South Australian not-for-profit screen organisation Mercury CX will introduce a monthly subscription model as part of a new business plan unveiled at its annual general meeting this week.
For $25, subscribers will have unlimited access to standard film screenings, as well as year-long access to workshops, upgraded production facilities and equipment, a monthly Script Club, and regular networking and mentoring sessions.
Also announced at the AGM was the renewal of funding from the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC), which will again provide $240,000 to deliver the QuickSilver, Launch Lab, and Script Club programs for emerging filmmakers.
It comes six months after the organisation managed to stave off insolvency, with a new board led by producers Kirsty Stark and Peter Hanlon restructuring the business model and appointing Lisa Bishop as general manager to oversee a skeleton staff.
It has since received more than $200,000 in grants from the South Australian Government and Arts Minister Andrea Michaels, as well as philanthropic contributions that have allowed for underused office space to become filmmaking facilities, including a writers’ room, production office, edit suite, mini studio, colour grading suite, and sound editing and mixing theatre.
From a screening perspective, the Silver Screen and Cinematheque programs will be expanded with new offerings, including Heaps Good Cinema, a program of South Australian-made short films; and Cinema Mechanica, a selection of films curated by local screen craft guilds designed to give audiences an insight into the mechanics of filmmaking.
Hanlon said the next steps in the strategy were the result of consultations at each level of the member-run organisation.
“We’ve worked very hard with Mercury staff, members, and industry stakeholders to develop a new business model and think beyond the typical income streams for arts organisations – which are philanthropy, sponsorship, and grants,” he said.
SAFC CEO Kate Croser said the agency’s support of Mercury CX was in line with its commitment to improving diversity and inclusion in the state’s screen sector.
“The SAFC is pleased to continue its partnership with The Mercury, providing funding to deliver programs and opportunities that support diverse, emerging practitioners to develop, advance and professionalise their careers in the screen industry,” she said.