Imagine you are sitting in a rocking chair at the edge of the world. In front of you, a vast panorama of lush green valleys sink slowly into the mist from a thousand fog machines. In the foreground tower gigantic trees, twisted and tortured into shapes Salvador Dali would have appreciated. Are we at the location for a Tarkovsky film? A sports coupe commercial? Or perhaps the ethereal opening for a music video? It could be any of these; in fact, we’re in the Central Valley region of Costa Rica.

All those superlatives about Costa Rica are true. It is an incredibly beautiful country, with more varieties of landscape than anywhere else in North or Central America.

While vacationing there last spring, I couldn’t help but think about taking advantage of the tremendous scenery as a film location. Six months later, a cinematographer friend and myself were back in the country, journeying to every corner, documenting locations and talking with local producers about the film industry. The Instituto Costariccense Turismo was most helpful in putting us in touch with producers and assisting us with both transportation and itinerary.

What follows is a quick synopsis of our scouting expedition.

Volcano country

Need a small eruption in the background? Costa Rica is home to many volcanoes, both dormant and active. We were no sooner off our plane than in a jeep on our way up to Volcan Arenal, the country’s only truly active volcano. Arenal has been erupting in a civilized manner almost every hour since a major eruption in the ’60s ended a several-hundred-year dormancy.

After a truly electrifying three-hour drive through a torrential rainstorm (a daily factor in the ‘green’ season – May to November) we arrived at Arenal Observatory, situated at the foot of the volcano. Here we spent our first night, pounded to sleep by the roar of the thunder and the rumble of the volcano, dreaming of adventure movies and sci-fi.

The next morning, the rains cleared, the volcano belched somnolently and we made our escape over to Tabacon Hot Springs, a spa on the other side of the volcano. Entering Tobacon was like making a quick cyberhop into heaven – Garden of Eden next left.

Everywhere we looked luxuriant foliage cascaded over sculptured terraces and waterfalls, rushing brooks of hot water gurgled under our feet leading to hidden whirlpools. Not that we could forget about the volcano – it’s barren gray face loomed in the background only a short hike away from the luxurious spa.

While Tabacon’s owner was most enthusiastic about the idea of having films shot at the resort (the spa has already been the location for a Spanish music video), he did mention that there was a bit of a dust problem – floating ash from the eruptions requires the hourly dusting of flat surfaces. Set decorators be forewarned.

The Highlands

We left Tabacon somewhat reluctantly – it was difficult to imagine a location that could surpass its verdant beauty.

But we were surprised by our next stop – a lodge situated high above Lake Cotter a couple of hours north of Arenal. It is here that we encountered the magical setting of Daliesque trees and mist that made us think of Tarkovsky and Bergman. This lonely place high up in the hills could have been Sweden or Russia for all its mysterious loveliness.

In the highlands of the Central Valley, the sight of mists rolling in and out is inevitable. In the ‘green’ season, moisture is never far away. Which brings us to the wettest of allÉ

The rain forest

The cloud forests high up in Monteverde and Santa Elena are exactly that – forests of clouds. The ultimate location for any director wishing to take advantage of the glories of the suspended precipitation, rain and mist are the rule here.

Mud underfoot and the thick cloud-forest flora make transportation challenging. Think four-wheel drive exclusively.

Unless you are specifically looking for the drenched feeling, you may find the rain forest at Braulio Carrillo, a national park just outside San Jose, a more accessible location. What you miss out in mist and mud is made up for by gargantuan flora (e.g. the ‘poor man’s umbrella,’ a plant whose enormous leaves are big enough to shelter a person), and the world’s most botanical dolly ride.

Here I am referring to the aerial tram located at the eastern border of the park. This converted ski lift carries passengers in baskets along a cable through the upper layers of the rain forest canopy, an amazing cinematic opportunity. Gliding through the green twilight of the trees gave us a unique and dramatic vantage point of the intimacies of the forest.

The owners of the tram system were most interested in welcoming film projects of all types.

Beaches (Caribbean)

After spending a couple of days in San Jose, we surrendered to the call of the wild again and took off for the Atlantic coast, a four-hour drive (over well-paved roads) to the east.

The Atlantic side of Costa Rica has a distinctive Caribbean flavor – the majority of people here are descendants of African or Asian laborers brought in to work the banana and sugar plantations of the early colonists.

The inhabitants of Limon, the major town on the coast, speak Creole, a language that incorporates both Spanish and English. Limon is still an active port, and the old warehouses contain a hustle and bustle, barely diluted by the laid-back feeling of the tropics.

The annual Carnaval was just wrapping up as we arrived. Down by the harbor, tired revelers stretched out in the shade of trees or buildings, sleeping off the week-long celebration.

We continued on to Cauhita, a small town an hour and a half south of Limon, known both for its Rasta community and its coral reef. The reef is easily accessible from Cauhita’s beach. The water here is shallow and clear enough for underwater photography. The schools of brilliantly phosphorescent fish could turn one into a nature filmmaker overnight.

