Australia Locations, Talent, Post/VFX and Co-producing PartnersWorking with and in Australia means you can draw on some of the world’s best locations, actors, creative teams, crews, post and VFX studios. Australia offers globally competitive incentives for Official Co-productions and foreign film and television productions wishing to film in Australia or undertake post-production and visual effects work.
LocationsAustralia is well-known for its natural beauty, diverse locations and cityscapes and cosmopolitan lifestyle but it’s the country’s major sound stages and crew that attract productions like Aquaman, Thor: Ragnarok, Alien: Covenant, Pacific Rim Uprising, HBO’s The Leftovers, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Chinese co-production The Whistleblower.
In May 2018 the Australian Federal Government announced a special AUD$140m four-year fund that effectively extends the Location Offset to 30% for approved projects. From 1 July 2018, productions will be able to apply for this Location Incentive Program.
TalentSome of the world’s most recognisable faces are Australian including Simon Baker, Cate Blanchett, Russell Crowe, Judy Davis, Mel Gibson, Chris Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Katherine Langford, Levi Miller, Margot Robbie, Geoffrey Rush, Yvonne Strahovski, Jacki Weaver, Rebel Wilson and Sam Worthington.
But behind the camera, there is also no shortage of stars including directors Bruce Beresford (Ladies in Black), Garth Davis (Lion), Kate Dennis (The Handmaid’s Tale), Kitty Green (Casting JonBenet), Jennifer Kent (The Babadook), Dr George Miller (Mad Max:Fury Road), Jocelyn Moorhouse (The Dressmaker), Baz Luhrmann (The Great Gatsby), Warwick Thornton (Sweet Country) and James Wan (Aquaman).
Plus cinematographers Dion Beebe (Mary Poppins), Greig Fraser (Lion), John Seale (Mad Max: Fury Road), editors Kirk Baxter (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Paul Machliss (Baby Driver), Margaret Sixel (Mad Max: Fury Road) and Lee Smith (Dunkirk), production designers Catherine Martin (The Get Down), Owen Patterson (Captain America: Civil War), Lisa Thompson and Colin Gibson (both Mad Max: Fury Road), visual effects Glenn Melenhorst (Game of Thrones: Battle of the Bastards), Jason Billington (Deepwater Horizon), Brendan Seales (Alien:Covenant) and Vince Cirelli (Doctor Strange) and sound technicians Tim Ryan (Gods of Egypt), Wayne Pashley (The LEGO: Batman Movie) David White (Mad Max: Fury Road) and Andy Wright (Hacksaw Ridge) to name just a few.
Official Co-productionsAustralia currently has Official Co-production treaties with Canada, China, Germany, South Korea, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Singapore, South Africa and the United Kingdom, and Memoranda of Understanding with France and New Zealand.
Official Co-productions are a highly attractive means to share skill sets across cultures, whilst potentially being able to benefit from the screen incentives from the partner countries involved. Official Co-productions with Australia may be able to utilise the Producer Offset, which is a 40% refundable tax offset on the qualifying Australian production expenditure incurred by the Australian production company for feature films. A 20% offset is available for eligible television and online projects.
Beyond the Producer Offset support, Official Co-productions can also apply for Screen Australia funding. Recent French/Australian Co-production Slam received both development and production funding from Screen Australia, as did Irish/Australian Co-production Animals.
“We had world class facilities and a world class crew that was amazing to work with. You could bring any project to Australia and make something amazing...” Thor: Ragnarok producer Brad Winderbaum
Images: Thor: Rangarok © Marvel Studios 2017, Picnic at Hanging Rock © Fremantle Media, Black Panther © Marvel Studios 2018, Mad Max: Fury Road © 2012 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. - - U.S., Canada, Bahamas & Bermuda © 2012 Village Roadshow Films (BVI) Limited - - All Other Territories
Post-production, digital and visual effects Australia has a globally awarded and recognised post and visual effects (PDV) industry, whose work can be seen in marquee titles including Peter Rabbit and The LEGO® Batman Movie from Animal Logic, Black Panther and A Wrinkle In Time from Luma Pictures, X-Men: Apocalypse, Logan and Thor: Ragnarok from Rising Sun Pictures and Method Studios’ (formerly Iloura) Emmy®-award winning work on Game of Thrones series 6 and 7 and Spiderman: Homecoming.
MORE INFORMATION
The Producer Offset screenaustralia.gov.au/producer-offset [email protected]
Official Co-productions screenaustralia.gov.au/coproductions [email protected]
The Location and PDV Offsets arts.gov.au/film-tv [email protected]
Connect with Australia’s location experts, studios, talent and state screen agency incentives ausfilm.com [email protected]
Three Summers
Incentive Eligibility Benefit
OFFICIAL CO-PRODUCTION
Screen Australia is the Australian Competent Authority administering the Official Co-production Program
Screen Australia and the other partner’s Competent Authority approve the film as an official co-production under the terms of the treaty or memorandum of understanding
Treaties vary whether they apply to film, television or both.
Access to the Producer Offset (see below)
Production is treated as ‘Australian content’ for the purpose of TV quotas
Assistance to foreign co-producer entering Australia with visas and equipment
Production is eligible to apply for Screen Australia investment
PRODUCER OFFSET
Administered by Screen Australia Must be an approved official co-production
Meet the ‘significant Australian content’ (SAC) test if not a co-production
The Australian producer must be an Australian resident company under Australian taxation law
A refundable tax offset amounting to:
-40% of qualifying Australian production expenditure (QAPE) for feature films
-20% of QAPE for non-features
(Benefit is claimed by the Australian producer via an Australian applicant company)
Production is also eligible to apply for Screen Australia investment
Title qualifies as ‘Australian’ for content quota purposes
LOCATION OFFSET
Administered by the Department of Communications and the Arts
Must meet minimum QAPE threshold of A$15,000,000
No requirement of Australian content
No requirement to be an official co-production
Must be an Australian resident company under Australian taxation law or a foreign company with an Australian Business Number (ABN) that is operating with a permanent establishment in Australia
Refundable tax offset of 16.5% of QAPE (in Australia)
In May 2018 the Australian Federal Government announced a special AUD $140m four-year fund that effectively extends the Location Offset to 30% for approved projects. Guidelines available from 1 July 2018 at Ausfilm.com
(Benefit is claimed by an Australian resident company or a foreign company with an Australian Business Number (ABN) that is operating with a permanent establishment in Australia)
POST, DIGITAL AND VISUAL EFFECTS (PDV) OFFSET
Administered by the Department of Communications and the Arts
Must meet minimum QAPE threshold of A$500,000 on PDV services
No requirement of Australian content
No requirement to be an official co-production
Must be an Australian resident company under Australian taxation law or a foreign company with an Australian Business Number (ABN) that is operating with a permanent establishment in Australia
Refundable tax offset of 30% of QAPE on Australian PDV services
OTHER PRODUCTION ATTRACTION INCENTIVES
Various state and territory government agencies. Contact Ausfilm.com
Various rebates, grants and funds as well as pre-production support
In addition to federal incentives, many Australian states and territory governments provide assistance by way of investment and production attraction services
Ausfilm can facilitate online location pitches for international producers. On application, Ausfilm can offer other services such as budget comparisons and familiarisation scouts of Australia including meetings with key crew and screen service companies
