Film and animation studios look to Australia as huge 'game-changer' pool gets built in Melbourne - ABC News

Australia is about to get a massive new 900,000-litre water tank for filming blockbuster movies on home soil.

Key points:

• One of the largest sound stages in the southern hemisphere is being built at Docklands
• World-renowned animation studio Bento Box is setting up its first international studio in Melbourne
• Video game developers say the sector is one of the fastest growing industries in the world

The huge pool is 4.5 metres deep and is currently being built at Victoria's Docklands Studios inside one of the largest sound stages in the southern hemisphere, to attract more filmmakers Down Under.

"You might sink a submarine in there or go back to Esther Williams' days and combine synchronised swimming and musicals," Film Victoria CEO Caroline Pitcher said.

"It really is a game-changer when it comes to competing internationally and interstate — it will not only be for Hollywood to utilise but it will allow local talent to envisage big screen ideas and make them at home."

This digital image shows the scale of film sets that could be constructed at the site in Docklands.(

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The pandemic has proved to be a silver lining for the Australian screen industry, which has become a global drawcard for companies looking to create and produce content.

Bento Box, founded by the producers of hugely popular animated TV shows including The Simpsons and Bob's Burgers, and owned by the Fox Corporation, have announced they will set up their first international studio in Melbourne, at Princess Pictures.

"Bento Box is arguably the biggest animation studio in the world with shows on every streaming platform," Founder of Princess Pictures Laura Waters said.

Princess Pictures founder Laura Waters says the studio will find new talent in Victoria.(

ABC News: Dylan Anderson

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Princess Bento Studio will develop animated content from undiscovered, Australian-based creators and currently has three secret animation projects in the works.

"We're really excited to become an international hub for mature comedy animation and find 150 new writers, creators and animators in Victoria," Ms Waters said.

Games development sector booming

Victoria's screen industry has been hugely resilient during several lockdowns last year and has grown rapidly to become a multi-billion-dollar sector.

Blake Mizzi is the co-founder of League of Geeks, an independent game developer in Melbourne, which almost doubled its employees in the past 18 months.

"We started with just $40 in the bank and have grown from there," Mr Mizzi said.

"There's an insatiable appetite for games and content online now and there's a hunger for more talent that can fill those highly technical jobs."

Mr Mizzi, whose company is currently working on a secret video game with a private company, said the games sector was one of the fastest growing industries in the world.

"We're seeing huge levels of growth all around the world from the US to Europe and here in Australia," he said.

League of Geeks co-founder Blake Mizzi says his company has almost doubled its staff in 18 months.(

ABC News: Bridget Rollason

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The company's first game, Armello — an animal fairy-tale, adventure-style game — won worldwide accolades and was the 2015 Australian Game of the Year.

"We have 50 staff now and another six jobs up online and we don't see that slowing down anytime soon," Mr Mizzi said.

Hunger for content drives Victorian film industry

The screen industry contributed $2.2 billion to Victoria's economy in the 2018-19 financial year.

It employs 17,000 people full-time, which is on par with the Victorian racing industry.

"We know as a result of the pandemic, people are hungry for content — they want to see more content streamed online and more often," Victorian Creative Industries Minister Danny Pearson said.

"The joint venture between Bento Box and Princess Studios will ensure that we can produce world standard animation right here in the heart of Melbourne."

It's hoped the huge stage being built at Docklands Studios will help attract more international productions to Victoria.(

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The Victorian Government has provided $46 million to the expansion of Docklands Studios in Melbourne, so it can cater for more local and international screen projects.

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance Victorian director Adam Portelli said the boom in production showed there was global confidence in the state's screen industry to produce high quality content.

"With increased demand for screen content, the biggest constraint on production around the world is the availability of skilled technicians," he said.

"The government and industry would do well to look at how it can retain as many skilled people as possible by tackling long, family unfriendly hours."

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2021-03-15 19:18:02Z
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