How is the most cost-effective Australian film？ Jackie Chan, Li Bingbing and Liu Ye have used these tricks

1905 movie network news The Chinese-Australian co-production of Li Bingbing and Wu Zun is about to be released nationwide on January 19. Compared with the content of the film itself, we are more curious about why the film is shot in Australia, because most of the "Mystery Nest" is an interior shot, and it is actually the same in any country. Presumably, in addition to Australia’s professional post-production special effects team, Australia’s preferential policy of cash back subsidies is also one of the important reasons.

Jackie Chan, who starred in the New Year’s Eve release in December, is also a direct beneficiary of the China-Australia co-production incentive mechanism.You know, "Blood of the Machine" got more than 20 million yuan in cash back for filming in Australia. The earlier Sino-Australian co-production also got 15 million yuan in cash back.

2017 marks the 10th anniversary of the signing of the "China-Australia Film Cooperation Agreement". Although Australia’s incentive mechanism rewards handsomely, the progress of the cooperation between the filmmakers of the two countries has been difficult to advance. During the communication between the editor and the Australian staff, the other party has always been very "Buddhist" to persuade us that film creation is not a one-time thing, but seeing a good opportunity in front of us, the editor is really anxious for everyone~~

In fact, there is no need for a co-production. Even if you go to Australia to shoot, the preferential policies are quite attractive.

For you, the editor is heartbroken. I recently went to Australia to interview actor Liu Ye, screenwriter Liu Yi, director of "Blood of the Machine" Zhang Lijia, Australian director Alex Proyas, who has worked with Bruce Lee’s son Li Guohao, general manager of iQIYI Network Film Development Center Dou Lili, CEO of Australian Film International Cooperation Agency Debra Richards, PR Asia partner Liang Zhuo, Harvest Film CEO David Lehman and many other industry insiders, comprehensively analyzing the current situation of Sino-Australian co-production, as well as various preferential policies for shooting and posting productin in Australia.

With one article in hand, you can easily film in Australia.

PART 1 reveals various cashback subsidies for filming in Australia

Debra Richards, CEO of the Australian Film International Cooperation Agency

Debra Richards, CEO of the Australian Film International Cooperation Agency, introduced to the editor,The incentives offered by Australia in the field of film are divided intoThree,In addition, there are also clear preferential policies for the shooting of animated short films, documentaries, and TV dramasAmong them, the most powerful support is"Producer’s Compensation"As an officially certified Sino-Australian co-production film, "Mystery Nest" enjoys the highest standard of welfare policy

1.<制片人补偿金> More than 40% cashback without limit

Each film project that meets the "producer’s compensation" criteria will directly receive up to the total production expenditure40%ofNo limit cash backIf further negotiations are reached with the various weekly governments and territorial governments, the crew can also get another 40%superimposed incentiveThe cash back limit is expected to exceedtotalMore than half…

Of course, due to the need to provide a large amount of funds for such projects, the relevant Australian departments have formulated very detailed review terms for "producer compensation" and "official co-production" works. In addition to the approval procedures for projects established by the China-Australia co-production agreement, there are alsoAustralian Incentive Requirements Production Expenditure (QAPE) Standard, the filmDoes it display significant Australian content (SAC)?andCan commercial screening and distribution conditions be met?Wait for the specific content.

These seem rather cumbersome requirements, which have been the biggest obstacle to the smooth birth of Sino-Australian co-productions for a long time. But don’t worry, we have come up with a list, understand and complete the above requirements, and you will definitely be able to successfully get cash back.

First, you have to find the movieLocal investment partner(The two parties respectivelyNot less than 20%), submit the project application in China and Australia at the same time, and pass the review of content production. In addition to officially certified co-production works, other want to enjoy40% "Producer’s Compensation"ofCinema Feature FilmThe length of the film must be60 MinutesAbove,IMAX Movieis45 minutesAbove, the minimum total production expenditure (QAPE) must not be less than500,000 AUD…

What aspects of expenditure are specifically covered by QAPE, we have also verified for you: allConsumption of goods and services provided in Australia, expenditure on the use of Australian premisesAnd in the main overseas filming work forParticipating in the projectAustralian personnelThe fees paid can be considered as production expenses that meet the requirements of the Australian incentive mechanism.

