Cathy Henkel Thesis
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Queensland University of Technology Creative Industries Faculty ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation From Margins to Mainstream How screen and creative industries developed in the Northern Rivers region of NSW: 2000 – 2010 by Cathy Henkel Submitted in Fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy July 2010 Keywords Screen Industries, Creative Industries, Northern Rivers NSW, regional development, screen producers, film, television, multimedia, digital technology, regional screen policy, regional mapping, margins to mainstream. ii Abstract This thesis explores the proposition that growth and development in the screen and creative industries is not confined to the major capital cities. Lifestyle considerations, combined with advances in digital technology, convergence and greater access to broadband are altering requirements for geographic location, and creative workers are being drawn away from the big metropolises to certain regional areas. Regional screen industry enclaves are emerging outside of London, in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, in Nova Scotia in Canada and in New Zealand. In the Australian context, the proposition is tested in an area regarded as a ‘special case’ in creative industry expansion: the Northern Rivers region of NSW. A key feature of the ‘specialness’ of this region is the large number of experienced, credited producers who live and operate their businesses within the region. The development of screen and creative industries in the Northern Rivers over the decade 2000 – 2010 has implications for regional regeneration and offers new insights into the rapidly changing screen industry landscape. This development also has implications for creative industry discourse, especially the dominance of the urban in creative industries thought. The research is pioneering in a number of ways. Building on the work conducted for my Masters thesis in 2000, a second study was conducted during the research phase, adapting creative industries theory and mapping methods, which have been largely city and nation-centric, and applying them to a regional context. The study adopted an action research approach as an industry development strategy for screen industries, while at the same time developing fine-grained ground up methods for collecting primary quantitative data on the size and scope of the creative industries. In accordance with the action research framework, the researcher also acted in the dual roles of industry activist and screen industry producer in the region. The central focus of the research has been both to document and contribute to the growth and development of screen and creative industries over the past decade in the Northern Rivers region. These interventions, along with policy developments at both a local and national level, and broader global shifts, have had the effect of iii repositioning the sector from a marginal one to a priority area considered integral to the future economic and cultural life of the region. The research includes a detailed mapping study undertaken in 2005 with comparisons to an earlier 2000 study and to ABS data for 2001 and 2006 to reveal growth trends. It also includes two case studies of projects that developed from idea to production and completion in the region during the decade in question. The studies reveal the drivers, impediments and policy implications for sustaining the development of screen industries in a regional area. A major finding of the research was the large and increasing number of experienced producers who operate within the region and the leadership role they play in driving the development of the emerging local industry. The two case studies demonstrate the impact of policy decisions on local screen industry producers and their enterprises. A brief overview of research in other regional areas is presented, including two international examples, and what they reveal about regional regeneration. Implications are drawn for creative industries discourse and regional development policy challenges for the future. iv Table of Contents Keywords ...................................................................................................................... ii Abstract ........................................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................ v Acronyms and Abbreviations ................................................................................... vi Statement of Original Authorship ........................................................................... viii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. ix Chapter 1 From margins to mainstream ..................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 A multi-method action research approach ........................................................... 26 Chapter 3 Size and scope of creative industries 2000 – 2005 ................................................. 48 Chapter 4 Screen industries survey 2005 .................................................................................. 80 Chapter 5 Production activity and economic impacts in the Northern Rivers ................... 119 Chapter 6 Incoming productions and implications for regional development .................. 140 Chapter 7 Policy developments and two case studies ......................................................... 166 Chapter 8 Future directions for research policy and industry development in the region 193 References ............................................................................................................... 208 Appendix 1 ............................................................................................................... 222 Appendix 2 ............................................................................................................... 228 Appendix 3 ............................................................................................................... 231 Appendix 4 ............................................................................................................... 234 v Acronyms and Abbreviations ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation AAS Area Assistance Scheme ABR Australian Business Register ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics ACE Adult and Community Education ACLC Australian Culture & Leisure Classification AFC Australian Film Commission AFTRS Australian Film Television and Radio School AIDC Australian International Documentary Conference ANZSIC Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification APAI Australian Postgraduate Award Industry ARC Australian Research Council ASCO Australian Standard Classification of Occupations BASC Byron All Screen Celebration BFC Byron Film Club CAMRA Cultural Asset Mapping in Regional Australia CCI ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation CD Compact Disk CLIC Community Learning & Innovation Centre DCITA Department of Communications, Information, Technology and the Arts DCMS Department for Culture, Media and Sport (UK) DOTARS Department of Transport and Regional Services DSRD Department of State and Regional Development DVD Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc FAC Film Artists Co-operative FIAF Film and Television Industry Attraction Fund FTO Film and Television Office vi GDP Gross Domestic Product ICT Information and Communication Technology IMAX A large-screen, high resolution film format I & I NSW Industry and Investment New South Wales IP Intellectual Property IT Information Technology NCEIA North Coast Entertainment & Industry Association NDT Northern Development Taskforce NFG Nimbin Film Industry Group NMP National Mapping Project NORPA Northern Rivers Performing Arts NRIT Northern Rivers IT (Information Technology) NRACC Northern Rivers Area Consultative Committee NRRDB Northern Rivers Regional Development Board NSW New South Wales OECD Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development PFTC Pacific Film & Television Commission QUT Queensland University of Technology RIEP Regional Industry and Economic Plan SAE School of Sound and Audio Engineering SBS Special Broadcasting Service SCU Southern Cross University SME Small and medium enterprises SPAA Screen Producers Association of Australia SPADA Screen Production and Development Association, New Zealand TAFE Technical and Further Education TVC Television Commercial UK United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales) VAN Visual Arts Network vii Statement of Original Authorship The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted to meet requirements for an award at this or any other higher education institution. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made. I confirm that no more than 10% of the PHD text is taken directly from my Masters thesis and that such passages are explicitly cited. Signature Date 13.10.2010 viii Acknowledgements Firstly I’d like to thank my industry partners who believed in the need for this research, provided the resources and support to make it happen and were patient and responsive when it counted. This thesis owes an enormous amount to them: Kate Ingham and Jill Moonie from Screenworks: Don Frater and Katrina Luckie from Northern Rivers Regional