The town itself is tiny – almost everything must be brought by road from Limon.

Rivers and lagoons

From Cauhita we traveled north by boat through an endless series of meandering canals that eventually led us to Tortuguerra, the place of the sea turtles’ nesting grounds.

The journey through the canals is a fascinating location experience – here, giant pods of floating water hyacinths clog the waterway with a purple and green carpet; over there, herons and egrets share rush-lined banks with sunning turtles and the occasional alligator. Overhead, huge moss-covered trees sway silently, dipping their branches into the placid green waters.

This site could be a location in Southeast Asia, Africa, or South America, and was, in fact, the setting of a Spanish feature about the Spanish adventurer Aguirre, and his tortuous exploration up the Amazon. The occasional rusting set piece languishes on the banks of the canal, testament to the production.

Which brings us to the subject of movie production in Costa Rica. At the end of our trip, we were introduced to Leisel Flashenberg, a producer from Washington, d.c. now relocated (and majestically so, on the side of a mountain overlooking San Jose) to Costa Rica. Our meeting with Leisel and her husband Dan Nachtigel proved very informative. Following are some useful points to bear in mind when considering shooting in Costa Rica.

Location, Location, Location

After two weeks of traveling throughout Costa Rica, we concluded that, aside from flat-out desert and Arctic tundra, there are very few locations that don’t exist somewhere inside the country. High country and rolling hills that cry out for Clint Eastwood, dense jungles suitable for Tarzan’s next appearance, barren lava fields that could double as an alien planet, they’re all here.

From the gracious colonial architecture of the towns and cities, to the villages of thatched-roof houses built on stilts, Costa Rica is a country of diversity. Local production houses can assist you in finding and locking the perfect location at a very reasonable price.

Production services

There is as yet no local film commission. Therefore, it is highly recommended to hook up with one of the local production companies in San Jose such as Ariel, Castin and Sotela. These companies produce features, music videos, news and documentary programs for the local broadcaster, Canal 6, and offer thoroughly professional services.

They have a combined capability of handling three or four projects at a time, and while big-budget epics, such as the recent Christopher Columbus film starring Gerard Depardieu, required outside resources for cine equipment, productions with smaller budgets can be serviced by the local production infrastructure.

These companies will be able to assist you in hiring local crew, accessing production equipment and getting the proper customs clearance for the pieces of equipment that you do bring with you. They will also make your shoot run smoothly by line producing, handling local payroll, and in general making your life as a producer in a foreign country much easier.

Crews

San Jose is home to a film school (at the university), and highly trained film technicians are available. Costa Ricans have a very active theater tradition, and you will find many people working in the film industry with a theater background.

There are no guilds or unions, but strict laws about hiring Costa Ricans exist – you must budget for social security benefits on all local crew and cast. That doesn’t mean you won’t be saving money though – Costa Rican salaries are less than half of North American union rates, and along with the savings on other production services (catering, accommodation, locations), you should be able to realize a savings of over 50% on your production, as compared to shooting in the u.s. or Canada.

Equipment

Although production service houses in San Jose have their own equipment, your dop will likely want to bring his own camera or some other equipment. Anything you bring in will be subject to import tax unless you get a waiver from the government. (This is something a local production house can assist you with.)

Post-production facilities are basic and editing facilities are limited to off-line suites at this point.

Labs,

processing services

There are no motion picture processing labs in San Jose – film is couriered out to Miami (the closest), Texas or California. Flights to Miami leave several times per day and there is a one-day turnaround.

Talent

Costa Rica’s thriving theater tradition means San Jose supports seven theater companies and several dance troupes. Local actors are available as principals or extras, and many actors are bilingual. Note: Costa Rican Spanish is considered ideal for dubbing purposes – it is easy to understand all over the Spanish-speaking world.

Light

Daylight: Costa Rica is very close to the equator. In the winter there is exactly 11 hours and 15 minutes of daylight, in the summer, 12 hours and 45 minutes – not a lot of latitude. When we were there in October, the magic hour started at about 4 a.m. and was essentially over by 5 p.m. By 5:30 it was dark. Any exterior shoot days will have to start and stop with this time frame in mind.

Climate

The dry season in the Central Valley and Pacific coast extends from December through April – you will be lucky to see any rain at all during this time. You may see clouds, but not until you get into the rain-forested slopes of the central mountains will you run into actual rain.

The ‘green’ season is May through November; during this time the days usually begin clear, but sudden downpours during the afternoon or evening are likely. The Atlantic coast has its own variable wet and dry season, but in general is more humid.

Security

You would have to provide overnight security on a set practically anywhere in the world, and Costa Rica is no different. Although it is perhaps the least dangerous of Central American countries, petty crime does exist and film equipment is portable.