Screen Australia Annual | Report 2017/18 Screen Australia Annual Report 2017/18 Published by Screen Australia October 2018 ISSN 1837-2740 © Screen Australia 2018 The text in this Annual 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 Annual Report 2017/18. You must not alter, transform or build upon the text in this Annual 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 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc-nd/3.0/au/. You are not licensed to reproduce, transmit or distribute any still photographs contained in this Annual Report without the prior written permission of Screen Australia. TV ratings data Metropolitan and National market data is copyright to OzTAM. The data may not be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) in whole or part without the prior consent of OzTAM. Regional market data is copyright to RegionalTAM. The data may not be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) in whole or part without the prior consent of All Annual Report enquiries should be addressed to: RegionalTAM. Communications Department Screen Australia This Annual Report is available to download as a Level 7, 45 Jones Street PDF from www.screenaustralia.gov.au Ultimo NSW 2007 Toll free: 1800 213 099 Front cover image from Sweet Country. Phone: 02 8113 5800 Back cover image from Picnic at Hanging Rock. Email: [email protected] Screen Australia operates within Australia, with Auditors: Australian National Audit Office its head office located in Sydney at 45 Jones Street, Ultimo, and an office in Melbourne at 290 Annual Report Production by the Communications Department Coventry Street, South Melbourne. Indexed by Puddingburn Printed in Australia by Imagination Graphics Pty Ltd Contents Letter from the Chair 2 About Screen Australia 4 Screen Australia Board 5 Note from the CEO 8 Senior management 10 Organisational structure 13 HIGHLIGHTS OF 2017/18 14 PRODUCTION 17 DOCUMENTARY 29 INDIGENOUS 33 INDUSTRY 37 PRODUCER OFFSET AND CO-PRODUCTION 49 OPERATIONS 52 APPENDICES Appendix 1 Enabling legislation 69 Appendix 2 Assessors and script consultants 70 Appendix 3 Investments, loans, grants and other initiatives 71 Appendix 4 Awards 97 Appendix 5 Producer Offset and Co-production statistics 100 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 102 Abbreviations and acronyms 123 Annual reporting requirements 124 Index 126 Screen Australia 2017/18 1 Letter from the Chair Dear Minister, found audiences through multiple I am pleased to present Screen distribution platforms, and The Australia’s Annual Report for Wrong Girl series 2 and Wake in 2017/18, which the Board approved Fright performed well on Ten. at its meeting on 27 August 2018. Documentaries were popular with For the year under review, Screen television audiences. Hawke: The Australia is proud to report: Larrikin & The Leader averaged more than one million viewers on ABC TV y continued success on television, and the special follow-up episode where screen stories built strong of War on Waste series 1 averaged audiences across broadcast, 940,000 television viewers.2 Series subscription and online platforms 2 of Todd Sampson’s Body Hack at home and abroad averaged 760,000 viewers on Ten,3 y a diverse slate of feature films while SBS had success with Struggle and documentaries, led by the Street series 2 and Marry Me, Marry critically acclaimed Sweet My Family. Country and Mountain Australian documentaries y outstanding success for also achieved record-breaking NICHOLAS MOORE content on online platforms, success at the box office in CHAIR where innovative titles found 2017/18. Mountain, an innovative unprecedented audiences. collaboration with the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO), became In 2017/18, Screen Australia the highest-ever grossing Australian supported diverse drama across documentary (excluding IMAX every free-to-air television network, releases). It made $2 million in as well as on subscription television Australian ticket sales,4 sold out and online services. More than 13 concerts through a national thirty Screen Australia-supported tour with the ACO and screened at dramas screened on broadcast prestigious festivals worldwide. television in 2017/18: Underbelly Files: Chopper averaged 1.5 million Several Australian feature dramas viewers on Nine, while Mystery shone in 2017/18. Sweet Country Road (ABC), Doctor Doctor series won the Special Jury Prize at the 2 (Nine), Blue Murder: Killer Cop Venice Film Festival, the Platform (Seven), Olivia Newton-John: Prize at the Toronto International Hopelessly Devoted to You (Seven) Film Festival and Best Feature at and The Secret Daughter series the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, 2 (Seven) all averaged over one while Breath grossed more than $4 million viewers.1 Foxtel’s Picnic million in Australia.5 Cargo grew at Hanging Rock premiered at the from a Tropfest short film festival Berlin International Film Festival finalist