SHOOTING FILM OR TV IN AUSTRALIA… (Some of the basics you should know).

SHOOTING FILM OR TV IN AUSTRALIA… (Some of the basics you should know).

Bruce Bisbey…please follow us at: https://dumbdogproductionsllc.blogspot.com

Australia is a world-class location for film-making. Many big-budget movie and television productions are filmed in Australia, or feature the work of Australian post-production, digital and visual effects companies.

Australia has everything you need to make your screen production a success. Australia offers world-class film studios, a wide range of inspiring film locations, depth of experienced crews, Oscar-winning talent and competitive film and TV production incentives which make for cost-effective production.

Australia has a wealth of experience in producing feature films, TV series, documentaries and animations and continually delivers excellence to filmmakers from around the world.

State and territory governments are the first point of contact for any issues about filming in a specific location:

•         Australian Capital Territory – ScreenACT...
•         New South Wales – Screen NSW...
•         Northern Territory – Northern Territory Film Office...
•         Queensland – Screen Queensland...
•         South Australia – South Australian Film Corporation...
•         Tasmania – Screen Tasmania...
•         Victoria – Film Victoria...
•         Western Australia – ScreenWest... 

Australia boasts four major film studio complexes each offering state-of-the-art facilities to meet all your production needs. 

•         Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast, Queensland...
•         Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, New South Wales...
•         Docklands Studios in Melbourne, Victoria...
•         Adelaide Studios in Adelaide, South Australia...

Links:

Ausfilm is Australia's gateway for information about filming in Australia. Ausfilm has offices in Sydney and Los Angeles and provides details on shooting in every state, including locations, cast and crew, facilities, technicians and creative talent.

AUSFILM

Building 23C

Fox Studios, Australia

38 Drive Avenue, Moore Park

NSW 2021 Australia

Phone: 61 2 9383 4192

Fax: +61 2 9383 4190

info@ausfilm.com.au

http://www.ausfilm.com.au/why-film-in-australia/

http://www.ausfilm.com.au/why-film-in-australia/filmography/

SCREEN AUSTRALIA

Sydney Head Office

Level 7, 45 Jones Street

Ultimo NSW 2007

GPO Box 3984

Sydney NSW 2001 Australia

Phone: +61 2 8113 5800

Free call: 1800 213 099 (available nationally, charges to mobiles and payphone will apply)

Fax: +61 2 8113 5888

SCREEN AUSTRALIA

Melbourne Office

Ground floor

290 Coventry Street

South Melbourne VIC 3205

PO Box 404

South Melbourne VIC 3205

Phone: +61 3 8682 1900

Free call 1800 213 681 (available nationally, charges to mobiles and payphone will apply)

Fax: +61 3 9696 1476

AUSTRALIA GOVERNMENT: Department of Communications and Art

Some things you need to know: 

FOREIGN ACTOR CERTIFICATION SCHEME

If you are looking to bring a foreign performer into Australia to work on a television or film production, the Migration Regulations require that visa applications are supported by a certificate given by the Arts Minister. Decisions on issuing visas are made by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

The Arts Minister makes decisions on issuing certificates through the Foreign Actor Certification Scheme.  We assess applications and provide advice to help with this decision making process. The Foreign Actor Certification Scheme ensures that Australians working in the entertainment industry are given a fair opportunity to gain employment in film and television productions shot in Australia, and that Australian voices are heard in Australian productions.

Contact:

Screen Industry Section

Department of Communications and the Arts

GPO Box 2154

Canberra ACT 2601

Phone: 02 6271 1705

Email: foreignactors@arts.gov.au

THE AUSTRALIAN SCREEN PRODUCTION INCENTIVE (these incentives are subject to change)

Visit the Film Industry Incentives on the Australian Taxation Office website for information about:

•          Taxation…
•         Obligations of companies starting business in Australia…
•          Registering for an Australian business number…
•          Filing business activity statements and annual income tax returns…

Division 376 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997) provides three tax offsets for certain Australian production expenditure incurred by a production company in making a film where a minimum level of expenditure has been incurred. The company is only entitled to one of the three tax offsets in relation to a film. The company can claim the tax offset in its income tax return.

The three tax offsets are:

•       a refundable tax offset for Australian expenditure in making Australian films, known as ‘the producer tax offset’ (the amount of the producer tax offset is 40% of the company’s total qualifying Australian production expenditure (QAPE) on a feature film or 20% of the company’s total QAPE on a film that is not a feature film)...
•         a refundable tax offset for Australian expenditure in making a film, known as ‘the location tax offset’ (the amount of the location tax offset is generally 16.5% of the company’s total QAPE on the film)...
•         a refundable tax offset for Australian expenditure on post, digital and visual effects production for a film, known as ‘the PDV tax offset’ (the amount of the PDV tax offset is generally 30% of the company’s total QAPE on the film that relates to post, digital and visual effects production for the film)....

Where the production company has chosen to claim one of the three tax offsets for an eligible film, neither of the other two tax offsets is available in relation to the film. This means that a film may be certified for only one stream of the Australian screen production incentive.

Resources for film professionals

•         Australian Screen Editors Inc...
•         Australian Cinematographers Society...
•      Australian Writers' Guild...
•         Screen rights copyright collection agency for rights holders in film and television...
•         Screen Producers Association of Australia...
•         Inside Film: Australia's Filmmaker Magazine...

Australian online film magazines:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

•         Screening The Past...
•         UrbanCinefile...
•        Australian Film in the Reading Room...
•         Real Time Online...
•     Senses of Cinema...

Useful links: 

•         Australian title search - The Internet Movie Database...
•         Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)...
•         Australian film publications - A bibliography of books on Australian film...
•         Popcorn Taxi - external site - Independent film screenings in Sydney and Melbourne...
•      Australian film reviews - Urban Cinefile...

Sources: Google, Wikipedia, Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Ausfilm, Screen Industry Section Australia, Screen Australia, Australian Government

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