From March 2020 international travel restrictions set-in and crews stopped coming to film in India. Many presenter led-documentary films and branded content film shoots we were prepping for got cancelled. World over, production companies, agencies and networks adapted quickly to the changing scenario, and remote production soon became a norm for advertising commercials, corporate and branded content films.
Some of our corporate clients and production companies making documentary content needed us to resume work. BBC Glasgow commissioned us to film their series Follow The Food to film four farming innovation stories across southern state of Tamil Nadu.
Corporates and brands want to tell stories of how they or their clients dealt with the crisis, how they innovated or how their products or services helped people during the lockdown. The LinkedIn Women's Day #WeCanDoIt campaign was one such shoot that we executed for production company VCCP London. It was a two camera shoot with a small and efficient local crew. It took over half a day to film it, with director Jessie Ayles directing the shoot remotely with DoP Naiyer Ghufran and sound recordist Amrita Singh.
Now that international travel has resumed and the demand for video content is at it's peak - more and more production companies are entrusting us with remote productions to tell their stories. It is a win-win situation for everyone - production companies save spiking flights and hotel costs, the carbon footprint of the project remains low and for us - our super talented local crew gets to work on some prestigious international productions.
Remote Production in India: Your Local Crew Solution
The pandemic changed everything for international film and advertising productions. Travel restrictions meant crews couldn't fly to India, and shoots got cancelled overnight. But here's what happened next: remote production became the new standard.
We adapted fast. BBC Glasgow hired us to film their Follow The Food series across Tamil Nadu. LinkedIn's Women's Day campaign came through VCCP London—director Jessie Ayles directed remotely while our local crew handled the ground work. Half a day shoot, two cameras, perfect execution.
Now that travel's back, demand for video content is higher than ever. Production companies are choosing remote crews because it makes sense: lower costs, smaller carbon footprint, access to skilled local talent.
What We Do
Backpack Films has completed 50+ remote productions for international clients. We handle corporate films, branded content, documentaries, and interview shoots across India—from major cities to remote villages in Uttar Pradesh.
How It Works
Pre-production: We coordinate with your team on locations, interview questions, and safety protocols. Need a studio? We'll find one in any city.
Equipment: 4K cameras, sound, and lighting available in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. For smaller locations, we transport gear from the nearest hub. We own comprehensive interview lighting and grip packages, plus remote streaming solutions so that crew sizes can be kept to a minimum.
Local Crew: Freelance directors, DoPs, and sound recordists in every major Indian city. We keep crews small and local to minimize travel. Our fixers handle interviews in local languages and provide transcription.
Live Streaming: Your director or client can supervise remotely via video conference. Single or multi-camera setups—you see everything in real-time.
Delivery: Footage sent via courier or uploaded to our secure system with download links.
Our Clients: Cisco, Google, BBC, ITV, Discovery, LinkedIn, Apple, FIFA, British Petroleum, Morgan Stanley, and more. Productions for companies across the US, UK, Canada, Sweden, Australia, and Singapore.
We've shot everywhere from Kashmir to Chennai, Delhi to Hyderabad. When you need the best local crew in India, we've got you covered.
