New Zealand, Aotearoa, Middle Earth, Land of the Long White Cloud, our backyard, our home. Welcome to our home of awe-inspiring locations, world-class crew, facilities and film-friendly communities. Reel Factory offers a top-tier line production service in New Zealand.  

Being Kiwi owned and operated, we offer years of collective experience - where others see obstacles, we see opportunities! New Zealand is a special place for everyone who lives and travels here. Our land is the location of choice for some of the world's most high-profile brands to create their campaigns, films to set their locations upon and TV shows to host from. We’re dedicated to growing the production service industry in New Zealand and it’s important our visitors have a great experience in our country and with our crew.

With the global impacts of Covid-19 our production industry is ever changing. Travel between countries the past two years has meant adapting from how we would usually operate, with a huge emphasis on remote viewing and directing. Reel Factory is equipped with the facilities and resource to effectively execute remote productions, experiences in working across multiple timezones with client and agency based around the globe.

New Zealand borders are opening to the world throughout 2022, with visitors from Visa Waiver Countries able to enter Aotearoa from 1st May 2022 with no isolation or quarantine period.

Our rivers are still flowing, grass is greener than ever and our beautiful locations abnormally quiet – it is the perfect time to base your next production in New Zealand!

Reel Factory & Mr Positive are the new age in production, a nimble team with the Kiwi, can do attitude. We understand what a truly flexible approach towards production actually looks like. Our team are committed to ensuring your stills, television commercial advertising and brand content shoots receive world-class treatment with a no bullshit attitude.

Our award-winning Head of Departments and crew are sought after by some of the world’s best filmmakers. We can help connect you with the right people and resource your needs for a successful shoot.

Reel Factory HQ is a purpose-built 5,000 square ft facility which is free for your international team to use as they see fit. We have a separate line production office space with all the usual home amenities as well as a boardroom to make things happen, four full time edit suites, three production offices, a viewing theatre, gear warehouse, Auckland centrals largest studio/cyclorama space, the only motion control Cinebot in New Zealand and the all-important bar to toast a job well done. Our HQ is based on the North Shore of Auckland which is close to accommodation and many great eateries - alternatively Auckland city is just a 15 minute drive from our office.

New Zealand is at the forefront of new technology within the film industry. Some of the best cinematography equipment in the world has been created on our shores. We have access to a range of cinema equipment that is comparable to Hollywood. Specialist equipment available includes Phantom high speed cameras, super techno cranes, tracking vehicles, gyro stabilized heads, steadicams, helicopters and mounts, motion control equipment, special effects equipment, underwater film equipment, studios and sound stages including the largest underwater purpose built film tank – the list goes on.

New Zealand’s superb actors portray diverse looks and ethnicities and every year more of them are offered high profile roles in film, TVCs and drama shows. Memorable characters from audience favourites include Thor: Raganarok, Avatar, The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, Live Free or Die Hard, Top of the Lake, Grey’s Anatomy, Peaky Blinders, Fear the Walking Dead, Flight of the Conchords, Riverdale, Hawaii Five-O, The Shannara Chronicles, Power Rangers and many more.

New Zealand production houses regularly work with major US studios and high-profile international producers and directors. Your project will benefit from the creation of bespoke workflows and a commitment to quality through the delivery of sound and picture post, music scoring, animation and the visual effects created here. Delivery of digital and post production progress is seamless for dailies, remote sound, online and colour grade reviews through to final international delivery. You’ll also find:

• Ultra-fast connectivity
• Innovative technologies
• Integrated communications hubs
• Live reviewing systems

New Zealanders excel at creating imaginary and intensely detailed worlds. Expertise in conceptual and digital design extends into special effects, prosthetics, makeup, costume and weaponry design with an emphasis on attention to detail and quality in their physical manufacturing. This is found in all types of projects from high-end commercials to VFX intensive blockbusters like Blade Runner, Guardians of the Galaxy, Lord of The Rings, Avatar and more.

You don’t have to travel far for seasons opposite to the Northern Hemisphere, you can shoot snow in July or wheat fields in February. A Kiwi Christmas is hard to beat in the middle of summer – and the winter mountain ranges turn themselves into glorious white peaks from July.

On top of that you get to experience clean air and beautiful light across our untouched land.

New Zealand has a reputation for its great food, wine and incredible coffee culture! New Zealand cuisine is largely driven by local ingredients and seasonal variations - welcome to the very best produce from our land and sea!

We will make sure you and your crew have extremely satisfied taste buds whether you are shooting on a mountain range or in the comforts of a studio.

New Zealand roads are to be driven on the left hand side of the road as in the UK and Japan. We have great flexibility on New Zealand roads to be able to close down rural and urban streets to enable cars to drive on the opposite side.

The standard shoot day in New Zealand is based on 10 hours, inclusive of a 45 minute lunch break, with overtime payable after 10 hours. The production working week is usually six days, with overtime payable on the seventh day. There are no penalty rates for shooting on weekends but extra rates are payable on some public holidays.

Each production is run on a case by case basis, with the ability to run longer shoot days when taking into consideration safety and travel implications.

