AUSTRALIA HAS LONG BEEN A TRUSTED VFX PROVIDER, NOW WISE INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS ARE EXAMINING THE EXTENSIVE RANGE OF OTHER ELIGIBLE PICTURE AND SOUND POST SERVICES. COMBINE THIS WITH THE FALLING AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR AND A 30% POST, DIGITAL & VFX OFFSET THERE’S NO DOUBT AUSTRALIA OFFERS VALUE FOR MONEY. SANDY GEORGE POST IT IN EXPLORES THE BENEFITS OF COMPLETING YOUR POST AND SOUND IN AUSTRALIA IRRESPECTIVE OF WHERE YOU SHOOT YOUR PROJECT.

AUSTRALIA!! STEVEN KAMINSKY, POST SUPERVISOR on the not-yet-released Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, says he was thrilled when he learned the blockbuster was to be ( Value for money ) filmed in Australia. “The crew, the attitudes and the spirit of filmmaking is great there and the skills of my (Australian) colleagues are world-class,” he says. “Ten years ago I was in Sydney for Superman Returns; this time on the Gold Coast. Australia is a delightful place to be and the intensity and focus of the crew make it a good experience.” He visited Australia four times in nine weeks, setting up then overseeing the highly technical pipelines and processes needed. As is common with big Hollywood blockbusters, the completion of filming signaled the end of Australia’s involvement but, speaking personally, he would not have insisted on that. “I would happily post a film in Sydney or Brisbane – I’m sure Melbourne too but I’ve not worked there – if there was something driving it such as the economics or a Sydney or Melbourne-based filmmaker wanting to work at home.” Examples abound of high-profile Australian directors doing most of their post at home irrespective of where filming happened. George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road is one and Alex Proyas is currently making Gods of Egypt at home. And there’s all the films of Baz Luhrmann, most recently The Great Gatsby, and Scott Hicks who is currently completing post on Fallen. As for the economics, some say the recent dramatic fall in the Australian dollar combined with the soft money available have created a “perfect storm” in terms of value for money. The soft money is principally the 30% PDV (post, digital, visual effects) Offset, a rebate on Australian “THERE ARE AMAZING CRAFTS PEOPLE IN AUSTRALIA.” expenditure not a tax credit, but some states offer additional financial incentives. CHRIS MCKAY, CO-DIRECTOR/ANIMATION EDITOR/CO-EDITOR (THE LEGO® MOVIE) ABOVE: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD ©WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT/VILLAGE ROADSHOW FILMS

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