Beneath Hill 60: On the front line
War is an unfortunate reality, but also an endless source of powerful stories that can resonate strongly with audiences. Jeremy Sims and Bill Leimbach told Miguel Gonzalez how the pride of a town helped them create Beneath Hill 60, a big film on a limited budget. Read more »
Sound post: ‘freebies’ hurt the industry
A ‘freebie’ culture has emerged in Australian filmmaking circles in recent years, but it is local post-production infrastructure that’s paying the price. Laine Lister writes.
The term ‘discount’ once implied a deduction fromthe usual cost of something. But for post-production houses – in particular sound specialists – reduced rates for creative work are setting new low benchmarks. Read more »
Is that co-prod right for you?
In this new column, media and entertainment lawyer and agent Gene Goodsell will look at the legal aspects of Australia’s screen Industry, starting with the useful yet complex co-productions.
The idea behind official co-productions is that they allow a film that is made by two countries to access benefits in both territories. Read more »
All roads lead to India
Australia and India have made news headlines for all the wrong reasons recently, but Miguel Gonzalez found their screen industries are cooperating in new creative ways that present plenty of opportunities for our practitioners.
For years, westerners looked at the prolific Indian screen industry as an almost incomprehensible local box office phenomenon, with its long musical films and over-the-top performances.
Even before India’s Reliance ADA Group bought 50 percent of Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks studio, it was clear that the Indian industry had reached a peak and was ready to look outside its borders to become an internationally influential film super power, just like its economic development has made it one of the nations to watch this century. Read more »
Tips for filmmakers working with India
Visiting India as a tourist can be an assault to the senses and a complete culture shock and therefore, working with Indian partners and navigating the country’s complex industry can be quite daunting.
Encore spoke with Indian experts and industry insiders who told us what you need to do in order for to succeed in this emerging market full of potential for Australian creatives. Read more »
Cockroach: CGI on a bug-sized budget
Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, re-imagined as a romantic fantasy and produced for $20,000? An unlikely but very real scenario for director Luke Eve, who had to find a way to deliver it.
Raen Fraser’s script Cockroach, about a man who dies on his wedding day and is reincarnated as the above-mentioned insect, desperate to get the attention of his widow, is one of the three winners at the second John Jameson Productions competition. Read more »
3D: the stereoscopic future requires preparation
Toads have become Australian 3D ambassadors, and for everyone else planning on producing or working on a 3D film, there is much work to be done.
Cane Toads: The Conquest – Australia’s first feature-length 3D offering – might not be a spectacular VFX like Avatar, but its uniqueness proved to be an advantage when it premiered at Sundance in late January. Read more »
KidsCo, open for business
Harvey Shore spoke with Paul Robinson, the London-based founder and managing director of global children’s’ pay-TV channel KidsCo, who is visiting Australia for the second time for the ASTRA Conference this week.
Last trip, in November 2009, he raised eyebrows by joining those who accused ABC-TV of bullying producers and competitive channels in its rush to lock up both free-TV and pay-TV rights to programs for its new children’s channel ABC3. Read more »
Film: not quite dead yet
In a digital world, analogue is considered to be on the path of extinction, but film capture is not ready to go quietly into the night. Miguel Gonzalez found that DOPs and big companies still have something for film.
There are no statistics about the film/digital split in Australia, but with fewer Hollywood projects shooting here, film companies have suffered.
Fuji felt the lack of big budget international productions; in 2009 they only had one major Hollywood project, the thriller Don’t Be Afraid in the Dark, which was shot on film in Melbourne using, atypically, both Kodak and Fuji stock. Read more »
Sleuth 101: re-inventing the game show genre
The creators of Spicks and Specks are back with a new offering that combines murder mystery, comedy and game show. Encore joined them in Melbourne to discuss their new format, Sleuth 101.
Comedians are known for their analytical skills, which help them make the poignant and witty observations people pay them to hear. But that doesn’t necessarily make them the first people you’d call to solve a murder mystery, unless you’re on the ABC’s new Friday night show, Sleuth 101.
The concept was created by series producer Anthony Watt and executive producer Bruce Kane for Mayhem TV. Read more »