With its sparkling harbour and beautiful beaches, Sydney's dramatic cityscape is the business gateway to Australia's spectacular forests, cosy rural scenery and deserts.
The NSW Government's film friendly policies and award winning talent make Sydney and NSW a great place for film, television and digital productions.
Sydney (New South Wales) is the most important centre for film and television production in Australia. International film producers choose Sydney for its state-of-the-art studio facilities, wealth of creative and technical talent and enviable lifestyle.
Sydney is home to the largest film studio complex in the Southern Hemisphere, Fox Studios, and its construction in 1996 sealed the city's reputation as an international film capital.
Located at the former Sydney Showground, the facility is Twentieth Century Fox's first major studio development outside North America, and includes eight world-class sound stages.
Major productions filmed at Fox Studios include The Matrix, Star Wars II and III, Mask 2, Moulin Rouge, Mission Impossible 2, Stealth, Superman Returns, and Happy Feet. Green Lantern will start production at Fox Studios in late 2009.
"I had a terrifically wonderful time in Sydney with the incredible crews. They're talented, hard-working people and I'm grateful to have been able to make two movies here" - George Lucas, film producer.
Two large scale digital animations, Happy Feet 2 and Guardians of Ga'hoole, are currently in production in Sydney.
In 2007-08 feature film and drama production in NSW totalled $239 million. The state has forged a world reputation as a leader in post production, visual effects and digital animation. Animal Logic undertook the digital animation work for the Oscar winning Happy Feet, which has grossed over US$375 million worldwide. FUEL International completed extensive digital special effects work on Charlotte's Web while the visual effects work of Rising Sun Pictures garnered an Oscar nomination for Superman Returns. With world class sound post and scoring stages, Sydney offers the full spectrum of post production services.
Sydney is a major centre for production of television commercials (TVCs) with production companies increasingly engaged across the spectrum of film, TV, TVC and digital media production.
The NSW Government actively supports and encourages film production and has recently introduced a new package of screen incentives and film friendly legislation designed to make NSW the most attractive destination in Australia for major film projects.
The incentives, provided through the Film and Television Industry Assistance Fund (FIAF) and managed by the Department of State and Regional Development and the NSW Film and Television Office, aim to attract "footloose" international and local productions interested in filming and/or post production in NSW. Applications are considered case by case, depending on the economic benefits to the State's economy. The fund can be applied to feature films, telemovies, animation, mini series and TV series, or to unaccompanied post production projects. Guidelines can be downloaded from the NSW Film and Television Office website.
Sydney - Australia's digital media hotspot
Sydney is an ideal location for digital media projects, offering a wealth of creative talent and leadership in the convergence of the information and communications technology (ICT), creative and entertainment industries. It is home to:
- head offices of Australia's free-to-air and pay television networks
- more than 50% of Australia's 2170 film and TV production companies.
Sydney is the centre for advertising and publishing including music publishing in Australia, as well as for finance and legal services.
In addition, digital media in NSW is underpinned by Sydney's strength as the home of Australia's largest ICT industry, worth A$31 billion a year and with a skilled workforce of 100,000.
Read more information on Sydney's creative digitial industries.