Busan Film Commission

Designated as Asia’s first Creative City of Film by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in 2014, Busan is a metropolitan city with 3.5 million people. This port city contains both modernity and tradition; the skyscrapers in Haeundae display the splendidness of 21st century, while Jagalchi fish market and back-alleys preserve the city’s decades-old memories. Embracing past and future, mountains and water, heritage and globalisation; Busan has been able to establish itself as the city of film and attract professionals with its versatility.

As a city of film, Busan has a world-class film production support system. Founded in 1999, Busan Film Commission is the first Korean organisation that specialise in supporting film and video productions. By providing administrative assistance in acquiring shooting-related permit and database, Busan Film Commission became a role model to other film commissions in Korea and different Asian regions. Its socalled ‘Location Support System’, which assigns a location manager exclusively in charge of providing one-stop service for a single project, has contributed to the completion of 420 feature films (as of October, 2015), transforming Busan into a ‘shooting-friendly’ city. With the full support from its cinephile citizens and city institutions such as police and fire department, Busan Film Commission has been the driving force to develop the Busan film industry in a relatively short amount of time.

Busan Film Commission has also strived to improve the infrastructure of the local film industry by introducing Busan Cinema Studios (November, 2001), Busan Cinema Venture Center (July, 2002), Busan Post-Production Facility (February, 2009), and Visual Industry Center (April, 2013). Furthermore, ‘3D Production Center – Digital Bay’, Asia’s first virtual studio, opened in July 2012 in order to cope with the ever-changing environment of digital production. Equipped with state-of-the-art ‘On-set Previsualisation system’, Digital Bay provides an efficient film production environment, unrestricted by a specific location. A number of recent mainstream Korean features has been the beneficiaries of the On-Set Pre-visulisation system, thereby stabilising the process of its commercialisation.

In addition, Busan Film Commission has taken the leading role in developing the Asian film industry by organising Busan International Film Commission & Industry Showcase (BIFCOM) since 2001, and Asian Film Policy Forum since 2008. Celebrating its 12th anniversary in 2016, Asian Film Commissions Network (AFCNet), headed by Busan Film Commission as the chair organisation, has become Asia’s largest non-profit international film-related organisation with 59 members from 18 countries (as of December, 2015).

Beginning 2012, the commission managed Busan Film Technique Workshop to train about 900 students per year to provide them opportunities for the enhancement of their expertise and for selfimprovement. For the last five years, the commission has been selected by Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to organise ‘ASEANROK Film Leaders Incubator: FLY’, an annual short-filmmaking workshop for the future generation of Asian filmmakers from ASEAN countries and Korea. Based on the network and know-hows acquired from such experience, Busan Film Commission is in charge of managing the Asian Film School in Busan, entrusted by the city government in 2015.

Guidance on Filming Support

Any domestic and/or overseas feature films and motion picture productions such as TV dramas, music videos, commercial films, and short films (except school workshops) which submit the designated location application form to the Busan Film Commission (After a consideration, the beneficiary will be selected).

Pre-Production

A copy of the production company’s introduction letter, production plan (including budget and investment plan), scenario, scene breakdown sheet, filming schedule, and any other detailed information (such as press release, still photograph, continuity, etc).

• A coordinator will be assigned to each production for specific discussion and support
• Recommend the filming location and provide photos and video clips of the area
• Provide overall information on accommodation, transportation and equipment rental services
• Introduce Busan City and provide basic information on Busan
• Provide free car rental service for initial use

Pre-Production Scouting Support Programme:

Providing a vehicle for the maximum of 10 days to a feature / TV / documentary production company that plans for scouting activity to shoot in Busan. After the scouting, relevant materials such as pictures will be shared with BFC. Post-Production: Rent a digital editing room, support film preview and other events

Co-operation for the Promotion of the Commission

Officials of the film production are expected to show their co-operation to advertise the supporting activities of the Busan Film Commission to filmmakers and citizens in Busan for better service. Requirements are as follows:

