ONE LOCATION BRIEF. A LOT OF ASIA.

Mean Mama is based in Bangkok and scouts across Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Japan, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines and Myanmar.

Sometimes you already know the country. Sometimes you just need a penthouse that can play New York, a tropical island with decent production access, a modern hospital, an old colonial street, a jungle road or a billionaire’s villa that doesn’t cost a billionaire’s location fee.

Send us the brief first. We can help decide where it makes the most sense to shoot.

LOCATION SCOUTING IN THAILAND
Thailand is home, so this is where we can move fastest and go deepest. We scout filming locations in Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Hua Hin and across Thailand for international productions of every scale.

Bangkok can give you luxury villas, penthouses, modern offices, hospitals, hotels, rooftops, restaurants, clubs, markets, warehouses, highways and streets that can play far beyond Thailand. Move outside the capital and the visual range changes quickly: islands, beaches, mountains, jungle, villages, resorts, industrial landscapes and remote roads.

Because we produce here, we look at every location through a production lens. The shot matters. So does where the trucks go.

LOCATION SCOUTING IN VIETNAM
Vietnam gives you texture. We scout filming locations in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Hoi An, Ha Long Bay and across Vietnam, from contemporary city streets and high-rises to colonial architecture, coast, rivers and dramatic natural landscapes.

For producers, the question is rarely whether Vietnam has the picture. It usually does. The important part is finding the version of that picture that makes sense for permits, access, crew movement and the shooting schedule.

LOCATION SCOUTING IN HONG KONG
When the brief needs vertical city, Hong Kong delivers it immediately. We scout film locations in Central, Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok, Quarry Bay, Victoria Harbour and across Hong Kong for commercials, films, series and factual productions.

Glass towers, harbour, neon streets, rooftops, compressed neighbourhoods and architecture stacked on architecture give Hong Kong a scale that is difficult to reproduce elsewhere. It is also a dense working city. Loading, access, traffic, crowds and working hours matter. We look at all of that before recommending the hero angle.

LOCATION SCOUTING IN SINGAPORE
Singapore works beautifully for briefs that need modern architecture, finance, luxury, technology or a future-facing international city. We scout filming locations around Marina Bay, the CBD, waterfront districts, hotels, contemporary interiors and other locations across Singapore. The city is polished, controlled and production-specific. That makes early location research especially useful: we check the creative against the rules before anyone builds the schedule around a location that comes with restrictions nobody noticed in the reference photograph.

LOCATION SCOUTING IN MALAYSIA
Malaysia can cover several visual worlds without forcing you to move the production between countries.
We scout filming locations in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor, Langkawi, Sabah, Sarawak and across Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur gives you towers, luxury and modern city. Penang brings heritage streets and architecture. Langkawi gives you island landscapes. Sabah and Sarawak open up rainforest and much wilder terrain. For a project that needs several distinct looks, Malaysia deserves a serious look before you split the schedule across borders.

LOCATION SCOUTING IN INDONESIA
Indonesia is not shorthand for Bali. We scout film locations in Bali, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Lombok, Java, Sumatra and across Indonesia, depending on what the project actually needs. You can find luxury villas, dense city, beaches, temples, volcanic landscapes, rice fields, tropical interiors and extraordinary natural locations. The trick is geography. A beautiful island location can become very expensive once crew, equipment and travel are added. We look at the logistics before we put it on the shortlist.

LOCATION SCOUTING IN SRI LANKA
Sri Lanka fits a surprising amount into one country. We scout filming locations in Colombo, Galle, Ella, Nuwara Eliya, Sigiriya and across Sri Lanka, with access to coastline, tea country, waterfalls, historic architecture, tropical roads and dramatic natural landscapes. For productions that need several different environments inside one schedule, that compact visual range can be a real advantage.

LOCATION SCOUTING IN JAPAN
Japan can be instantly recognisable — or surprisingly anonymous. We scout filming locations in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Yokohama, Hokkaido, Okinawa and across Japan for international commercials, films, series and documentary productions. Neon districts, quiet neighbourhoods, contemporary architecture, temples, coast and rural landscapes all sit inside the same country. The challenge is often not finding the image. It is finding the version where an international production can realistically work.

LOCATION SCOUTING IN LAOS
Laos has a quieter visual character than many of its neighbours, which is exactly why certain projects need it. We scout filming locations in Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Mekong regions and across Laos for river landscapes, mountains, waterfalls, historic streets, villages and less-developed urban environments. Because production infrastructure is smaller, location and logistics planning need to happen together from the start.

LOCATION SCOUTING IN CAMBODIA
We scout filming locations in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Battambang, Kep and across Cambodia for scripted, documentary, commercial and factual productions. The country offers contemporary city, historic architecture, rural landscapes and some of Southeast Asia’s most recognisable heritage environments.
For temples, protected sites and sensitive locations, the production conversation needs to begin long before the shooting day. We look at access and feasibility alongside the creative.

LOCATION SCOUTING IN THE PHILIPPINES
The Philippines gives you thousands of islands. That is both the attraction and the production problem.
We scout filming locations in Manila, Cebu, Palawan, Siargao, Vigan, Banaue and across the Philippines for city, beach, island, colonial, mountain and tropical briefs. A location may look perfect and still require three flights and a boat. We look at what it takes to put a production there before everyone commits to the postcard.

LOCATION SCOUTING IN MYANMAR
Myanmar has extraordinary visual potential across Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake and other regions, from historic city architecture and river life to temples and wide landscapes. For productions considering Myanmar, we assess each project individually. Access, permissions, safety, logistics and the practical ability to operate need to be understood before any location becomes part of the schedule.

WE SCOUT LIKE PRODUCERS
A location scout can send you a photograph. We want to know:
Can we permit it?
What does it cost?
Can a truck get there?
Where does cast hold?
Can we control the sound?
What are the working hours?
Where is the unit base?
How long is the company move?
Can art touch the walls?
What happens when it rains?
These questions are much cheaper during the scout than on Day 12.

Our location reports can include visual references, access notes, permit status, location fees, restrictions, parking and unit-base information, travel time and production considerations, so your team can compare locations as production options rather than just photographs.

NEED A LOCATION TO DOUBLE FOR SOMEWHERE ELSE?
Tell us what the audience needs to believe. Thailand and Asia can double for a wide range of international cities, luxury destinations, tropical locations, corporate environments, resorts and Asian settings.
Instead of searching literally for “New York office in Bangkok,” send us the reference and tell us which details actually matter. Sometimes three floors, one window and the right angle solve the whole thing.

NOT SURE WHICH COUNTRY TO FILM IN?
Even better. Talk to us before you decide. A villa, city street, island, jungle or colonial building may exist in several Asian countries, but the location cost, film permits, crew rates, equipment, travel time and production logistics can be completely different. We can compare territories against the brief and help you choose the country where the creative and production plan make sense together. Pretty is easy. Pretty and shootable is the job.

LOCATION SCOUTING + PRODUCTION SUPPORT
Finding the location is only the beginning. Mean Mama can also handle the local production around it: film permits, location agreements, negotiations, local crew, equipment, casting, transport, accommodation and full production support in Thailand and across Asia. If all you need is the scout, that’s fine too. Tell us what you want us to take off your plate.

SHOW MAMA WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR
Send us the script, storyboard, mood board, reference photographs and shoot dates.

No script yet?

Send the image everyone keeps dropping into the group chat with: “Can we find this in Asia?”