(Get a Film Permit for Congo Kin or Congo Brazza, and Hire Film Fixer and AV Services)
We use the staff directly under the President of the country, who films for the president and his family.
Write us for costs. We have issues with other outside companies simply viewing our website as a reference point and then making up abilities with a lower price to get business, then getting people in trouble. We will tell you our prices privately after NDA for these services.
Media Assistance for hire
We deploy our finest crew contractor Cal.
Scope of Work possible for film assistance:
Co-Producer/ Field Producer/ Assistant Producer/ Camera Operator/
Professional Fixer/ Security Adviser/ First Aid Responder for international reporters,
filmmakers, researchers, diplomats, NGO’s delegations, businessmen and women
SUMMARY OF COMPETENCIES AND QUALIFICATIONS
- Good mastery of journalism principals
- Good mastery of working with documentarists, filmmakers, TV crews, Radio reporters, Cameramen, Photographers, Writers and Researchers.
- Good knowledge to coordinate and manage logistics and security of big delegations, diplomats’ delegation, VIP delegation and journalists.
- Good ability to fix logistics and security issues and to navigate any situation.
- Ability to do research in conflicts areas similar to the eastern DRC, Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, South Sudan etc.
- Good knowledge of working as a very experienced professional field producer and camera operator.
- Good knowledge to manage logistics and security of international NGOs during emergencies.
- Competence in interpersonal communication, to respect and enforce procedures, to work in a professional and mature way.
- Ability to work in a multi-ethnic and multi-racial environment.
- Ability to work in an unstable security environment, emergency and under pressure.
- Professional flexibility
- Enough energy to endure long hours and working conditions often stressful.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE OF OUR FIXER FORCE AND AV ASSISTANCE
- The International Women’s Media Foundation
- Global Briefing Magazine
- BBC Panorama
- BBC World Affairs
- BBC World Services
- BBC Sciences Studios
- BBC History Unit
- NBC News
- CNN News
- CBS News
- Aljazeera
- The National Geographic
- Vice Media
- The Neflix
- The NPR
- France 24
- France 5
- ARTE
- ZDF from Germany
- The Untitled TV
- The Tiger Aspect Productions
- Sky TV
- Channel 4
- ITN
- The New York Times
- The Washington Post
- The Los Angeles Times
- The Daily Beast
- The Economist
- The Studio9films
- The Times
- The Guardian
- The Redux Pictures
- The Notimex
- Melonie Kastman
- Paul Freedman
- Mike Ramsdell
- The Nobel Women’s Initiative
- Ben Affleck
- General Romeo Dallaire
- Ross Kemp
- The Howard G. Buffet Foundation
- The Williams Works
- The Eastern Congo Initiative
- Nike Foundation
- The Humanity United
- Intel
- Care International
- The International Rescue Committee
- Merlin
- The UCLA
- The Yale Law School
- The Columbia University
- American senators’ delegations
Cal started working as a fixer and translator since 1996, and worked across the 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo-Brazzaville, the Republic of Rwanda, the Republic of Uganda, the Republic of Tanzania, the Republic of Burundi, the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Zambia, the South Sudan and travelled to the United States of America a couple of times to work on the transcripts of the following films (Merci Congo, a documentary for Intel for conflict free minerals and on Melonie Kastman’s film about peace keeping titled “Until There is Peace”) films in which I have credits of Co-Producer, Associate Producer, Camera Operator and Fixer.
Covered the wars in DRC since 1996; covered minings in the Kivus, Katanga, Kasai and the former Oriental Province.
During film fixing, transportation will be done by sturdy 4×4’s and in Kinshasa possibly by minivan (Toyota Hiace or similar if there are more than two of you).
We have good contacts in the government, banking sector, cargo business, hotel and hospital sectors and anything related to set-building and ship-building will be run by our local crews from Kinshasa, overseen and coordinated by us. All of these meetings will be organized by us.
It’s also possible to meet with a few key figures for the techniques of a movie. It’s not wise to contact any of our cargo-partners without a specific plan, dates and details as that only works against you and is totally not part of the culture, so any meetings should be kept to the essential for now.
It’s important before you touch down to be flexible and open to changes as flight delays and cancellations are common and local authorities often postpone meetings or show up late. The interstices between locations are not within our control or yours unless you’d do a mid 5-figures USD private plane between each state of the nation, and waiting for government functionaries (which isn’t part of a shoot, but is for your recce) will not provide European or Japanese punctuality from our Congolese counterparts you wish to speak to.
You might think of everything basic ground supplies-wise locally costing 4-5 times as much as East Asia or up to 2-3 times as much as Europe. That’s the cost in order to get Congo, if you want a movie about Congo to enjoy that authenticity. You’ll see this without us having to say it.
According to our booking terms and conditions, a film fixing trip of any magnitude has to be paid fully within 90 days before departure.
It’s also extremely important to buy the domestic flight tickets as soon as possible. Once these deposits are made and if you guys cancel your trip, these are non-refundable, although we can do our best to keep them as credit for a later date of course and we’ll most likely succeed in doing this, but no guarantees.
