Hello

Popping into your August feed, we hope our friends, colleagues and partners all over the world are safe and well.

In a Covid world August has been particularly challenging for some of us in Australia and indeed many of our international partners. Despite these challenges we are seeing the true grit, innovation and resilience of the Australian screen industry ramping back up on local and international productions across the country. So we've introduced a new feature Filming during Covid to keep you updated on productions successfully implementing the Covid Safe Screen Production Guidelines and procedures across this vast land.

This month Screenwest announces the West Australian Government's plan to build a studio facility in Western Australia. Plus Ausfilm is absolutely delighted to welcome three new inspiring WA based VFX and post-production companies to the membership: Boogie Monster, Double Barrel VFX and Sandbox. Check out their showreels and be inspired!

We also have updates on our VFX members and other screen industry activities, so sit back with a cuppa tea and a ginger biscuit as we bring the news from Down Under to you!

Our very warmest wishes to you all.

The Ausfilm Team 

Big news in Western Australia this month. The state government announces they will invest in the development of studio, digital and post-production facilities in Western Australia to meet the state’s growing screen infrastructure needs alongside the current location-based activity across regional Western Australia. They're calling for submissions to develop new state-of-the-art studio facilities that will meet the needs of the local screen industry in addition to interstate and international productions.

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Brisbane and Melbourne based post-production house The Post Lounge played an integral role in the lockdown dramedy Retrograde by Unless Pictures and Orange Entertainment Co. The project is said to be one of the first original Australian dramas to be conceived and completed during the current pandemic.

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We love a good spotlight and this month Cinefex's VFX reporter, Graham Edwards chats with Rising Sun Picture's VFX Supervisor, Dan Bethell. He discusses the challenges of shooting Mad Max: Fury Road in the Namibian desert, and his controversial view of butter on popcorn!

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Congratulations to Method Studios in Melbourne awarded for ‘Best Sequence’ for their work on Jumanji: The Next Level at this year’s Australian Animation and Effects Awards and Festival.

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Watch SLATEVFX create magic for season 2 of Netflix's The New Legends of Monkey.

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Head of Screen NSW, Grainne Brunsdon, talks to Ausfilm about the support the agency provides to international and local productions and the role the agency played on the international feature Children of the Corn as it filmed during the restrictions of COVID-19.

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The adaptation of inspiring international bestseller Penguin Bloom  (Made Up Stories, Broadtalk and JamTart production) tells the true story of Australian Sam Bloom, whose world is shattered after an accident and how an injured baby magpie, Penguin, changes her and her family's life. The film will have its world premier at the Toronto International Film Festival.

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Australian writer Roderick MacKay’s directorial debut The Furnace, was shot late last year in Western Australia’s spectacular mid-west region. Now it will premiere at Venice Film Festival.

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The Glasgow-based production company launches a Melbourne production office, Synchronicity Australia, following the internatioinal success of the Victorian-based BBC One series The Cry.

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South Australia ramps up production using the ground breaking new Risk Assessment Tool commissioned by the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC). Also the SAFC hires top producer Julie Ryan as production executive and South Australia gets its own YouTube stars with more than 6 million subscribers.

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