Premiere Productions

Premiere Productions is a high-end line production company and local service provider for film and television work on a fairly large scale. It looks after the practical machinery of a shoot, from cameras and lighting to carpentry, so that visiting creative teams can concentrate on the content. Its approach is summed up in the phrase, from recce to shoot to wrap, top-level service without compromise.

The company is listed in our directory of video production in Malta. This page explains in plain English what a line producer does, what the company offers and how a UK broadcaster, production company or agency can approach it.

What a line producer and local service provider does

A line producer manages the budget, schedule and day-to-day logistics of a production, while the creative executives, series producers and segment producers handle content. Premiere Productions can take on that role, or it can act purely as a local service provider and supply individual services where a visiting team already has its own producers. The aim is to be exactly what a production needs to become a lean, mean producing machine.

The service list mirrors a normal film and television budget: different camera solutions, lighting, carpentry and metalworking, risk assessments, location lock-downs, medical and safety provision, government relations, catering, transport and accommodation. Working with creators, crew, cast, talent and staff arriving from all over the world is what drives the team, and the company wants every production to leave Malta saying see you soon.

The Malta cash rebate

Malta has attracted major film productions for years, drawn by castles, fortifications, wild rocky nature and cities with a distinctive Mediterranean and Middle Eastern look, and by a local workforce with top-level skills in television and film. Our guide to things to do in Malta shows many of the same places from a visitor's point of view. The company's invitation is simple: send an email, call, or fly over and see for yourself before you commit. On top of those attractions, and a 40% cash rebate has widened the appeal further, now including unscripted television such as reality and game shows. Premiere Productions manages the scheme as a hands-on service. For projects under the scheme it starts with a thorough workflow analysis with the client, then builds a step-by-step, department-by-department, line-by-line budget that is submitted to the Malta Film Commission for pre-approval.

A named specialist, Kathleen, has worked with the rebate system for many years, going back to when it was open only to the movie industry, and chairs the process and monitors it through filming. The company stresses that the client, not the company or the broadcaster, is always the beneficiary of the rebate, and that it works with full transparency and digital purchase orders. The company works closely with the Malta Film Commission and film commissioner Johann Grech. Producers curious about the wider tax picture can read our guides to Malta's corporate tax structure and the featured CLA Malta advisory firm.

Transport, communications and catering

Getting around Malta can be hard on a film schedule, so the company offers vehicles for every purpose: vans and buses for cast and crew, rentals with or without drivers for heads of department, VIP limousines, flatbeds, cherry pickers and cranes. All cars carry GPS. UK visitors should know that traffic here drives on the left, as at home, but is described as fierce. Staff flying in are collected at the airport by assistants, and you can plan your arrival with our flights to Malta and London Heathrow to Malta pages.

Before a shoot begins the team runs dummy tests of the daily call sheets so that every unit and department is ready, and call sheets are published in print and digitally. Communications can run through WhatsApp groups, smartphones with local numbers and, on location, simplex radios, while basecamp and production headquarters get high-speed internet. Catering delivers three meals a day for film and television crews at an affordable price level, with vegetarian and religious dietary requests accommodated, plus crafts and water.

Accommodation, permits and safety

Accommodation options include hotels in the upper categories, VIP high-end solutions and, in some cases, apartments for crew. Prices vary by season, and the earlier requirements are shared, the easier and often cheaper the arrangements. Our where to stay in Malta guide and hotels in Malta page give an idea of the areas available.

The company secures locations and associated permits agreed before production, including government, county, harbour, heritage and environmental permits. For non-EU productions, work permits may be needed and can take weeks or even months, so early planning matters. Premiere Productions supplies invitations and handles the paperwork. Safety is another core service: it can provide doctors, nurses, paramedics, ambulances and hospital arrangements, together with on-site safety managers and risk assessors, depending on the production and its insurers. This page describes services only and gives no medical advice.

Locations, recces and post-production

Malta suits movie sets, water shoots, obstacle reality game shows, reality shows, rigged-house formats, studio game shows and even CGI work. Water tanks at Rinella, in the Three Cities area covered in our Three Cities guide, are used for marine filming. Castles, fortifications, rocky cliffs and historic towns supply the scenery; Selmun Palace is among the sites mentioned, close to the resort area in our Mellieħa guide. The team can supply almost anything except jungle and very high mountain ranges.

A well-prepared recce, where the team knows what you are looking for in good time, can take as little as one to two days, and the company can share footage and stills by email and video call beforehand. Post-production suites are available through a local alliance, with Avid and Final Cut solutions, colour correction and sound included. Shooting in the season of your choice is easier with our Malta weather guide. For crews based in Europe, the island is only a few hours away by air, which makes a short scouting trip realistic. No amount of video can replace standing on a location, and the team encourages visits for that reason. When you do come, bring a clear shot list and a rough schedule, since the more the team knows in advance, the more they can usefully show you in a single day.

Track record and the team

The company's showcase project is The Bravest, two ten-episode, big-budget, one-hour prime time series of daring games for TV3 Denmark and TV3 Sweden, produced with Banijay companies Mastiff Denmark and Mastiff Sweden. Mark Anthony, who has worked in the film industry for more than 21 years, since the days of Gladiator, was heavily involved as head of department. Support from the Film Commission and Maltese government institutions, and the skills of the local crew, were the reasons the company settled in Malta and set up Premiere Productions in 2017.

In 2018 it line produced two seasons of The Bravest Couple with the Hungarian company TV2CSOPORT for TV2 Hungary, and ended the year line producing the ITV format Superstars for Swedish television. Mark's own experience covers catering, transport, cranes and lifting, air conditioning and heating of sets, and more recently special effects work. He also runs a restaurant in Birgu, which our Vittoriosa guide introduces.

To start a conversation, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page. Tell us the type of production, dates, crew size and services you need, and we will pass your message to the business.