/News 27.11.20

WHAT’S UP IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA

ZAC EFRON IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA FOR OUTBACK THRILLER GOLD.

South Australia’s COVID-safe screen production boom continues, with Hollywood star Zac Efron in the state this month shooting new feature film Gold.

Efron (The Greatest Showman, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile) stars in the outback thriller alongside Anthony Hayes (Animal Kingdom, The Light Between Oceans, War Machine) and award-winning actress Susie Porter (Ladies In BlackThe Second).

Hayes is also directing the Stan Original film, which is based on a screenplay he co-wrote with Polly Smyth. 

Set against the backdrop of a vast, unique and unforgiving landscape, Gold is a taut thriller about greed and the lengths people will go to secure themselves a fortune.

John Schwarz and Michael Schwarz are producing through their Deeper Water Films banner (KillermanDanger Close: The Battle of Long Tan), alongside Hayes for Rogue Star Pictures. Executive producers are Andrew Mann, Peter Touche, Simon Williams, Paul Wiegard, Will Clarke, Andy Mayson, Nick Forward and Mike Runagall, Consultant Producer is Shana Levine.

CEO of the South Australian Film Corporation Kate Croser said “South Australia’s talented producers, crews and screen service vendors are embracing the boom in our state’s COVID-safe production, enabling productions to get up and running with a very short turnaround.

 “We are fortunate in South Australia that our world-class Adelaide Studios combine effortlessly with a range of stunning, easily accessed locations, and with our state one of the safest places in the world right now, and one of the first places in the world to resume screen production after COVID delays, we are attracting interest from producers all over Australia and internationally as an attractive location for filming and production.”

Kate Croser, CEO, South Australian Film Corporation

Hayessaid“This is an exciting, gripping and timely tale about greed, humanity, who we are, what we’ve done to the world and where we are heading if we aren’t careful. To have Zac Efron as my main man on this film is an absolute gift and to see what he is creating already is like nothing we’ve seen from him before. I can’t wait to deliver this bold, visceral and cinematic film to audiences all around the world.”

Gold was developed and financed with the assistance of the South Australian Film Corporation.

The film will be released in cinemas in Australia through Madman Entertainment with Altitude Films handling worldwide sales of the film. The Stan Original Film Gold will premiere on Australian streaming service Stan and in cinemas in 2021.

See Saw and Anonymous Content start shooting The Unknown Man in South Australia.

Principal photography on the Joel Edgerton (Loving, Boy Erased) and Sean Harris (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, The King) thriller The Unknown Man has begun in South Australia.

The original feature film is being helmed by writer/director Thomas M. Wright (Acute Misfortune) and produced by See-Saw Films (Lion, The King’s Speech), Anonymous Content (Boy Erased, Spotlight) and Blue-Tongue Films (Boy Erased, The King).

Edgerton of Blue-Tongue Films, along with Rachel Gardner, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning of See-Saw Films, as well as Kerry Roberts and Kim Hodgert of Anonymous Content are producing.

Rocket Science and Cross City Films are handling international sales for the film with CAA Media Finance acting as financing agent and co-representing sales in the US.

The Unknown Man is a crime thriller in which two strangers, Henry and Mark, meet and strike up a friendship. But what Henry doesn’t know is that Mark is a seasoned undercover officer working to convict Henry for an unsolved murder committed years earlier.

CEO of the South Australian Film Corporation Kate Croser said: “We are delighted to welcome two Academy Award-winning production companies in See-Saw Films and Anonymous Content to South Australia, along with iconic Australian actor and producer Joel Edgerton, of Blue-Tongue Films. Such a high profile, major production as this is not only a boon for local crew, talent and screen service providers from right across the sector, it further cements South Australia’s international reputation as an attractive location for filming and production.”

ADELAIDE STUDIOS READY FOR VIRTUAL PRODUCTION.

Cutting-edge Virtual Production is now available to filmmakers shooting in South Australia, with the South Australian Film Corporation’s Adelaide Studios facilities fully accommodating of the exciting new technology.

Combining pre-production, filming and post-production with real-time visualisation, performance capture and virtual camera lensing against a dynamic LED-wall, Virtual Production allows background scenery to be created in real-time in response to the actors and cameras, resulting in greater flexibility and instant feedback for screen productions of all types.

Earlier this month award-winning South Australian PDV studio Rising Sun Pictures co-presented a showcase of the ground-breaking technology at Adelaide Studios.

South Australian Film Corporation CEO Kate Croser said: “Virtual Production technology is a game-changer not only for filmmakers but also for Visual Effects and games creatives, with the potential to revolutionise production and create jobs right across the South Australian screen sector. Combined with the SAFC’s world class Adelaide Studios facilities, Virtual Production technology capitalises on South Australia’s strengths in Visual Effects and game development and further cements the state’s international reputation as an attractive location for filming and production.”

“As a leader in VFX production, Virtual Production allows us to use our design and world-building skills to help film-makers realise their vision earlier in the production process, capturing finished effects shots in the camera.”

Tony Clark, Managing Director, Rising Sun Pictures

The South Australian Film Corporation welcomes enquiries from producers seeking to explore Virtual Production in South Australia. For more information, go to www.safilm.com.au/adelaide-studios