• Put the phrase of [Filming Support: Busan Film Commission] on ending credit, poster, press releases, and other promotion materials
• Accept the request for the filming and interview (prior consultation) with the director and leading actor/actress to produce the commission’s promotion materials
• Open the filming site more than once and accept the request for the interview with the director and leading actor/actress for media in Busan
• Cooperate to hold the film preview in Busan hosted by the commission before the release of the movie
• Restoration and Insurance

◊ The film production company should provide the restoration and compensation for the damage to people, animals, plants, buildings, and properties (bodily injury, property damage) occurred during the filming.

◊ It is recommended to insure against unexpected damage during filming prior to the production

• Termination of Support

◊ When an applicant cancels the application

◊ When an applicant receives two warnings due to the nonfulfillment of the commission’s rules

◊ When it is unavoidable to stop shooting under various circumstances of production companies

Filming Equipment Service

Busan Film Commission possesses high-quality personnel who have completed training courses in digital movie camera and film camera servicing. It also has a rich data on cameras and lens. Based on such resources, the commission is offering the best service.

Korea’s Corporate Law

There are four ways that foreign film producers may shoot in Korea – by means of a liaison office or branch office in Korea, jointly producing with a production company in Korea, or just receiving production services.

Establishment of Liaison Office

The establishment of a liaison office means that a foreign company will be registered in Korea as a foreign company and the office will serve as its legal representative. On practical and legal terms, the liason office belongs to the overseas parent company and all responsibilities and liabilities of the office are attributed to the parent company. Thus, the liaison office is not allowed to undertake any commercial activity such as business contract transaction independently. Only the parent company which established the liaison office can conduct accounting transaction and business contracts.

Establishing a liaison office does not particularly require capital and the registration process is simple. Also, the liaison office is suitable for limited researching and collecting market information, and acting as a communication channel. The legal representative of the liaison office may hire an employee for its operations or directly operate the liaison office. If the legal representative is not of Korean nationality, he or she should obtain a visa prior to entry into Korea.

Co-production with Korean Production Company

There are various forms of coproductions with production companies in Korea and different approaches are possible depending on the terms of the contract. The Korean production partner can take on all the responsibilities for investments in Korea – due formalities, contracts and management of the production. In addition, if specific conditions are met, various financial benefits are given through the support programs offered by the Korean Film Council and regional film commissions. At present, Korea has concluded a coproduction treaty with France and New Zealand.

Cases Involving Receipt of Production Services Only

In cases where the foreign producer only receives production services, he or she may contact the film producer or production service company or a freelance producer in Korea. Once the partners have been arranged through these institutions, the foreign producer may receive all the services related to production support programs including film crew, actors, extras, location, equipment and technical companies and other matters associated with the production. The fee for the production services is estimated at 15% of the total production budget spent in Korea as a general rule and it is subject to change.

Regulations for Filming Support & Film Studio/ Equipment Rentals

The purpose of the regulations stated below is to indicate the points the film production or individual filmmaker must observe in order to obtain the various support and services for filming in Busan from the Busan Film Commission.

Regarding the BFC’s filming support and film studio/equipment rentals, an applicant is to observe the regulations set out below unless the articles of incorporation or provisions are amended.

Any local/foreign film production making a project, such as a feature film, or a short film for theaters or film festivals and any local/foreign TV production making a project, such as a TV series, a TV drama, a commercial, or a documentary are eligible to apply for the shooting location support and film studio/ equipment rentals in Busan. An application form must be filled out and submitted to the BFC along with the necessary documents.

Filming Support/ Rental Applications

An applicant must submit a completed “Filming Support/Rental Application Form” to the BFC in order to receive support and services for location scouting and shooting in Busan. The applicant must also include the following information in the form:

• Information about film production • Information about film producer and director
• Information about film project (title, theme, genre, format & etc.)
• Synopsis and Scenario, 3 copies each
• Film scene charts and schedules, 3 copies each (including an initial location scouting/hunting date, shooting schedules, & etc.)
• Additional requests or queries

Insurance Requirements

An applicant is required to have a liability insurance prior to his/her project, and provide all the necessary documents to the BFC for verification. If the applicant is found to be uninsured or unidentified, the BFC may immediately terminate all the support and services and may include additional measures.

