It’s time to give up on ‘significant Australian content,’ but not Australian content itself

Seven weeks ago, if you’d asked me what I thought about Australian content, I would have explained that I’d avoid watching it at all costs due to the cultural cringe factor. In fact, you can see just how uneducated I was by reading my first blog post! During this session, I’ve managed to overcome my …

Advertisements

Binge-watching is the new sit-down entertainment, but is this good for Australian content?

It is 2:45am. My eyes are bloodshot, I think I can smell colours and I’m pretty sure the flickering light from my computer screen is bothering the hell out of my cat. I have just finished watching the season finale of HBO’s hit series House of Cards on Netflix. Feeling a little guilty that I’ve …

Foreign Investment: A Saviour for the Australian Film Industry

Imagine studying something you were passionate about for at least three years of your life, only to get to the end of your degree to find out that jobs in your field were not just hard to find, but completely non-existent. It would be crushing to know that all of your hard work and dedication …

Is Any Attention Good Attention?: Conquering Australia through Film Tourism

When it comes to representing our country in film, Australian cinema has a serious outback fetish. Sweeping shots of the arid, copper-coloured soils, panoramic views of Uluru and heroic horse-back drovers have represented the national identity we have perpetuated through our film industry. Although in recent years Australian filmmakers have ventured out into filming gritty …

It’s not you it’s me: The problematic nature of Australian film audiences

Australian cinema plays an incredibly important cultural role in our society. Seeing our own stories on screen is a way of sharing our nation’s origins, struggles, triumphs, character, values, past, and even its future (Hogan 2010, p. 63). However, Australian film audiences are a fickle bunch. Although 91% of respondents in a Screen Australia (2011, …

Ozploitation: Crazy, Crude and a Recipe for Success

The Australian film industry has long been characterised by periods of either boom or bust (Ryan 2012). Perhaps the most significant ‘boom’ period for Australian cinema was during the 10BA tax incentive during the 1980’s. The 10BA was a policy introduced by the Australian government and enabled filmmakers to claim a 150% tax concession as …

National Identity Crisis: The Key Assumptions Surrounding the Production of Australian Content

Australia has come a long way since the days of the bushie ocker. Rather than wrestling crocodiles with machetes or herding cattle at a station in Central Australia, many Australians, like myself, would much rather catch up with friends over coffee or become lost in a good book. While I can’t speak for absolutely everyone, …