It turns out you never know who you'll run into in Argentina these days.

"In our hotel alone, we had Rob Pritts from Backyard doing a job, Roman Coppola doing a Coke job. As we were leaving, Frank Budgen was coming down," marvels Josh Reynolds, EP at Goodby, Silverstein and Partners, San Francisco. "A lot of people are going there."

If you add François Vogel, who was directing a series of HP spots for Goodby, the list of directors who've headed south of the Tropic of Cancer is impressive. Ariola, Jacquet, Happy, Usher, Venville, Kleinman. The list goes on.

"Argentina is almost the ultimate, perfect production service market - at this stage in time," says Jennifer Webster, producer at Pioneer Productions in Buenos Aires.

"When we started our office in Hungary 10 years ago, prices were equally competitive, but there was always a sacrifice that people had to make by coming there because you felt like it was Eastern Europe just coming out of communism, which it was," observes Webster. "What's so amazing on all levels with Argentina right now - not just from a filming standpoint, but as a tourist destination - is that you've got this very unique situation where the prices are really like what you would find in Third World countries but the quality and the level of services and products and the feel of the city is comparable to New York or Paris."

While price is obviously the most important consideration - at 3:1 to the US dollar, Webster likens it to "a big 70%-off discount sale" - Argentina also has an astonishing variety of faces and places, and a climate that allows for a summertime look year round.

"If Coca-Cola needs to fill up a city street with extras," says Reynolds, "I would imagine that they're probably going to go to a place like Buenos Aires." He goes on to say that for the HP spots they auditioned almost 1,500 people with the help of local services company Peluca, and primarily cast in Buenos Aires.

As far as locations, you can find almost anything, from jungle to the flatlands of the Pampas, to penguin colonies and snow-capped mountains and glaciers. For example, Budgen was shooting Stella, and although it was a single location, it required a special look.

"It's supposed to have a semi-southern France kind of feeling, but not concretely," recalls Webster, who worked with Gorgeous on the spot. "It was one of the most straightforward jobs that we've done, believe it or not. It was a very un-Frank like production."

In contrast, the HP production ended up slightly off the beaten path. "It was suggested that since we were only 2500 km (about 1500 m) from the most mind-blowing place on the planet, we go to Patagonia," says Claude Letessier, EP of Paranoid, Paris. It only took a miraculous week from the decision to do the massive company move to the actual shooting, and Peluca helped orchestrate the logistical challenge of securing permits and driving the gear a few thousand kilometers. Letessier says what they found was more than worth the effort. "We were blown away, beyond happy. It was an amazing personal experience. Professionally, it's unique."

Letessier gives high praise to the local crews, as does Reynolds, although he brought a number of key people down with him. "On the size of a job we did for HP you can't take any chances," he says. "Then you staff it with local support teams because you want to make sure that your aesthetic is correct."

Arguably, it's hard to find a downside to Argentina right now. And then there are the intangibles. "You have the allure of the tango and the polo and the things that it's classically known for," notes Webster. "But the [economic] crash - which was kind of a humbling thing for these people - shook things up and there's this edge in terms of fashion and architecture and design." She adds that while it once took a lot of convincing to get people to shoot in Hungary, her job is somewhat easier these days.

"It has sex appeal. What I've seen with Argentina is that you say to people, okay come do your shoot in Buenos Aires, and their eyes light up. You don't need to twist any arms."

GOOD TO KNOW

"Be really careful about any specialized equipment. Budget for the worst-case scenario before you go down there because there's no guarantee. And if you change your production methodology it's not as easy as in the US." - Reynolds

"Bringing things in here is a little bit tricky because it's not part of the ATA Carnet system. It's just paperwork and it's always slightly unpredictable. But it's not an insurmountable challenge." - Webster

"There's one equipment rental company. With this influx of production, you've got a real challenge when it comes to getting quality equipment." - Reynolds

Dealing with the lab: "If their post-house back home gives us very clear specs about what they want, then there shouldn't be an issue." - Webster

"They don't have the notion of exact time like we do. Nine is nine-ish - which is fine if you get the notion. Besides being nine-ish, these people are trustworthy and reliable." - Letessier

Tool of North America> http://www.toolofna.com
Gorgeous> http://www.gorgeous.co.uk
Goodby, Silverstein and Partners> http://www.gspsf.com
Pioneer> http://www.pioneer.hu
Peluca> http://www.pelucafilms.com