Local Fixer Services

Here is how this works in practice. We supply fixers who solve the on-the-ground problems of shooting in Austria. Our fixers arrange filming permits, secure locations, book local crew and suppliers, manage customs and gear clearance, handle transport and lodging, and give the local knowledge and language access a visiting production needs. We brief them on your script, locations and schedule, then confirm openings against your shoot dates.

Here is what we have to work with. A good fixer is the single most useful hire for a global shoots unfamiliar with Austrian procedure — they know which authority issues which permit, how lead times work, and who to call. Our fixers work fluently in English and German. We contract under the Kollektivvertrag terms set by the Fachverband der Film- und Musikwirtschaft within the WKO.

We set up the fixer with the line producer, location manager and production coordinator so the whole production runs on local expertise.

Here is the short of it. Fixing in Austria means handling a clear but layered system. Filming permits are issued at city level — the Vienna Film Commission, run via the Filmfonds Wien, handles the capital — and at Bundesland level for the regions. While Austro Control governs drone and aviation work. Gear moving in and out of the country is cleared on ATA Carnets through Zollamt Oesterreich, the Austrian Customs. Fixers also guide shoots on data and privacy obligations under GDPR. The Austrian Datenschutzgesetz, and on workplace-safety law, the ArbeitnehmerInnenschutzgesetz.

Here is the breakdown. Location Austria, part of the Austrian Business Agency, promotes the country to global shoots, and rebates through the Oesterreichisches Filminstitut. OeFI+ at 30 percent and FISA+ at 30 percent — reward shoots that engage local crew and services. Austria's central position means a fixer can also set up cross-border work into Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary, an advantage on regionally ambitious shoots.