
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 France 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 euro budgets with CNC tax credits included in their planning used French holiday schedules and union regulations to determine their production timeline.
Local Expertise
Fixers across all 13 French regions—from Normandy beaches to Alpine villages to Riviera 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 French viewers and creating new content and making sure all dialogue functions well in French 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 production team 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 French actors, bilingual talent, models, and background extras through our network of Paris and regional casting directors.
Voiceover Casting
The studio provides native French voice talent who performs narration and dubbing and ADR services from Paris 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 French intermittent du spectacle rules and SACD rights and international co-production talent agreements.
Location & Permits
Linked ServicesLocation Scouting
I used my search to find châteaux and Parisian 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 Paris 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 French 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 French labor expenses and tax benefits and currency exchange rates.
Cost Estimation
The following estimates will assist you in selecting between Paris and Lyon and Nice 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 French 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 French production lead times.
Crew Hiring
Our network provides pre-screened DPs and gaffers and sound mixers and department heads who work throughout Paris and Lyon and Marseille 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 France.
Equipment Planning
The rental houses in France 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 French 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 French 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 French labor inspectors to create risk assessments and safety protocols which would protect stunt performers and special effects personnel.
Why Fixers in France
Why Choose Fixers in France 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
France pre-production planning and development
Paris sits at the centre of French film pre-production. But our planning reaches each region too — from Marseille's sun-drenched port to the vineyards around Bordeaux and the medieval streets of Lyon's Vieux-Lyon district. We handle shoot logistics, schedule building, and creative development before a single camera rolls. Our work keeps your budget and timeline firm at each stage, from first brief to shoot-ready package. Local knowledge across France feeds straight into schedules that match real permitting timelines and crew openings.
Schedules built on real French permitting timelines and crew availability — never optimistic assumptions about either.
Our pre-production team leads Scriptwriting and Script Consultation sessions built for the French market. This helps global clients shape stories that land locally while still meeting broadcast standards abroad. Casting & Talent planning draws on long ties with agents in Paris and regional talent pools in Toulouse and Lille. Storyboarding and Moodboards give directors and DPs a shared visual language before crew call. Each project starts with a thorough Creative Direction pass, so every department aligns on one creative goal before planning locks the schedule.
FAQs
Pre-Production FAQs
Clear answers on timelines, coverage, and how we tailor planning to your production.
What's included in pre-production services?
Our team gives a full pre-production service. We handle script breakdown, scheduling, and location choices across 13 French regions. Casting runs through Paris agencies, and crew come from our vetted network. We build budgets in euros with CNC tax credit math, then file permits with Film France and the local mairies. You receive a production-ready package that is set before the cameras start filming.
How long does pre-production take?
For feature films, locking locations, casting actors, and clearing CNC paperwork takes at least 8 to 12 weeks. Commercials move faster, since easy-access sites need only 2 to 4 weeks. Documentaries depend on access and interview timing, which sets how soon you can begin. We can speed the work up when needed, though French permit rules still set firm minimum timelines.
Do you work with international productions shooting in France?
That is our specialty. We bridge the gap between global shoots and French crews, vendors, and authorities. Our team covers it all, from carnet needs for gear crossing borders to French union setup and the CNC co-production rules. Most of our clients are UK, US, German, and Asian shoots filming on French soil.
Can you work within a specific budget?
We build budgets in euros with detailed line items that match French industry formatting. If you have a target number, we tell you honestly what is doable—whether that means shifting the shooting schedule, finding other locations, or reshaping the crew. We would rather have a frank talk upfront than deliver surprises later.
What happens if permits get denied or locations fall through?
It happens, and we plan for it. Each location package comes with backup options, and we keep strong ties with French property owners and film commissions to absorb sudden changes. Our location managers have pulled off same-week swaps for everything from château shoots to Parisian apartment interiors.
On Set
Ready to Start Your Pre-Production?
We will build a production-ready plan for your project, with detailed budgets, schedules, and permit timelines.