Australian TV drama spending is up – and it shows
In a crossposting from The Conversation, RMIT’s Lisa French argues that increased government funding is delivering better local television drama
Australian TV drama expenditure has increased by 27% in the last year, according to a Screen Australia report released today, accounting for 50% of the A$752 million spent on big and small screen drama in 2012/13. But could we say this corresponds with significantly better home-grown drama? I’d say the signs are extremely positive.
Next week, the second series of the prize-winning ABC drama Redfern Now, goes to air. Drawing together some of the leading lights of Indigenous TV production, Redfern Now will be screened in an environment of renewed optimism about Australian television. Critics loved the first series, and it won an audience-voted 2013 Logie for most outstanding drama in April.
It’s not the only Australian show enjoying critical and commercial acclaim both here and overseas. So what’s driving the current swathe of quality Australian TV drama?
“Jane Campion… …A New Zealander working from Australia…” ha! the rule is:- A successful NZer is called Australian! Everyone knows that.
‘Most Outstanding’ Logies are peer-voted, not audience-voted. Unless you mean an audience of peers. What I’m saying is it wasn’t one of the Logies voted for by Bylynda Bogan, who plumped for House Husbands as Most Popular Drama.
(I’m not knocking Redfern Now.)
Lisa French just seems to have swallowed Screen Australia’s press release whole. Given the considerable extra funding to the ABC one would expect that the TV drama would be better. But there have also been some real shocker series by the ABC including Crownies (ABC spend at least $11 million), The Straits (ABC spend 4 million), Serangoon Road (ABC spend at least 5 million) and some very dull comedies. Redfern Now was a great drama initiative for indigenous drama but gee it was dull and worthy and rarely able to rise above soap opera. Audiences turned off in droves. Time Of Our Lives really was a soap. In comparison to material from the UK, US and Denmark with its brilliant crime thrillers the increased output was been pretty average.
And of course there is Top Of The Lake, a New Zealand crime story set completely in New Zealand. Why Lisa did Screen Australia invest any money in this series at all? If it had been set in America with same creatives Screen Australia would have baulked but somehow setting it in New Zealand is OK. The ABC actually withdrew from it when it realised it had little connection to Australia despite the kudos attached to a Jane Campion series.
One hopes that in future some real analysis and debate came be brought to Australian TV drama. There seems nobody out there prepared to do it even when paid by universities.
Money does not improve drama, it helps with production, but it cannot improve drama.
The consistent problem with our television drama has been insufficient time allocated to production, sub standard scripts and a lack of theatrical understanding by many producers and alas, by some directors.
Australian writers are as good as any in the world, but they do not get a fair run or sufficient opportunity to hone their skills and develop their craft.
Actors are too often left to wait for a phone call offering them an audition, many times with a self appointed specialist who has no idea what they are looking for or at.
Directors are often pushed up camera operators or floor managers with great technical and procedural skills but little or no theatrical knowledge at all, who are in turn dominated by the Producer. Producers? Well most producers remain a mystery to me even after my 45 years in the theatrical business.
Jane Campion is a fine example of a person who has been in the business for many years, she knows her craft and has had the intelligence to stick with, not only what she knows best, but the specific areas within the craft for which she has a great feeling .