Australian Screen News Feb 2023: Oscars interview with Wayne & Libby of Big Bang Sound, Location Spotlight: Ipswich

February 2023

Hi there,

Welcome to the February edition of Ausfilm's monthly newsletter, where we bring you the latest news and insights from Australia's vibrant and thriving screen industry. In this edition, we shine a spotlight on Ipswich, Queensland’s heritage-rich satellite city, which is fast becoming a popular filming location.

In anticipation of the Oscars, Ausfilm caught up with Wayne Pashley and Libby Villa of Big Bang Sound for a delightful Q&A. They have been nominated in the Best Sound category for their work on Baz Luhrmann's Elvis. We wish them and all the incredible nominees the best of luck!

In our First Nations spotlight, we introduce Beck Cole, a Warumungu and Luritja woman and a talented writer, director, and producer from Victoria, Australia. We also delve into the technical challenges and rewards that Fin encountered while bringing the creepy AI robot horror doll, M3GAN, to life. International productions have been taking advantage of Western Australia’s fantastic post-production rebates, with Sandbox post-house engaged in bringing Devil’s Peak to the screen.

Additionally, we highlight recent industry appointments, including Lauren van Rensburg's return to KOJO and Phil Barrenger's appointment at RSP, returning to the company in a new role, as well as news from Cumulus VFX, Framestore, ILM and The Post Lounge.

We celebrate the successful completion of Gabrielle Jones's four-year tenure as Film and TV Advisor for the City of Gold Coast, and the international success of Queensland-shot film, True Spirit, along with two South Australian films picked up internationally. Hollywood has recently touched down in Victoria with the features Ricky Stanicky and Sleeping Dogs both starting production. TAG celebrates ten huge years in Aus. Meanwhile, Show Group provides sustainable solutions to film production, helping to reduce the industry's carbon footprint.

Before you go, don't miss the latest Ausfilm Insider, it's a good one! George and Julia show their enthusiasm for filming in Aus for Ticket to Paradise. And if you haven't seen it yet, the Ausfilm annual magazine, Return to Aus, is now live as a digital flipbook.

We hope you enjoy this edition of the Aussie industry news.

All our best, The Ausfilm Team

LOCATION SPOTLIGHT

IPSWICH, BRISBANE’S HERITAGE-RICH SATELLITE CITY

Nestled just a 30-minute drive from Brisbane, Ipswich is a treasure trove of heritage buildings and breathtaking natural landscapes that make it a popular filming location. Its convenient access to experienced crew base and the nearby Screen Queensland Studios: Brisbane facility makes it an ideal filming location. Discover the hidden gem of Ipswich.

FIRST NATIONS SPOTLIGHT

VICTORIAN WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER BECK COLE

Beck Cole is a Warumungu and Luritja woman and a writer, director, and producer from Victoria, Australia. Cole discusses the joy of working with filmmakers from other Indigenous nations and the reaction of audiences around the world to her projects. She hopes that her eight-part anthology of shorts from First Nations filmmakers, We Are Still Here will be screened all across Australia and beyond.

Get to know Beck Cole

SOUND, POST AND VFX IT IN AUSTRALIA

Q&A WITH OSCAR-NOM WAYNE PASHLEY AND LIBBY VILLA OF BIG BANG SOUND

With the Oscars around the corner, we caught up with nominee Wayne Pashley and Libby Villa of Big Bang Sound for an awesome Q&A. Find out what makes this talented team so good at what they do and what it was like working with Baz Luhrmann on Elvis.

CUMULUS VFX, REDEFINING THE VFX WORKING MODEL IN REGIONAL AUSTRALIA

Get to know Cumulus Visual Effects, a passionate team of talented VFX artists led by Will Gammon who has turned a humble garage operation into a highly sought-after, TPN-certified studio in the idyllic location of New South Wales' Northern Rivers.

IF LOOKS COULD KILL: FIN BRING THE CREEPY AI ROBOT DOLL, M3GAN, TO LIFE

Discover how the VFX team at Fin created the disturbingly lifelike AI robot doll M3GAN in the feature-length thriller. The result of the 550 VFX shots created by the team was a technically challenging, yet rewarding achievement.

