While the government is showing support and generosity to foreign filmmakers and commercial television interests, it seems less inclined to demonstrate similar largesse to its own creators.
Long hours make it difficult for carers in the screen industry, and particularly for women.
Shutterstock.com
In a survey of 600 members of the screen industry, 74% of carers felt their caring responsibilities had a negative impact on their career. Of these, 86% were women.
Social media sensation Christiaan Van Vuuren (left) on the Logie Awards red carpet last year alongside Irish actress Valene Kane and TV host Matt Okine.
Joe Castro/AAP
Social media entertainers are creative, entrepreneurial and masters at building the communities that support them. But regulations currently under review could strangle this nascent industry.
Dora the Explorer is coming to Queensland but is our local industry too dependent on international movies?
Keith Bedford
This week actors including Cate Blanchett signed an open letter calling on the government to protect our screen industry. More needs to be done to create a sustainable local industry beyond Dora-style, Hollywood productions.
RackaRacka, a sketch channel on YouTube, have been called Australia’s most successful content creators.
Screenshot from YouTube
Online video is flourishing in Australia with very little government attention. Content creators like Youtube channel RackaRacka are getting millions of viewers, numbers the traditional screen industry can only dream of.
Screen Australia will target female-led projects.
The Preiser Project
Screen Australia has announced a five point plan to promote gender balance, including A$3 million funding for female-led creative projects.
Even with Kate Winslet and Judy Davis cast in The Dressmaker, the film was considered too high a risk for international buyers.
Courtesy of Universal Pictures.
If the Australian screen industry is to grow into the future and prosper, it cannot ignore the untapped creative talent and leadership potential of women. We need strategies to address this problem.
Should the offset for screen producers apply to all films made in Australia? Yes, even the ones that ruffle a few feathers.
mark sebastian/Flickr
David Court, Australian Film, Television and Radio School
The producers of a creationist doc took advantage of Screen Australia’s tax offsets. Were they exploiting a loophole? Hardly – and there’s good reason why producers of all films should enjoy such benefits.
David Court, Australian Film, Television and Radio School
We know the transformation of global media technologies pose particular challenges to local filmmakers – and that the rewards are still slim. But there are good reasons to be optimistic about the future of the industry.
Australian producers are struggling to face challenges imposed by a changing screen industry – and greater transparency will benefit everyone.
AAP Image/Gaye Gerard
David Court, Australian Film, Television and Radio School and Andrea Buck, Australian Film, Television and Radio School
There is an emerging push for greater transparency in the industry about how films are funded and the profits they return. But can sharing information can help a financially risky industry into the black?
Critics write the obituaries for Australian films the weekend they’re released. Is there a better way to understand the industry?
AAP Image/Cameron Oliver
By all reports the Australian cinema is dead. Left for dust by the noisy distractions of big budget movie franchises and the smaller diversions of teeny shiny devices. All you can see in any direction…
How can big data help us to better understand the cinema habits of movie-lovers around the world?
Kenneth Lu/Flickr
The backlash against “big data” studies is well underway. And no more so than in the area of humanities and creative arts research. If I had a dollar for every person who has told me over the past year…
Do you need a degree to make a movie? Recent research shows that it will help you get a job.
Jonathan Kos-Read
It’s Open Day season at universities across Australia. Prospective students are pondering whether it’s worth doing a degree or not – and in particular, whether it will increase their chances of gaining…