Seven digital media programs axed in Victoria

Another chip off the block for emerging film makers. Catapult has gone, looks like Propeller shorts is going to be given the shaft as well. All of this adding up to more avenues closing than opening for emerging film makers, while funding continues to go to our more “seasoned” professionals who can deliver the same banal content over and over again, force feeding the mantra to others ” No its actually really good, you just don’t get it, or it just doesn’t appeal to you”. I remember a conversation I had with a member of a federal funding body about the quality of Australian TV, she seemed to think shows like City Homocide and Rush were examples of brilliant writing and TV production, simply because it was on TV and rating (it will rate, if there isn’t anything else to watch). I pointed out to her that McDonalds sells loads of hamburgers, this fact doesn’t actually mean that what they are selling is actually quality food or that it is actually any good for you!
When is this industry going to come to terms with the fact that one or two hit films every ten years isn’t an industry (why it takes those hit films ten years to get made is beyond me, see Chopper and the Animal Kingdom for examples). What is going to replace Catapult and Propeller ?(lets face it, Propeller is dead in the water), there isn’t enough funding for emerging screenwriters/ film makers as it is. The old mantra that, shorts can now be self funded because the technology is more available, true to a degree, but also spending everything you’ve got to make one short every two to three years is no recipe for success, trust me I’ve just done it. There seems to be this preoccupation with handing out money to people who seem to hang on in the industry regardless of the content they create, persistence is deemed to be professionalism even talent. Often, and I’m sure others notice this as well, we see funding approved to “such and such” again and again and you look at the litany of sub standard content they have created and scratch your head and think ” How did they get that funding, nothing they have done is of actual quality?”, it seems that simply handing in D grade is enough, and if this is the case, our industry is really in a sorry state. I, as a disgruntled writer, am totally sick to death of people asking me ” Why is Australia TV/Film so crap?” Why can’t we have our own Breaking Bad or The Wire? The industry will always rip back , with “but there is no funding for that kind of quality”, the death of Catapult and the sad state of development funding across the country really does make one wonder, will we ever? I suppose we have quality shows like “Offspring” to lead the way…what a joke…what a waste of public funds. Maybe I should just throw in the towel like all my other film making friends. I’ve seen that much talent simply give up over the years, Writers, Directors and Producers it really does make you cry, sometimes I like to do it out loud, like now.

Hi Martin, well said mate. There seems to be a lot of people like you AND I that see the funding bodies as a boys club to hand out money to mates only. The fact is very scary when you actually do get funding and even then they look after themselves and their mates, placing mates of Screen Australia in your production to rip away any opportunity you may have had to make something great. The other fact that seems to be cropping up a hell of a lot lately is the fact that the best way for funding from Screen Australia is go and work there first. Hold on for a year or two then resign stating that you would like to make your own films. Then go back to your mates standing around the Screen Australia water cooler who you’ve shared many great laughs with and let them know of your film idea. Put your hand out and collect millions for just being part of the club.

That is how all Australian producers, directors and writers see this industry from the comfort of their studio’s in LA or New York. The fact that Screen Australia is run by mostly failed filmmakers goes to show why they mostly fund failed scripts. Because it’s a “you scratch my back” industry.

Unfortunately, it seems, that it will always be this way because the people who rip off Australian tax payer money continue to get fat while the talent go hungry. The big word of the decade for Australian film industry is “ACCOUNTABILITY”. Screen Australia actually answers to no-one. I mean NO-ONE.!!! There is ZERO accountability there.

So Martin, don’t let the Australian industry kill your dream. Just take it somewhere where it is rewarded, where good ol fashion hard work, determination and talent will get you noticed… Go O.S where the film making community look for upcoming talent and then encourage your growth through the years. In Australia the industry is so manipulated by a certain few that the only way we’ll ever see an industry is when we finally hand it back to the artists in this country. While Government dictators with no talent on what a film should be are the ones handing out tax payer dollars, we’ll never be taken seriously because these same people don’t take their ACCOUNTABILITY seriously.

I recently spoke to one of Hollywood’s biggest known producers who said to me “Matt, why are you still in Australia, come to the U.S where our tax credits, financiers and people handing out the money are MOSTLY filmmakers”. He said, Australian film industry….. WHAT INDUSTRY??” to my horror I asked him to name 5 films from Australia which were released in the last year… His response was “Did Australia actually release 5 films in the last year”. When this is the comment I’m getting from one of the top ten producers in Hollywood it makes you wonder why we even bothered putting in the first decade of our career here. My advice these days is make a short film, go O.S and get it in front of everyone and anyone willing to watch it. Then call up all your aussie mates living there and ask if they want to jump into a feature with you. Get that done and you’re literally on your way. Do that here and you’re considered worthy of nothing.

Take my advice Martin. Hollywood really is calling, so is Canada, Germany, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, UK. Australia doesn’t even get a mention except everyone knows our actual talent as we are regarded as some of the best.

