In 2002 I started VAST with some friends, both expert Line Producers, as a way to help interstate and overseas producers take advantage of everything the Western Australian screen sector has to offer: great crew; great locations; and really great incentives.
As well as each producing locally and internationally for over 20 years, we have now facilitated Western Australian shoots for Apple, Universal, and Netflix, and done set-up and location work for international films and television from the US, UK, Ireland, and Korea. We’ve worked on in-bound films and television in other places across Australia, but VAST was set up with a focus on the opportunity in WA.
Being locally connected is important for making the most of the incredible incentives and to get the best on-the-ground results. I grew up in regional WA and, besides some stints working in Melbourne, New York, and LA (and making shows in Sydney and Queensland), I’ve spent my working life here and a lot of my spare time exploring this vast place. That’s part of why I still love doing locations work; getting to find new places and sharing the treasures and opportunities of WA.
Working with VAST is your opportunity to take advantage of local and national relationships, with local crew and suppliers, services, facilities, and government funders, built over 25 years. We know the key decision makers and know how to get the most for your production in Western Australia.
We consulted to government on the current incentives and the state-wide Film Friendly programme, as well as on the design and operation of the state-of-the-art Perth Film Studios. We’re also the only producers in WA (as far as I know) to have hosted multiple Academy Award winners and nominees here, as well as multiple stars of billion-dollar box office franchises. VAST is also currently the only dedicated service production company based in regional Western Australia meaning that, for qualifying productions, costs of working with VAST can be up to 90% covered by incentives).
Take a look at what we can do for you and please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’re keen to discuss your production’s needs.
Cheers
Aidan O’Bryan
Between Federal, State, and Regional incentives, plus separate funds for PDV, in-bound projects to Western Australia can get support up to 80% of local production costs. Add the favourable exchange rate, that’s why Apple, A24, Universal, ITV, Netflix and others have all brought shows to Western Australia.
The WA Production Attraction Incentive is Australia’s highest production attraction incentive with minimum rebate of 10% of the project’s Qualifying Western Australian Expenditure, plus a significant discretionary top-up. The WA Production Attraction Incentive can be combined with the Australian federal government’s Location Offset, PDV Offset and Producer Offset.
The WA Post-Production, Digital & Visual Effects Incentive is Australia’s most competitive PDV rebate, calculated at 20% of the qualifying local expenditure with a minimum spend threshold of $100,000 (AUD). The PDV rebate can be combined with Screenwest’s Scripted and Documentary Production Funds and the Western Australian Regional Screen Fund. It can also be combined with the Australian Government’s Location Offset, PDV Offset and Producer Offset.
Finding the right combination to optimise working in Australia can be complex, but VAST knows the guidelines, the processes, and the people who look after it all. Get in touch to start a conversation about how the incentives can work best for your production.
For more information about current NATIONAL incentives, check out the latest from Ausfilm
and for WA-SPECIFIC incentives, visit Screenwest.
WA is vast.
The State is two and a half times the size of Texas and TEN TIMES the size of the UK.
The State capital, Perth, is a modern metropolis of 2.5 million people in a low-density, multi-cultural community that hugs a coastline of the world’s best urban beaches. Australia’s sunniest city, Perth has a Mediterranean climate and gets around 3,200 hours of sunshine annually.
Outside of Perth, Western Australia is divided into nine regions.
Understandably for a landmass that spans a thousand miles east to west and fifteen hundred miles north to south, the regions are very diverse, featuring dense forests, vast deserts, and unique landscapes throughout.
Multiple regional centres have hosted film and television productions, both large and small, thanks in part to very generous additional financial incentives for regional production.
All of Western Australia is unceded land. Aboriginal peoples have cared for Western Australia’s lands and waters for tens of thousands of years, across many distinct nations and language groups, each with its own enduring culture, knowledge and traditions. Despite the profound impacts of colonisation, the traditional custodians of this place remain a vital and dynamic part of the state, maintaining strong connections to Country, family and culture.
In their words, “Perth Film Studios is a purpose-built screen facility designed for maximum versatility and efficiency, providing a canvas for the imagination of screen professionals”.
The facility features four N25 acoustic sound stages totalling 90,000 square feet; dedicated production office suites; large workshops; and the southern hemisphere’s largest backlot, all within a 30-minute drive of Perth’s downtown CBD, airports, beaches and highways.
From working there, and in many other studios across Australia, the US, and the UK, we can say that Perth Film Studios is a truly world-class creative canvas with a great layout for getting things done. Combined with Western Australia’s incredible incentives, it’s the perfect home base for many film and television projects of different sizes and requirements.
A film and creative studio working across Australia and the US — production, post and everything in between.
Perth Film Studios 390 Marshall Road Whiteman, WA 6068
LA Office 160 Glendale Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026
