Locked and Rocked, Destination: Bowen

Baz Luhrmann has further spoke out about the timeline and locations for the pre-production and filming of Australia. Any day now, several of the prinicple actors are expected to arrive in Sydney, Australia for a pre-production workshop, which will wrap up just before Christmas.

It is no secret that Baz has selected the small Queensland town of Bowen for a substantial portion of location filming. (See our media section for radio interviews). The crew of 200, including its two major stars, are expected to stay in Bowen during the 10 weeks of shooting. Luhrmann said that the $500,000 contribution from the state goverment was a key factor in the decision to shoot there. But one needn’t think the Bazmark camp is living off of state contributions, in return Premier Peter Beattie has said the production will lilkely pump $7 million into Queensland during the ten week filming period. Furthermore residents can likely expect significant tourism opportunities upon the film’s release.

As an additional bonus, more than 100 locals will play roles such as Japanese pearlers and cattlemen, while students will be encouraged to take part in a bid to encourage young talent to stay in Australia. Luhrmann is quoted as saying;

“That is part of what I think Hugh, Nicole and I really share,” … “We’ve been very fortunate. This country gave us an opportunity to play around the world. And now at the point in our careers we are, we feel naturally like you want to give something back.”

Over the next few weeks the number of people in Bowen will be rapidly expanding, due to crew arrivals.

“We shoot at the end of April - actual film rolling at the end of April - but from January, we’ll have large teams of people there… I am what they call in the business, ‘locked and rocked’.”

Finally, we leave you with this tidbit from The Courier Mail, that Australian actor Jack Thompson will also be in Bowen for the shooting in April. We hope to hear more news on casting in the new year, but in the meantime, if you have any information, feel free to contact us.

SOURCES: The Courier Mail, The West Australian, Yahoo! News, The Herald Sun

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