Abstract
Throughout recent history, Australia has seen unprecedented change in the social and economic conditions surrounding the creative industries. Given this drastic change, including the COVID-19 pandemic, a disruption to ‘business as usual’ has been felt throughout many sectors, and the creative industries have been particularly impacted. This research asks and investigates how Australian filmmakers have responded.
I have particularly focused on Australian independent film-makers in narrative mediums and the broader Australian film industry. Through interviews, surveys, and practice-led research, including the creation and examination of my own creative works, I have investigated filmmakers’ innovations in technical and thematic approaches to storytelling. I have created a short film, VR Grampa, that implements many of the evolving technologies accelerated by the pandemic's conditions. The execution of this work has then further informed the creation of a full feature film – States of Mind.
In addition, I have written a novel called Blue World Order presented as an enhanced eBook complete with soundscape and imagery. It reflects many of the themes of the pandemic, and illustrates a common finding of the research, where filmmakers have pivoted to new creative mediums. Much of this work is contributing to an ongoing documentary titled Screenspill: Everything is fine to further encapsulate these findings, communicating not just the words of the interviewees but also their emotional content around what is sometimes a charged topic. This is being prepared for post-doctoral presentation.
The results of this research showed that while the COVID-19 pandemic affected everyone in the Australian film industry, those effects were wide and varied, fluctuating upon roles, discipline, and experience levels. This research concluded that workflow and technology adaptations accelerate during times of uncertainty. It found considerations such as budget, were able to be tailored to the restrictions of the pandemic but that additional innovation in both workflow and technology were necessary to adapt to the unique circumstances. Finally, it was found that many of the adaptations increased overall efficiency and can be adopted into a post-pandemic film production world.