For August and December, this is high season for the world, and we cannot guarantee availability so far and we might not be free as we’re most likely going to run a three-week tour so it’s a first come first serve base. So we have to organise this as soon as possible as all of us are extremely busy and are usually involved in several big projects.
Here is a sample film fixing trip ahead of a 3 month shoot:
Two Week Film Prospection February
Day 1: Thursday 20/02: Arrival in Kinshasa and transfer to your hotel, dinner together
Day 2: Friday 21/02: Kinshasa: Meetings / hotel and or bank visits
Day 3: Saturday 22/02: Flight to Mbandaka, transfer to hotel
Day 4: Sunday 23/02: visit the city and the botanical garden
Day 5: Monday 24/02: visit the outskirts of the city – villages and different parts of the river
Day 6: Tuesday 25/02: visit the outskirts of the city – villages and different parts of the river
Day 7: Wednesday 26/02: flight back to Kinshasa – transfer to your hotel
Day 8: Thursday 27/02: Very early morning departure to Mbanza Ngungu, explore the town and overnight.
Day 9: Friday 28/02: Visit Kisantu botanical garden and return to Kinshasa
Day 10: Saturday 01/03 flight to Kisangani – transfer to your hotel
Day 11: Sunday 01/03: explore the city center rapids and river
Day 12: Monday 02/03: explore the city center rapids
Day 13: Tuesday 03/03: Flight back to Kinshasa and transfer to the hotel
Day 14: Wednesday 04/03: Reserved for potential meetings and visits / visit hospital today or tomorrow (my friend who runs the best emergency unit in the country will be present)
Day 15: Thursday 05/03: Reserved for potential meetings and visits / visit hospital
Day 16: Friday 06/03: Departure
We will respect an itinerary, although the order might be different and delays and cancellations might force us to alter a programme, meaning some destinations might not be able to be visited, although we’ll do our best to respect the programme and come up with worthy alternatives. We are not responsible for any missed flights and delays and it’s advisable to have flight insurance/flexible tickets. In case of flight cancellations we might ask you to buy a new ticket or book extra hotel nights and such if we are unable to recover lost tickets, hotel accommodation, transport, etc.
Remember that filming in the interior is not a tour package, but that this is an expedition with real dangers (snakes, wild animals, etc), and no travels to places such as Rwanda, Uganda, Burkina Faso come even remotely close. Traveling to the Congo is a very unique travel and requires flexibility and patience. We have seen many people who claim to have decades of travel experience around the world underestimating this part of the world and who were simply not prepared for this. We love it here and so do many of our clients, but you need to come with real expectations.
Please know that accommodation and service during this trip will be inferior to western standards and even hotels such as the Hilton might make mistakes. Power outages and other problems with running water an still occur even in the best hotels, although the places we have selected are the best of the best. Please expect basic accommodation with possible bad services and malfunctioning infrastructure.
We’ll do our best to arrange AC and fan where available and will always inspect the room together with you in order to have everything as clean and comfortable as possible. Please know that while we do our best to arrange the best lodging available, we are not responsible for malfunctioning AC, showers, lack of towels, power cuts, no running water, lack of toilet paper, presence of insects, etc. We will always look for the best options to resolve any problems that might pop up. These are part of what you sign up for in DRC.
Bring enough power banks, adapters, batteries, torches as well as an extra bed sheet, toilet paper (for on the road/restaurants), wet wipes, pillow cover, towel(s), shampoo and soap, hand sanitizer and anything else that might improve your stay at a hotel.
Remember you are going to the tropics and even the most expensive hotels can have insects in their rooms. It is advised to buy a few mosquito sprays and use them to spray in your room if you want to be sure to sleep in insect-free conditions as we cannot guarantee hotel and camping conditions. Make sure you have mosquito repellent and protect yourself against malaria, dengue and other tropical diseases.
Protect yourself against the sun: apply sunscreen, wear a hat and sunglasses and also bring after-sun and stay hydrated.
Traffic can often be hectic and road conditions are not good. We select the best cars with A/C, but be prepared for delays and transport breaking down or the A/C malfunctioning.
Authorities, village chiefs and locals can sometimes be annoying and intimidating. Please, don’t let anyone scare you and always be calm and respectful. The guide has absolute authority on this trip and it’s best to let him/her handle any kind of problems which might occur. Under no circumstance take any photographs of government buildings and staff, bridges, railroads etc. Always ask our guide if it’s ok to take pictures. Do not take any pictures of the locals without permission. At any moment, if our guide feels the trip is not safe or if the clients are not behaving in a responsible way, he may cancel the trip if he feels the situation is becoming too dangerous. We have a permit granted by the government, but you will still need to follow the guide’s rules.
This can’t be emphasized enough. There are not many destinations like this out there which are this draconian and dangerous with cameras. If you violate the photography rules, you may be fired from the trip immediately with no recourse for nor right to refund, for our and your safety.
