The screen industry should run on ingenuity, not politics
Popcorn Taxi’s Chris Murray suggests a taxi service and pie van could keep the industry moving – an industry that should be founded on ingenuity and creativity rather than politics.
It would seem, based on serial offenders to the numerous blogs in and around the Australian Film Industry, that as a generalisation, filmmakers have a lot of time on their hands.
Unless you’ve succumbed to the evils of commercial TV, or worse still, commercials themselves, you’ll be one of the countless many touting their writing/directing abilities to funding bodies as the 120-page screenplay to your feature film Independent-genre-feature-with-commercial-potential-that-still-adheres-to-a-distinctly-Australian-sensibility sits atop a desk (or indeed buried under numerous coffee rings) in every Govt department.
You spend most of your time scouring the ‘interwebs’ for news of what jargon is being sprouted at industry workshops and how the producer offset is that one step closer to being as easy to negotiate as driving in India.
Fear not, for we have a cunning stunt that surely will have the industry again thriving, and hopefully minted.
‘Screen Workers Combined.’ This is a small fleet of taxis (owned by The Writer’s and Director’s Guilds, with a small ‘Silver Service’ style fleet for SPAA members) which keeps scribes and creatives engaged in the greater community where the ‘real stories’ are to be found, plus earning everyone a quid.
Imagine it – potential audiences usually allergic to Australian Films (unless it has a dog, a bogan or a combination of the two driving a ute) are now guaranteed to grab a lift with an industry professional who literally has a script under the seat and will pitch it en-route. Punters can thus be immediately fueling the film industry at ground level while also offering advice and feedback. The funding bodies must use these cabs exclusively among their busy schedules; thus inadvertently funding prospective projects first-hand as they pop off to an important meeting or business lunch. In fact, the entire public service could be helping the arts with no middle management.
Of course, I jest. As such an idea would come under too much fire from those with bad driving records and poor eyesight whom are unable to partake in this ingenious revenue model. The alternative here would be a fleet of permanently parked ‘pie and peas’ caravans where visiting VIPs, highly paid actors and off-shore producers can purchase a tasty snack from a film scribe and enjoy the view while also being pitched the ‘next-big-thing’ – all the while safe in the knowledge that it’s pretty hard for anyone to actually get out of the caravan in a hurry (locked from the outside) so a fast escape is easily achieved if need be.
In all seriousness, if there’s a problem there’s usually an answer, or at least an idea. The trick is to be open to thinking about a solution to industry problems that doesn’t require mountains of red tape, jargon, double-meaning and outdated methodology applied at the speed at which a Koala does aerobics to help and support an industry that is founded on ingenuity and creativity, not politics.
It is, however, a ‘business’ and thus if the people aren’t consuming your product (and let’s face it – they are always right), perhaps it’s a good idea to try and improve it and experiment a little more. The artistic nature of the film should come from within regardless; not be the excuse for failure of incorrect investment or poor support at distribution and exhibition level. An incentive for local exhibitors to actually screen a smaller Australian product over another film involving a talking cat, may also be another idea. I’m not talking an ‘Aussie quota’ – no way – just an incentive so that exhibitors feel less reluctant to take a punt in a dangerously fickle world.
But hey – what the fuck would I know?
Chris Murray is the Creative Director of Popcorn Taxi.
Chris- great idea, how is it going to evolve into a reality? I often scratch my head and wonder why all the funding bodies and SA aren’t combining to create an exclusive VOD platform for Australian productions and embracing a range of other business models that could help develop obvious talent. We simply can’t afford to have the current attrition rate of talented people struggling to build careers giving up or moving overseas. Meanwhile we keep shoving students into film schools, racking up massive debts hoping they will find a career in an industry that seems to have been built around cliques. Post Production businesses are being constantly dumbed down as agencies force filmmakers to trim their budgets to absurd levels..the flow on effect being highly skilled people with an enormous amount of knowledge and talent are finding it increasingly difficult to survive in this industry. What will this industry look like in ten years time if we keep this up? The brain drain and cynical nepotism is really doing lasting damage.
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Nice article and I actually really like the taxi idea. It’s hard enough to get any feedback from the people who make the decisions at Gov funding bodies. Trapping a writer in a cab with the bureaucrat who turned down their life’s work would definitely make for some good conflict (could there be a screenplay in this!?)
But honestly, if I could have one thing change about Australia’s funding bodies it would be 100 times more transparency. Let’s see what projects are being picked up and turned down. Let’s see which taxpayer-funded executive is giving the greenlight to some of the rubbish that get’s funded and produced.
And let’s see a better job done by ScreenAus and the State bodies at fostering young talent. The BBC has excellent programs where they’ll mentor young writers and then help the best of the group move straight into a job. All ScreenAus does is hire the odd American producer/director/writer to come and do a talk (about something you could easily read for free online or in a book) and then ask us to pay $250 for the privilege of attending.
The ABC is a taxpayer funded network. ScreenAus and the other funding bodies are taxpayer funded. How about these two start working together a bit more. Have one of the ABC’s many channels (ABC3 doesn’t even get used after 9pm or so) screen Aussie films that ScreenAus has funded. Run competitions or workshops to find new talent for current ABC shows.
There’s so much that could be done that isn’t being done. And that’s why there is so much resentment to a lot of those ‘making the decisions.’ We need more transparency and more opportunities from them. Considering we all pay a bit of their salary, it shouldn’t be too much to ask.
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“Some Australians talk big but actually think small, and politicians may be the worst offenders. They are often reluctant to get out in front in policymaking—on climate change, for instance—preferring to follow what bigger countries do. In the quest for a carbon policy, both the main parties have chopped and changed their minds, and their leaders, leaving voters divided and bemused. There can be little doubt that if America could come to a decision on the topic, Australia would soon follow suit.”
“None of this will get Australians to take pride in their achievements and build on them. Better themes for politicians would be their plans to develop first-class universities, nourish the arts, promote urban design and stimulate new industries in anything from alternative energy to desalinating water. All these are under way, but few are surging ahead. Though the country’s best-known building is an opera house, for example, the arts have yet to receive as much official patronage as they deserve. However, the most useful policy to pursue would be education, especially tertiary education. Australia’s universities, like its wine, are decent and dependable, but seldom excellent. Yet educated workers are essential for an economy competitive in services as well as minerals. First, however, Aussies need a bit more self-belief. After that perhaps will come the zest and confidence of an Antipodean California.”
Interesting article from the Economist Magazine http://www.economist.com/node/18744197
Now all we have to do is wait for is negative little Tony Abbott to turn the screw and take us back to the 1950’s when he becomes PM and it will be mission complete on a golden opportunity in Australian history lost because all we could do was talk big and think small. Bit of a shame really…when all we had to do is have a little self belief and create the kind of country we want to live in..not the kind our inept small minded politicians seem hell bent on carving out. Its our culture and its our industry and its up to all of us to turn it into what WE want not THEM.
Lets have some leadership and vision… pretty please.
RIP Steve Jobs.
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Bollocks!
Right now it feeds on stupidity – bullshit & arrogance.
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