Hope this helps. If so give me a call and i’ll throw you in the right direction through my New York, Los Angeles or Mexico office.

Having worked at a major film festival here in Australia and seen from the inside out how this industry works I can tell you I was sickened to some degree by what I witnessed. I remember a group of writers I studied with all sitting around a table at a function all looking depressed, mainly because they were outside the industry and knew of no way to get into the INDUSTRY EVENT, a pitching session that they hadn’t been able to secure entry into. Over the years I’ve seen Hacks rise and Genius give up. I’ve seen Hacks with their collective snouts in the public trough, barely able to come up for air because they simply can’t get enough of wasting public funds, while real lovers of cinema, people on the outside with great ideas, talent, give up and went to work in Marketing or IT.
It is shocking to see that Film Victoria will just drop a program like Catapult so close to the cut-off date/application date, simply shattering the aspirations of so many writers in one very fowl and ill considered stroke, thus shutting off months of personal preparation in the process. Although it also doesn’t surprise me, having spent a year applying for another fund, only to be pipped at the post because I didn’t fit the criteria, even though I had spent months asking Film Vic what the criteria was? I applied for Catapult, unsuccessfully, the script had flaws, but what I did find interesting was that my script was reviewed by a seasoned writer who was totally not the target market for this Comedy, what he had to say about the script convinced me that he had not gotten one joke or had even read the script at all. Hilariously when I saw his name at the bottom of the page and read his long winded expose on “What Cinema is” I realized a week prior I had gone to see his current feature in the cinema and three of us had walked out of the film because it was so boooooring!! Yeah thanks Mac, great advice!! I’d like to know how “I love You Too” got funding, the script is a horrible bore..shocking, I couldn’t get past page five without feeling…who cares its in the can..I wonder how many other great scripts got walked over to make that?
I had a period as a reader working freelance for a major studio, I recently applied for a Screen Australia workshop run through the UK Script Factory mob, my application was knocked back…as I didn’t fit the criteria!!!! I was reading scripts for a studio..and I didn’t fit the criteria for a program about reading scripts and appraising them…that is insane?? Another example of how if you float in this industry long enough you’ll just roll from one bizarre moment to the next. The gap between film makers and those who hold the public purse strings is a massive canyon that no matter of common sense could fill. I totally agree with you Matt…not so much a boys club..as a haunted, middle brow, neo-conservative, cheese cloth wearing, black rimmed designer glasses wearing rubber stamping-yes man-that worked last year and the year before that- at least nobody was offended- could care less- about cinema- and more- about working in an industry that has “fun people” in it- type crowd!!
I ask Film Victoria this? Why are (not anymore as you’ve canned the whole program) competing writers reviewing the screenplays of up and coming writers? isn’t that a conflict of interest? Why aren’t dedicated readers reading submitted screenplays? Who cares anymore…I know I don’t. I will give you a call Matt, because put simply I had turned my back on this country and as a great Australian actor once said to me on a production ” Don’t get your knickers in a knot mate, Australian films are for working on, not watching!”

After reading this I feel cheated and let down. I had done my research on film and tv work opportunities here and the picture I had in my mind was that if I worked hard enough at whatever crew positions possible I would be able to get my foot in the door with bigger paid productions. ( This was further reinforced by what our lecturers taught at university).

I spent my free time volunteering on tv shows and student short films, sometimes other ‘professional’ films ( I did a paid gig on an independent feature film, infact it was my first job..still waiting for my money). Sometimes the crew would be working overtime by 4-5 hours, I’ve stood outside in the blistering cold setting up lighting for one shot, stood in the rain setting up catering. For that, I still have to bugger the producers for a letter of recommendation. They’ve moved on to working full time on paid tv gigs. A lot of jobs offer letter of recommendation..but once they wrap up, you’re forgotten. Being a student, if I refuse volunteer positions, there’s nothing to work for.

Australia provides no support for international students studying film courses.Nor does film victoria or screen australia. So we pay roughly 3 times the local student college fee and are kicked out once we graduate. I don’t understand why they’d have courses for us when they don’t offer any work opportunities.

Earlier this year, I was insulted by the studio tech at my university because I asked too many questions about how he/she was helping out students get work at Channel 7 etc. A lot of people I had worked for couldn’t help me out on my first film (luckily made at university so the equipment was free of charge) my so called professional dop walked out on me, my first ad didn’t show up for the shoot. This is the support I get for helping others.

I watched the theatrical trailer for I Love You Too, I was apalled. It made me cringe! You’re right Martin, Australian films are just for working on.

Aaki…don’t lose hope, there is a quiet revolution going on in this country…and it is not being driven by funding bodies..surprise surprise, its been driven by passionate people, who care about making films that will engage, entertain and enthrall the audience.I personally as a Writer/ Director and Producer am committed to this. I expect to get absolutely no help from the funding bodies, I have totally cut myself off from that time wasting merri-go-round of perpetual disappointment. Having met many people who work in these transit lounges of the apathetic indecision I expect to write myself into a position and attract attention through compelling screenplays.