Of course, it is up to the creator to decide what kind of content a film should present. However, since it is a "China-Australia co-production", the Australian Film and Television Bureau will also check whether a film meets the standards of Significant Australian Content (SAC). The main content includesThe film’s theme, production location, cost, and the proportion of creators in Australia to other countries and regionsAnd so forth.

This also reminds all applicants to have a clear creative and production direction when applying for a project in the early stage. "Blood of the Machine" failed to obtain official co-production certification, which is what suffered in this regard. According to reports, the filmmaker Zhang Bo once revealed that one-third of the film’s main creators were from Australia (meeting the requirements), but after understanding it, he found that the approval process was relatively long, and he had to give up in the end.

2.<拍摄场地补偿金> 16.5% + cash back amount

Although it did not enjoy the "producer’s compensation" welfare policy, the final choice of Sydney as the location of "Blood of the Machine" still received strong support from the Australian local government. It is based on the second category of film incentive mechanism –"Shooting Site Compensation"…

Although the 16.5% cash back is not as tempting as the 40% mentioned above, in comparison, the application conditions for "shooting site compensation" are obviouslooseA lot. For theatrical feature films that meet the requirements of the work format, the total production expenditure (QAPE, covering the content above) exceeds15 million AUDYou can receive 16.5% of this expenditure as compensation for venue expenses.

We did a calculation for "Blood of the Machine" according to this standard: during the 28 days of filming in Sydney, the film crew used more than 100 Chinese employees and 250 Australian staff.It costs about 100 million yuan in Australia."Blood of the Machine" can be obtained in addition to"Shooting Site Compensation" 16.5% cash backIn addition, the New South Wales government also provides5% overlay subsidyIn the end, the total cash back obtained by "Blood of the Machine"More than 20 million RMB…

3.<后期制作补偿金> Say goodbye to 50 cents special effects and get a 30% cash subsidy

The last category in the Australian film production incentive mechanism that I would like to recommend the most is targetingCompensation for post productin, digital effects and visual effects (PDV) expenses.The advantages of the Australian film industry in the field of PDV are self-evident. So far, Australia has received 172 Oscar nominations, including 55 PDV-related nominations, winning a total of 21 awards.

Choosing to work with local filmmakers, not only has the quality assurance, but also meets the QAPE requirements (500,000 Australian dollars)."PDV expenditure compensation" will provide PDV expenditure30%The cash back,The film didn’t even need to be filmed in Australia, and the PDV production requirements only involved a separate post productin cost amount.

Liu Ye, who has just announced the first director of "Ghost Blows the Lamp" and "Touching the Gold Jade", revealed in our exclusive interview that the late-stage team with super technical standards in Australia has been listed as the key object of his investigation. I believe that if there is a production team of this level to join, our "Ghost Blows the Lamp" tomb exploration story can completely bid farewell to the ranks of the 50-cent special effects.

4.<其他制片人补偿金> Animated short films, documentaries, TV series 20% cash back

In addition to feature films, the Australian film and television production incentive mechanism also targetsAnimated shorts, documentaries, single episodes and TV seriesThere is a separate "producer compensation" standard. Under the same content review standards, this category’sThe cash back credit ratio is20%For different creative categories, the regulations on the total production expenditure are also different:

★Single episode TV series QAPEEquivalent feature film, not less than500,000 AUDThe length of the film and the length of the advertisement should be more than 1 hour.

★TV series are QAPE by the hour.,per hournot less than500,000 AUD, but at the same time, it is also necessary to ensure a single series,A single-season TV series contains at least two episodesTherefore, the total amount of QAPE needs to reach1 million AUD;

★documentaryThe single episode duration requirement is reduced to30 Minutes(Including advertising), QAPE must reach 500,000 Australian dollars;

★15 MinutesaboveAnimated ShortThat is, it is considered on-set compliance, and the total QAPE is higher than250,000 AUDYou can apply for compensation.

Next page:PART 2 The Current Situation of Chinese Film Shooting in Australia & Various Tips