to a feature film with an and is being distributed around Australian theatrical release and the world after strong initial worldwide distribution through ratings in Australia. Stan’s Romper Netflix. It joined the more than Stomper also secured international one thousand Australian drama distribution. Children’s titles The and documentary titles that were New Legends of Monkey (ABC) and available through Video On Demand Grace Beside Me (SBS and NITV) platforms in more than 20 countries 2 Casting JonBenet Mystery Road TV Series from April to June 2018.6 Screen Australia’s off-screen I would like to acknowledge the The top-trending video on initiatives included a new Code of work of the Board this year, and YouTube in Australia in 2017 was Conduct to Assist the Prevention thank outgoing member Al Clark a 23-minute narrative comedy, of Sexual Harassment. Developed for his service. We are proud of supported by Screen Australia, in consultation with the industry, the contribution Screen Australia from home-grown comedians this code is now a condition of makes to high-quality, culturally Superwog.7 The Skip Ahead production funding. The first titles significant screen stories enjoyed program supported Superwog to supported through the Gender by Australians and international expand from sketch comedy and Matters program are entering audiences. develop a dramatisation of their production, and there were a range Nicholas Moore lives. The pilot episode had been of initiatives to support the inclusion viewed nearly 3.5 million times on of all Australians and screen stories YouTube by 30 June 2018. that reflect the whole of Australia. 1OzTAM and RegionalTAM, 5-city-metro, combined markets, total people, 28-day consolidated, average audience. Data for 1/7/17 to 30/6/18 only. Metro viewers for the respective titles are as follows: 982,000, 874,000, 855,000, 811,000, 791,000 and 637,000. 2OzTAM and RegionalTAM, 5-city-metro, combined markets, total people, 28-day consolidated, average audience. Metro viewers for the respective titles are as follows: 713,000 and 663,000. 3OzTAM and RegionalTAM, 5-city-metro, combined markets, total people, 28-day consolidated, average audience. For episodes 1-4 as at June 30 2018 only. Metro viewing = 548,000. 4comScore. All box office figures are in Australian dollars. 5comScore. All box office figures are in Australian dollars. 6Gyde; compiled by Screen Australia. 7Google: https://australia.googleblog.com/2017/12/youtube-rewind-aussies-loved-skits.html Screen Australia 2017/18 3 Vision: To inspire, inform and connect audiences with compelling Australian stories. Australian screen content delivers significant cultural benefit to audiences, and the programs offered by Screen Australia encourage innovation, quality and diversity in Australian storytelling. Mission: We support projects of scale and ambition, distinct local stories told with strong creative voices and risk-taking content for all platforms. About Screen Australia Screen About Screen Australia develops and supports screen projects, practitioners and businesses working across all platforms and genres. It does this through a range of programs including script and talent development, support for production-ready projects, promotion and marketing support and bespoke business assistance. Underbelly Files: Chopper BOARD Screen Australia Board NICHOLAS MOORE MEGAN BROWNLOW AL CLARK MICHAEL HAWKINS CHAIR DEPUTY CHAIR Mr Clark has 34 years’ Mr Hawkins is a management Mr Moore was appointed Ms Brownlow is a media experience as a film producer, consultant practicing in Chief Executive Officer and entertainment industry first in the UK – where his the fields of negotiation of Macquarie Group in specialist at PwC where credits include Nineteen and facilitation. He is the May 2008. Macquarie is a she performs strategy, due Eighty-Four, Absolute Chairman of the Asia Pacific diversified financial group diligence, forecasting and Beginners and Gothic – Screen Awards and is providing clients with asset market analysis work for and then in Australia. His also Executive Director of management, banking, clients. She has over 20 Australian films – which have the National Association leasing, advisory and risk and years of experience in media been selected for most major of Cinema Operators capital solutions across debt, and marketing ranging from festivals and distributed – Australasia and the equity and commodities. producing television and worldwide – include The Australian International Headquartered and listed in radio programs to designing Adventures of Priscilla, Queen Movie Convention, a Director Australia, it operates in 25 cross-media strategies – both of the Desert, Chopper, Siam of Creative Content Australia countries and has more than content and advertising – for Sunset, The Hard Word, Ltd and a member of $A497 billion in assets under online and traditional media Razzle Dazzle, Blessed, Red Advisory Boards including management.