As Melbourne’s post-COVID production boom gathers pace, Docklands Studios Melbourne is busier than ever with projects shooting under strict safety protocols.

Netflix drama Clickbait is filming its final block, having suspending production in March at the start of Melbourne’s coronavirus lockdown with just four weeks remaining.

The eight-part thriller about the impact of social media is produced by Melbourne-based Matchbox Pictures, Tony Ayres Productions and UK-based Heydey Television.

With restrictions eased across the state of Victoria, Clickbait resumed shooting under Australia Screen Production COVID Safe Guidelines developed by industry bodies in consultation with the office of the Chief Medical Officer.

Each production can draw on the guidelines to create its own COVID-safe plan, covering number of people on set, shooting in close proximity, use of personal protective equipment, hygiene, medical advice, and travel and transport.

Also expected back at Docklands Studios Melbourne after a hiatus is ten-part series Shantaram starring Charlie Hunnam as a heroin-addicted Australian bank robber who ends up in a Bombay slum. Based on a 2003 Gregory David Roberts novel, the series is produced by Paramount TV and Anonymous Content.

Both Clickbait and Shantaram are supported by the Federal Government’s Location Incentive program and Film Victoria’s Production Incentive Attraction Fund which has been replaced by the new Victorian Screen Incentive.  

Also filming at Docklands Studios is home-grown crime drama Jack Irish, now in its third season for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

With global screen production expecting long-term growth, Docklands Studios Melbourne is building a new super stage due for completion in late 2021.

At 3,700 sq m (40,000 sq ft) Stage 6 will be comparable to the largest stages in the Southern Hemisphere.

Docklands Studios CEO Rod Allan says the new facility will enable DSM to attract large-scale productions while still providing world-class facilities for local TV and film projects.