AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – An Australian film corporation revealed that it will finance the production of more sophisticated TV drama for the enjoyment of audiences worldwide last week.
In an attempt to satisfy viewers’ increasing demands for “high-end” television shows that are “taking creative risks and developing complex narratives,” SCREEN Australia has agreed to yield five projects per year each with a $40,000 budget to give audiences the highbrow plots and cultivated characters they desire.
Since Australian films have recently failed to wow audiences with exhilarating subject matter, there has been a recent shift in focus to “quality television,” satisfying the ravenous appetite of “thinking, demanding adults” for quick-witted content.
The High-end Television Development Program is the fund created in response to the recent surge in global appeal to more refined and complex television programs, namely Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Top of the Lake, House of Cards, and The Bridge. SCREEN Australia will “creatively assess” all program pitches while a globally-renowned telecaster or web streamer must back a specific proposal with a “formal letter of interest.”
Martha Coleman, Head of Development at SCREEN Australia, believes that, “High-end television is responsible for water cooler conversations all over the world, winning its audience with complex, nuanced stories and creative brilliance.”
If it is true that “Australia has the ideas and the talent to make a global impact through its storytelling,” the world is ready for and anxiously awaiting the next Breaking Bad to hit the screen.