Exclusive: New studio to be built in Bali, Indonesia

Leading Indonesian production outfit, Baliprod, plans to build a major new studio on the island of Bali for commercials, films and TV shows. 

Baliprod is in the process of obtaining 10,000 square metres of land in the Tabanan Regency in the south of Bali, just north of Canggu, to build the studio. “We’re planning on having a sound stage, backlot, production offices, green screen,  dark room, props warehouse and possibly a water tank too,” enthuses Los Angeles born Josh Patil, Executive Producer and Co-Founder of Baliprod with Omri Ben-Canaan, CEO, and film director Romain Cailliez.

They have already secured some investment and are completing the paperwork for the land to ensure the permits are correct for them to start building. “The project will be approved soon, and we’re intending to start building this year,” adds Patil, who started his career in TV Production in sunny Los Angeles, California.

Baliprod provides motion and stills production services to clients around the globe, including Unilever, DJI, Allianz, Nestle, IBM, Decathlon and Johnnie Walker to name a few. The company also has its own talent agency, Bali Model Agency, and content provider in Balishoot.

The company services not only Bali, but all of South-East Asia, and is a little different to other local outfits, in that it has its own crew in-house, including producers, production manager, co-ordinators, post-production, HMU, stylists and equipment managers.

“Because most of our clients come from Australia, Europe, the US, etc - we put a western standard on the production, but with a local price when it comes to budgets, and the local crew are amazing,” insists Patil.

Indonesia itself is not always top of international producers’ lists when they consider shooting in South-East Asia, but it’s stunning variety of locations, which can double for anywhere around the world, cheaper costs (roughly 30% less than Thailand), quality equipment and crew, are certainly enticing drawcards.

Bali currently only offers small studios, although there are bigger studios available in Jakarta and at the Infinite Studios Batam in the north of Indonesia, near Singapore, which houses two soundstages and a 1-hectare film backlot.