Colombia’s three major studios, TIS, RCN and Caracol, have opened their doors ever wider to the growing influx of international projects, lured by the country’s generous incentives.
Since about five years ago, RCN transitioned from being “a TV network with studios to a studio with a network,” said Alex Marín, VP of Distribution, who took up his post at RCN after 20 years at Sony Pictures Entertainment. “Our three-pillar approach is 1. To produce for our channel, 2. Produce content with partners or for partners and 3. provide production services,” he pointed out.
Established some 30 years ago, all three companies boast a depth of experience, sprawling facilities and multiple sound stages, with RCN claiming the largest in Latin America.
TIS (formerly FoxTelecolombia) boasts a standing jail set, the only one of its kind in Colombia where “Sound of Freedom” and “Perfil Falso” shot some scenes, while RCN has housed various cooking reality shows for years, including “Top Chef,” “Celebrity Chef” and their various iterations, even other countries’ versions.
Among the three, TIS has provided the backdrop to more feature films, including parent company Paramount’s “Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado” and most recently, “52nd State,” the crime thriller executive produced by Reed Hastings, co-founder, chairman and former CEO of Netflix.
It is co-written and directed by former Netflix exec Todd Yellin, who said, he would consider shooting again in Colombia, even if the subject matter wasn’t Latin American: “The goal of many indie filmmakers is to make your film feel like 2-3 times what it really cost. My Colombian crew worked at a speed I’ve never experienced before, helping me do as many set ups as I needed, no matter how complex. Camila Agudelo and the art department are amazing at stretching a dollar (or peso) to create wonderful settings for the film – both in practical locations and on a stage.”
TIS provided the office backdrop to the story about a disillusioned Costa Rican gamer who infiltrates a telemarketing scam preying on elderly Americans.
Of Jaguar Bite, which provided the production services, producer Fernando Ferro said: “Colombia and companies like Jaguar Bite have already proven they can handle international productions at the highest level. But being on ’52nd State,’ it still felt like we were part of something new – like the beginning of a wave. There’s a raw, creative energy in the Colombian film scene right now that’s impossible to ignore. Something fresh is taking shape here and it’s exciting to be in the middle of it.”
Season 3 of Telemundo’s “Queen of the South,” with production services handled by AG Studios, used three of TIS’s cavernous sound stages, including a warehouse, said TIS production services head Federico Devis. Its other standing sets are a house and a restaurant, apart from three backlots.
Meanwhile, Caracol handled the production of Netflix’s three-season coming-of-age hit “Eva Lasting” (“La primera vez”), which tapped Colombia’s 35% transferable tax credit, known as CINA. They also provided production services to Netflix’s documentary feature “The Lost Children” (“Los niños perdidos “) among other shows.
RCN’s 16 sound stages enables the company to produce three to four shows simultaneously, said Marin. “No one else produces this volume of content without taking the eye off the ball,” he asserted.
As Colombia continues to position itself as a major production hub, it is good news for filmmakers to know that these facilities are open for more business.
TIS sound stage
