From Gold Coast to global: The Macfarlane brothers make their film dreams a reality

With a whopping half a billion views under their belts, prolific content creators Lachlan Macfarlane and Austin Macfarlane are quickly turning into the global film industry’s go-to guys for fresh and entertaining visual effects (VFX) via their YouTube channel and social media platforms.

Having been creating quirky, VFX-laden videos and uploading them online ever since Lachlan turned 11, the brothers seriously hit the net running following their studies in film and screen on the Gold Coast, and haven’t looked back since.

“I competed in the Bond University Film & Television Awards (BUFTA) in 2019” recalls Austin, now 22 years old.

“I was fortunate enough to be the winner, which got me a place at Bond University for their Bachelor of Film and Television.”

Lachlan, now 24, decided to tackle the Bachelor of Film and Screen offered up by Griffith University on the Gold Coast, and upon graduation, both siblings dove headfirst into the sector, with Austin taking on a VFX online editor role at a post-production facility and Lachlan becoming an in-house video editor for an ad agency.

But while they pursued careers in the traditional media space, their love of creating short, quirky videos and uploading them to YouTube and social media continued as a passion project. And as it turned out, this is where they truly found their path forward.

In 2023, Cannes International Festival of Creativity held a Cannes Young Lions competition, which celebrated filmmaking in advertising. The boys entered.

“Essentially, if you’re under 30 you can enter this competition where you have to create an ad,” explains Lachlan.

“Austin and I competed in that comp in Australia, we got through 2 rounds and we won out of all the competitors in Australia, so we got to go and compete internationally in France.”

After proudly representing Australia on a global stage alongside some of the world’s best new creative talent, the Lachlan and Austin’s profile got a serious nudge, and their content creation efforts ramped up. That same year, they were stoked to be awarded Most Influential 2023 Creator, as well as Best Comedy / Entertainment Creator by the Australian Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO) Awards.

By the start of 2024, they were able to finish up at their day jobs and work on the Macfarlane brothers brand full time. In the eyes of the world, it was a meteoric leap for the talented duo, but for the boys themselves it was the realisation of a long-held dream.

The invitations began to pour in from industry heavy hitters such as Warner Bros, Universal Pictures and Sony Pictures, and the boys were sent all over the world in their capacity as influencers and online content creators in order to attend screenings and events and rub shoulders with the crème de la crème of the international film and television sector.

Lachlan was even flown to London to shoot a Google Pixel commercial with Harry Potter’s very own Draco, Tom Felton.

You could forgive the boys for letting their success and experiences go to their young heads, however they remain grounded, humble, and above all – incredibly grateful.

“We’ve been so lucky to have gotten to travel the world for work,” says Austin.

Lachlan agrees.?

“It’s really incredible, that having this background of doing online videos can take you to the other side of the world. We’re so fortunate,” he says.

Following their turn as ambassadors for the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Festival 2024, the brothers are still determined to get the word out about this year’s event.

“I think more people need to come to the festival this year because it’s incredible that it’s happening on the Gold Coast,” declares Lachlan.

“So many international and domestic film productions happen on the Gold Coast, and there’s so much filmmaking and production going on here. It’s natural for the festival to be here.

"There’s such a breadth of filmmakers and post-production artists and comedians and writers and authors, just so many interesting creatives who are talking, and it’s crazy that anyone wouldn’t come,” he continues.

Having come so far in such a short period of time, the boys have barely had time to look back at where they started. But when talking about their education, they do muse on the aspects of their courses that they feel have felt the most beneficial when it comes to their real-world experiences.

“To me it’s the practical on-set experience I got while I was studying,” says Austin. “That’s the most useful thing to me, to be able to learn to think on your toes and brainstorm and problem solve. That has been a useful skill both for when I’m on a set working, and in everyday life.”

Lachlan jumps in.

“For me the most useful thing about uni has been the strong connections you form. The peers and the tutors who I still talk to today. The film industry is hard to break into and also a very tight knit community… if you can find people to connect with and maintain that connection, that really gives you a strong basis for a career.”

As for the future, fans of the Macfarlane brothers will be excited to hear that they’re now working on their very first web series, thanks to a cash injection from the Screen Australia funding program called Skip Ahead, designed to give a budget to YouTubers who want to create a series online.

“We just finished filming on Friday after many months of writing and production,” explains Lachlan. “It was a 6-day shoot, we had a proper budget and everything. We’re in the editing process now.”

The boys can’t give away any details at this stage, but they’re hoping for a mid-ish year release, so be sure to watch this space. If it’s anything like what they’ve put out there so far, it’s going to be a sure fire hit.

words by Natalie O’Driscoll

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