Trip to Russia and Moscow customs.

[Montrealer]

I will be shooting a documentary in Russia at the end of July and just wanted to see if anyone has had any recent experiences to share about flying into Moscow with gear. We will have a Carnet for the equipment but seeing as the cameras will be 2 pana HVX-200's, I'm wondering if it will cause more problems than it solves. Keep in mind that no one on the team speaks any russian. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[shootist]

i don't know what your budget is....but when we've travelled to Moscow, Bosnia and some hot spots, we often employ the services of a local fixer. if all you're wondering about is getting through customs, it would probably be overkill. if you're looking at permits and battling paperwork this may be the way to go.

here's one: www.rachko.com/

plenty more out there.

 

[Foxwood]

A Fixer is the way to go. it's been a long time and I no longer have names. If you are affiliated with a network, try to get some info through them. They have some contacts there for sure and can give some leads. CBS helped us find a guy some time back. He also had Lowell lights and some mics and a mixer that made it easier to get in and out. You don't have to bring everything.

The funny part was, Accounting wouldn't cut him a check because he didn't have a social security number. Bring cash and be prepared to spread it around.

 

[Montrealer]

Thanks for the replies.
We will not be needing a fixer as the doc is mostly being shot on a mountain with some Russian guides. I mainly wanted to get a feel for what I was in for at customs by hearing some of your stories. My main concern right now is wether to use the carnet or try to pass the 2 hvx-200's, one tripod and various other gear and sound equipment as personal stuff in order to bypass the possible headaches if they know we are coming to shoot a production. I have always traveled with the carnet but have heard that since Russia is new to the ATA list, it could be a nightmare just to try to get it processed at the airport.
Has someone been there recently? What was your experience?

 

[mooZ]

Thanks for the replies.
We will not be needing a fixer as the doc is mostly being shot on a mountain with some Russian guides. I mainly wanted to get a feel for what I was in for at customs by hearing some of your stories. My main concern right now is wether to use the carnet or try to pass the 2 hvx-200's, one tripod and various other gear and sound equipment as personal stuff in order to bypass the possible headaches if they know we are coming to shoot a production. I have always traveled with the carnet but have heard that since Russia is new to the ATA list, it could be a nightmare just to try to get it processed at the airport.
Has someone been there recently? What was your experience?

I went to Moscow 6 months ago on a shoot and although we had a fullsize camera and a carnet, the advice from our fixer was to avoid customs. We should just insist that we were tourists if we were approached by the police.

We went through customs and there were no problems although they preferred speaking german over english. Out of 6-7 customs officers only one (very beautiful) girl spoke english.

During our shoot in Moscow we were approached by both private securty guards and the police, but when they realized that we only spoke english and we didn't look too threatening, they didn't bother finding out who we were and what we were doing there. Obviously, we were not filming The Red Square or the KGB headquarters

Enjoy your trip! It's a huge city and traffic is just crazy

Peter

 

[Old Shooter]

It's been several years since I've been but I always carried a cheap wireless setup with me when traveling in Russia (and other countries). Several times I gave/"surrendered" it to customs folks in order to keep the good stuff. Also get a carton of Marlboro red lable cigarettes to give to local folks outside of the city. It's a great smoother in the boondocks. I never smoked but always expensed cigarettes when in eastern Europe.

I've never had any problems with Russia and the Carnet but always take the time to check it back in with US customs since paperwork gets lost in some countries and you will get a letter and tax bill from the US government about 18 months later and it's a bitch to fix.

 

[cameragod]

Its been a while but I second the cigarettes. Hit the duty free before you arrive in Russia bottles of Scotch and Marlboro red, also ask your promo people for any old station logo stuff, pens, lighters, keyrings, you would not believe how much they can smooth the way.