Could China save the Australian production industry?

Films produced with Chinese audiences in mind are making a killing in this massive market and local film-makers should be cashing in says David May in a piece that first appeared in Encore.

Looper, Iron Man 3, Transformers 4, Bait 3D. What’s the one thing these films have in common other than the fact they’re not likely to end up in your local art-house cinema? They have all been made or are being developed specifically with the Chinese film-going public in mind.

Traditionally Chinese censors would simply leave “controversial” scenes from western movies on the cutting room floor, such as shots of a Chinese security guard being gunned down in last year’s Skyfall or the same sex romance plot in Cloud Atlas. But many film-makers and studios, both here and in Hollywood, are now gearing their films specifically towards a Chinese release.

Don’t think the censors are going to be thrilled with Iron Man’s displays of western military might? Not to worry, scenes shot especially for the Chinese release featuring domestic celebrity Fan Bingbing should help balance things out.