South Africa is a country that has been made to resemble everywhere from Kentucky to China, but with specific African stories becoming a thematic trend in boards flowing into the region, producers are beginning to explore their massive backyard: the rest of the continent. And front of the line are neighboring Namibia and Angola.

Angola is a country known for its beautiful desert landscapes, but it's more commonly associated with a devastating, 30-year civil war. The UN estimates up to 15 million landmines still lay unexploded across 50% of the countryside, making it an unlikely destination for a commercial shoot.

Not for Africa Film Services, who in 1996 brought the first big job to Angola's Namibe Desert, a remote region untouched by war.

"We shot a commercial that involved people sandboarding down a sand dune into the ocean. All the best places in Namibia were nature reserves and we couldn't get permission, so I found a place in Angola," says Brin Kushner, EP at Cape Town's AFS. "It was very interesting because the location was so remote."

In most cases, the majority of a job will be shot in South Africa with a few specific shots filmed in neighboring countries. It's still not viable to do a lot of location shooting - much less open regional offices - elsewhere in Africa, but crews are venturing further afield and opening up new locations in Namibia, Mozambique, Kenya and Seychelles. Shooting in these countries requires more money and prep time, but many producers who've shot there say they'd go back in a heartbeat.

"Currently, the trend seems to be moving towards stories from the African continent, which would necessarily require a more African look," says Tony Monty, film coordinator at the Durban Film Office. "Jobs shot outside of South Africa are based on the landscape offered in that particular region."

More stable than Angola is Namibia, located directly north of South Africa and easy for service companies to access. Prodcos might go there when a client demands a very specific, red desert look. With very little film infrastructure, the local production companies are employed as "fixers" to navigate nebulous bureaucracy, arrange permits and plan travel routes. The biggest service company in the country is NamibFilms, which facilitated shoots for big name clients such as Coca-Cola and Nissan in '06.

Producers at London's Passion Pictures were looking for a specific desert look for a Gorillaz music video in August 2005 and, after balking at the 50-degree Celsius temperatures in Dubai and Sahara Desert, eventually settled on Namibia. The crew flew to Swakopmund via Johannesburg and worked with NamibFilms.

"The teams were incredibly flexible and helpful. It was a lot more rough and ready than shoots in other places; a lot of decisions were made quickly," says producer Emilie Walmsley. "Where else can you borrow a truck from the local military compound?"

The only drawbacks, she says, were the cost of the flights and massive sand dunes, which nearly swallowed an entire truck when the driver decided to go on a test run.

Kushner and AFS regularly shoot in Namibia as well. The Namibian government is welcoming to foreign productions but producers do more wrangling and bartering with local tribespeople. "A lot of areas in Africa are controlled by a tribe and you have to get their permission before you shoot," says Kushner.

"It's the closest and best desert location," adds Rudy Rossouw, executive producer for Cape Town's Stillking Films. "Once you've got the hang of shooting there, it's not very complicated. You need a little extra lead time but the Namibian government is good at permissions."

All equipment must make a 2,500-kilometer journey over land, which can take up to three days. Crew and talent, save for locally available non-technical personnel, has to be brought in.

Although South African producers are becoming savvier at shooting abroad, Rossouw doesn't see any prodcos opening a sister office elsewhere on the continent because the specific jobs are still rare. "At this stage I don't think it's viable," he says. "If you do your homework correctly, I reckon you'd be able to do any job in most of these countries."

"We're shooting in Seychelles"
If the thought of shooting in Seychelles is idyllic and exotic, it's probably because in many ways it is. But as we find here, with a little ingenuity, shooting in paradise might not be as difficult as you'd think...
Where: Located 1,600 km in the Indian Ocean off Africa's east coast, this tropical island nation is home to the continent's smallest population.
Cost: 1 USD = 5.44 SCR (Seychelles Rupees). Costs in Seychelles are on par with most developed countries, with the exception of hotels, which are priced to attract tourists. There is limited equipment so factor in added costs for flying in crew, specialized gear and last-minute needs.
Facilities: South African prodcos will employ fixers to arrange permits for staff and crew prior to arrival in Seychelles. There are two local production companies, including Paul Turcotte's Film Production Services. "We have a small infrastructure with support equipment like generators, reflectors and stands," he says. "We can provide almost any mode of transport. We also have video cameras and digital editing facilities."
Why shoot there: Cape Town's producers don't find themselves walking Seychelles' dreamy beaches as often as they'd like. "Seychelles always blows me away," says Michelle Geeringh, EP for service at Cape Town's Egg Films. "It's very challenging but it's also very memorable."

AFS http://www.afsproductions.com
BlueSky FIlms http://www.blueskyfilms.com
Durban Film Office http://www.durbanfilmoffice.com
Egg Films http://www.eggfilms.co.za
Seychelles Film Production Services http://www.seyfilm.com
NamibFilms http://www.namibfilms.co.za
Passion Pictures http://www.passion-pictures.com
Stillking http://www.stillking.com