Australian drama expenditure sees 25% increase on last year

Australian drama expenditure has increased by 25 per cent on the last financial year, with a total spend recorded at $623m. The number comes from Screen Australia’s annual Drama Report. Within this year were two big budget productions, I Frankenstein and The Great Gatsby, major contributors to the $296m in feature production. Foreign activity was down from $86m last year to $49m this year.

The announcement:

Screen Australia released its annual Drama Report today, revealing a 25 per cent increase in total drama production expenditure for 2011/12 with a total recorded spend of $623 million. Feature production was particularly strong, significantly up on last year and the five-year average, accounting for 47 per cent of expenditure at $296 million.
“It’s been a strong year for feature production, with a bigger slate overall, boosted by high-budget Australian titles The Great Gatsby and I, Frankenstein,” said Screen Australia’s Chief Executive Ruth Harley.

Baz Luhrmann, director of The Great Gatsby, and producer of the film along with his wife Catherine Martin and others, highlighted the importance of the Producer Offset in bringing large-budget feature projects to Australia. He said: “CM and I give much thought to how valuable our longstanding and deep creative relationships in Australia are, from photography, acting, visual effects, production design and in every other aspect of the filmmaking process. Possibly the greatest filmmaking asset Australia has is our crews and creative collaborators. This is a hidden and somewhat invisible asset, and one that could not have contributed to the creation of The Great Gatsby without the support of the Producer Offset.