The Gold Coast screen industry is thriving thanks to the City’s contributions to the sector and a successful partnership with one of Australia’s top filmmakers.
Screen industry programs have contributed $200 million to the economy in the last financial year and created 8000 (direct and indirect) screen industry jobs. At the same time, industry heavy-hitters Baz Luhrmann, Tom Hanks and Ron Howard have all chosen the coast to film their blockbusters.
A partnership with Baz Luhrmann’s production company, Bazmark Inq, has helped shine a spotlight on the coast screen industry with the company’s headquarters relocating from New York to Miami.
“In the early 20th century, when filmmaking started out in New York, they spoke of a place with incredible beaches, wonderful sunlight and a sense that anything was possible. That place was called Hollywood,” Mr Luhrmann said.
“Recently, in returning to the coast after many years, my team has found a place of incredible beaches, unbelievable food, a can-do attitude and easily one of the best filmmaking facilities in the world. Thanks to the incredible support of the City of Gold Coast’s screen, arts and culture programs, the technical expertise and creativity that is bubbling up on the Gold Coast makes it the most exciting place to be, not just for filmmakers, but for anyone interested in creativity and the arts.”
Mayor Tom Tate said: “We are extremely proud of the screen, arts and culture initiatives we have in place to attract, develop and retain incredible talent in our city.
“To have arguably the greatest filmmaker of our time and the Bazmark production company located here is testament to our city’s potential as the screen capital of Australia.”
The City’s arts and culture Professional Placement program for local creatives was instrumental in Bazmark’s recruitment of local social media creatives.
Two of the talented applicants for this unique three-month placement were local singer-songwriter and creative content strategist Eleea Navarro and mixed multi-media artist/ filmmaker Jordan Wilkinson.
They were interviewed and chosen by Luhrmann for his digital media team. The pair created digital content for Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis feature, as well as the milestone celebrations for his iconic red-curtain trilogy: Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge.
Since the end of the placement last November, both have been kept on by Bazmark.
Luhrmann’s upcoming feature film Elvis was shot almost in its entirety on the Gold Coast. Further, with the support of the City, Mr Luhrmann and his team based the year-long post-production process in Miami, in a first for the Gold Coast for a film of this scale.
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