Can’t beat Hollywood? May as well join them.
The Australian government’s support of Hollywood blockbusters is defeating the purpose of building a sustainable local film industry says Jason Kent, in a piece that first appeared in Encore.
One of the biggest hurdles for Australian filmmakers is competing with the big budget American studio films. Indeed, this is one of the reasons the government gives for subsidizing Australian films. However, it seems to be at odds with the support given to American films like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
The government chips in for local films to help the Australian industry produce content that competes with the American films, and then they turn around and fund the American films as well. It kind of defeats the purpose.
They’re basically buying film-making jobs from the US to keep film-makers and the electorate happy but the trouble is, when the short-lived jobs end, all of the film’s profits go straight back to the US.
It’s a bit simplistic to think you can only have one or another. Clearly it’s important to support Australian films but it’s also important to keep the blood flowing through the local production industry and keep our practitioners at home and at the top of their games. Anyone who’s crewed on a big Hollywood movie will tell you what invaluable experience it afforded them (not to mention the pay cheque).
Screen Australia has a cultural remit, not a purely commercial one, so you wouldn’t expect them to strive for or achieve the hit rate of a corporate-owned US studio, and not even the latter have any kind of practical recipe for commercial success.
It’s a mug’s game. But hey, you can go out and shoot a potential masterpiece with your mates on the weekend for next to nothing, and that’s the allure.
was plenty of blood running through the car industry and now look at it… we shouldnt give up on trying to make money from aussie films… then we can also have the best of both worlds and attract American films here
Isn’t it about “Brands”? We need better Brands not just stories.Your mate who’s writing a Seafaring adventure dosen’t have a Brand. Gatsby and Romeo is a Brand. I hope Binky Bill is a big enough “Brand”.
Not every film needs to be based on an existing well-known story.. sure it helps, but whether it’s a known story or not, the story needs to be good. Especially in Australia. we can’t afford big brands and big stars (to buy an audience like Hollywood often does) so we need to compete on story. We need to do it better. Need to keep the craft high and the costs low. Having said that, with the 20mill the govt will give Disney for 20,000 leagues, you could build a pretty good brand. With 20mill and a good script you could attach a star, further investment, and make a film better than 20,000 leagues. And make an Australian film so the profits stay at home and it earns export dollars, rather than a handful of temporary jobs.