Life in a Film Set

Life in a film set! BPS has been super busy this month. As well as the usual property search workload we have also been doing location search for one of the four major film and TV productions happening in the shire. For the next two months in Mullum and Bruns, you may well see the hustle and bustle of white trucks, lights and cables, hipsters with clipboards. This production is called Seriously Red and is a: highly original Australian feature film produced by Dollhouse Pictures & Robyn Kershaw Productions. The film is a celebration of identity and being the best version of yourself with an Australian and international cast. A highlight of the film is the underground world of the ‘Copy Club’. Its’ a lush world of expressive costume, glamour & kitsch where anything goes – think Studio 54 / Pose ( TV Series)

The main location is the Brunswick Picture House, which doubles as the Copy Club,  where “copy” or tribute artists get to perform. What a great venue this has turned out to be. Many top-level national performers choose it to be an out of town tryout venue before taking a show on the road. It is an ideal venue for this particular production as well, being full of character and charm.

It looks like Byron Shire will be a choice location for future productions as well. With solid plans afoot for a dedicated film studio in Ballina. As well as stunning locations, we also are home to a large number of industry professionals. These productions have been an injection of funds into the community but they also bring issues as well. Cast and crew need to stay somewhere and this is only exacerbating our already dire housing and rental shortage. Some find it an imposition and it is interesting to hear more than a few locals would rather have the limelight shine elsewhere. It is important that the producers and crew on the front line remain courteous and respectful of locals and not steamroll over what already exists here.