The Australian Capital for Screen Stories
With New South Wales a premier home for screen production in Australia, Sydney is one of the southern hemisphere’s screen story capitals. The Harbour City has been the backdrop for many notable Australian-set hit projects, including 2023 rom-com Anyone But You, 2024 action-comedy The Fall Guy, and 1850s set series The Artful Dodger, but the versatility of the city, and world class Australian crews on ground, mean Sydney can stand in for any period or place. Sydney is the city for any story.
Anyone But You director Will Gluck first filmed in Australia the live-action animated films Peter Rabbit and Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, transforming Centennial Parklands and the Parramatta Female Factory into quaint English towns. When he returned for Anyone But You, he made a point of showcasing every Sydney location he could – finding co-operation was key to making it happen.
“Everyone was so great to let us film in all of these crazy places. We filmed all over Sydney… the Sydney Opera House, on the Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach, Palm Beach, the Sydney Cricket Grounds. Anything we had remotely heard of, we asked if we could film there.”
Will Gluck, Director
While Anyone But You became a postcard of the Emerald City in present day, Sydney has also recently hosted the period drama series The Artful Dodger. Set in 1850s Australia, the Disney+ Australian Original series, which is produced by Sony Television’s Curio Pictures, used key locations in Sydney to create the fictional town of Port Victory. These include Elizabeth Farm and Rookwood Cemetery, both in Western Sydney, and Kirkbride at Callan Park, a former psychiatric hospital.
The versatility of Sydney, and the highly skilled crew based in NSW, meant that for the recent Amazon MGM film Play Dirty, starring Mark Wahlberg and LaKeith Stanfield, Sydney was able to transform into New York City. In addition to shooting at Disney Studios Australia, the largest soundstage facility in the Southern Hemisphere, key locations included Potts Hill Reserve and Warragamba Dam.
Play Dirty Locations Manager, Daniella Watson, points to the versatility of locations in Sydney as a key selling point for the city.
“Sydney offers a remarkably diverse range of architecture that can double for London, or locations in Europe and the Unites States of America. Combined with beaches, rainforest, rivers, deserts, and mountains across Greater Sydney and NSW, it makes an ideal destination for location-based filming.”
Daniella Watson, Locations Manager
On Play Dirty, which also utilised warehouses, waterfronts and downtown Sydney, she highlights the Government cooperation:
“The production was a fast-paced heist film which brought with it staged car crashes and fights… We benefited from strong support from local councils, allowing road closures and a large footprint in the city.”
James W. Skotchdopole, executive producer of Play Dirty said of filming:
“I’ve filmed many places around the world, and I’ve always wanted to come to Australia. This is my first film here and I couldn’t be happier… I’d bring any project here. Sydney is one of my favourite cities.”
On what he’d say to producers looking to film on location in NSW, “I would tell anyone that I couldn’t fathom a production that couldn’t be housed here. Whether it’s a Marvel-type film laden with visual effects or a period drama like The Great Gatsby, or Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. In terms of scale, they can do it. They can accomplish it, with a smile, on budget and they have the craftsmen here to pull those kinds of projects off.”
And on working with Australian crews, Skotchdopole said: “One of my favourite Australianisms is ‘too easy’ as a response. And a lot of times it is. It’s great.”
The NSW Government recently announced it will invest $100 million to establish a second global film studio in Sydney, cementing NSW as the home for screen production in Australia. With EOIs now open, this critical piece of infrastructure will pave the way for more international and local screen projects in the state.
Filming in New South Wales
As the state’s government screen agency, Screen NSW aims to assist, promote and strengthen the NSW screen sector by delivering funding and support programs that attract investment, innovation, and employment opportunities to the state. Screen NSW administers key incentives including the Made in NSW Fund, a program which supports the advancement of NSW as a major production destination, and the Post, Digital & Visual Effects Rebate which supports companies carrying out PDV work in NSW. Both incentives can be combined with Australian Government incentives.
NSW is a film friendly state. The NSW Government’s policy is to be “always screen ready,” which means streamlined processes and the highest possible level of co-operation with filmmakers. NSW encourages screen production and is committed to maintaining NSW’s position as a premier destination for screen production in Australia.
For additional information on filming in NSW, the team at Screen NSW can assist with information on locations, including bespoke location packages, technical and creative talent, studio space, post-production, and visual effects facilities and on all aspects of filming.
