
SCENE 01 / PRE-PRODUCTION
Pre-Production Services
The team handles production planning and creative development and logistics which maintain your schedule and budget and creative vision.
Planning with Precision
Comprehensive Pre-Production Services
From initial concept to production-ready plans, our team sets the foundation for successful films, TV, commercials, and digital content around the world.
Creative Excellence
The creative team at Canal+ and Saudi Arabia Télévisions along with international co-production partners worked together to develop scripts and storyboards and visual treatments for the project.
Strategic Planning
The line producers who created USD budgets with GCAM tax credits included in their planning used Saudi holiday schedules and union regulations to determine their production timeline.
Local Expertise
Fixers across all 13 Saudi regions—from Eastern Province beaches to Mountain villages to Red Sea coastlines.
Service Catalog
Our Pre-Production Services
Every phase is covered—creative development, casting, permits, budgeting, crew, logistics, and compliance.
Creative & Development
Linked ServicesScriptwriting
The process involves two steps which have adapting global scripts for Saudi viewers and creating new content and making sure all dialogue functions well in Saudi or English or both languages.
Script Consultation
The team gives detailed feedback about each scene which helps identify pacing and structural issues and dialogue problems before production costs rise for extra filming.
Storyboarding
The shoot teams needs to create a frame-by-frame visual plan which sets up camera positions and blocking and VFX needs before starting production costs.
Concept Development
The content development process needs writers to create story direction and visual style and narrative structure before they can start writing production-ready content.
Creative Direction
Keeping visual and narrative identity from first look development through final delivery.
Moodboards
The team needs reference images and color palettes and style frames for visual guidance before starting production work.
Pitch Decks
The firm gives investor-ready presentations which contain loglines and budgets and cast attachments and visual treatments to help with funding acquisition.
Casting & Talent
Linked ServicesCasting Services
Access to Saudi actors, fluent English talent, models, and background extras through our network of Riyadh and regional casting directors.
Voiceover Casting
The studio provides native Saudi voice talent who performs narration and dubbing and ADR services from Riyadh studios or through remote session direction.
Talent Coordination
The process of call time management and transportation organization and costume fitting and on-set scheduling enables your actors to perform their roles effectively.
Union Management
The process demands simultaneous management of Saudi intermittent du spectacle rules and SACD rights and international co-production talent agreements.
Location & Permits
Linked ServicesLocation Scouting
I used my search to find desert palaces and Riyadhian rooftops and coastal cliffs which I used to create detailed photo reports while I obtained permission to access these locations.
Location Management
The team provides on-site coordination which includes managing owner relations and neighbor communication and handling parking needs and power supply requirements and maintaining crowd control.
Permit Acquisition
Our team handles all necessary paperwork for Riyadh Film and prefectural authorities and private property owners so you can concentrate on your creative work.
Site Surveys
Your team needs to perform technical recces to evaluate power supply conditions and identify the best routes for power distribution and solar radiation angles and areas with acoustic issues before beginning production.
Production Insurance
The company needs equipment coverage and liability protection and E&O policies which meet the requirements of Saudi location owners and international distributors.
Budgeting & Scheduling
Linked ServicesProduction Budgeting
The budgeting system of Movie Magic and Excel accounting requires users to create line-item budgets which handle Saudi labor expenses and tax benefits and currency exchange rates.
Cost Estimation
The following estimates will assist you in selecting between Riyadh and Jeddah and NEOM and regional areas for your commercial and documentary and feature production.
Production Scheduling
The stripboard operation scheduling system needs to account for both actor scheduling constraints and their available time slots and their geographical work areas and their Saudi national holiday dates.
Call Sheets
The production team receives all required information through daily crew calls which provide location addresses and weather contingency plans and emergency contact details before beginning each production day.
Crew & Logistics
Linked ServicesLine Producing
I perform daily budget management and crisis response activities to stop unexpected cost growth which would extend Saudi production lead times.
Crew Hiring
Our network provides pre-screened DPs and gaffers and sound mixers and department heads who work throughout Riyadh and Jeddah and Dammam and additional locations.
Local Fixers
The team consists of field-based problem solvers who understand local operations and maintain production continuity.
Travel Logistics
The company needs to arrange flights and hotels and ground transportation and carnet documentation for international crews who will work in Saudi Arabia.
Equipment Planning
The rental houses in Saudi Arabia offer camera and grip and lighting equipment packages which include crew members for service when customers need them.
Catering Services
The production team provides food service during filming which meets all cast members' dietary needs and follows Saudi workplace rules and operates from distant locations.