Script Development Fund

The Script Development Fund is organised to assist Asian filmmakers in the completion of their scripts. This fund aims to support talented Asian filmmakers, to broaden the quality of film projects being developed in Asia and to enhance the possibility of the projects eventually being produced. Through this fund scheme, selected projects will be awarded 10 million Korean won (approximately 10,000 USD) each.

This year, 5 Asian projects have been supported by the Script Development Fund. One of 5 Asian projects is the AFA project. Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Film Academy (AFA) fosters Asian young talented filmmakers and establishes an Asian filmmaker network. ACF’s support to AFA fellow was made possible in cooperation with Showbox Inc.

Asian Cinema Fund

The Asian Cinema Fund (ACF) has been an essential partner for Asian cinema with its three supporting categories – Script Development Fund, Post-production Fund and Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund. ACF is committed to help activate more independent film productions and to set up a stable production environment.

New Asian cinema discovered by ACF gets to be completed into a film through comprehensive support and to explore various opportunities through Busan’s family programmes such as Asian Film Market and Asian Project Market (APM).

ACF projects have been presented at many international film festivals and received great response from both audiences and critics. Now, ACF helps Asian feature films and documentaries to establish their identities and to position themselves as important parts of the film industry. During the Busan International Film Festival, ACF provides a forum for Asian filmmakers to share their knowledge, leading to a pan-Asian network. Also, in cooperation with other international film festivals, ACF broadens opportunities to present high quality Asian films and documentaries around the world.

Script Development Fund

The Script Development Fund is organised to assist Asian filmmakers in the completion of their scripts. This fund aims to support talented Asian filmmakers, to broaden the quality of film projects being developed in Asia and to enhance the possibility of the projects eventually being produced. Through this fund scheme, selected projects will be awarded 10 million Korean won (approximately 10,000 USD) each.

This year, 5 Asian projects have been supported by the Script Development Fund. One of 5 Asian projects is the AFA project. Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Film Academy (AFA) fosters Asian young talented filmmakers and establishes an Asian filmmaker network. ACF’s support to AFA fellow was made possible in cooperation with Showbox Inc.

Post-Production Fund

The Post-Production Fund selects high quality projects ready for post-production and provides a chance to complete the post-production process at state-of-theart facilities in Korea. This fund covers DI, sound mixing, English subtitle spotting and a D-Cinema package. Extended to real screening in Busan International Film Festival, many projects are achieving results from all over the world.

The Fund was made possible by the support of Korean post-production companies and their technological cooperation. DI processes will be carried out at the Korean Film Council, CJ PowerCast, Digital Studio 2L, SEBANG SDL and The Color. Sound work will be proceeded at the Korean Film Council, Studio SH, Wavelab STD and PLUSGAIN. English subtitle spotting work will be done at KUMTLE. If a Chinese project is selected, post-production will be done at a Chinese post-production company; Forestt Studio.

Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund

The Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund is a loose coalition of film festival organisers committed to supporting the production and distribution of Asian documentaries. Its members collaborate to build and strengthen the network among Asian documentary filmmakers, with the administration and oversight of AND being managed by BIFF.

The AND fund is made possible by two universities in the Busan region: YoungSan University and DongSeo University along with Busan Bank and BIFF Mecenat.

During the Busan International Film Festival, AND holds various programmes, including the AND Clinics and one-on-one meeting. AND programmes introduce useful knowledge to Asian filmmakers to polish up their projects, enhance the practical skills, and broaden insights into documentary markets. AND also organises several showcases to present films that were completed with the support of AND funds. In cooperation with international documentary film festivals, AND expands their opportunity and seeks new distribution networks for documentary films.

