Well, as you may have noticed, it has been quite a while since I have produced an original article for this site, though there is a valid reason.

Two months ago, I was invited to join the Village Roadshow team, working in the camera department on the production of the new Flipper television series, which is currently screening in the USA. Since that time, I have been actively involved in the Australian film industry - gaining a great deal of valuable, tangible experience that has clarified many of my beliefs and convictions regarding the industry and filmmaking in general.

Now, while contractual confidentiality clauses prevent me from speaking specifically about the workings of Village Roadshow Productions or the Flipper crew, I am able to speak about the state of the national film industry generally.

Perhaps the most significant issue that has been raised within the local industry ranks presently is in regards to the amount of cinematic product being created in Australia currently. Not only is our nation's film industry experiencing a bizarre exhibition boom unlike any seen this decade, with many of the year's major Australian feature films being released back-to-back or consecutively, but it is being flooded with an increased production load.

While Australian filmmakers are, fortunately, attracting a great deal of international interest as a result of their continued dedication to the creation of original, thought-provoking cinematic works, independent filmmakers seem to be more readily embraced by audiences and funding bodies alike. In addition, the opening of the Sydney Fox Film Studios, the proven establishment of the Queensland's Warner Roadshow Studios and the current low Australian dollar conversion rate has made Australia an extraordinarily viable location in which to produce programs for the American market.

At present, Warner Roadshow are inundated with bookings and offers from American producers looking to shoot television series' (such as Flipper), movies-of-the-week (such as Gargantua (1998)) and feature films (such as the upcoming Pitch Black (1998)) on our shores and in our studios, while reaping a plethora of finacial benefits.

Sydney's Fox Studios, similarly, have received a huge amount of work, having already produced such American-funded, largely Australian-produced feature films as Dark City (1998) and Babe 2: Babe in Metropolis (1998).

What this means in regards to the progress of this site is that, in order to in some way replicate the sudden boom in the production and exhibition of Australian cinematic art, I will write a large number of articles, reviews and profiles within the next few weeks. So stay tuned...