Kali Curtis
BCM 331 Australian Content, Global Context
Dr. Renee Middlemost
17 August 2018
Assessment 1: Critical Reflection
In this short critical reflection piece you should demonstrate that you have a clear and developing understanding of the significance of market failure, and ‘public good’ arguments in relation to the funding and protection of Australian media content in the Australian domestic market.
You should draw on the themes that emerge in our workshop discussions, and you should support your ideas with 3-5 pieces of appropriately cited credible research (these can be industry, government or academic sources).
I am American. And with this nationality also comes a sense of mass influence. Born and raised 20 minutes away from film capital of the world Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, I have always had exposure to the entertainment industry. Hearing actors speaking American English, recognizing sets of nearby surroundings in familiar American locations, and consistently seeing mainstream actors cast in popular films is something I have always been used to. It wasn’t until experiencing the film culture internationally in places like Brazil, Italy, Mexico, and even here in Australia that I realized, Hollywood movies rule the world. In Brazil, cinemas are actually very uncommon, and people watch ripped movies at home, mostly consisting of only American made movies, translated into Portuguese. In other countries like Italy and Mexico, excitement and buzz revolves around the new Superman movie released shortly after the US premiere, yet voiced over to be compatible for the international markets and the language barriers that come along with it. But in Australia, English, like America, is the national language and it has deeply shocked me what I have come to know thus far about the unique market.
The Australian Film industry has taken a number of twists and turns throughout its history. From the 1940’s to the 1960’s preoccupied on retelling historical incidents in Australia, to the golden age of film in the 70’s and 80’s, to the changing industry of the 1990’s, Australia is complexly evolving. “It’s a multiplayer battlefield, with billions of dollars at stake” according to an article “’The Industry Will Be Gutted’: Why Australian Film and TV is Fighting for Its Life”, written by Anna Broinowski for The GuardianMagazine (Broinowski).
Significant market failure has played a large role in relation to the funding and protection of content and the Australian market. In the 1970’s the Australian government pledged support for the struggling film industry of Australia by implementing “10BA Tax Laws”. As this allowed producers to claim production subsidies, the industry took off. Many successful genre films were made and the audience share for Australian Cinema was the highest in post-war history. However, this peaking time came to an end by the late 1980’s. in 1988, the Film Finance Corporation (FCC) took over as the leading source of financing. With this, production of Australian films flatlined and the box office share of Australian features declined. In 2010, the federal government conducted reviews of federal film financing arrangement while private investments were being more attracted to Australian feature films. Soon after, Budget Screen Australia announced budget cuts to federal funding. It is clear that the film industry market in Australia has undergone many changes, but not for the better. Understanding the past and looking towards the future, insider Lauren Carroll Harris believes “Knowing more about how we consume will help us lift up the industry and support filmmakers. The box office is not where audiences are heading for local content; online and post-cinema markets are the real markets. We are wasting public funds on production if films, no matter how good they are, never reach an audience for lack of effective distribution support”, according to her Junkee article called “How do you solve a problem like the Australian Film Industry?”. All audiences need to be catered to, which leads to the topic of content versus capital.
Although finances do play one of the largest roles in the film industry of Australia, creative and culturally stimulating content do as well. Many films in the past have contributed to the build of the national Australian character. Significant Australian content not only qualified for funding from Screen Australia but also provided cultural benefits to the public. Both “film as industry” and “film as art” offer the public interesting qualities that contribute to the successes of Australian film. Genre films of the “film as industry” offer great quality, while Ozploitation films of “film as art” contribute to the Australian identity. It has come to be known that “Australians don’t watch Australian Films” as there may be problematic natures within cinema representing the nation.
In turn, in more recent years, Australian film has turned to a more broad and international focus. According to the Australian Film Commission publication, “International dynamics have transformed the global media sector… and are already determining the direction of drama production in the Australian audiovisual industry. There is no escaping the international marketplace and Australia is as dependent on the international industry for its local productions and exports as it is for its imports. If the Australian experience of internationalization reflects aspects of a new global condition, it suggests that no media organization is entering the future media landscape alone. Collaborations, partnerships and international joint ventures are the modus operandi of audiovisual companies as they adapt to the changing media market”(51 Maher). The expansion of the Australian market will add more opportunity and potential to the nations habitually struggling film industry.
Looking forward, there is a lot to learn from the many directions that the Australian film industry has taken over the course of the last 80 years. With the direction of internationalization and outward facing mentalities, I believe that Australia will successfully grow to become a financially abundant and essentially stable and successful film industry.
Works Cited
Broinowski, Anna. “’The Industry Will Be Gutted’: Why Australian Film and TV Is Fighting for Its Life.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 29 Apr. 2018, http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/apr/29/the-whole-industry-will-be-gutted-why-australias-film-and-tv-industry-is-fighting-for-its-life.
Harris, Lauren Carroll. “How Do You Solve A Problem Like The Australian Film Industry?” Junkee, 31 Mar. 2017, junkee.com/how-do-we-solve-a-problem-like-the-australian-film-industry/21379.
Maher, Sean. “The Internationalisation of Australian Film and Television through the 1990s.” Screen Australia, Australia Film Commissioner , afcarchive.screenaustralia.gov.au/downloads/policies/internationalisation%20final.pdf.
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