Taskovski Films Asian Talent Fund

• Select one project among above recipient projects by Taskovski Films
• Provides 1 year online mentoring/ professional consultancy on project’s development, financing and international distributions

Asian Film Academy: A Talent Incubator for Young Asian Filmmakers

This year marks the 12th year of the Asian Film Academy. Asian Film Academy (AFA) is an educational programme hosted by Busan International Film Festival, Dongseo University and Busan Film Commission to foster young Asian talents and build their networks throughout Asia. Over the past 11 years, 265 alumni from 29 countries have been standing out in filmmaking field all over Asia and in the prestigious festivals throughout the world.

Promising talents from all over Asia will participate in various AFA programs, including short film production, workshops, and master classes. The two short films completed during the programme will be officially presented at the 21st Busan International Film Festival. While participating in the programmes, the participants will rediscover themselves and share their passion for films- going far beyond their differences in experience and cultural backgrounds.

AFA Programme: 2016 Asian Film Academy Programme Short Film Production

AFA participants will make two short films during the programme. Two scripts among the 24 submitted by the participants will be selected, developed and screened at the 21st Busan International Film Festival. Participants are divided into two teams and each team goes through a collaborative filmmaking process from scenario development to the post-production phase with the support of faculty and professional crew.

Workshop & Mentoring

AFA invites experts from various cinematic disciplines such as producing, directing, cinematography, production design, editing and sound engineering, and holds exclusive workshops for the participants. These workshops offer them the opportunities to gain in-depth knowledge of the subject as well as hands-on training guided by filmmaking experts. Moreover, these participants will get an opportunity to have a private mentoring session with the established filmmakers. During the session, they can discuss their current projects and learn about their mentor’s life mantra and artistic insights.

Asian Film Market

Established in 2006, the Asian Film Market is a complete film market covering all stages of film industry from pre-production to sales with industry experts. BIFCOM hosted by Busan Film Commission, also takes place concurrently, establishing a solid foothold for Asian Film Market as a leading, wholesome film business market. Moreover, Asian Project Market, Asian Casting Market, Entertainment Intellectual Property Market is held in the same exhibition hall providing the possibility of diverse business opportunities during the 20th Busan International Film Festival.

IP Market

Marking its 10th anniversary, Asian Film Market launches the world’s first Entertainment Intellectual Property Market. E-IP Market is a trading zone for intellectual property rights to a variety of original works with a focus on the film and audiovisual industries. The areas covered will include the traditional intellectual property rights such as the right to remake films or the right to adapt literary works (novels and comic books) and performances (plays and musicals). Further included in the E-IP Market are the rights to original works utilised on new media platforms (web, mobile, social networking sites, tablet, etc.), that are characterised with having a story format-including webtoons, webdramas, web-novel, TV variety shows, animations, promotional dramas, mobile games, online games and the character industry. This year, the materials presented at the market will be limited to Korean original works. E-IP Market offers 5 types of business opportunities: E-IP Pitching that presents projects carefully selected from a range of various genres and platforms; Book To Film Pitching that presents book projects only; E-IP Forum that gives an overview on the current trends in the Asian IP industry; E-IP Legal Seminar which will offer practical help for contract issues; and E-IP sales booths where participants can personally conduct business transactions.

Asian Casting Market

Following up on the test run of Asian Casting Forum and Star Lineup in 2014, and based on Busan’s Star Summit Asia 2006, Asian Casting Market will launch on a much bigger scale. In its 10th edition, Asian Film Market aims to become the hub of star content business, reflecting the growing demand for Asian Artists, as the market barriers between countries diminishes. As a way to energise international co-productions, the Asian Casting Market will facilitate the introduction of Asia’s established stars as well as the region’s up-andcoming actors/actresses to global film industry personnel. Comprised of Asia’s management sales booth and events featuring Asian stars, 2015 Asian Casting Market will be abundant, more diverse and create multiple business opportunities.