Film industry heavyweights warn red tape and bureaucracy force major movie producers to ditch Sydney
A decade before Batman and Superman joined forces on the big screen, Hollywood was set to film a Justice League movie in Sydney. It failed due to red tape, and now the filmmaking industry is warning that our economy will keep missing out unless we start bringing Hollywood back to NSW.
A decade before Superman and Batman joined forces on the big screen, Australia was on the verge of producing its very own Justice League movie.
Mad Max: Fury Road director George Miller was ready to produce the $200m superhero blockbuster ten years ago, which included Australian model Megan Gale starring as Wonder Woman.
The proposed film had come on the back of a long run of Hollywood films being produced in Sydney, which included the Star Wars prequels, Superman Returns and Mission Impossible 2.
But according to Miller, the then-Rudd Government’s denial of a tax rebate scuppered the project.
“That was really bad, not for me but for the Australian film industry, because we could have been making those films regularly here,” the Oscar-winning director said earlier this year.
Red tape and bureaucracy are forcing major movie producers to turn off the camera in Sydney and use other states or even go overseas instead — with industry heavyweights warning NSW is now stuck in the “dark ages” while Queensland enjoys the limelight.
What it means is we’re missing out on potentially tens of millions of dollars in tourism exposure.
Insiders say blockbusters including Aquaman, Thor: Ragnarok and Dora The Explorer are all hits that could’ve been made here instead of Queensland if only we had similar tax incentives.
The Daily Telegraph talked to several industry experts who have highlighted the obstacles and the steps to overcome them to bring back the days of shooting mega-hits such as Star Wars, The Matrix and The Great Gatsby in the Harbour City.
“Sydney just doesn’t get that if you make it easier for filming to take place (then) the pay-off is that the city can be showcased,” TV and film commentator Andrew Mercado, who is also a former locations manager for Gold Coast’s Movie World, said.
“Queensland understands this and it is a lot easier and cheaper to film up there.”
MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
DJ Tigerlily mixes music with real life issues
Elyse Knowles sets her sights on the world
Surfer Sally Fitzgibbon wants to be a good role model
AJK Grips managing director Adam Kuiper has worked on major projects ranging from Mad Max: Fury Road to the first instalment of Peter Rabbit.
He said Sydney authorities were “obstructive” to the film and TV industry.
Even parking can be an issue.
“It’s almost like the government doesn’t want to help us,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“Yes, we do come in big and ask for a lot — but it’s like they just don’t want us here basically.
“Then you go to Melbourne (and) they go out of their way to help us.
“To put it simply, parking permits and location costs are excessive and dealing with the traffic authority is a pain in the neck.”
The industry is about to take another hit with the closure of well-known film precinct Callan Park at Rozelle.
The 140 acres of prime real estate, which used to be a psychiatric hospital, has been used as a base for 28 projects in the past five years.
This includes Redfern Now, Doctor Doctor, Secret City and Australian Gangster.
Callan Park Film Production Services owner Gordon Andersen said the Office of Environment and Heritage ordered the vacancy of Callan Park from June 30 next year.
“Being ordered to shut down and vacate, for no other reason than Office for Environment and Heritage wishes to have the building empty, is perplexing and extremely narrow-minded,” he said.
“The NSW film industry is set to go back to the dark ages — hiring out old warehouses and vacant buildings … thereby increasing production costs.
“At the same time Queensland is investing $15 million building new film production offices specifically for TV series. Go figure.”
Fox Studios Australia recently told federal parliament that sometimes productions are moved offshore entirely because the tax refunds are almost double in other countries.
Many countries offer tax refunds of about 30 per cent to production companies that make movies there. Australia offers just 16.5 per cent
“The sector locally is facing issues,” Fox told a senate inquiry.
“The consequences we are seeing of Australia’s uncompetitive policies is that industry is overlooking and bypassing Australia, and our perception internationally is becoming negative.
“For Australia’s local production industries to continue to thrive, it needs to improve its production incentives.”
Yet Create NSW executive director for Investment and Engagement Elizabeth W. Scott said it was “working hard to make sure that our state incentives remain competitive”.
“Our Made in NSW funding of up to $10 million per year has been extended for the next four years from 2018/19,” she said.
Transport for NSW said the “many” requests regarding filming were “approved wherever possible”.
“With more than five million motorists using 18,000km of roads in NSW every day, Transport’s top priority is to keep people moving and as a result, some Road Occupancy Licence requests may not be approved,” a spokesman said.
The Office of Environment and Heritage confirmed they’re no longer taking reservations for commercial productions to film at Callan Park.
Angelina looks to space for design inspiration
Hundreds of NSW primary school children entered The Daily Telegraph’s competition to design Sydney’s next great building but Angelina El Malouf’s observatory and space museum was out of this world.
Sydney college to rival the best
Aspiring croupiers, cocktail bartenders and even butlers will be trained to compete with the world’s best at Sydney’s newest hospitality training college when it opens in March.