That day, I received a last-minute call from a production house based in Dubai, working for an Arabic TV channel headquartered in London. They had already landed in Jakarta and were ready to start filming — but shockingly, they had no journalist or filming permits.
What began as an “accidental job” quickly turned into one of the most complicated production challenges I’ve ever faced.
First Contact: The Missing Paperwork
We met on their first morning in a central Jakarta hotel. It was our first time speaking, so I sat quietly, listening to their goals and trying to piece together their needs.
“We want to shoot in a Buddhist temple. Do you know the best location in Indonesia?” the producer asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “We have Borobudur — the largest Buddhist temple in the world.”
It surprised me that they hadn’t heard of it. Perhaps they hadn’t done proper research. But more importantly, I had to explain that filming at Borobudur requires an official location permit — and to apply for that, you must first obtain a journalist visa or film permit from the Indonesian Government.
They didn’t have either. All they had was a Visa on Arrival, which is intended for tourists, not media professionals.
Do You Really Need a Permit?
Their confusion wasn’t entirely their fault. They admitted that they had spoken to several local fixers and production contacts in Indonesia, and each had given them a different answer:
This lack of valid and accurate information left the production team unsure and vulnerable. That evening, I took them to a Jakarta-based production company to rent filming gear, and the confusion only deepened.
Tensions Rise: Misinformation Meets Reality
At the gear rental house, the producer and company staff got into a heated argument:
To make matters worse, the rental company scared them by recounting stories of foreign crews being deported for filming without permits. They refused to rent the equipment, and the producer canceled the rental altogether.
Site-Specific Permits & Limitations
Back at our morning meeting, the team had asked if I could help them get a location permit for Borobudur. I’d worked there a couple times with different broadcasting, so I understand the process really well. It takes about three weeks and requires full documentation, including a valid journalist visa.
Still hoping to help, I explored informal routes. I contacted my sources in both the tourism and education ministries. The answer was firm:
“If your crew doesn’t have a proper filming permit, we cannot process a location permit for Borobudur.”
The alternative — filming without a permit — would be illegal. While a small crew might go unnoticed, our team of five foreign crew members, three locals, and large equipment would surely attract attention. Security guards would intervene, and in the worst-case scenario, the crew could face deportation.
Every Problem Has a Solution… If You try to find it
Throughout my years as a fixer, this was one of the toughest situations I’ve handled — especially in terms of permit and production management. At our first meeting, I had no information about what they had prepared or what they truly needed. Yet by that evening, I still believed we could find a workaround — if they were willing to adapt.
I explained that we could shift the production focus to other locations and adjust their filming goals. But their response was final:
“If we can’t get Borobudur, we can’t do this production.”
And with that, they decided to return home — without shooting a single frame.
Key Lessons for International Productions
As a producer and director myself, I empathized with their disappointment. They had flown in a five-person crew, spent money on flights, hotels, logistics — all wasted due to a missing piece of paperwork.
As a fixer, I also felt a sense of failure. My role is to solve problems, and this time, I couldn’t deliver a solution within their constraints.
This experience reinforced two important lessons:
Most importantly, production teams must remember:
Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
Final Thoughts
International filming is always a complex endeavour — every country has its own systems, rules, and cultural expectations. Indonesia is no exception. To film legally and smoothly, you must start the process early, work with trusted and knowledgeable fixers, and remain adaptable.
So if you’re planning to shoot in Indonesia — or anywhere else — secure your permits first.
Trust me, it will save your entire production.
Happy filming! And don’t forget:
Be prepared. Be flexible. Be informed.