The right bed at the end of a long day, the right working environment for getting the job done, the right tools for seamless communications, the right transport to keep the schedule running like clockwork, the right catering to keep the unit moving on its stomach and the right equipment to make the film, this is the complicated art of logistics in the Mekong region. Hanuman Films can cover all logistical requirements for your production, including booking hotels, renting an office, leasing vehicles, arranging catering and sourcing technical equipment from in and around the region.

Hanuman Films enjoys an excellent relationship with hotels in the Mekong region. Through our sister company Hanuman Tourism-Voyages, we put thousands of foreign visitors through regional hotels each year. With a healthy room allocation at many of the leading hotels, we enjoy highly competitive rates in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Rates vary with the tourist season, so it is generally easier to pick up a bargain from May through September than during peak season from October to April. However, for larger crews and long stays we are always able to negotiate a sizeable reduction in rates during any season thanks to our close relationship with the hotel management. As well as arranging room allocations at leading regional properties such as the Sofitel chain, the Novotel brand, the Pansea chain and the Raffles group, we are also able to assist lower-budget productions in dealing with local hotels or renting houses or villas. Finally we have our own Angkor Safari Tents, modelled on the luxury bush tents of Africa. These are an excellent option for remote scouts and are an additional accommodation option if shooting in remote areas.

The right production office makes a huge difference to the karma of making a film in Cambodia and the Mekong region. If the production team is happy with the working environment, it makes the whole shoot smoother and we are able to find the best deals on monthly office rental in towns and cities of the Mekong region. Most major hotels have office suites, but the charges at these places are prohibitively high. Short-term rents are harder to secure than long-term rents in general, but we have trusted contacts that can find us the right place at the right price. Our preferred plan is to rent a small house or villa to serve as a production office in the provinces. In major cities, it is relatively easy to find well-equipped offices, while in Siem Reap, gateway to the temples of Angkor, we have our own offices available. Whatever the budget of your production, finding the right office with Hanuman Films is never an issue.

The telephone systems in Cambodia and its Mekong neighbours are fairly primitive due to long years of neglect. Cambodia serves as a good example of some of the communications considerations a production needs to assess before filming. Landlines are relatively expensive to install and the cost of international phone calls high. However, several mobile networks operate in Cambodia and this is an easier way to connect with the outside world. Visitors on international roaming can connect with local networks Mobitel, Samart or Shinawatra on arrival, but charges while in Cambodia are considerably higher than in Europe or North America. It is also possible to buy local sim cards with a Cambodian telephone number for longer stays or purchase production phones, as cheap international brand mobile telephones such as Nokia, Samsung or Sony Erikkson are sold throughout the region. When it comes to communications for the production office, we can arrange anything from a sophisticated ‘hunting’ system for big productions to a single phone-fax line for small productions. We can also arrange for the long-term pre-production crew to be equipped with local mobile phones at local call rates. Inexpensive walkie talkies are widely available in the region, as with poor communications infrastructure, they are a popular form of communication for police, military and local authorities. Once we have cleared an operating bandwidth with the relevant authorities, we are free to use walkie talkies on set.

Internet access is widespread in the Mekong region these days and prices have dropped rapidly. Broadband service accounts are available through leading local providers such as Online and Mobitel, offering unlimited access via a DSL or wireless network respectively. The advent of broadband has not only made the transmission of images and data that much simpler in the Mekong region, but it has also sparked a boom in Internet telephone services, particularly in Cambodia. Internet telephone calls are about 90% cheaper than standard international charges and the lines are now almost as clear across landline or mobile networks. Hanuman Films can advise you on which Internet package will best serve the needs of the production, based on a long relationship with local service providers in the region.

Moving away from the transportation of people to the transportation of equipment, there are a range of light trucks in the region. Pick-up trucks are popular for moving light props and equipment around, while one-tonne Korean trucks are suitable for bigger items. There are also plenty of large Russian six-wheel drive trucks for getting large amounts of equipment into remote areas and large flat-bed trucks for transporting over-sized items and container shipments. When it comes to more sophisticated vehicles for use during the shoot, the selection is a little more limited. Cranes with a load-capacity of 10-20 tonnes are available in principal towns and cities, but elsewhere more notice is required to get the crane to the site. Cherry-pickers are available in major cities, but elsewhere it takes time to transport them to the location. Water trucks, or in certain cases fire trucks courtesy of the local fire department, are available for wet-downs and watering jungle dressing.

If you have the need for speed, helicopters are available across the region. The most reliable are New-Zealand operated French Aerospatial AS350 B Squirrel helicopters, which can take up to five passengers and carry a load of up to 750kg. Larger and better value government-owned Mi-17s are also available carrying more than 20 passengers, but it is essential to arrange an independent safety assessment of these helicopters before chartering.

Like an army on the move, a film unit marches on its stomach. Hanuman Films works with teams of caterers that can prepare Asian or Western food as required. Large productions often use two mobile kitchens, one providing a mix of Asian and Western food for overseas personnel, the other providing traditional local food for extras, humpers and labourers. Our mobile caterers move with the unit and anywhere the unit can access, our caterers will be there first, providing breakfast, a morning snack, a large lunch and afternoon tea. For small productions, we can arrange a small kitchen to move with the crew. On scouts, we usually eat at restaurants in towns or food stalls in remote areas, but can arrange picnics for those who are cautious about their diet.

When it comes to equipment, think Thailand. There is little in the way of equipment elsewhere in the Mekong region. A huge range of technical equipment is available in Thailand, including international standard lighting, camera cranes, dollies, artists’ caravans and almost anything else a production might require. Pack the Panavision, but everything else can stay at home. Hanuman Films has worked closely with leading service companies in Thailand to provide equipment for shoots in Cambodia and the Mekong region. We have an excellent working relationship with our Thai partners and can advise on which company best suits the needs of which project.

Hanuman Films can arrange safe, cool storage for the film in the production hotel or office, away from the troubling tropical heat. Industry standard film processing can be arranged in Bangkok, one of the crew flying out with the film at the end of the day and returning the following morning with the rushes. We are able to arrange a projection room at the hotel for viewing the rushes daily. All-in-all we'll sort you out a home from home when you work with us.