Anydoko Creative Studios

Hong Kong has no filming permit. That single fact sends more travel video production companies into a broken schedule than any typhoon signal, because it's true and the conclusion people draw from it isn't. There's no general permit, but four separate access tiers sit underneath it, each with its own gatekeeper, fee and lead time, and about four weeks between the fastest and the slowest. Here is what each tier costs, using the government's own published figures. The four tiers of access Every location in Hong Kong sits in one of four buckets. Work out which your shot list falls into before booking flights: the gap between tier one and tier three is about four weeks. Tier Example What you need Lead time Typical cost 1. Public, non-exclusive Streets, promenades, ferry decks Nothing. Police notification is free and encouraged Same week HK$0 2. Government venues Libraries, stadiums, museums, parks Departmental permission plus liability cover 7 working days to 4 weeks HK$7,...

Short answer: pick the company on evidence, not aesthetics. Ask for a travel film they shot themselves, proof of drone certification and insurance in the country you're filming in, a quote broken into shoot days, crew by role, revision rounds and usage rights, and a written weather contingency clause. If a bidder can't produce all five, the price on the page isn't the price you'll pay. A hotel group in Hong Kong once shortlisted three bidders on showreels alone. The reel that won was gorgeous. Roughly a third of the clips in it had been licensed from stock, and the company had never handled a permit outside its own city. That shoot lost a day to a location it had no permission to use. That's the gap this checklist closes. Most guides on picking a production partner were written for studio work: portfolio, communication, cultural fit. Fine advice, wrong sport. Travel video production companies are being hired for logistics under pressure, in a market where their na...