Video Production in Rio de Janeiro
Corporate films shot in Rio de Janeiro by our own Rio crew, with our São Paulo team alongside for larger productions. An ANCINE-registered production company for brands and production companies from abroad. Proposals in US dollars, from $5,000.
Our team in Rio de Janeiro
A filming team based in the city, with our São Paulo team about an hour away by air.
Our own office in Rio, with a local team, opens soon. English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Why companies film in Rio with us
Our Rio crew films in the city and across the state, and our São Paulo team plans, directs and finishes every project. As a production company registered with ANCINE, we can also take legal responsibility for a foreign shoot.
Why Rio: the industry behind the postcard
Rio de Janeiro is Brazil’s best-known image abroad, but for corporate film it is also a business city. It is where Petrobras and Vale have their headquarters, and the state concentrates much of the country’s oil, gas, mining logistics and port activity. Porto Sudeste, a private terminal in Itaguaí that loads iron ore and supports the logistics of pre-salt oil operations, is one of the companies our Rio team has filmed for.
Our Rio crew is made up of professionals based in the city, so most local shoots are staffed without flying a crew in. For larger productions, part of our São Paulo team travels to Rio and works alongside them, as it did for AkzoNobel and for the law firm Gaia Silva Gaede. Projects are led by Caroline Mendonça, our co-founder and creative director, and Silas Oliveira, our CEO, from our headquarters in São Paulo, where pre-production, editing, color, sound and animation happen.
An office of our own in Rio, with a local team, opens soon. Until then, Rio projects are planned and managed from São Paulo and filmed by our Rio crew.
A foreign shoot in Rio, with a registered Brazilian partner
A company from abroad that films in Brazil needs a Brazilian production company registered with ANCINE, the national film agency, to take responsibility for the shoot. Olive Tree Films is registered. We sign the production agreement with you, send ANCINE the prior communication with the contract and the shooting schedule, and staff the shoot with our Rio crew. The gov.br service page says the procedure is free and that ANCINE replies within up to five business days of a complete submission.
Your director does not need to travel. For KPMG’s global series, the creative director of a London production company followed our shoot in Belo Horizonte by video call and asked the interview questions live. Read the KPMG case, or see how our multi-market production model works.
Filming in Rio: the local logistics
What we sort out before the shoot, so your team can focus on the film.
01.
Permits for public spaces
Streets, sidewalks, squares, parks, promenades and beaches in the city of Rio need a filming authorization, and so do interior shoots that require reserved parking. Requests go through the Rio Film Commission, part of RioFilme, at least 7 business days ahead, or 15 for larger productions with structures, road closures or more than 80 people. Low-impact shoots with up to 20 people, no structures and away from squares and parks can be cleared in 1 business day.
02.
ANCINE communication
For a foreign production, we file the prior communication to ANCINE as the Brazilian company responsible, with our contract, the shooting schedule and the passport details of each professional coming from abroad.
03.
Beaches, parks and landmarks
The city authorization involves the bodies that manage each area, from traffic to environment, parks and the local sub-prefecture, and some landmarks have their own managers. If the film needs the waterfront, a park or a postcard view, we raise it in the first call so the schedule allows for it.
04.
Weather
Summer, roughly December to March, is hot and brings heavy rain, often in the afternoon. The drier months usually run from June to August. Exterior scenes get an indoor alternative and some buffer in the plan.
05.
One hour from São Paulo
The air shuttle between Rio and São Paulo takes about an hour, so our São Paulo team can join a Rio shoot on the same day. Both cities run on Brasília Time (UTC-3), with no daylight saving time.
06.
Languages and casting
Interviews in Portuguese are subtitled or voiced for international audiences, and English-speaking talent can be cast when the script calls for it. Our team works in English, Spanish and Portuguese from the first call.
A customer testimonial for AkzoNobel’s international Colorvation campaign, recorded in 2017 at VivaCor Tintas, a paint store in Rio de Janeiro, with its owner on camera. Our Rio and São Paulo crews filmed it together, and a second testimonial for the same campaign was recorded in Pelotas, in the far south of Brazil. Read the AkzoNobel case.
The trailer is public. The full film is available on request.
Filmed in Rio
Projects our Rio teams have filmed
Three of the companies we have filmed for in the state of Rio de Janeiro, with the team that was on set.
Concrelagos
Corporate film, 2024
A corporate film for a ready-mix concrete company that began at a quarry in Itaperuna, in the interior of the state, and today runs about 70 concrete plants serving some 600 cities. Filmed by our Rio team.
Porto Sudeste
ESG film, 2025
A film about the ESG work of Porto Sudeste, a private terminal in Itaguaí that handles iron ore and other bulk cargo and supports the logistics of pre-salt oil operations. Filmed by our Rio team.
Gaia Silva Gaede Advogados
Law firm, 2018
A film for a Brazilian law firm whose practice covers tax, corporate and labor law, among other areas. Filmed in Rio by our Rio and São Paulo crews together.
