Why film in São Paulo?
Whether it’s for film, documentary, TV, corporate video or digital projects, there are myriad reasons why São Paulo is an attractive location for foreign productions:
01
Easy access
São Paulo has three airports, two of which are international, with direct flights coming in from all over the world. All three airports also serve as domestic hubs for the hundreds of regional Brazilian airports, providing easy access to the rest of Brazil should a shoot involve multiple locations.
02 State-of-the-art audiovisual equipment hire
There are dozens of specialist equipment providers for film and television in São Paulo, providing everything from aerial camera mounts and filming equipment to underwater photography equipment, live transmission satellite trucks, camera cars, cameras and steadicams, lenses, cranes and dollies, drones, grip equipment, lighting equipment, filters… you name it, we can source it in São Paulo at discounted rates. 03 Generic “any city in the world” locations
Image © Rodrigo Paiva
04 Iconic locations and events
While the city’s generic look will appeal to some productions, São Paulo has plenty of places and events that are unique. From its Modernist icons such as the Copan Building, the Memorial da América Latina and the MASP (São Paulo art museum) to its instantly recognizable graffiti and distinctive downtown skylines, there are some backdrops that just shout São Paulo. It also hosts the world’s largest street Carnaval and LGBT Pride parade, both of which have featured prominently in many major films and series, and it hosts some of Latin America's most important cultural and sporting events including the São Paulo Bienal, Formula One Grand Prix, São Paulo Fashion Week and the São Paulo International Film Festival.
05 Variety of locations
In a city the size of São Paulo, home to more than 20 million people, it’s no surprise to find an extraordinary breadth of types of location that can be booked for a shoot. They include parks and forests, shopping malls, stadiums, conference centres, restaurants, bars, hotels, street markets, churches, slums, airports and buildings that span architectural styles from colonial mansions to modern office blocks. Public areas managed by the municipal government can also be booked with as little as seven days notice, including museums, theatres, streets, viaducts and bridges.
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Edifício Itália
Image © Rogerio Cassimiro/MTur
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Instituto Tomie Ohtake
Image © Rogerio-Cassimiro/MTur
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Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP)
Image © Rogerio Cassimiro/MTur
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Ibirapuera Park
Image © Rogerio Cassimiro/MTur
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06 Script and post-production services
Story Productions has a
dedicated script team as well as
post-production suites
in São Paulo. We’ve been busy working on everything from a US travel series to German educational videos and corporate web series. São Paulo boasts a further seventy post-production houses specialising in sound mixing, music mixing, CGI, motion graphics and colour grading, depending on the needs of the project. 07 Recording studios
Whether for a photo shoot, film shoot or other audiovisual production there are dozens of professional studios in São Paulo, in all shapes and sizes, catering to a range of budgets. From product shoots to fashion shoots (with make-up and changing rooms), to recording in daylight or with large objects such as cars, Story Productions can book the right studio for any production’s needs.
08 Financial incentives
The federal as well as São Paulo state government offer funds that can help finance co-productions, and our doors are always open to conversations about co-productions with producers from around the world. 09 Restaurants and hotels
São Paulo welcomes more than 15 million tourists each year and is well set up to cater to them. Its infrastructure boasts more than 400 hotels and 400 helicopters, 38,000 taxis, 100,000 vehicles for hire and more than 20,000 restaurants.
10 It’s a city that works!
São Paulo is often described as a city that works – both in terms of the committed work ethic of its residents, as well as the fact that its facilities, infrastructure and services function – for the most part – reliably and efficiently, which is not always the case in other cities in Brazil. This predictability can be a real comfort to foreign production companies.