Jess Adamson reveals some of SA Film Corporation’s best kept secrets to marks its 50th anniversary
As the SA Film Corporation marks its 50th anniversary, Jess Adamson looks back at its big hits and reveals some eye-popping secrets about the stars who have graced its studios.
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When I was seven years old, I met Edward Woodward, at a picnic. It was just out of Burra in the Mid North, where he’d been starring in Breaker Morant, the 1980 Bruce Beresford-directed war drama.
I wasn’t so interested in him, apart from his excellent name of course, but I really wanted to meet his wife. She was Michele Dotrice, or as most of us would remember her, Frank Spencer’s wife “Betty” in Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em.
When I asked her if Frank was there too, she replied with horror, “I hope not” and scurried off.
Woodward was joined on set by Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson and John Waters. There was a buzz about Burra for months.
Breaker Morant was one of the South Australian Film Corporation’s first major success stories.
Way back then, its director saw what many more in the business are realising now, that our state is a great place for making movies.
The diversity of jaw-dropping locations is part of our magic – from Coober Pedy to the Coorong, from the Flinders Ranges to our rugged southern coastline.
There’s an industry joke, that it’s “20 minutes to everywhere in South Australia” and given our production boom of late, it’s a joke I’m happy to wear. The SA Film Corporation is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. And if the past five years are anything to go by, there’s much to celebrate.
In 1972, when then Premier Don Dunstan established the SA Film Corporation under an act of parliament, the Sunday Mail declared Adelaide the “new Hollywood.”
Since then, the industry’s grown to include 536 screen businesses, 30 of which are game developers, contributing $187m to our economy in 2019-20. Our reputation as a one-stop-shop for making quality screen production is growing fast.
Yet most South Australians would have little idea of the leading role we’re playing.
With the rise of Netflix, at a time when the world is watching more content than ever before, the economic benefits are enormous in this industry and it’s becoming increasingly competitive.
We are punching well above our weight with international directors now regularly choosing South Australia as their go to destination.
The Royal Hotel, Limbo, The Stranger, Beep and Mort, The Tourist and Run Rabbit Run, as well as upcoming Adelaide Film Festival premieres The Survival of Kindness, Talk to Me, Carnifex and Monolith among many others – these are just a few of the major productions created here in the past 18 months.
On the walls of the SAFC’s Glenside studios, the ink is barely dry from the autographs of Emmy award-winning actor Julia Garner, Hugo Weaving, Jamie Dornan, Zac Efron, Simon Baker and Joel Edgerton.
They’ve all called South Australia home over the past two years, along with homegrown stars like Sarah Snook, Erik Thomson and Natasha Wanganeen, shooting in the Flinders, Semaphore and Port Adelaide, at Coober Pedy, Leigh Creek, Waikerie and the Adelaide Hills.
I’ve always wondered what goes on inside those giant walls at the Film Corp’s headquarters – so I went for a look and discovered a whole new and wonderful world.
The smell of fresh varnish in the construction workshop, two enormous sound stages, world class mixing theatres and the space for more than 100 crew and 200 cast members and extras to work together under one roof.
There are 28 independent screen businesses at SAFC’s Adelaide Studios, a custom-built creative hub that’s pulling big names with big budgets.
The original part of the building was the former Parkside Lunatic Asylum, a place where “hysterical” women and intellectually disabled children were incarcerated in the 1890s. But unlike its sad and traumatic past, the building these days is a joyful hive of activity.
It’s a space used by writers, producers, directors, designers and artists to make productions like the soon-to-be-released social thriller, The Royal Hotel, that’s about to showcase our stunning outback to the world.
There are frequent reminders of the past at the studios – an original shooting script from “Shine” with director Scott Hicks’ lead pencil drawings and exquisitely detailed handwritten notes, a hat from Anzac Girls and Dev Patel’s costume from Hotel Mumbai.
There’s a photo of Don Dunstan, actor David Gulpilil and director Peter Weir – taken by Scott Hicks – on the set of the Last Wave, a powerful moment of cultures coming together in the late 70s.
Our skilled crew members and world class post production companies like Rising Sun Pictures are adding to our allure.
Who knew that the Las Vegas scenes in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis were created right here in Adelaide?
Making production easier is the Adelaide Studios’ sound stages at Glenside – the largest about 1000sq m in size.
They allow directors to shoot day and night, controlling the light and sound, and saving themselves precious time and money.
I am Mother, starring Hilary Swank, built an entire space station, Firebite created a replica of Coober Pedy’s underground tunnels and The Tourist built an outback house complete with an outback desert vista.
Before the Rolling Stones performed at Adelaide Oval in 2014, they built a replica stage there and rehearsed unseen for a week.
SA Film Corporation CEO Kate Croser, a former producer, says the energy of a film or TV shoot is like nothing else.
“It’s a well-oiled machine where everyone knows the contribution they’re making and once it gets rolling it’s like an unstoppable force.
“I love championing the talent. I love that SA has such a depth of amazing, creative talent.
“It’s a highly collaborative pursuit. You end up with a product, something that actually changes people’s lives.
“And when people watch it, it gives meaning to their lives and changes the national conversation.”
What goes on behind those walls at Glenside is more than just making pictures. It’s storytelling that has a cultural, social and economic impact and we’re taking those stories to the world.
The future is bright with a new convergence of technology in the screen sector – more work is being done with virtual production, visual effects and game development capability.
There’s no doubt we’re entering a golden era of screen production – a chance to showcase our people, our talent and our beautiful backyard.
As I leave Adelaide Studios, the sawdust is flying and hammers are banging. I get the feeling another big one is coming soon.
If the visionary Don Dunstan could see us now, I reckon he’d be pretty impressed.
Originally published as Jess Adamson reveals some of SA Film Corporation’s best kept secrets to marks its 50th anniversary
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