Quite literally guides and staff, foreign and local, can be hurt and captured for days because of tourists who think this is a joke or exaggerated. It is not. You are NOT allowed to take photos when we say you can’t. You are NOT allowed to book with us if you do not in totality accept and agree and will conform to this.
There are no exceptions, and no excuses.
Do not bring any drones with you, and we reserve the right to cancel the trip if we see that you’re bringing one and refuse to hand it in.
Filming with phones sneakily by hand or from the side is watched for by the same threatening and agitating actors who will cause this trouble. In fact, this is the violation and act they watch for MOST. You are not allowed to use your phone camera to casually film or photography, and do not feign otherwise. Phones are cameras. Every single above provision and serious warning applies to your phone.
Respect the locals, especially village chiefs, authorities and notables.
Make sure that you have a first-aid kit with you and all basic medications such as plenty of antibiotics, pain killers, bandaids, disinfectants, anti-histamines, loperamide, anti-malaria meds, flagyl (in case of amoebas), etc. Ask your doctor about taking antiparasitic meds afterwards (such as Vermox) and have yourself examined after the trip for parasites and the likes. Please, ask your doctor about the best way and date to do this.
Make sure that you are always covered against mosquitos and have mosquito repellents with you. Talk with your doctor about malaria and other tropical diseases and ask what to take and how to prevent them.
You need proof of vaccination against covid and yellow fever if you want to enter Congo. Make sure to ask your doctor or tropical institute about vaccinations. You might want to inform yourself about typhoid, DTP, polio, etc.
It’s the client’s responsibility to make sure to meet the necessary requirements to enter the country and board the flight (vaccination, visa and other requirements).
Do not drink tap water or any water which you’re not sure of.
Make sure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months and that you have three pages left. Take a few copies of your passport and vaccination booklet to be sure.
Know that delays are always possible and they might alter the itinerary. Heavy rainfall and other unexpected factors such as strikes and fuel shortages might always slow us down or have the programme altered. (although we will be in dry season)
Make sure that you keep your room locked and that your belongings are safe. We are not responsible for anything you might lose or if something gets stolen or damaged. Do not ask any team members to hold on to your belongings, money, or passport and other documents as we simply cannot do this.
Stay away from palm wine and locally brewed alcohol and other drinks, you can say you cannot drink this due to religious/cultural reasons. Do not eat any meat from bats and monkeys or other bushmeat and if someone at a village offers you something you’re not sure of, ask our guide and he will take care of it.
Please, always discuss extra activities and needs with our guide and make sure all extra costs are paid correctly as far too often we have had guests taking advantage of the kindness of our guides. We expect our guests to be correct and respectful.
Do not engage in illegal activities such as drug use, prostitution, and do not insult locals, especially not local authorities and members of the Church (yes, all of this has happened before by guests). We will immediately terminate the trip, and this might happen with no refund. If someone is aggressive towards you, please, do not engage and immediately seek the help from our guide.
Avoid talking about politics, religion and subjects such as homosexuality, drugs, abortion, divorce, polygamy, euthanasia, past wars and local conflicts as Congolese often have different views on these topics. We might have to enter the discussion to shut it down in case we notice. Congolese are often superstitious, try not to change their views on spiritual matters and just listen and be respectful. Do not be condescending and always stay polite and respectful. Avoid pointing to people and don’t shout or raise your voice if it’s not necessary.
Do absolutely not engage sexually with anyone as you might get scammed or robbed or worse.
Register yourself with your embassy and make sure you have all the necessary contact details of your country representatives as well as your insurer.
You are not required to give tips, but it’s advised to have some local money on you. In the DRC you can use USD (no 1 and 2 usd bills, bills have to be spotless and no tears) and in RoC to a limited extent euro.
Inspect that your glass and bottle are clean before drinking and that your cutlery is clean. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before eating.
The price remains the same until full payment, unless there are unexpected drastic price changes. This is unlikely to happen, but if this would be the case, we will always look together with you for an alternative to keep the current price, meaning we’d might have to change the itinerary or if necessary increase the price if you’d wish to have the itinerary stay intact.
You will be asked to show a copy of your travel and medical insurance, which also includes evacuation. Any medical bills or evacuation and medical costs and bills, including local transport, medical bills, medication, lodging due to evacuation/injury/sickness, etc. to be paid during the travel, will be at the charge of the traveler. For this purpose, it is advised to have enough dollar bills on you in case we’d need to act fast. Please, hide them discreetly and make sure they are protected against humidity and theft as we were not responsible for any loss.
A video call will be scheduled for screening and together with the payment of the deposit, we’ll ask you to send us a signed copy of our booking terms and conditions; our waiver; as well as signing this itinerary, by both of you including your name and the date.
If you want to delineate expenses for a movie budget, this is only really possible with a 3x buffer to cope with the ground/adjustable local prices, plus monthly retainer
Please, upon payment, you share your flight details, send us a copy of your passport as well as any medical conditions, allergies and dietary restrictions we should be aware of.
