It seems like a grand Hollywood idea, but could it be risky in our current pandemic environment?
Russell Crowe’s announced the arrival of his state-of-the-art film-making facility yesterday, and will be based in the home of the Big Banana (and Crowe).
This development can be seen as a reaction to the global content boom and the weirdly occurring success of Australia throughout the continuing pandemic.
The multimillion studio complex will be a mega combination of facilities including production, post-production, and even accommodation.
The studio will also replace the current 100-acre Pacific Bay luxury resort, conveniently located a four-minute drive away from the town’s shining glory that is the Big Banana.
Not all is lost for the local resort though, as one of its owners, Peter Montgomery, is upgrading his business objectives by financially backing the project with Crowe and film producer, Keith Rodger.
It seems like a pretty well-balanced trio for a studio project so huge.
“The opportunity to build a facility like this spreads opportunity through the community by creating jobs, but not just jobs: actual professions and careers. For a number of years I’ve been thinking how I might be able to combine where I live and my work,” Crowe commented.
Considering Australia’s fluctuating unemployment rate, especially since Jobkeeper has ended, the manufacturing of jobs at this new studio could really be another valuable asset in Australia’s creative industry.
Good Morning from Woopi…..
Awesome news….when the Movie Studio opens, can I please come and work as one of the on-site nurses? pic.twitter.com/xfauMSbzkY— Donna Houghton (@dleh7188) June 16, 2021
The studio will be named Pacific Bay Resort Studios & Village, which accompanies Australia’s growing rate of Hollywood-esque studio construction.
Currently, Australia has seen the birth of Screen Queensland Studios, based in Hemmant, Brisbane, and the Byron Studios in New South Wales’ Northern Rivers (confirmed credibility lies in Nicole Kidman filming Netflix series Nine Perfect Strangers).
To the west of Australia with the $100m, Western Australia also endorsed the proposal of a film hub on Victoria Quay, in Fremantle.
Crowe’s mega studio will add a point of difference with accommodation intended for stars to live on-site with their families while dipping into an array of financial incentives from local governments.
This can be interpreted as a bonus in alleviating pressure off existing facilities in major film locations such as Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and the Gold Coast, which have all been booked for months due to Australia’s successful efforts (compared to many other countries) in curbing COVID-19.
So much so that notorious stars like; Australia’s own Chris Hemsworth, Matt Damon, Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Idris Elba, Melissa McCarthy, and queen Tilda Swinton have all been either working in Australia or are due to arrive.
Although, Australian-based productions have been driven by the pandemic, individuals in the industry urge caution, as Australia is behind in vaccinations as compared to the U.S,
“Building studios in response to Covid is a terrible strategy because [the global crisis] is not going to be around for very long,” said former Roadshow head of production and ScreenWest CEO Seph McKenna.
“[Australia’s] slow rollout of the vaccine means that we are behind the US and the rest of the world. Without a vaccinated population – and with the ever-present threat of lockdown – we won’t remain the favoured destination of Hollywood.”
I’m pretty excited that it’s happening just after I moved to Coffs Harbour 😎
I don’t think it risks being ruined like could happen to small towns, because Coffs is quite a large city.
‘Aussiewood’ sounds weird. The Mayor called it ‘Hollywood Harbour’. #russellcrowe https://t.co/0xg6abs9lC— James One✳️ (@james00000001) June 16, 2021
Productions that end up in Australia are driven by the value of the dollar, McKenna advises,
“When the dollar rises, Hollywood looks elsewhere to spend its money. That is something that cannot be controlled. It’s why building studios has always been a boom and bust endeavour,” he said.
The new Pacific Resort Studio & Village can simultaneously be seen as a threat to the other studios in Australia that are in a constant battle to lure in productions, especially because many productions were set to begin pre-COVID.
Surely all the love can be shared amongst the ever-increasing Australian film industry? We shall have to wait and see.
