Behind the scenes of Ron Howard’s Eden filmed in Queensland

Working in the film industry is a dream job for many and for a growing number of Queenslanders it’s becoming a reality.

Clare Evans has known she’s wanted to work in movies since she was 10 years old.

But growing up among the sugarcane fields of Bundaberg, Ms Evans assumed her dream would never come true unless she made the big interstate move to Sydney or jetted off interstate or overseas.

But then Elvis came to town.

“I really thought I had to go to Sydney, I thought that was, like, the only option,” she said.

“It wasn’t really until around the time I heard that they were going to shoot Elvis on the Gold Coast that I probably started paying more attention to Queensland’s film industry.

“I now feel totally confident that I could stay and like establish myself in Gold Coast and not have to go to Sydney.”

VFX Data Wrangler Clare Evans on the set of Eden at the Gold Coast. Photo: Jasin Boland.

The 21-year-old VFX data wrangler embodies the new wave of talent cashing in on Queensland’s burgeoning film industry.

The latest Hollywood blockbuster to film on the Gold Coast, Eden, wrapped up earlier this month.

The survival thriller was directed by film legend Ron Howard and features an all-star cast including Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Brühl, and Sydney Sweeney.

But behind all the glitz and glamour is a dedicated local crew who’ve used their expertise to bring the story to life.

Veteran Hair and Makeup Designer Rick Findlater on the set of Eden at the Gold Coast. Photo: Jasin Boland.

Veteran hair and makeup artist Rick Findlater has worked on major blockbusters, including The Lord of the Rings and Avatar, across 17 countries.

But as Queensland’s popularity grows among international filmmakers, Mr Findlater said is was reassuring for him to be able to finally live and work in his home state.

“Australia now has such a depth of talent and depth of technicians that can produce world-class stuff, there’s no need to bring anybody in anymore,” he said.

“It’s also super exciting for any young people that want to get into the business because they know that they don’t have to travel and chase work. We’ve got such good infrastructure here.”

Genki Yamasaki scored his dream job on Eden.

“I started as a runner and now I’m here working right next to the director,” he said.

“Working with Ron has been fortunate for me, he’s opened up the world to me.

“I worked on Thirteen Lives with him as well, so now he is letting me be involved in more things.”

Assistant to Ron Howard, Genki Yamasaki, on the set of Eden at the Gold Coast. Photo: Jasin Boland.

The director’s assistant described Queensland’s film industry as being in a “gold rush” and he said there were a combination of factors drawing big-name production companies to the state.

“There’s three factors that I would consider,” he said.

“One of them is the location - we’ve got fantastic exotic locations here that people are attracted to,” he said.

“We’ve also got to a state-of-the-art soundstages and Village Roadshow Studios and a world class crew,

“Then, the third, which is probably the most important, is the state and the federal incentives and offsets. Without their help, you know, you can’t make these rational business decisions to fly all the way here in Australia to shoot these films, so that’s definitely the reason why we’ve been awarded these incredible opportunities.”

Production Office PA Elliott Ng on the set of Eden at the Gold Coast. Photo: Jasin Boland.

On Eden, Elliott Ng transitioned from a production office PA to a key role assisting the line producer.

Having worked on film sets both here and in the US, Mr Ng said the local industry was very collaborative. .

“It’s nice coming over here. In Australia everyone kind of shares the load,” he said.

For aspiring film professionals, Mr Ng said there was no time like the present to take the plunge into the local industry.

“Just get into it - no job’s too small - and just get the experience under your belt, get in however you can,” he said.

'Eden', an American survival thriller film directed by Ron Howard, stars Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Sydney Sweeney, Jude Law, Daniel Brühl, Felix Kammerer, Toby Wallace and Richard Roxburgh. Photo: Instagram.

To support local workers, Screen Queensland offers emerging professionals an attachment program that facilitates paid, project-based work to give them on-the-job experience.

Mr Findlater said getting that type of on-set experience is invaluable for movie industry newcomers.

“It is the best possible start for these guys, ” he said.

“It couldn’t be a more positive experience because they get to meet everybody around them.

Screen Queensland confirmed that three local attachments assigned to work on Eden have subsequently gone on to find jobs on other productions through connections they made during filming.

Genki Yamasaki, Clare Evans, Rick Findlater and Elliott Ng on the set of Eden at the Gold Coast. Photo: Jasin Boland.