What is the last Australian film you saw at the cinemas?
Struggling to think of one?
Same here. I didn’t even get to see The Great Gatsby on the big screen last year (and yes, that was an Australian production).
This isn’t to say I never watch Aussie films though. In fact, my entire family really enjoys watching them – favourites include The Castle, The Dish, Cosi, Tomorrow When the War Began, Bran Nue Dae, Kenny and Mental. I own all these films on DVD, however I don’t think I saw a single one of them at the movies.
Why?
Usually by the time I heard about them, they had finished being shown at the cinemas. I don’t recall any big scale advertising campaigns letting me know that the films were even being released.
Unfortunately, this means I am included in the statistics indicating that the Australian film industry is in crisis. According to Screen Australia (2014) “feature films under Australian or shared creative control earned $38.5 million or 3.5 per cent of the total Australian box office in 2013.”
Only 3.5 per cent? Damn.
So what is going wrong when it comes to Aussie films?
Is it the actual content? In Triple J Hack’s Australian Film Industry Special it was suggested by some that Australian feature films are often “too depressing, too dark or too stereotypical.” Indeed I know from discussions with my friends that the persistent Aussie stereotypes presented can be a major deterrent for them when it comes to decisions on whether to watch a home grown production.
Triple J Hack (2009) referred to this sensation as “cultural cringing.” We get embarrassed when we see terrible Aussie stereotypes depicted in international productions (such as the recent Modern Family episode or The Inbetweeners 2), so it’s even worse when they are being actively promoted by our own film industry.
After all there is a bit more to Australian culture than the Outback, kangaroos, boomerangs, surfing and drinking beer.
With this said, I believe that the Australian film industry has released a diverse range of well scripted, beautifully filmed, and fantastically acted movies. In addition, Australian films have had great critical reception internationally at events such as the Toronto International Film Festival (Gibbs, 2013). Therefore, it seems that there is more to this problem than simply the media content itself.
While there have been declines in cinema attendance over time, as I indicated in an earlier post, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, many Australians still enjoy the movie-going experience. It seems the success of the Australian film industry is being measured by cinema attendance. However, Carroll Harris (2013) argues “the cinema system is designed for different kinds of movies than the ones we have the budgets and integrated media companies to produce. It’s designed for Hollywood super-movies…. [and as such] Australian films have been zombified through cinematic releases.” Thus, relying on box office figures to demonstrate the success of our industry may not be the most appropriate method.
As Carroll Harris (2013) argues “it is all very well for films to tell a spell-binding story, to feature exceptional performances or extraordinary cinematography, but to make an impact, they have to be seen – and for that to happen, they have to be effectively distributed.” The Australian film industry may find greater success by contemplating release through alternative media platforms. Carroll Harris (2013) explains “The focus until now has been on generating Australian content, not about making that content accessible to where audiences are at: online and outside the cinema.” Television, online streaming/downloading sites and even community film festivals may be effective mediums to encourage Australians to consume local content.
As I have already mentioned, in my experience the advertising of Australian productions has been completely ineffective. It is extremely rare for me to come across any trailers, articles and even Facebook/Youtube pop up ads telling me something is coming out. I think the key times I have known about an Australian film being made is when I have actively searched the Screen Australia website. (Or when Baz Luhrmann is creating something – but let’s face it, that’s because I’m in love with Hugh and Leo.)
Screen Australia website – only place I’ve even heard about these films.
If the industry wants to continue focussing on success through the ‘big screen’ it will need to develop more effective ways of encouraging audiences to pop on some pants and head out to the cinemas. Exploit social media the way Hollywood seems to, focus on fantastic trailers that build suspense and get the audiences hyped. And at the end of the day, just letting us know the films are coming out will be a great start.
References:
Barrington, John (2009) ‘Hack’s Australian Film Industry Special’ Triple J – Hack [podcast], 29 October, <http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hack/stories/s2722568.htm>
Carroll Harris, Lauren (2013) ‘How do you solve a problem like the Australian Film Industry?’ Junkee., 11 October, <http://junkee.com/how-do-we-solve-a-problem-like-the-australian-film-industry/21379>
Gibbs, Ed (2013) ‘Australian films get rousing reception in Toronto’ Sydney Morning Herald, 12 September, <http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/australian-films-get-rousing-reception-in-toronto-20130912-2tlx6.html>
Screen Australia (2014) , ‘Australian Content: Box Office’, <http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/research/statistics/australianshare.aspx>
Watching the World 