The City of Gold Coast has long been the only local government in Australia to offer a financial screen incentive, but the council is making a keen bid to attract further production to region.
The maximum amount eligible through the Screen Attraction Program now moves from $100,000 to $250,000, and has broadened to include more than just traditional film and television. Now, animation, subscription video on demand, streaming and online production and post-production are now eligible to apply for financial support.
Further, in order to make it easier for smaller producers to access the program, expenditure thresholds have been revised, to range from $750,000 to $50 million. The previous threshold was a minimum of $1.5 million.
International, domestic and Gold Coast productions are eligible to apply, as long as there is an Australian broadcast or screening in place or under negotiation. Gold Coast-based employees must make up 50 per cent of the crew.
Recent projects to shoot on the Gold Coast include Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives and Amazon Studios season 2 of The Wilds, while Village Roadshow Studios will also be the home for the upcoming Disney+ series, Nautilus. The council estimates the screen sector provides around $590 million annually to its the local economy.
“The City of Gold Coast has supported more than 50 productions in the past 12 years. These productions generate around 8,000 jobs annually,” said Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate.
“We aim to increase this level of production for the benefit of production and post-production companies, animation and visual effects businesses.
“The Gold Coast has all the makings of a great story with access to diverse filming locations, world-class production crews and a mix of studio space.
“We look forward to seeing more screen producers arriving here in the coming years.”
Application forms and eligibility detail here.