Where we film: ports, plants and offices
Corporate work in Rio rarely happens on the beach. For Porto Sudeste, the subject was a port terminal in Itaguaí, on Sepetiba Bay west of the city, an industrial site where access and safety rules come first. For Concrelagos, the story belonged to a concrete company with plants across the state and beyond. For Gaia Silva Gaede, the setting was a law firm, where the work is to make professionals comfortable on camera. For AkzoNobel, the testimonial was filmed inside a working paint store.
When the brief does call for the city itself, Rio offers the waterfront, the hills and the historic center, each with its own authorization. We plan those scenes around the permit, the light and the weather, and keep an indoor alternative ready.
Two teams
One crew in Rio, one in São Paulo
How the work is split between the city and our headquarters.
Rio team
On the ground
Professionals based in Rio who know the city’s locations, traffic and authorization process. They filmed Concrelagos and Porto Sudeste on their own.
São Paulo team
Before and after the shoot
Creative direction, scripts and pre-production, then editing, color, sound, motion graphics and versions, for Rio projects as for any other.
Both together
Larger productions
When a shoot needs more people or a director from our core team, part of our São Paulo team travels to Rio and works with the local crew, as it did for AkzoNobel and Gaia Silva Gaede.
Beyond the city
Rio is a base, not a boundary.
50+
Brazilian cities our crews have flown to for shoots.
5
cities where we film most often: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Curitiba and Belo Horizonte.
Source: our project records.
From Rio, our crews reach the rest of the state, from the bay of Itaguaí to the interior, and the rest of Brazil. We also have a filming team in Belo Horizonte, where we filmed a full day for KPMG, and the AkzoNobel campaign took us from Rio to Pelotas, in the far south. Wherever the camera goes, planning and post-production stay with the same team.
Companies we have filmed for in Rio and across Brazil
“The whole journey with them was exceptional.”
Vittoria Tatavitto, Product Marketing Coordinator, Tuvis Verified review on Clutch, for a brand film, teasers, casting, production and post-production
Rio projects in US dollars, from $5,000
Companies outside Brazil receive proposals in US dollars, with a minimum of $5,000 per project, and companies in Brazil receive them in reais. A shoot needs at least 15 calendar days of notice, and the first cut arrives in 20 to 30 calendar days with filming, or 15 to 20 with existing, stock or animated material.
How it works
From your request to the shoot in Rio
Five steps, planned in São Paulo and filmed by our Rio team, with a clear owner at each one.
Filming team
in Rio de Janeiro
Registered
with ANCINE
-
Request
Send the form, call our São Paulo headquarters or message Olivia, our WhatsApp assistant.
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Call
A 20-minute Google Meet call to understand the film you need.
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Proposal
Scope, crew, schedule and price in US dollars, before anything is booked.
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Pre-production
Script, casting, locations, permits and the ANCINE communication.
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Shoot and finish
Filming in Brazil, then edit, color and sound in São Paulo.
Practical questions about filming in Rio de Janeiro
What international teams ask before a shoot in Rio.
Do you have a team in Rio de Janeiro?
Yes. Our filming team in Rio is made up of professionals based in the city, and part of our São Paulo team joins larger shoots. An office of our own in Rio, with a local team, opens soon; until then, Rio projects are planned and managed from our São Paulo headquarters.
Can Olive Tree Films be the Brazilian production company for a foreign shoot in Rio?
Yes. We are registered with ANCINE, Brazil’s national film agency, and we file the prior communication for foreign productions as part of pre-production, with the contract and the shooting schedule.
Do we need a permit to film on Rio's streets and beaches?
Yes, for streets, sidewalks, squares, parks, promenades and beaches, and for interior shoots that need reserved parking. The Rio Film Commission handles requests at least 7 business days ahead, 15 for larger productions, and clears low-impact shoots of up to 20 people in 1 business day.
Do you film outside the city of Rio?
Yes. Our Rio team works across the state, for example for Porto Sudeste, whose terminal is in Itaguaí, and our crews have flown to more than 50 Brazilian cities.
When is the best time to film outdoors in Rio?
The drier months, usually June to August, are the safest bet for exteriors. Summer, roughly December to March, is hot and brings heavy rain, so outdoor scenes in that season need an indoor alternative.
How are projects in Rio priced?
In US dollars for companies outside Brazil, with a minimum of $5,000 per project, and in reais for companies in Brazil. The proposal shows the scope, the crew, the schedule and the price before anything is booked.
Which languages can we work in?
English, Spanish and Portuguese, from the first call to the final review. Voice-over is available in more than 50 languages, and captions are included in every package.
Request a proposal
Filming in Rio? Talk to the team that films there.
Request a proposal
Tell us about your project in Rio.
Six fields are enough to start: who you are, what you need, where and when. The budget range and project details are optional.
What happens next. We usually reply within 24 hours on business days and invite you to a 20-minute Google Meet call. After the call, you receive a proposal with the scope, the crew, the schedule and the deliverables.
Prefer to talk first? Call our São Paulo headquarters at +55 (11) 2844-1833, answered in English and Portuguese, or message Olivia, our virtual assistant on WhatsApp, at +55 (11) 96406-9084, in Portuguese, English, Spanish or French. You can also write to rio@olivetreefilms.com.
Rio de Janeiro
Filming team based in the city
Office with a local team opening soon