As I discussed in my earlier blog post, “Assumptions about Australian content,’ it can be said that Australians just do not like Australian content. Judging from box office returns alone, that point certainly can be made – however the box office is not the only place that we can gather this kind of information. In recent years, we have observed the numbers of cinema-goers progressively dwindle, as online streaming becomes the way we view content. As Amanda Treviasnut (2011) explains, box office returns are not the only means to which we can judge the success of Australian content, particularly in what she describes as a “diverse audiovisual industry.” The lack of understanding in terms of audience engagement is a huge factor in the lack of domestic success with Australian films. Similarly Bowles (2007) discusses this, stating that the audience is the best place to start when trying to understand the Australian media market.
Despite this, reports suggest that 2015 was a great year for the Australian box office… So all hope is not necessarily lost, but something certainly needs to change. The problem with Australian content isn’t plot lines, and it isn’t the cinematography – but marketing and access. It is not surprising that Australian films are not marketed nearly as well as Hollywood blockbusters with funding being one of, if not the major issue in the Australian film industry. As an example, Ryan (2012) discusses the Australian film Daybreakers (2013), and its lack of a effective marketing campaign and release through Hoyts cinemas. Due to the lack of funding, Australian films cannot adequately market and distribute films in the way that Hollywood blockbusters can. This is often why we don’t even realise that Australian films are at the cinema until months afterwards. So perhaps an issue here, is that Australian audiences aren’t watching Australian content, because they didn’t even know it existed?
In terms of access, Australian horror film The Babadook (2014) which was also met with great success internationally, was only shown on 13 screens nationally. This raises a number of questions regarding the distribution of Australian films, which is yet another major contributor in the lack of domestic audience engagement.
Groves (2015) also discusses the challenges that come with creating independent films in not only Australia, but the rest of the world as the market shrinks. He cites the dramatic change in the way we access media as the reasoning for this, and says that in order to keep up with this movement, there needs to be an entire paradigm shift.
What seems like an uphill battle really comes down to understanding the domestic audience of Australian content. Issues of marketing and access come from the long-standing issue of funding and certainly should be addressed, however as mentioned earlier by Bowles (2007), the audience is the perfect place to start.
Bowles, K 2007, ‘Three miles of rough dirt road’: towards an audience centred approach to cinema studies in Australia,’ Studies in Australasian Cinema, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 245-260.
Groves, D 2015, ‘Year zero for Australian cinema,’ Inside Film: If, No. 163, pp. 9-10.
Ryan, MD 2012, ‘A silver bullet for Australian cinema? Genre movies and the audience debate,’ Studies in Australasian Cinema, pp. 141-157.
Trevisanut, A M 2011, ‘Taking on the Box Office,’ Media International Australia, Incorporating Culture & Policy, No. 139, pp. 149-157.
Lucy Marsden 