Luke Chaplain with his sister Madeleine who was also an Assistant Director on the production
By Luke Chaplain, (formerly) Cloncurry Shire Council, Happy Chappy Productions
Who would have thought 12 months ago that Cloncurry would host one of the most popular reality TV shows on Earth? Well, actually, it wasn’t a surprise to us, because for some time now we’ve seen huge potential in Cloncurry as a film-friendly location.
It all started with a phone call from a location scout from Survivor Australia who had a long list of criteria that needed to be met. Two locations needed consistent water for tribal camps, but they needed to look good on camera. Over 15 locations were needed for challenges.
“How’s the internet out there?”; “will we be able to hire many locals?”; “are there fun things for the crew to do on their days off?” Whatever the production needed, Cloncurry Shire Council went out of our way to make it happen or point them in the right direction. And it paid off.
It was projected that more than $4 million went to Cloncurry ABNs and an additional $500,000 was spent locally by crew. There were 13,000 hotel room stays, over 120 locals were hired, and the project saw the birth of a new tourism strategy.
Being an Assistant Director on the show, I got to know the contestants quite well. I reached out to winner Hayley Leake to reflect on her time up here.
“I’ve loved Survivor since I was a kid, so it was amazing to go to the Australian outback to compete,” she said.
“Congratulations to the local Council and entire community for making it happen. Although I was stuck in the bush for the most part, I could really feel the friendliness of the region.”
Five tips to make your council a film-friendly destination
- Develop a relationship with Screen Queensland (SQ)—it’s their job to help you.
- Diversity of architecture and landscape is what productions are looking for. If you don’t have diversity, don’t stress, think about what genre of film your area would suit and promote that.
- Get out there with a camera and capture everything, SQ can then upload that onto their Reel-Scout platform.
- When you attract interest, work in a timely matter to build your case; these projects move fast, and you don’t want to miss out.
- Also, once you secure your location, try to make it a smooth process for production while they’re there. It’s small industry and news travels fast about difficult locations.
Happy Chappy Productions
Since leaving Cloncurry Shire Council I’ve started my own marketing agency because I saw a lack of this service based in regional Queensland. We offer video, photography, website design, grant support, graphic design and social media management.
Interest and support of Happy Chappy Productions has been amazing since launching. Our aim is to champion and promote remote Australia, while also working with lovely clients in urban areas.
If any of our services may be useful to you, we’d love to work with you. Get in touch here.