Queensland actors and crew are turning to making their own films after "decades" of being overlooked for productions in their own state.
Key points:
- Queensland actors and crew say they are being overlooked for jobs in the state
- They say they have more success when they pretend to based elsewhere, prompting some to make their own films instead
- The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance is running a survey campaign called Local Hires Are Hot to explore the issue
Whether on the small screen, big screen or the theatre stage, local actors have told ABC Radio Brisbane they struggle to get hired, auditioned or even considered for work in Queensland.
Instead, actors say they are more likely to get work in the state when they relocate or pretend to be from a different state.
That's despite an abundance of highly trained talent in Queensland, and a $230 million film boom that created 5,400 jobs in the state last year.
The issue has prompted the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) to launch a survey campaign — called Local Hires Are Hot — aimed at putting local talent back on employers' radars.
Brisbane actor Mike Goldman said it had become a "State of Origin-style" fight, pushing local creatives to move to Victoria or New South Wales just to be considered for Queensland jobs.
He said it was a problem that had "bugged him" for two decades.
"People are talking about having to pretend they're living in Sydney or Melbourne; I've been doing that for years — it's been my own little secret," Goldman said.
"I literally had to change my name and be with a Sydney agency to get Brisbane work."
Goldman said his agent would tell employers he was Sydney or Melbourne-based, because talent from those cities were perceived to be of higher quality.
"[Film] teachers even say, 'Ah no, sorry, you've got move to Sydney or Melbourne now,' but then the people in Sydney and Melbourne think they have to move to LA to be taken seriously," he said.
He said other actors would pack their bags and relocate permanently because it was considered difficult to be cast as a Queenslander.
"And now we've all come back to Brisbane and we're fighting to create this incredible Brisbane market for movies and talent to make incredible art," Goldman said.
Actors make their own films
Queensland-based actor Bianca Zouppas has just finished shooting a lead role in a local "arthouse" independent film after having trouble securing a lead role in a more mainstream production.
"A girlfriend of mine, Candice [Hill], we're definitely in the realm of supporting sisters; she has been desperate to start directing," Zouppas said.
The chance came when an industry mate offered to lend the women some of his production equipment and encouraged them to make their own film with it.
"We picked some dates, picked the opportunity, secured the equipment, came up with a basic story, and decided to do something quite arthouse: a semi-improvised, feature film," Zouppas said.
"We ended up shooting in four days, which is basically unheard of."
Zouppas had previously moved from Brisbane to Sydney and Sydney to the United States, before returning to Brisbane after realising "you just have to make it yourself".
"It's put a fire in our bellies — we can do anything," she said.
"It's achievable, if you have the right team and right mindset, you don't have to wait around for work. You can get out there and make it yourself.
"And from that more work usually comes."
Overcoming the odds
Zouppas said one of the big challenges of filmmaking was finding a team of actors and crew while also being short on funds.
"That was the magic thing that happened with this project. We knew who we wanted to work with, but whether they'd say yes or no was the question," she said.
"But when we reached out to people, we said we just wanted to make something — some art, it was new, experimental."
The Brisbane actor was shocked and grateful when those they reached out to agreed to take part.
"She [Candice Hill] pulled the whole thing together — the whole camera team, lighting team — it was like a proper set," Zouppas said.
"And we just did it. We made it happen. And now we're in an edit. And already people are starting to [reach out]."
Zouppas said grassroots film projects brought local talent together, building a network of creatives within a community for future projects, and giving crews a sense of purpose.
"It's like a spider web of love and support," she said.
"You're supporting other local artists and filmmakers; there's so many people who came on it who were so grateful, and we were obviously so grateful for them."
For Zouppas, making her own film led to her landing a new acting opportunity with a different director who happened to be on set picking up lights.
"He saw me working, and was like 'I'm already shooting a film, would you be available next Saturday to shoot a role?'" she said.
"And I said yes, I would be!"
Queensland talent 'disadvantaged'
Several actors have stressed that some Queensland-based companies, including Cutting Edge, 3P Studio and Jaggi Entertainment, do use mostly local talent for their productions.
These local studios generally make around five feature films each year for international streaming services.
But MEAA's Queensland organising director Michelle Rae questioned why Queensland actors and crew seemed to be "disadvantaged" in the first place.
"People are talking about this — you go into a foyer, you go where arts workers are, and they're talking about lack of opportunity," she said.
"So we want to understand what that looks like."
Ms Rae said there could be a perception that Sydney and Melbourne actors were more skilled, or Queensland employers might not realise that highly trained talent exist locally.
"When we think arts, we think Sydney and Melbourne, so people look there, [but also] I think sometimes it's about not realising that you've got it right here," she said.
She said the MEAA's Local Hires are Hot survey aimed not to point fingers, but to find lasting solutions to ensure local talent were being valued and considered.
"It's not about closing borders [or] stopping people from coming [to Queensland], but it's about valuing the arts industry and the people who are already here," she said.
"[Actors and crew] are saying, we live here, we contribute to this economy, and what we want is the opportunity to have a career, work and pathway that is here.
"We know that the moving away from home and working away from home, it takes a toll on workers and their mental health and fatigue.
"It makes sense to value what we've already got."
The MEAA survey will be open until the end of June, and interim responses are expected to be released as early as mid-July.
LoadingQueensland actors, crew not hired for local work turn to independent filmmaking - ABC News
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