“We have a chance to re-invent our industry, putting in place the solid foundations needed to effectively confront the changing landscape for feature film production in Australia and throughout the world.”
Robert Connolly’s “Embracing Innovation” is a paper filled with practical solutions for Australian filmmakers.
As technology changes, the film industry faces an era of uncertainty as well as opportunity. Other national cinemas appear to have adapted to the opportunities offered by new technologies where we have not. New avenues for marketing and distribution of film content have popped up all over the Internet and are becoming an essential arena to exploit our content.
Traditional production and financing models are perhaps not invalid as Connolly suggests, but need to be extended or re-worked. Having said that, would it be more effective to abandon old models and start again rather than re-work them?
A major problem Connolly identifies is our mini-studio model and ‘no-man’s-land’ financing model. Our industry is run by a mini-studio production model ill equipped to cope with large productions. Our financing model sees our budgets increase rather than decrease. It seems they are not large enough to compete internationally yet are too big to effectively sustain an innovative industry. Even investors at 2007 Cannes festival critiqued Australia’s feature film budgets as too high.
Connolly points out that a more sustainable business model is one driven by lower budgets, tighter turnaround between productions and a share of gross revenues for the producer.
Connolly makes note of the counterproductive and costly business practices serving our industry:
- Fees based on a percentage of the budget forcing producers to increase budgets to achieve a reasonable fee.
- Profit arrangements that do not seek to support producers so they glean from within the budget.
- Government funding with strict conditions such as attached marquee cast increasing the budget again.
- Government investment based on budget percentages forcing the producer to find expensive support rather than valuing the strength of sales and distribution partners.
Overall producers have been forced to push their budgets to new heights not because it will benefit the production but because it is financially essential to do so.
Connolly proposes we abolish percentage based remuneration to stop driving budgets to the extreme and suggest the government commission an investigation into this issue to develop a new financing business model. Connolly suggests wages should be paid according to time, experience and commitment. We need to keep developing models that reward filmmakers for their effort. Providing creative incentives for filmmakers to work effectively with small budgets should be introduced. We could even consider funding for producers based on their track record. An important consideration Connolly points out is the avoidance of incentives based on box office returns as excessive expenditure may be spent on the release and may take precedence over the film – I certainly agree with this but believe more funding and planning needs to be considered in a filmmaker’s business model. Connolly also proposes we provide a realistic wage for cast and crew. Two final solutions are to cap legal fees and simplify agreements.
Connolly has provided very real, practical and appropriate solutions for our industry’s broken production model. How do we go about implementing these solutions and changing the mindset of those stuck in an age old static way of thinking?
