The very early days of Encore magazine
The film industry was experiencing a boom when Encore launched 30 years ago this week, but the quality of the work left a lot to be desired says the magazine’s first editor Greg Bright.
When what has become Encore launched, as the fortnightly Australian Film Review in 1983, the film and television production industry was going through an amazing growth spurt.
The Fraser Government had introduced, as it turned out, overly generous tax concessions for investors in qualifying Australian films and TV drama shows. While the concessions were subsequently watered down, the upshot was that throughout the 1980s and into the ’90s more than 30 features, telemovies and miniseries were produced annually, giving rise to a robust production infrastructure, most of which has survived the subsequent downturn and the switch to digital.
There were two big film labs – Atlab and Colorfilm – as well as some boutique ones, three film suppliers – Kodak, Agfa and Fuji – and two camera suppliers – Samuelson and John Barry – and various other equipment and service providers.
Hi Greg,
I remember the wailing when you stopped editing Encore – end of the world type stuff, so you certainly had an impact and laft a mark.
I do, however, see an interesting parallel between some of the “poor” output of the films with your own lack of experience as Editor of Encore (above).
It’s the same thing. At least, same root cause; as more and more films were made, relatively inexperienced crafts and creative people came into the Feature Industry.
results were often shakey. But I remember once on the AFI Judging panel seeing a lot of films from one particular Producer. On meeting them much later, I suggested ONE film might have benefited from the work and commitment that went into the many. They replied, candidly, that they knew some fell short but that they were an inexperienced Producer who intended to get better at it film-by-film.
It was, for a while, a remarkable situation where so many people got a shot at the big time and at an early age.
When I was in LA, people there were jealous of the Australian “Golden” experience.
Don’t forget, the US system might have someone working as a Foley walker or Assistant Something well into their middle age. WE had people in their mid-to-late twenties as Department Heads. DOP, Designers, Editors, Directors.
Lots of them now work Internationally (translate: in LA) but, overall, the Industry here is the better for the kick-start those youngsters got. Including me.
Look to the skies!!! It is amazing how many major productions shoot and post here – especially some which use the Internet to share work between Sydney, New York, London and LA. As Internet speeds get faster, this can only bring good and exciting things for us. (Until the Net is fast enough to allow Editors to work in Mumbai… call centres will offer offline and compositing!!!)
sigh