FRAMESTORE DELIVER VFX IN NEW ACTION/DRAMA FILM 65, STARRING ADAM DRIVER

Check out Framestore's epic VFX work in the trailer for the upcoming Sony Pictures feature film 65, starring Adam Driver.

BEHIND THE SCENES: EMMA COONEY, ILM’S LOOK DEVELOPMENT TD

Get to know Emma Cooney, ILM's Look Development Technical Director. Emma discusses how her creative background led her to pursue a career in the visual effects industry, she explains the role of Look Development and the importance of collaboration and communication.

KOJO STUDIOS WELCOMES BACK LAUREN VAN RENSBURG

KOJO Studios welcomes back Lauren van Rensburg in the newly created position of Executive Producer of Post Production to oversee the company’s post-production services across all studios in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

PHIL BARRENGER RETURNS TO RSP AS HEAD OF OPERATIONS

Phil Barrenger has been appointed as the Head of Operations at Rising Sun Pictures. The newly created position will oversee the artistic and technological aspects of the business and will report to RSP President, Jennie Zeiher.

WA'S POST-PRODUCTION REBATES LURE INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS TO SANDBOX

Western Australia's post-production rebates are drawing international production to local post houses like Sandbox, who recently completed post for US feature, Devil's Peak.

THE POST LOUNGE'S SHOWREEL

Immerse yourself in the world of filmmaking with leading post-production house The Post Lounge's showreel, showcasing the talent and versatility of their expert team. Go take a look!

Watch it

AUSFILM INSIDER

In this exceptional edition of Ausfilm Insider, stars Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Billie Lourd and Kaitlyn Dever along with Co-writer/Director, Ol Parker, and Producers Sarah Harvey, Deborah Balderstone and Tim Bevan chat about making the production Ticket to Paradise in Australia!

MAKE IT IN AUSTRALIA

CITY OF GOLD COAST'S GABRIELLE JONES COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL 4-YEAR TENURE

City of Gold Coast's Film and TV Advisor, Gabrielle Jones leaves a lasting impact on the Gold Coast's screen industry after her successful four-year tenure as film and television advisor. On behalf of the Aussie film industry, thanks for your contribution Gabs.

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN FILMS SEE MAJOR SUCCESS AT SUNDANCE AND BERLINALE FESTIVALS

SAFC-supported feature films Talk to Me and Run Rabbit Run have been acquired internationally after successful premieres at the Sundance Film Festival. While three SA films were selected at the Berlinale, with two taking home an award: The Survival of Kindness and Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black).

SHOW GROUP: MAKING SUSTAINABLE OBTAINABLE

As the film industry takes steps toward reducing its carbon footprint, Show Group leads the way by offering sustainable travel solutions to help productions improve their environmental impact.

QUEENSLAND'S TRUE SPIRIT SAILS INTO NETFLIX TOP TWO

The inspiring true story about Aussie teen Jessica Watson's solo sailing journey has found a global audience on Netflix. Since its release on Feb 3, the Queensland-made production has climbed to second place and ranked in the top 10 in 88 countries.

HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGEST NAMES SHOOTING IN MELBOURNE

Melbourne is abuzz with screen production activity, with Hollywood heavyweights John Cena, Zac Efron, William H. Macy, Peter Farrelly and Russell Crowe currently shooting projects in Victoria.

TAG REMINISCE ON TEN YEARS IN AUSTRALIA: A LOOK BACK AND AHEAD

TAG, the award-winning travel and event management company, celebrated its 10th APAC anniversary. We spoke with key figures at TAG, reflecting on their journey so far and offering a glimpse into their vision for the company's future.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

APPLES NEVER FALL LANDS IN QUEENSLAND

Apples Never Fall, the highly-anticipated limited series based on the best-selling novel by Australian author Lianne Moriarty, is all set to film in sunny Queensland, Australia this month.

OLSBERG REPORT HIGHLIGHTS THE VALUE OF AUSTRALIA’S SCREEN INCENTIVES

A new report by Olsberg SPI highlights the economic ROI of Australia's screen production incentives.

Read about it

WILL GLUCK RETURNING TO SYDNEY TO SHOOT ROM-COM

Once again Will Gluck (Peter Rabbit, Peter Rabbit 2) is returning to Aus to direct a new untitled rom-com starring Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell and Bryan Brown. The production has been attracted through the Australian Government's Location Incentive and Screen NSW’s Made in NSW Fund.