WA FILMMAKERS IN HOLLYWOOD APPLAUD CALL FOR SOUND STAGE PROPOSALS BUT WA MUST THINK BIG

Recent media reports shining a light on WA’s untapped potential for filming hasn’t escaped the attention of WA Filmmakers in Hollywood. They applaud McGowan’s call but delivering a sustainable world-class industry is a larger conversation and must be backed by a strategic plan.

Earlier this week, the McGowan Government answered the call that received much media coverage by announcing it was seeking market-led proposals to develop state-of-the-art studio facilities for WA’s growing screen production needs. Under that proposal, applicants are provided until 11 September 2020 (3 weeks) to submit plans for a facility that include a large sound stage and 2 to 3 smaller sound stages, together with space for production offices and construction workshops.

The announcement is no doubt, partly attributable to the lucid observations of visiting US actress, Kate Walsh, and the media attention she has generated with her shout out for sound stages.

Serendipitously, a team of predominantly WA filmmakers in Hollywood, backed by input from a growing list of significant Hollywood players acting as secondary advisors, have spent months crafting a broader plan to ensure Western Australia capitalises on the size of opportunity.

Ross Ioppolo, a WA native with Hollywood experience at Disney Studios and as Chief Operating Officer of Lightstream Entertainment, helped bring the group and plan together. His experience includes strategy, project assessment, distribution, and film financing, but he also advises the Entertainment Industry including the awarding winning Mel Gibson directed film, Hacksaw Ridge.

“Global Screen Production is a US$177 billion dollar industry and growing exponentially due to a content explosion driven by demand and the rise of streamers like Netflix, and it will surpass the Global Iron Ore market (currently US$217 billion) within a year or two.”

Incidentally, Ioppolo knows mining and was engaged by Rio Tinto to devise its plan for the Pilbara towns of Dampier, Karratha, Tom Price and Paraburdoo for the next 30 years.

“What makes for such a compelling opportunity for WA is this industry: delivers jobs that are not easily lost to AI; is recession proof; and works counter cyclically to Resources so when mining is down, the conditions are even more attractive for foreign production to come to WA.”

With West Australia only representing 3% of Australia’s total drama production in 2019, the team points out that WA is missing out to the Eastern States, a travesty given the Federal government finances the Producer and Location Offset incentives.

“It is not just about sound stages, there are other factors in the Production Location decision. For example, competitiveness of WA’s incentives and the depth of local crew to handle volume. Most importantly, if the WA Government understands big is achievable and it has a holistic plan to foster that growth, private investors will be encouraged, and investment will flow.”

The seed that drove the group to act and devise a plan came earlier this year. Hollywood Film Producer, Lucas Foster, who counts the Oscar-decorated ‘Ford v Ferrari’, ‘Mr & Mrs Smith’ and ‘Morbius’ among his many credits, teamed up with Hollywood based WA natives John Fragomeni and Andrew Rowlands to shoot ‘The Children of the Corn’, a remake of the 1984 horror classic, which is due to release in early 2021.

While the shooting location was rural NSW, Foster and Fragomeni decided to steer as much of the post-production to WA as possible, thanks to the support from Screenwest.

Fragomeni said “We looked closely at the possibility of shooting in WA, but unfortunately could not make that work.”

As Global President of Digital Domain, one of the world’s most prestigious visual effects (vfx) studios based in Los Angeles, Fragomeni has overseen the vfx of Hollywood’s biggest films including Captain Marvel, Avengers: End Game, Pacific Rim, Pirates of the Caribbean and Marvel’s upcoming Black Widow. He knows the opportunity is there for WA if it gets this right.

“Our group of WA evangelists have been waiting for WA’s imagination for a burgeoning industry to match our belief. We can help with our experience and relationships and encourage projects to shoot in WA, where viable. That will deliver WA jobs and present young filmmakers with a viable future, without necessarily having to leave its beautiful shore.”

The recent announcement for sound-stage proposals, while welcome, does raise some queries. As Ioppolo explains:

“Only three sound stages, no mention of a back-lot and a 3-week deadline. I hope that scope was not influenced by the unsolicited proposals received by the Government from parties that, respectfully, may not fully appreciate the opportunity and the long-term needs of the State. We can’t be sold on the sizzle and be left with a sausage.”

Fragomeni also has experience building capabilities from the ground up, being entrusted by Oscar winning Director, Guillermo del Toro to build his vfx post-production studio, Mirada.

Andrew Rowlands, left Perth for Hollywood in 1994, working his way from Camera Operator to Cinematographer and now boasts over 65 Film and TV credits including Star Wars: Episode VII, The Rise of Skywalker, Mission Impossible films, HBO’s Westworld TV series and the upcoming new Bond film No Time to Die.

Having shot at studio complexes around the globe, Andrew explains there are many build considerations. “Technology advances in the last 5 years has been so great, that a newly build complex with an appropriate back-lot to cater for commonly shot exteriors that WA cannot physically replicate, is what will catapult WA to the forefront of worldwide infrastructure options”.

The group also comprises Dean Hood, a Melbourne based Producer and Production Manager (The Lego Ninjago Movie, Mad Max: Fury Road, Alien: Covenant, Star Wars Episode I) who is utilised by Studios and Streamers to determine where to shoot in Australia.

“WA would not want to make the mistakes of other studio facilities. The most common is outgrowing the envelope of land put aside for the complex. Fox Studios in Sydney, Docklands in Melbourne and to some point Movieworld on the Gold Coast have nowhere to grow.”

That perhaps places a question on a proposal to redevelop Fremantle Port’s Victoria Quay site, as some have suggested. While in a beautiful, prime location, it is a relatively narrow strip of land that could make logistics difficult with the harbour constraining expansion options.

Steve Vojkovic rounds out the core team. Steve owns West Leederville based post-production facility, Boogie Monster and while he has international experience in Singapore, LA and Montreal working on King Kong, Déjà Vu and The Amityville Horror, he adds local knowledge and perspective.

Another key component for the group’s plan is a recommended tweak to WA’s incentives to lure production to the State.

Ioppolo believes that while Australia’s cost of production and the Federal Producer/Location Offset is world competitive “there are flaws in the Federal incentives. The Location Offset is not available for films under A$15m so this spells opportunity for WA, particularly because this project size is perfect to manage a scalable build. This requires a review of WA’s incentives”.

Another important aspect of their thinking is the desire to raise private investment for a slate of projects to be shot within WA. The projects will be vetted for creative specifics that match WA’s locations, commercial viability and can be delivered to coincide with the studio build.

“Importantly this provides a pipeline of work to pass through a newly build facility making private investment in any facility, very attractive. The WA Government does not need to fund the Studio, only assist with options for a site”.

Momentum is growing, just last week Hood was approached about an 8-week limited series television shoot in Australia for a premium US cable channel and is putting WA in the mix.

The group is in unanimous agreement that the opportunity is big and the economic benefit undeniable. It takes courage. Ioppolo explains

“The current situation is akin to WA’s Iron Ore story. Hancock, Wright and Hilditch proved Pilbara deposits in the 50’s. Premier Sir David Brand and then Minister Sir Charles Court made legacy defining decisions to pressure the Federal Government to lift Australia’s iron ore export embargo and they also removed a State ban permitting individuals to peg. That set the environment to attract private investment, importantly under a model where WA would benefit. Fast forward. WA generates 39% of world supply and $7.8 billion in royalties to the State. Takeaways? Think big, be bold and set the framework.”

The team is expected to share the group’s plan with Mark McGowan’s office in the coming weeks.