“We have identified ways of cutting the red tape that has made NSW a ‘No’ state when it comes to attracting productions. Backed by the introduction of a NSW Screen and Digital Games Act, we aim to make NSW a ‘Yes’ state.”
The NSW Screen and Digital Games Strategy lands at a critical time when parts of the local sector have sounded the alarm about a crippling shortage of skilled film crew and a chronic undersupply of sound stages and production spaces in Sydney.
Industry sources say the infrastructure bottleneck has resulted in major productions either being delayed or forced to relocate interstate or overseas.
The streaming giant Netflix has been looking for a home in Sydney for many years, while the National Institute of Dramatic Arts, a nursery for film technicians and creatives, finds itself hemmed in at its Kensington campus.
At the same time, Queensland and Western Australia are aggressively pitching for productions from NSW with 14 new sound studios expected to come online in those states from 2026. Disney currently manages nine studios at Moore Park.
The new strategy commits to partnering with the private sector to explore alternate options for a second studio and meet the admitted critical shortage of filming infrastructure in NSW, but it stops short of naming a site or a timetable for any new redevelopment.
The government has already foreshadowed greater and more regular access to production companies at Callan Park.
And it says it will support plans for a Centre for Screen Culture and Digital Innovation, a hub for creative workers across the industry.
On location of the Disney+ Australian original production, The Artful Dodger: Bunya Productions’ Gregor Cameron and Greer Simpkin, NSW Minister for the Arts, John Graham, Curio Productions, Jo Porter, and head of Screen NSW, Kyas Hepworth. Credit: Edwina Pickles
The Minns government is intent on building bridges after falling out with the sector over $60 million in screen funding cuts it announced last year. It restored funding after an outcry.
Last Friday, Graham announced a department restructure splitting Screen NSW and Sound NSW from the arts agency, Create NSW, which is reduced to grant making and some policy development.
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Screen NSW has been now placed under the leadership of a new acting deputy director, Michael Rodrigues, the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner.
The sector hopes a more independent Screen NSW will be more responsive in addressing gaps in key roles such as line producers, art directors, and visual effects specialists.
With an ageing workforce and limited female representation, the industry worries these issues could have serious implications for future production capacity.
To this end, $1 million has been pledged to roll out a pilot program with TAFE, National Institute of Dramatic Arts and Australian Film and Television and Radio School to fast track entry-level and mid-career creatives to remedy the skills shortage.
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