Production of feature Drama films and TV drama in Report Australia in 2015/16 © Screen Australia 2016 ISBN: 978-1-920998-29-5 The text in this report is released subject to a Creative Commons BY licence (Licence). This means, in summary, that you may reproduce, transmit and distribute the text, provided that you do not do so for commercial purposes, and provided that you attribute the text as extracted from Screen Australia’s Drama Report 2015/16. You must not alter, transform or build upon the text in this report. Your rights under the Licence are in addition to any fair dealing rights which you have under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cwlth). For further terms of the Licence, please see creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ Screen Australia is grateful to all those who contributed data to the compilation of this report. The data provided has been drawn from a number of sources. While Screen Australia has undertaken all reasonable measures to ensure its accuracy, we cannot accept responsibility for inaccuracies and omissions. Cover image: Leah Purcell and Jessica Mauboy on the set of The Secret Daughter. Contents ABOUT THE REPORT 3 ABOUT THE REPORT Key terms 4 The Drama Report covers the production HIGHLIGHTS 5 of feature films and TV drama programs (mini-series, telemovies and series/ OVERVIEW 6 serials) by financial year. ALL DRAMA PRODUCTION 7 It reports on the operation of the Producer Offset tax rebate for domestic FEATURE FILM PRODUCTION IN AUSTRALIA 8 Australian projects and official co- productions, incorporating data gathered Trends over time 8 through surveys and publicly available sources to give a comprehensive view of AUSTRALIAN FEATURE SLATE 9 drama production activity in Australia and the Offset’s contribution to the Feature budget ranges 9 annual slate. Data is presented for the past five years, 2011/12 to 2015/16. Sources of finance for Australian features 10 Foreign titles are included if they are shot (or substantially shot) in Australia, or AUSTRALIAN TV DRAMA SLATE 11 have post, digital or visual effects (PDV) work carried out in Australia without Programs for adults 12 shooting here. Programs for children 14 See page 4 for definitions of ‘Australian’, Sources of finance for Australian TV drama 15 ‘domestic’, ‘co-production’ and ‘foreign’. FOREIGN PRODUCTION 17 Feature films and TV dramas represent about 30 per cent of all audiovisual Features 17 production in Australia. Other areas of activity include documentaries, TV drama 17 light entertainment, commercials, music videos, corporate videos and TV DRAMA PRODUCTION BY LOCATION 18 productions such as sport, news and current affairs. Expenditure by state 18 See the statistics section of the Location of production company 19 Screen Australia website for details at screenaustralia.gov.au/fact-finders/ FOCUS: TV DRAMA ONLINE 20 production-trends, and the relevant archives for pre-2011/12 data. TITLES IN THE 2015/16 SLATE 21 PDV SERVICES – FEATURES AND TV DRAMA PRODUCTION 26 All PDV 27 Income by state 28 Focus on foreign PDV-only income 28 Foreign PDV-only titles by region 29 METHODOLOGY 30 The Drama Report 2015 / 16 | Screen Australia 3 Breath KEY TERMS Analysis of ‘total budgets’ includes eligible domestic production or an the report mainly focusses on ‘Location Offset’ is a 16.5 per cent all projects that started shooting official co-production. domestic and co-production projects rebate which supports the production during the financial year, with the full as a combined ‘Australian’ slate. of large-budget film and television budget allocated to the date principal ‘Non-Offset projects’ are domestic projects shot in Australia. photography started; budgets are productions which for reasons ‘Foreign productions’ are defined not apportioned across the duration such as format, level of production as those under foreign creative ‘PDV Offset’ is a 30 per cent rebate of the project. Total budgets are expenditure or use of previous tax control, originated and developed which supports work on post, digital not reported for foreign PDV-only incentives are not eligible for the by non-Australians. This includes and visual effects production (PDV) productions as the Australian Producer Offset. This also includes foreign projects with an Australian in Australia, regardless of where a work may represent only a small those projects accessing the PDV production company operating in a project is shot. proportion of the overall budget. Offset. service capacity. ‘Producer Offset’ is a 40 per cent As a subset of ‘total budgets’, the ‘Domestic productions’ include: ‘In-house productions’ are projects rebate on the qualifying spend of ‘amount spent in Australia’ is also w Offset projects other than co- by Australian TV networks, where no qualifying Australian films and a 20 analysed; this is particularly relevant productions independent production company is per cent rebate for other qualifying