‘Batting away productions’: How WA screen industry found its place in Aussiewood

Dramatic scenery, government grants and a new studio have been attracting A-listers and big-name studios to WA in a promising sign of confidence in the small but ambitious local screen industry. Jurassic Park star Sam Neill was in Perth and Margaret River at the tail end of 2024 filming the latest season of courtroom drama The Twelve. Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage wrapped up shooting quirky flick The Surfer in Yallingup in December 2023. The production team behind Mystery Road’ returned to WA in September to film the fourth iteration of the ABC drama series in the South West. Disney’s first ever commission in the country — Shipwreck Hunters Australia — has been booked for another season in a showcase of WA’s rich maritime history and sprawling coastlines. And a state-of-the-art film studio that will provide a crucial piece of infrastructure WA’s film industry needs to build its credibility, sustainability and take on bigger budget productions is under construction in Malaga. On the whole, it’s been an extremely encouraging three years for Screenwest chief executive Rikki Lea Bestall and given her good leverage to pull the next big production to WA. “The Twelve was a big win for us. Someone like Sam Neill is a big drawcard, and then having Nic Cage in the State . . . put us on a platform,” she told The West Australian. “At the moment, bluntly, we are batting away productions that want to come here.” But WA ain’t quite Hollywood, and Ms Bestall is conscious that bringing too many productions into the State at once will put severe pressure on already limited resources. “There’s so much that want to come next year. I love to sell what we’ve got, but I don’t want to oversell because if someone has a bad experience, word gets out and it’s ‘Ah they’re not quite ready for us’.” It’s a reflection of huge growth in the film and television industry across the country amid seemingly never-ending demand for new things to binge. The industry’s total income doubled from $2.3 billion in 2015-2016 to $4.6 billion in 2021-2022, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and employed 26,808 people at the end of that year. It’s regular productions in WA like the above-mentioned that Ms Bestall says are keeping crucial behind-the-scenes talent in WA. “Up until about two and a half years ago, we didn’t have steady production to keep people here. So we’ve changed that in about two years (and) I’d say we doubled the size of production. We’ve had consistent production and two to three projects running at the same time,” she said. “But we have quite a significant piece of work to get crew levels up to the capacity we want and need, to drive the studios, but also just drive growth in the creative sector.” Crewing is arguably the biggest bottleneck in WA, and across the country, in growing the screen industry to its full capacity. “I think we’re seeing that in all the other industries as well it’s the lack of people that are in the general workforce and our unemployment rates. There’s just so many pushing and pulling,” she said. “For example, there’s no production accountants available anywhere in Australia.” The State Government has acknowledged what it has called a “nation-wide creative skills shortage” in its most recent Diversify WA report, and featured creative industries as a major area for potential growth. The new Edith Cowan University Perth City Campus — which will become the new home of the WA Academy of Performing Arts — is hoped to drive a new burst of new interest in the industry. A new blueprint with Department of Training and Workforce Development is pending approval, according to Ms Bestall, to prep the next generation of grips, gaffers, cinematographers, location managers and camera operators. “We are doing a lot in the interim before that plan comes out, but there will be a much more targeted approach at high schools, curriculums, tertiary institutes, and making sure we’re pumping out people of all with courses that are ‘set ready’, as well as just learning about history of film type things.” “We’re working with lots of different partners on how we can fast track some of those crew roles.” Ian Hale, a WA film producer and owner of Backlot Studios — a boutique cinema in Leederville — says the growth in WA’s film scene, both independent and State-funded, in the past five years has been “phenomenal”. “I believe there has been a real shift more recently not only from the State Government with its investment in a truly world-class film studio but also with the necessary production funding and level of support required to sustain it,” he said. The $20 million WA Production Attraction Incentive fund offered to pay for at least 10 per cent of a production if at least $3.5m is spent on the project in the State. Up to $2m is available for productions filmed in regional WA in a bid to try and champion local stories and landscapes, as well as provide an economic sugar hit for nearby towns and their businesses. “This will hopefully see our incredibly talented local filmmakers, cast and crews not leave WA and actually give them the incentive to stay and, in turn, attract others here to this unique part of the world,” Mr Hale said. Screenwest has an even bigger mandate to ramp up the size and scope of WA productions in the next three years. It has committed to lift the economic footprint of WA films, documentaries, TV shows and games to $300m per year, up from $66m per year, by 2028. By that time, and in tandem with the recruitment drive, it also is targeting the number of full-time roles on projects supported by the organisation from 350 to 1000.