Contract Management Services

Contract management for productions shooting in China sits at the intersection of Chinese civil code, the labor contract law that governs crew engagements, and the regulatory framework 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 spectrum 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.

Our process begins with a contract requirements 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 coordinated with Chinese customs, and co-production deals that allocate rights and revenue across mainland China, Hong Kong, and international territories.

The picture on the ground is more specific. Negotiation support is hands-on, with our lawyers acting as the interface between international 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.