Ebo Fraterman and Fritzjof Ohm worked on location in Spain and France, while Andreas Burz and Ernesto Martins were in the studio.

Other recent Photo Productions include Opel Astra with photographer Emir Haveric, BMW F1 with Simon Puschmann, and Volvo C70 with Anatol Kotte.

Southern Media Asia provides production services for film and photography within Australia and across the Asia Pacific region.

Over the last 12 years, Southern Media Asia has worked with most major international agencies on a wide range of projects in Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Japan, Thailand and New Zealand.

The company has a strong experience base throughout the Asia Pacific region as well as established teams of local partners. Services include budgeting, casting, location scouting, permits and insurance, crew, equipment rental, catering, travel management, production management, full shoot coordination and detailed billing and back-up accounting.

Senior producers Duncan, Kevin and Maurice are delighted to discuss an Asia Pacific solution for any type of project. Recent work includes Audi Q7 in Australia, Toyota IQ in Tokyo, Audi A4 in Hong Kong, Volvo S80 in Shanghai, Eli Lily in Hong Kong and BMW X6 and in Singapore.

Check the website for more information.