The Next Generation of Australian Filmmaking

The project will generate important insight into the ‘post-cinema’ mentality and career trajectories of emerging filmmakers who will drive next generation filmmaking. While a ‘movie’ was traditionally shot on 35 mm film, exhibited in cinemas before video/television release, marketed through traditional media channels to mass audiences whose consumption practices were constrained by release patterns and screening windows, ‘films’ are increasingly shot on digital video, distributed online and consumed via numerous platforms from laptop computers to mobile phone, and available for viewing on demand. Technological change is also creating ‘a new generation of digerati who have grown up with the internet and who relate to content in a completely new way’ (Harris 2007: 31). The next generation of filmmakers operate in a world where distinctions between producer and consumer are breaking down; dis-mediation is transforming the official media sphere; and social media and networking tools (including facebook.com and myspace.com) have become essential to viral marketing campaigns and fledgling online business ventures (see Hearn and Brow 2008).

Italian Spiderman, a cult YouTube series, is a prime example (see case studies for further franchise details). Rather than auteur or producer driven, the franchise is created by a group of creative collaborators. After film school, rather than producing short films for festival circuits to build filmmaking reputations, the filmmakers built a fan base on YouTube and raised money for a 10-part series following the trailer’s success. Rather than a division of labour between creative and technical talent, key creatives handle most technical aspects of production. Rather than a classical narrative structure, Italian Spiderman is an exploitation spoof serial of ten four-to-five minute clips.

As this alludes to, career paths for next generation filmmakers may be evolving. In 1998, Annabelle Sheehan identified two distinct stages in the evolution of career pathways for Australian filmmakers. In the 1980s, filmmakers entered the industry through ‘on the job’ training in government funded organisations such as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Special Broadcast Service (SBS), and Film Australia, or large independent production houses including Crawfords Australia, before moving into other areas of production. However, by the late 1990s, tertiary-level screen production courses replaced real world learning as the gate-keeper for industry entry. The question is how are next generation filmmakers developing their careers in an era of pro-am digital video production, multiple platforms and potentially global audiences? Is a third stage in professional career paths emerging? Is this pathway a combination of formal institutional training and real world experience, or an independent pathway enabled by new technologies? As such, insight into a post-cinema mentality may inform new approaches to filmmaking, but will also provide important lessons for policy and screen education.

Contact Mark Ryan for more information about this project: m3.ryan@qut.edu.au or 07 3138 5615.