
International film and television productions
Establishment and set-up
- What onshore / offshore structure is best for your project?
- Film incentive NZ Screen Production Grant (NZSPG) criteria and entity choice
- NZ taxes – income tax, withholding taxes, goods & services tax (GST), individual taxes (traps and pitfalls)
- Financing arrangements – group, private equity, bank
- The most effective structure for your NZ film production project funding arrangements
- Financial reporting implications and options
- Local company assistance – provision of NZ director / shareholder; company incorporation and registrations; bank account set up; company secretarial compliance
- Set-up agreements and documentation advice best suited to your project – production services agreement; cast & crew assignments; security deeds; banking deeds
- Work-made-for-Hire / US and NZ copyright arrangements
New Zealand film incentives
- Expert advice on NZSPG criteria and requirements for live-action productions (including the 5% Uplift, if applicable) and PDV / VFX productions
- Opinions on film grant entitlement and likely (budgeted costs) quantum of grant
- All registrations / repurposing and other waiver applications, preparation, project-managing processes
- Grant application completion (including 5% Uplift Initial Application, provisional and interim applications, if appropriate) and project-management to maximise and de-risk your incentive claim, including liaising with your grant auditor and the NZ Film Commission’s consultants, to approval and receipt
Financial accounting
- Advice on your financial accounting obligations, based on our accounting standards expertise
- Processing and payment of payroll and supplier invoices
- Post-production accounting
- Financial statements preparation in accordance with the accounting standards appropriate to your project
- Work with auditors (if applicable) to completion
New Zealand and international taxation planning and obligations
- Summary NZ tax outline for production companies and other entities
- Local taxes – income tax & GST & withholding taxes
- Local company or other entity balance date approvals
- Determining your NZ production profit margin
- Repatriation and unwind upon completion
- Understanding multi-year tax accounting impacts
- International tax issues and tax treaty relief
- All local taxation compliance matters, tax payments, tax returns and filings
- GST return preparation & reconciliation, filings and optimal cash flows
- All liaison with NZ Inland Revenue managing payments, filings, assessments, tax accounts, reconciliations
Managing contracts with cast and crew
- Understanding the individual and loan-out NZ tax issues
- Engagement basis as contractors or employees
- Production requirements and impact on cast and crew taxation positions
- Foreign vs local company engagement of production cast and crew, including foreign Guild requirements
- Assignment arrangements and split contracts
- Engagement of cast and crew that supports your film incentive entitlement