Go big or go small- just avoid the middle ground in Australian film budgets.
That approach is being advocated by some industry executives and producers in response to the global trend which sees many mid-level films being marginalised.
“In light of the recent flight of the indie audiences in Australia and worldwide and the fact that indie films are struggling in the cinematic marketplace, there will be an increasing bifurcation of the production landscape,” predicts SAFC CEO Richard Harris.
“There has long been a discussion about what has been dubbed the ‘dead zone’ for feature films, somewhere between $5m-$15m.
“Some Australian producers will continue to see cinema as the main game for their film and therefore they will think about their budget in terms of competing in what is an increasingly difficult theatrical space.
“Others, however, will be – or in many cases already are – thinking about making their film for a price which means that they can recoup better through a range of new and emerging platforms and a different release strategy.”
Harris’ sentiments are similar to those expressed by filmmakers who work across a wide range of budgets, whom IF interviewed this week.
“I agree that we are seeing a polarising of budget levels, with smaller bold and innovative films having a terrific life, and larger scale films having a stronger chance in the multiplexes,” says Robert Connolly, who attended the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of Paper Planes, his children’s movie that stars Sam Worthington, Anthony LaPaglia and Ed Oxenbould.
“There is an opportunity for our big name filmmakers to make $20 million + films here in Australia, interesting and exciting commercial films that the studios no longer make as they focus on huge tent poles."
Josh Lawson’s The Little Death, the first venture from Ticket to Ride, the low-budget initiative from See Pictures’ Jamie Hilton and Michael Petroni, sold to multiple territories in Toronto.
“We're off to a great start," says Hilton, who aims to turn out 5 -10 low-budget films over the next two years. “I know we won't find a hit like this every time but when you do, on a low budget, everyone wins.
“We seem to keep making these $4m – $12m films, with 60% – 90% of the budget coming from our one territory, and for the large part, these films aren't even working here. We can't keep presenting the same old finance plan to Screen Australia. I just don't think they are going to buy it, and more importantly, they can't afford it.
Cyan Films’ Julie Ryan, who produced 100 Bloody Acres and co-produced Tracks, says, “There's no doubt that the feature film landscape is changing dramatically. It's either high or very low. The middle ground ($3m – $7m) is nearly impossible to finance due to needing a substantial amount from Screen Australia, the marketplace, and also requiring A-list cast to satisfy gap finance.
"Fortunately I am able to work in the high budget space by teaming up with other producers, and for my own productions, I can work with low budgets due to my training with Rolf de Heer. Not saying it's easy and this year has been very stressful not knowing if what I'm working on will be financed. But I'm not giving up yet because with new platforms emerging, the business model will eventually change to catch up.”
Todd Fellman produced Bait, Mental and A Few Best Men and is developing One Crowded Hour, a biopic of Australian war photo-journalist Neil Davis with director Kim Mordaunt. “Producers need to continuously assess where their projects fit into the global landscape and adapt their financing, production and marketing strategies accordingly, “ he says.
“To finance anything over $5m will typically require some degree of foreign pre-sales or other financing from the international marketplace which means the ability to demonstrate potential for commercial success outside of Australia through a combination of genre and quality of script, track record of director or level of cast, and often it will require all three.”
There is a near-unanimous belief that alternative distribution models need to evolve as the traditional 120-day gap between theatrical and home entertainment is ruinous for most independent films, including ours.
Writer-director John V. Soto and producer Deidre Kitcher are testing one new approach by releasing The Reckoning on DVD/VoD on September 17, just 13 days after the crime thriller premiered at five cinemas.
Producer-distributor John Maynard’s tactic of releasing Kasimir Burgess’ Fell on VoD in several States after its Sydney Film Festival premiere, followed by limited sessions at ACMI concurrent with on-demand viewing via ACMI’s website, Fell's website and its Facebook page, is another model being trialled.
Paramount Pictures MD Mike Selwyn says, “There is an increasing realization that smaller titles are struggling to find a position in the historical theatrical release pattern. We are starting to see a lot of different patterns of release in other markets and they will have to be discussed and introduced as appropriate here in Australia.
“We have to be open to finding the best structure that allows us to maintain the exhibition business and the investment that has gone into creating such excellent cinemas but also creates a place for films that don’t fit that model.”
Hilton supports calls to abandon the requirement that films need theatrical distribution to quality for the producer offset and he’s among many who worry about the impact of high ticket prices on local films.
“We need to look at pricing on lower cost local content, especially as we're asking the taxpayer to pay twice, often with a poor value proposition, as compared to bigger budget foreign product,” he says.
Freshwater Pictures’ Trish Lake is developing psychological drama Rest Home with Mexican-based Aussie director Michael Rowe as a Canadian co-production with Serge Noël’s Possibles Média. It has a small budget but is funded with a finance plan for a limited cinema release, she says.
Lake suggests the development of a community cinema network around Australia and changing release patterns so Australia films might have longer runs with fewer sessions.
Harris contends that films should be judged on the basis of their release strategies rather than labelling every title that grosses less than $1m as a disaster and a sign that audiences have turned away from Aussie films.
“In this way we can look very differently at the success or otherwise of a 52 Tuesdays, The Babadook, These Final Hours or Wolf Creek 2 and really assess the extent to which our films are performing on their own terms,” he says.
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