Aarki, contact The Age newspaper:

Letters to the editor
letters@theage.com.au
Postal: Letters editor – The Age, 655 Collins Street, Docklands VIC 3008

Or this magazine and tell your story, you will turn a few heads, trust me

Look the film business is tough, nobody is going to hold your hand, unless you are somehow willing to make some tosh about dysfunctional families living in rural Australia or the Suburbs or you’re some hack comedian who decides he wants to make a Rom-Com that appeals to mmmm..utterly nobody, then you will probably kick down doors, (SA how did you get past page twenty on I LOVE YOU TOO? Oh that’s right you don’t read the script you just sign the cheque) sadly you seem to be none of these, but still you must persist, passion shines through trust me, I just had some great news on the weekend, after years of banging my head against the wall. You need a strategy, ask yourself what kind of film maker you want to be and just persist, don’t take no for an answer, people will always let you down just keep going, if you can write, just keep going, keep working on your skills, find those in the same boat and above all else be highly critical. if you create quality, dream it and try and live it the wheel will spin your way, its just a matter of time

FILM VICTORIA TAKE NOTE:
I know you are about to chop the Propeller Short Film Fund, years of green lighting crap scripts and poor productions means you have driven this fund into a corner of no return. Changing the criteria, shifting the goal posts, making it impossible for those who work towards applying to actually meet the hidden criteria, released just weeks before the application date cut off, thanks you wasted a year of my life, I should have taken the offer to shoot the film in Texas, but silly me I wanted to make the film in Australia, how stupid of me. Propeller is dead I know it is going to happen so just announce it already. WHY DON”T YOU DO THIS? I just spent every last dime I had making a short with a Canon 5d Mk2, the production cost me or will roughly $8,000-$10,000 why don’t you get into the sponsorship bed with CANON or RED and provide writers and directors with a production fund of $15,000-$20,000 and hand that out to 10 different emerging filmmakers with quality screenplays, by quality I mean screenplays that at least try and get the basics right, even mentor the creative crews to our SEASONED professionals and start a new fund. yes its getting cheaper to make films for new film makers, but do we have to sell our cars to do it? Meet us some of the way, invest in the future, if not whats the point of even having an industry?
Oh and another thing…stop backslapping yourself funding bodies, you make more mistakes and waste money than you hit home runs, yeah Film Vic you offer 30 different programs and I can apply for none of them…so hello America!!!

Dear Aaki,

Great letter and Martin, as always good response. I wanted to jump in on this ongoing issue. My advice has always been the same. If you want a job in the arts then for god sake don’t go to University to learn how to become someone you probably are NOT. Filmmakers learn by making films, learn by making mistakes and learn by naturally loving films. It seems in this day and age it takes promises of celebrity, promises of opportunity and promises of better days to encourage young people to become filmmakers for a living. The truth is that Casting agents now run showreel courses just to turn a buck but then don’t audition those people that spend the hundreds to do these rediculous courses, students of film courses don’t get any encouragement through the Australian funding bodies and then when you are lucky enough to win awards, gain fans of your work you are shot down by the very industry who are in our universities, at our networks, in our funding bodies purely because you have the talent but don’t like playing by the dog rules.

My advice to you would be, get a real job… if that’s not for you and you want to follow your true passion to tell stories on film etc then do it and do everything to make the films you want to make.

There is no excuse to do films for nothing. Go find sponsorship, purchase a good camera by selling crap you don’t need. Do what all successful indie filmmakers do and go make films.

In my career as a professional actor, writer, director, producer, editor etc I have found that if you want anything in this country then move. This country has no real need for talent as you can see when some of the rubbish getting funding get’s put on screen.

Even when you have a successful WORLD WIDE hit you still get ripped off as a producer, director, writer purely because the greed in this industry and the boys club only look after each other. Those in the boys club have no talent and so gang up. Most are Lawyers wanting to be producers, accountants wanting to be producers etc. It’s a system built on lies and deception. The Australian industry is nothing more than an ego driven, grubby, derailed system of nothing!

So, make a film, go overseas and really make something of yourself by engaging in proper dialogue with other passionate and creative people. Then when the industry here ask you for a handout you get to say “Sorry, I can’t afford to make a film in this country as just by calling it an Australian film it’s already a flop internationally and will certainly never get seen by actual lovers of film”.

For those enrolling in University to do film studies, DON’T. You can learn more by spending money on a camera and going out to shoot good quality films. There is enough talented script writers, directors, cast and crew to join forces. By attending University you’re already stuffed as you now have a debt that will never be paid back by an industry that isn’t an industry and a country that would rather kick you down than make you welcome.

Hope this helps.

Matt Norman
WINGMAN PICTURES PTY LTD
Melbourne – New York – Los Angeles – Mexico
http://www.wingmanpictures.com
mattnorman@wingmanpictures.com

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