Importing equipment (including camera equipment), props or vehicles into New Zealand is easy when you have the right contacts. We work with great local freight forwarding companies who know how to work collaboratively with film companies and to our deadlines. Our freight and customs brokers will advise on the most efficient freight options.

New Zealand’s scenery is internationally renowned and unique, often lending itself as an alternative world or time. Our country is famous for its overwhelming range of incredible locations; deserts, volcanoes, mountains, endless coastlines, forests and modern and historic cities. The best part of our diverse landscape is the close proximity. In one day you can be on top of a mountain range, then deep in thick native forest finshing the day out on the water or down a river bed.

With fantasy worlds loved by millions of fans, our stunning and easy-to-access locations also “double as” US, UK, Asian and European settings. You don’t have to travel far for diverse looks and with seasons opposite to the Northern Hemisphere, you can shoot snow in July or wheat fields in February.

We can help take care of any work visa requirements and assist in fast tracking them through our contacts in the embassy, NZIS, local Technicians Guild and local representatives of Actors Equity.

Usually Temporary Work Visas can be processed within a few days once all of the required information has been provided.

Producing on the other side of the world can save you money. Good exchange rates of the New Zealand dollar to other currencies make it possible to stretch your dollar further. Goods & Services Tax (GST) is a consumer tax of 15% applicable to all goods and services provided within New Zealand. GST incurred in the manufacture of goods for export (including films) may be refunded to local producers, subject to fulfilling certain criteria.

Production Service in Japan! Reel Factory and Mr+Positive are bridging the gap of production service between New Zealand and Japan. We bring a combination of 30+ years of experience, producing crafted content for the world’s best filmmakers. Whilst others struggle to deliver world-class service, we provide agility and connectivity with the best available bilingual crew on both sides of the world.

The relationship between RF & Mr+P has formed to make the production process from New Zealand to Japan an easy and enjoyable one for all clients. From equipment rental, casting, location scouting, bookings, permits, and much more, collaboratively we can service all your production needs from the shores of NZ, to Japan. Our reputation for leveraging the best creative resources to deliver the best production value is unmatched. Where others see obstacles, we sees opportunities. It's our can-do attitude that makes us the positive production force you're looking for.

Pre-Production sorted from opposite sides of the globe. We offer a tried and tested production platform to bridge the gap between NZ and Japan. We’ve been doing remote PPM’s, casting & location scouts for years. When you turn up to set you know ever little bit of detail is going to be covered throughout production. It’s even the little things like the best izakaya in Japan for dinner and local Karaoke bar for desert that are all part of the package. It’s the local knowledge with professionalism you can’t find anywhere else.

Japanese culture and traditions are incredibly unique, making it a dream destination for a lot of travellers. The Japanese have one of the most welcoming and respectful cultures in the world. On the one hand Japanese culture is immersed in a rich history and deep traditions dating back thousands of years; on the other Japanese society is in a continual state of rapid change, and is continuously evolving with new trends in fashion, technology that push the boundaries of what is possible.

It’s part of our service to make sure you get immersed in authentic Japan.

Japan has four distinct seasons. March to May is Spring . The cold begins to abate and legions of people flock to famous cherry blossom viewing spots around the country. June to August is summer, which is the season for fireworks shows, festivals, and other major events.

Film equipment can be very expensive to hire in Japan with some camera equipment being hard to find. The Collab between RF & Mr+ means we can deliver the most cost effective production service available. Our team have been moving our specialised camera equipment globally for decades. The relationship Mr+Positive has with local import agents makes it very easy for us to bring our own specialty kit in for productions. For everything else like lighting, grip trucks etc, Mr+Positive has all the best contacts across Japan.

It can be tricky to navigate film permitting in Japan if you don’t have good local knowledge, which is where our services really come to shine. We have a great relationship with local film authorities from years of filming in Japan. We will sort out all film permits and visas, ensuring that everything is in place from when you set foot in Japan to when you head back home.

If you need cast for your production, we can put together show reels of local talent. Casting within Japan can sometimes be a challenge as diversity is limited, but we can look further afield if needed to find actors and presenters to suit your specific requirements.

It can be daunting trying to find accommodation in Japan as there are so many options! We can assist or completely take care of all accommodation while visiting as well as building all your travel arrangements by sea, plane or ground. We can arrange all ground transportation with trusted drivers and vehicles, be it crew vans to equipment trucks.

Japanese cuisine (和食, washoku) offers an abundance of gastronomical delights. Restaurants in Japan range from mobile food stands to centuries old ryotei, atmospheric drinking places, seasonally erected terraces over rivers, and unique theme restaurants.

Mr+Positive never fails to immerse our crews in authentic Japanese Cuisine – if that’s not for you he also knows the best western eateries to cater for our crew.

The best part about filming in Japan – the incredible locations! Our local crew in Japan know the best locations to hit your commercial requirements evert time. Japan has a very distinctive look and is well known for its high-rise, neon drenched cities, with Tokyo, Osaka, and others making for vibrant filming locations.

Away from the urban chaos you’ll find traditional villages, untouched open countryside and interesting natural features from volcanoes to white sandy beaches, making it ideal for all sorts of productions. High-profile commercial shoots are regular visitors in Japan. For the global filmmaker, Japan offers an incredible variety of urban and rural locations. See our locations page for some reference images.