NSW President's Welcome

Carolyn Constantine ACS
cinematographer
President ACS NSW

October Monthly Online Drop In

SHORT OF THE DECADE PRESENTED BY MINI

CINEMA REBORN - Jean-Pierre Melville at the Randwick Ritz - Sunday October 18 at 4.00 pm LE DOULOS

The film will be introduced by John McDonald, film critic for the Australian Financial Review, art critic for the Sydney Morning Herald and a frequent contributor to international journals.

The federal government has failed Australian audiences and creative workers again by slashing Australian drama and kids’ requirements for commercial broadcasters, and doing nothing to guarantee new Australian stories on streaming companies like Netflix.

In a pre-Budget announcement yesterday, Communications Minster Paul Fletcher squandered the opportunity to bring in new content requirements for the booming streaming video market.

Worse still, he has ensured that new drama, comedy and kids’ content will be drastically reduced on commercial and subscription television.

This threatens to create a crisis for a screen sector as it emerges from COVID-19 shutdowns, with fewer jobs being created and small businesses being driven to the wall.

The industry’s big businesses are the only winners, with commercial television owners and global streaming video services Netflix and Amazon let off the hook, while the losers will be audiences who want to watch Australian stories on their screens and the 30,000 people who work in the local industry.

Clearly, the fight to Make It Australian is far from over. Now we need to take it to the top by demanding action from Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

You can play your part by going to the Make It Australian website to send a message to the Prime Minister yourself.

Tell him that to unlock the economic, cultural and employment potential of our industry, we need: 

• Meaningful content regulations for commercial broadcast and subscription television to safeguard the 15,000 jobs at risk.
• Commitment to the immediate introduction of new rules to ensure that Australians see Australian stories on streaming platforms (such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Stan).
• Modernised, competitive tax offsets to incentivise private investment, including Australian creative works.
• Well-funded public broadcasters and screen agencies.

MENTAL WELLBEING WEBINARS ANNOUNCED
FOR THE SCREEN SECTOR

This week  on World Mental Health Day, Film Art Media - the filmmakers behind acclaimed ABC documentary The Show Must Go On announce four customised mental wellbeing webinars to take place in November 2020. 

Screen Well is the first initiative of its kind to focus on improving the wellbeing of screen practitioners, which is falling behind other parts of the entertainment industry.

Since June, filmmaker and mental health advocate Ben Steel has been collaborating with screen guilds, unions, and interests groups to identify core wellbeing issues facing the sector, as well as working alongside mental health professionals to design the four wellbeing webinars titled Crew Well, Create Well, Perform Well and Lead Well. It builds on the highly successful Wellness Roadshow designed in collaboration with Film Art Media and Impact Producer, Diana Fisk which has rolled out nationally since the release of The Show Must Go On documentary.

Screen Well creator Ben Steel said: “The music and live performance industries are very proactive in the wellbeing space, providing many customised resources, events, and support through entries such as Support Act and the Arts Wellbeing Collective - the screen industry is sadly lagging very far behind, but I’m hopeful that these webinars will be the catalyst to help change that.”

Funded through Screen Australia’s Industry Partnerships program, the four free webinars will commence on 9 November, and each customised session will have a different focus to address the needs of the four main cohorts of screen workers; Teams (Crew members), Creators (Writers, Directors, Designers, Editors, Producers), Performers (Actors, Agents/Managers, Casting Directors), and Leaders (Heads of Departments). Speakers will include creative business advisor Monica Davidson, Tracy Margieson program manager of the Arts Wellbeing Collective, and renowned psychologist/author Dr Julie Crabtree, among others.

Psychologist and author Dr Julie Crabtree said: “Coronavirus has brought profound awareness to underlying challenges many in the screen industry have faced for a very long time, such as; isolation, uncertainty, financial and mental health stress. This moment in time has created an appetite for understanding, self-growth, and meaningful change which I’m excited to help facilitate in these wellbeing webinars.”.

Screen Australia CEO, Graeme Mason said, “This year has been incredibly difficult for many people working in our sector as they navigate the challenges of COVID-19. It’s important we pay close attention to our mental health during this time and I encourage everyone to take advantage of these webinars.”

Further details and reservations to sessions below:

Crew Well session link:

To check out the ACS National & NSW INSTAGRAM accounts below, just click the respective icon.