Contract Management Services

Here is what that looks like on the ground. Contract management for shoots in China sits at the intersection of Chinese civil code, the labor contract law that governs crew engagements, and the rules imposed by the National Radio and Television Administration and the China Film Co-Production Corporation. Our coordinators work with Beijing- and Shanghai-based entertainment lawyers admitted to practice in mainland courts, drafting bilingual Mandarin-English agreements that hold up under NRTA content review and CFCC co-production permit conditions.

Here is how this works in practice. Crew contracts cover the full range of production roles based at China Film Group's Huairou compound, Hengdian World Studios in Zhejiang, the Wanda Oriental Movie Metropolis in Qingdao, and Shanghai Film Studio in Songjiang, with vendor agreements built for the rental houses around the CBD in Beijing and gear suppliers in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Talent contracts are bargained against the agency-driven structures common to Beijing- and Shanghai-headquartered representation, with image rights, residual frameworks, and union-style protections aligned to Chinese Filmmakers' Association expectations.

Here is how the picture comes together. Our process starts with a contract needs map keyed to the production's CFCC status, NRTA script-approval timeline, and currency-control realities around moving CNY through the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. We draft from standardised bilingual templates customised to the specific shoot — location releases for Forbidden City exteriors or hutong courtyards, drone agreements within CAAC licensing, gear carnets set up with Chinese customs, and co-production deals that allocate rights and revenue across mainland China, Hong Kong, and global areas.

Here is what we have to work with. The picture on the ground is more specific. Deal-making support is hands-on, with our lawyers acting as the interface between global producers and Chinese counterparties so that cultural and legal expectations are aligned before signatures land. Contracts are executed, stored, and managed through the production with version control, and any disputes are routed into the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission or local courts as the agreements specify.