for co-productions and foreign w non-Offset projects under credited as producer or co-producer. media. productions. Again, all expenditure Australian creative control (ie where is allocated to the date principal the key elements are predominantly ‘PDV’ (post, digital and visual effects) Please note: This report has been photography or PDV work in Australia Australian and the project was refers to those activities that create compiled by Screen Australia’s began rather than to the actual originated and developed by audio and visual elements for film Producer Offset & Co-production date of spending. Note: this is not Australians). This includes projects or TV drama other than by principal Unit, incorporating data gathered the same as ‘qualifying Australian under Australian creative control that photography, pick ups or physical from administration of the Offset production expenditure’ (QAPE) for are 100 per cent foreign financed. elements such as sets and props, as well as data gathered by Screen the purpose of the Producer Offset. and includes animation. It also Australia’s Strategy & Research Unit Some expenditure in Australia is not ‘Co-productions’ are official refers to the manipulation of those through contact with production QAPE, and QAPE can include some co-productions (ie projects made elements and includes sound and companies or from publicly available expenditure on Australian elements pursuant to an agreement between visual editing, digital effects, creation sources. PDV data is gathered outside of Australia. QAPE is not the Australian Government and the of computer-generated images (CGI), through surveying PDV companies. reported here. government of another country). film laboratory work and duplication Because official co-productions services. As such, it includes a variety See also Methodology on page 30. ‘Offset projects’ are projects which don’t have to pass the ‘significant of activities that not only take place have accessed the Producer Offset or, Australian content’ test for eligibility after the shoot but also during the if not completed, will access it once for the Producer Offset, and may earlier stages of a project’s overall completed. (They have generally been be classified as ‘Australian’ for the production. issued with a Provisional Certificate.) purposes of Australian content An Offset project may be either an regulations applying to broadcasters, 4 Highlights $843 million total production expenditure 1% below last year’s all-time record but above the five-year average 29 Australian features $194 million 59% increase from last year but below the five-year average 58 Australian TV dramas $376 million At a record high, boosted by strong adult mini-series production 31 foreign projects $273 million Down 37% from last year’s record but above the five-year average The Drama Report 2015 / 16 | Screen Australia 5 Overview The annual slate of feature films and TV drama productions consists of Australian titles (including official co-productions) and foreign titles that start production or post, digital and visual effects (PDV) during a given financial year. DRAMA EXPENDITURE Total expenditure 2015/16 IN AUSTRALIA w Total expenditure in Australia by the 2015/16 drama slate was $843 million, down by one per cent on last year’s $853 million. w Australian TV drama expenditure hit a record high of $376 million, driven by strong Foreign features adult mini-series production. Children’s TV Foreign TV drama drama expenditure increased slightly on last Australian features year. Australian TV drama - Children’s Australian TV drama - Adult w Australian feature production expenditure rose to $194 million, supported by studio financed domestic film Hacksaw Ridge and the Australia/China co-production title, Nest. w Foreign activity accounted for expenditure in Australia of $273 million in 2015/16 – slightly lower than from last year’s record high, but still above the five-year average. There were seven features and two TV dramas that commenced shooting in Australia during this period along with 15 features and seven TV drama projects undertaking PDV in Australia without shooting here. EXPENDITURE BY LOCATION w Of the total 2015/16 drama expenditure, over half (55 per cent) was incurred in New South Wales, 26 per cent in Victoria and 12 per cent in Queensland. Hacksaw Ridge 6 All drama production Total expenditure in Australia by the 2015/16 drama slate was $843 million, comprising $570 million by Australian projects and $273 million by foreign productions. Five-year summary, 2011/12–2015/16 Australian1 Total Offset1 Non-offset1 Domestic1 Co-production1 Foreign2 Total Australian No. Spend No. Spend No. Spend No. Spend No. Spend No. Spend No. Spend Year titles $m titles $m titles $m titles $m titles $m titles $m titles $m Annual feature slate 2011/12 31 302 3 1 30 271 4 32 34 303 20 90 54 393 2012/13 n.p. n.p. n.p. n.p. 37 255 0 0 37 255 14 110 51 365 2013/14 n.p. n.p. n.p.