Written by James Peak on Dec 15, 2008. Posted in On Location

Filming in Australia

When renowned filmmaker Baz Luhrmann teamed up with Tourism Australia to create adverts promoting Australia as a tourism destination, the move attracted widespread publicity. The campaign, which ties in with Luhrmann's Australia feature film, represents an innovative partnership approach but in addition to increasing tourism, will it also have an impact on Australia's profile as a filming destination?

The two commercial spots were launched in October this year and the campaign is set to run in all of Tourism Australia's major markets around the world until mid-2009. It will certainly reach a wide audience and will run in cinema, television, print and online.

The film, rather than the ad campaign, came first and the style and approach is far more cinematic than advertorial. This is a point which was identified by Nick Baker, executive general manager marketing for Tourism Australia, at the time of the launch: "It's cinematic in style, is based on a story with a beginning, middle and end, is sophisticated and highly emotive," he said. "It is not the traditional slide-show of pretty pictures of places and people."

So how did the idea for a commercial produced by Baz Luhrmann come about? Rodney Harrex - general manager, UK/Europe at Tourism Australia provides some key details: "In 2006 Tourism Australia began talking with Twentieth Century Fox about the movie Australia. From those initial meetings came an opportunity to talk directly with Bazmark Inq, Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin's production company. In 2007 Tourism Australia and Baz Luhrmann agreed that Bazmark Inq would produce a special, stand-alone campaign for tourism that would enable Tourism Australia to also take advantage of the predicted high public awareness for the film Australia. The campaign would make a clear link between the movie's "brand" and the country's tourism marketing."

The commercials show-case some of Australia's most scenic locations, including Sydney and the Kimberley in Western Australia. A very significant portion of the feature film was shot in Queensland, in the small township of Bowen. The production was based there for two months, and employed many local crew and locals as on-screen extras. Jess Conoplia, executive manager, locations and international production at the Pacific Film and Television Committee comments: "Hosting a production of this calibre generated a significant economic impact for the local Bowen community, and boosted local tourism and hospitality businesses. Bowen has become quite a tourism attraction based on Baz Luhrmann's decision to film part of his epic feature on location there."

Jess explains that The PFTC secured an additional grant of $500,000 from the Queensland Government to attract Australia to Queensland, in recognition of its scope and importance to the Australian film industry. The PFTC also provided extensive locations assistance to the production company and facilitated cooperation with local government authorities in Bowen to accommodate the requirements of the production. "It was a great honour for the PFTC to be involved in an Australian production of this scale and we were proud to host Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and the film's many other stars during production," asserts Jess.

Baz Luhrmann returned to Queensland to film a portion of the Tourism Australia advertisement series. Jess observes: "He relied heavily on the impressive water tanks at the world-class Warner Roadshow Studios to create some of the stirring underwater and close up images featured throughout the campaign."

Jess is keen to emphasise Queensland's credentials as a filming destination in general. "Queensland is a highly sought after production destination for interstate and international filmmakers, with arguably the best studio facilities in Australia, an impressive depth of crew on offer, production and post-production expertise and a supportive film commission on the ground to compliment the state's stunning natural beauty." She adds that Queensland is also a hot-spot for smaller locations-driven projects from outside the global production hub of the United States, including the UK, Holland, Germany and Denmark.

The combined publicity around the ad campaign and the feature film is likely to remind international filmmakers of the country's potential as a filming destination. That is not to say the region has been forgotten by filmmakers in the past. Indeed, Rodney points out that Fox Studios in Sydney's Eastern suburbs and the Warner Roadshow Movie World Studios on the Gold Coast have provided movie-sets for numerous globally released films, including Superman Returns, Scooby-Doo and Peter Pan. Furthermore, Australian classics such as Crocodile Dundee and Baz Luhrmann?s Strictly Ballroom share the landscape with Hollywood blockbusters like The Matrix and Mission Impossible 2.

Australia's film industry also hopes to be boosted by the introduction of the new Screen Australia. This is an Australian Government agency which acts as a single agency to serve the film and television production industry and which commenced operations at the beginning of July this year. It aims to be a centralised funding body, encouraging greater private investment in Australian film and television and building on the contribution the industry makes to the Australian economy.

Rodney asserts that Australia is, "Home to a thriving film, television and performing arts industry," adding that, "Australia also boasts some of the world's most talented and creative actors, performers, designers, writers, producers, directors and post production workers." Whether or not the joint venture with Baz Lurhmann and his team will have the additional bonus of attracting more international filmmakers remains to be seen. But there is no doubt that the beautifully constructed commercials as well as the film itself show-case some extraordinary landscapes.