What you actually have to deal with when you start a shoot in Hong Kong.
Written for directors and producers preparing a shoot on their own for the first time. No theory, only the steps that will actually hold you up: where to apply for permits, what goes wrong when a call sheet leaves something out, and which documents others will ask you for before the shoot.
Filming permits in Hong Kong: which department to start with
Streets, parks, government buildings, waters and drones each have their own channel. One note for the overall map, the role of the one-stop entry point, and what to have ready before you apply.
With links to official application portals
On-set documentsWhat a call sheet needs so nothing goes wrong
A call sheet's real job is to get everyone to the same place at the same time. The full set of fields, common mistakes, when to send it and version control.
Companion tool: call sheet generator
Pre-productionPre-production documents to have before the shoot
From the project brief to proof of insurance, what each document is for. How the minimum set differs for student shorts, independent shorts and commercials.
With a table of which documents others will ask you for
InsuranceProduction insurance in Hong Kong: what is required
What equipment insurance, public liability, personal accident, cross-border and E&O cover each protect, and what equipment houses and venue owners usually ask you to show.
Cover amounts and premiums must be confirmed with an insurance broker
Script breakdownAn introduction to script breakdown: what to list and how to categorise it
List the people, objects and requirements scene by scene. Header fields, what each of the nine categories holds, why every item should quote the script, and where colour-coding conventions come from.
Companion: interactive script breakdown demo (Traditional Chinese)
SchedulingBuilding the stripboard: from breakdown to daily groups
One strip per scene, grouped by location, day or night and cast availability. Grouping by set, company moves, daily workload, and six steps from breakdown to stripboard.
With a table of strip colour conventions
SchedulingEstimating runtime and shoot days from a script: can you trust a page a minute?
Where "a page a minute" comes from and its limits, and how to roughly estimate runtime for Chinese scripts with timed read-throughs, dialogue character counts and scene difficulty.
Results are rough estimates only
BudgetStructuring a Hong Kong short film budget: accounts and common omissions
Where above and below the line, pre-production, shoot and post, insurance and contingency go, with the accounts most often left out, compared against a local funding scheme's budget form.
Structure only, no price references
LocationsHong Kong location scout checklist: what to check on site and how to record it
Power, noise and sound, sun direction, transport and parking, toilets, property management and who grants permission, checked item by item and recorded in one format.
With recce report fields
Permits and approvalsFilming with drones in Hong Kong: CAD rules and filming permissions
Weight categories, registration and labelling, standard operating limits and restricted flying zones under the Small Unmanned Aircraft Order, and the permissions needed for night flights and flying over crowds.
With links to official Civil Aviation Department sources
Permits and approvalsFilming in Macau: the Cultural Affairs Bureau permit, 20 days ahead, and drone zones
Filming in Macau: when you need a Cultural Affairs Bureau permit, the 20-day deadline, documents and drone no-fly zones.
With links to official sources
Permits and approvalsFilming in Taiwan: film offices, road use, drones and work permits
Filming in Taiwan: film offices, Taiwanese partner rule, road lead times, drones, prop guns and foreign crew work permits.
With links to official sources
Permits and approvalsFilming in Singapore: parks, HDB estates, road closures, drones and work passes
Filming in Singapore by location: NParks parks, HDB estates, road closures, CAAS drone permits and MOM work pass rules.
With links to official sources
Permits and approvalsFilming in Malaysia: PUSPAL, local partners and drone permits for foreign crews
Filming in Malaysia as a foreign crew: FINAS-licensed local partner, PUSPAL 30 days ahead, work passes and drone ATF.
With links to official sources
On-set paperworkHow to write a wrap report: what to log each day and why
A wrap report records which scenes were shot that day, how many takes, the NG reasons and where unfinished scenes move to. This guide covers the fields, who fills it in, and how it is used for pay and scheduling.
With sources
On-set paperworkHow to fill in a script log: scene, shot, take, NG reasons and continuity
A script log records every take: scene, shot, take number, OK or NG, the reason and continuity details. This guide explains each field, matching the slate, and what the editor needs most.
With sources
Pre-productionShot list vs storyboard: the difference, and how to order a shot list
A storyboard draws what each shot looks like; a shot list lists the shots and the order you will shoot them. This guide covers who each one is for, the columns a shot list needs, and ordering by setup and light.
With sources
Wrap-up10 things to do after wrap
Wrap is not the end of the job. Equipment returns, deposits, restoring locations, footage backups, fees, receipts, expense claims and end credits: miss one and it can hold up a deposit refund or a claim. Here are the 10 tasks after wrap, in order.
With sources
BudgetShort film expenses: how to claim them and manage receipts
Short film costs are small, many and often paid up front by different people, which makes claims hard to reconcile. This guide covers the fields to log for each expense, numbering and keeping receipts, multiple currencies, and the Inland Revenue Department's record-keeping requirements.
With sources
SchedulingEstimating company moves and timing the call sheet
A company move covers wrapping out, moving, travel and setting up again, and it is the part most often underestimated. This guide breaks a move into its stages, lists what to measure on a recce, and shows how to work out each scene's start and each actor's call from the first shot.
With sources
SchedulingDay for night and magic hour: scheduling around sunrise and sunset
Exterior day scenes have to finish before sunset, dusk scenes have a short window, and night scenes can wait for dark or be shot day for night. This guide defines sunrise, sunset and civil twilight, and shows how to build them into the schedule.
With sources
SchedulingWhat a day out of days is and how to read one
A day out of days lays out which days each actor works in a grid, used to count paid days, spot gaps and confirm availability with actors. This guide explains the letter codes and how to use the grid to adjust the schedule.
With sources
SchedulingRain cover: reshuffling scenes when it rains on an exterior
Hong Kong's rainy season runs from April to September, so exterior schedules need a rain cover plan. This guide explains the Observatory's three rainstorm warnings, the Labour Department's guidance on outdoor work under a black rainstorm, and how to choose interior scenes to switch to in advance.
With sources
Permits and approvalsForeign crews filming in Hong Kong: work visas, equipment at customs and filming applications
A crew from outside Hong Kong has three separate things to sort out: entry for the people (whether a work visa is needed), equipment at customs, and applications for locations and special items. This guide sets out what the Immigration Department, Customs and the Film Promotion and Facilitation Section publish.
With sources
LocationsClassic film locations on Hong Kong Island: Central's stone-slab street, courthouse and skyline
Pottinger Street from Infernal Affairs III, the Court of Final Appeal Building seen in many Hong Kong films, the HSBC Main Building in Spy Game, and Lara Croft leaping from the IFC. Hong Kong Island locations and who to apply to, from official sources.
With sources
LocationsClassic film locations in Kowloon: Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui and old Kai Tak
Yau Ma Tei Police Station from Infernal Affairs, Temple Street from C'est la vie, mon chéri, the Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower from Cold War, The Peninsula's lobby, and the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin. Kowloon locations, what they are like today and who to apply to, from official sources.
With sources
LocationsWong Kar-wai's Hong Kong: four locations with sources
Chungking Mansions, the Central–Mid-Levels escalator and Lan Kwai Fong from Chungking Express, and the Kowloon Walled City at the end of Days of Being Wild. What was shot at each place, what it looks like today, and who to contact to film there, with sources.
With sources
DistributionSubmitting short films to festivals: platforms, the files you need and planning deadlines
On a first festival run, most of the time goes on preparing files and reading each festival's rules. This guide covers how submission platforms work, what goes in a submission package, and how to order submissions by deadline.
With sources
Hand these steps to an AI first AD
The interactive demo goes through all ten pre-production steps, with no registration. The demo interface is in Traditional Chinese.