Legal & Administrative
Linked ServicesContract Management
The team created employment contracts for crews and talent agreements and vendor deals which followed all requirements of Saudi labor laws.
Talent Releases
On-camera appearance releases, likeness rights, and GDPR-compliant data handling documentation.
Location Agreements
Access terms with property owners and municipal authorities covering damage deposits and usage restrictions.
Licensing & Rights
The process requires permission for using music alongside archival footage and trademarks which need to be obtained for all broadcast and streaming and theatrical distribution platforms.
Health & Safety Compliance
The production team worked with Saudi labor inspectors to create risk assessments and safety protocols which would protect stunt performers and special effects personnel.
Why Fixers in Saudi Arabia
Why Choose Fixers in Saudi Arabia for Pre-Production
Integrated creative, logistics, and compliance backed by seasoned producers and local fixers.
01.
Proven Expertise
Industry-leading team across all formats and budgets, trusted by global broadcasters.
02.
Fast Response
Rapid 24-48 hour turnarounds for quotes, permits, and scheduling updates.
03.
Global Network
On-the-ground partners in 100+ countries with local permits handled for you.
04.
Full Service
End-to-end coverage from concept and casting to legal, logistics, and delivery.
On Location
Pre-Production Planning Across Saudi Arabia
Strong pre-production is what separates a smooth shoot from a costly scramble. That holds whether you are shooting Riyadh's corporate corridors or the ancient sandstone of AlUla.
Schedules built on real Film AlUla permit windows, 40% rebate paperwork, and Saudi crew availability — never optimistic assumptions about any of them.
Here is how this works in practice. Our team handles the full planning cycle for shoots in Saudi Arabia. We translate your creative vision into detailed call sheets, location surveys, and logistics plans. The plans account for the country's full range of environments — Red Sea coast, desert interior, highland villages. We engage early, work closely with your line producer, and keep creative development aligned with on-the-ground realities across.
Here is the short of it. For narrative projects we give Scriptwriting and Script Consultation. We refine dialogue and structure to suit both the story and the shooting environment. Storyboarding sessions give directors and DPs a visual roadmap before a single frame is captured.
Here is the breakdown. When clients arrive with a concept still in early development, our Concept Development and Creative Direction services bring care to the process. We build Moodboards and Pitch Decks that communicate the vision clearly to financiers, brands, and collaborators.
FAQs
Pre-Production FAQs
Clear answers on timelines, coverage, and how we tailor planning to your production.
What's included in pre-production services?
Here is how this works in practice. Our team gives full production services which have script breakdown and scheduling and location selection across 13 Saudi regions and Riyadh agency casting and crew member selection from our OK'd network and budget development in USD with GCAM tax credit calculations and permit submission to Film Saudi Arabia and local mairies. You receive a production-ready package which becomes ready before the cameras start filming.
How long does pre-production take?
Here is the short of it. The process of obtaining locations and casting actors and wrapping GCAM forms for feature films needs a minimum of 8 to 12 weeks. The production timeline for commercials stays short because they need only 2 to 4 weeks to finish production when shoot sites have easy access. The process of getting documentary access and conducting interviews decides which film projects filmmakers can start their work on. The team can accelerate project work when needed but Saudi authority rules about permit processing create key time needs.
Do you work with international productions shooting in Saudi Arabia?
That's our specialty. We bridge the gap between global shoots firms and Saudi crews, vendors, and authorities. Our team handles everything from carnet needs for gear crossing borders to setting up with Saudi unions and handling the GCAM co-production rules. Most of our clients are UK, US, German, and Asian shoots shooting on Saudi soil.
Can you work within a specific budget?
Here is the breakdown. The firm creates budgets which use USD as currency and have detailed line items that follow the formatting needs of the Saudi industrial sector. If you have a target number, we'll tell you honestly what's achievable—whether that means adjusting the shooting schedule, finding alternative locations, or restructuring the crew. We'd rather have a frank conversation upfront than deliver surprises later.
What happens if permits get denied or locations fall through?
Here is what that looks like on the ground. It happens, and we plan for it. The location packages we give have backup solutions and we have set up connections with Saudi property owners and film commissions to handle unexpected changes in filming locations. Our location managers have pulled off same-week replacements for everything from historic forts and heritage sites shoots to Riyadhian apartment interiors.
On Set
Ready to Start Your Pre-Production?
We'll build a production-ready plan with detailed budgets, schedules, and permit timelines for your project.