Summary of findings
Overview
Australian and co-production feature
films
Australian and co-production TV drama
The Producer Offset
Foreign productions
PDV services for features and TV drama
production
The annual slate of
feature films and TV drama productions consists of Australian, co-production
and foreign titles that start production during a given year. Data on
foreign projects that do post, digital or visual effects (PDV) work in
Australia without shooting here is also available from 2005/06.
Overview
- The total 2008/09 slate comprised 38 features
and 44 TV drama programs (653 hours) shot in Australia, as well as nine
foreign PDV-only projects. This compares to 45 features, 44 TV drama
programs (701 hours) and 15 foreign PDV-only projects last year.
- The value of production activity for this slate
(including foreign PDV-only work), as measured by the portion of budgets
allocated to expenditure in Australia, totalled $688 million, up slightly
from $679 million last year.
- For productions shot in Australia (excluding
foreign PDV-only titles), the value of production activity totalled $668 million,
marginally up on last year’s $665 million and above the five-year
average of $576 million.
For details, see Overview
Australian and co-production feature
films
- The Australian and co-production feature slate
comprised 29 local and three co-production titles, accounting for expenditure
in Australia of $358 million, more than double last year’s $170
million and well above the five-year average of $194 million.
For details, see Australian and co-productions:
Feature films: Production activity
- The increase was principally due to two high-budget titles, Guardians
of Ga’Hoole and Happy Feet 2. These projects had a significant
impact on the total amount invested in 2008/09 by foreign sources and
by the Australian film/TV industry. The cashflowing of the Producer Offset
also contributed to the increased level of local industry finance (see
The Producer Offset below).
For details, see Australian and co-productions:
Feature films: Sources of finance
Australian and co-production TV drama
- The Australian and co-production TV drama slate
comprised 646 hours this year, down from last year’s 691 but
above the five-year average of 631 hours. Total expenditure in Australia
was up from $257 million to $308 million, well above the five-year average
of $245 million.
For details, see Australian and co-productions:
TV drama: Production activity
- Australia’s film/TV industry (mainly the
commercial free-to-air broadcasters) provided 71 per cent of the finance
($231 million) for this slate.
For details, see Australian and co-productions:
TV drama: Sources of finance
The Producer Offset
- In the 2008/09 slate, the Producer Offset accounted for an estimated
$23 million in the finance plans of 17 features
(15 local and two co-production) and $31 million in the plans of
26 TV drama programs (23 local and three co-production),
as reported by producers at the time of production. This does not reflect
all eligible titles that may eventually access the incentive. Over time,
the offset may provide an estimated $150–$160 million in indirect
government assistance to this year’s slate.
For details, see Producer Offset
Foreign productions
- There was a significant drop in foreign features
shot in Australia, with activity restricted to six Indian titles.
This is the first time since the survey began in 1988 that no US feature
production has taken place here. However, several foreign titles have
already commenced production since July 2009, including The Chronicles
of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Don’t Be Afraid
of the Dark.
For details, see Foreign productions: Feature
films
- Foreign TV drama activity was also low, with
only $1 million spent in Australia compared to last year’s $134 million
and a five-year average of $39 million.
For details, see Foreign productions: TV drama
PDV services for features and TV drama
production
- A separate section focuses on PDV sector income based on the year
it was earned rather than the year production or PDV commenced. Based
on this analysis, income from PDV work in Australia on features and TV
drama totalled $540 million in the four years 2005/06–2008/09,
representing approximately 22 per cent of total feature and TV drama
production expenditure in Australia over the period. Services to Australian
productions accounted for 75 per cent of this work.
For details, see PDV services
Summary of findings
