The Australian film and TV aesthetic is world famous. We tend to set our stories in places that can’t be found anywhere else, whether the deserts of Rabbit Proof Fence, the tropics of Crocodile Dundee, the scrub of Australia or the coastal beauty of Home and Away.
It’s little wonder that the most successful Australian productions are set in our regional locations. Our nature is our point of difference – a fact that has long been recognised and capitalised upon by the screen industry. But despite this heavy reliance on the outback, Australia’s film and TV industry remains a metropolitan affair. Studios, production companies and other industry organisations are inevitably found in capital cities, with production teams rolling out to rural sets, shooting what they need, and heading back to the big smoke.
But things are beginning to change. The screen industry is realising that rural and regional Australia offers more than just beauty. Production space is endless and affordable, shooting locations are within easy reach, competition is less intense, and a surprising amount of screen industry talent is available.
The result? Australian film and TV is going rural, and fast. And as the industry begins to look beyond the ‘burbs, these five locations are putting their hand up as potential industry hubs.
1. Byron Studios, Byron Bay
On March 1st 2021, Screenworks announced that Byron Studios was up and running. The Northern Rivers’ first dedicated film studio is set to deliver a complete shooting and delivery service, with an initial count of four studio spaces set to increase dramatically in years to come (including a monstrous 2500 square metre stage to be built in 2022.)
Byron Bay has transformed from sleepy coastal community to one of Australia’s hottest addresses in recent years, with Chris Hemsworth, Simon Baker, Matt Damon and a wealth of other Hollywood A-listers investing in property there. Being just an hour’s drive south of the screen industry stronghold of the Gold Coast, the community is also the perfect balance of accessible and remote, with the surrounding hinterland offering up a wealth of locations for dreamy shoots.
The timing couldn’t have been better for Byron Studios, which looks set to enjoy serious production overflow from Sydney. The sale of Fox Studios to Disney has seen the Sydney complex booked out for the foreseeable future, meaning that there are a wealth of creatives looking for production facilities. With Stan and the Nine Network already utilising the space, the future of film and TV is looking rosy in Byron.
2. Coffs Harbour Film Studio
In mid-June 2021 a whisper began circulating the Australian screen industry, which was later confirmed by the media: Russell Crowe was backing the construction of a brand new film studio at Pacific Bay Resort in Coffs Harbour. Crowe is a local of the region, owning a property in Nana Glen, 25 minutes northwest of Coffs.
He and the studio team recognised that Australia had become arguably the most COVID-safe filming location in the world, and with the Fox Studios in Sydney booked out for over a year, there was a real opportunity to provide professional-level production facilities to those who didn’t boast the backing of the biggest screen industry players. In fact, a lot of Australian filmmakers were being forced to use industrial buildings and warehouses in Western Sydney as temporary soundstages to keep their productions ticking over.
Being attached to a resort will allow the new studio to offer accommodation to cast and crew, while the location halfway between Australia’s two largest screen industry hubs – Sydney and the Gold Coast – means that this seemingly remote location is actually quite accessible. Add in the screen industry talent that can be found in Coffs Harbour – a city of 70,000 – and you have a compelling proposition for film and TV companies.
3. Screen Tasmania
The Tasmanian government is putting a concerted effort into attracting film and TV productions to its shores, and such is the diversity and uniqueness of Australia’s island state that these efforts are netting real results.
2021 represents the final year of Screen Tasmania’s 2017-2021 strategic plan, which focused on “attracting high quality, high value productions to the state, developing the substantial talent of Tasmanians, and supporting Tasmanian-based projects.”
Over the last 12 months Screen Tasmania has approved hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of funding to dozens of productions, including independent films, mainstream TV series and even mobile game development. The strategy has paid dividends, with the screen industry talent on the Apple Isle becoming stronger and stronger as a direct result of the investment.
4. Alice Springs
In June 2020, Screen Territory and the Northern Territory government dropped a significant media release, outlining the largest local production to ever be filmed in the NT. MaveriX would be a series of ten 30-minute episodes, with a predominantly teenage cast, set in the adrenaline-fuelled world of motocross.
The hub of the production was announced as Alice Springs, and with the help of a $1.5 million grant from the Territory government, $5 million and 400 jobs were predicted to be injected into the local economy. With Netflix having already scooped the series up at the script stage, the red centre will be offered in high definition to over 200 million subscribers in almost every country on earth.
But the most exciting thing isn’t the immediate gains, but rather what this series has the potential to do for Alice Springs as a production destination. With so many Australian films and TV series set in the outback, MaveriX could lay the foundation for Alice Springs to become a screen industry hub, particularly given the firsthand experience that hundreds of locals will soon boast.
5. Shark Bay, WA
Shark Bay, eight hours north of Perth, has recently been named Western Australia’s first “Film Friendly” council (along with the Shire of West Arthur.)
Most famous for its namesake Marine Park and World Heritage Site, and as the home of the friendly dolphins of Monkey Mia, Shark Bay has completed Screenwest’s certification steps, and has appointed a Film Liaison Officer, trained in supporting film productions. While its size and location may make it difficult for this community to become a major player in the Australian screen industry, it is now perfectly positioned to carve out a significant niche, with the stunning scenery sure to attract a wealth of production teams.
The Australian screen industry is currently far too concentrated in the capitals. Such is the diversity of rural Australia, and so compelling is the economic case, that spreading the industry to a carefully chosen group of regional hubs will do it no end of good. It will make Australian film and TV stronger, more resilient, and far healthier, while also making the most of this country’s enviable natural assets.
The power to become a regional screen industry hub is in the hands of each location. The opportunity is there, and it’s up to local governments and entrepreneurs to grab it.
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