LIKE FISH OUT OF WATER
THE makers of Mako Mermaids are leaving their home of 10 years on the Village Roadshow Studios lot to make way for US blockbusters Kong: Skull Island and Thor: Ragnarok.
Award-winning producer, director and writer Jonathan M Shiff (pictured) has been based at the Oxenford studios since he relocated his production company from Melbourne 10 years ago.
Hailed as the backbone of the local film and TV industry, Mr Shiff recently finished filming the third series of Netflix-commissioned family TV series, Mako Mermaids.
“I’m making way for superheroes – you don’t fight superheroes,” he said. “A US company has gazumped us.”
The third 16-part series of Mako Mermaids employed about 150 crew and 350 extras and will screen in almost 200 countries. Mr Shiff is preparing to lock in a deal to produce a new series.
“We’ll have to figure out what our alternatives are,” he said. “Clearly there is a need for other studio facilities in Brisbane or on the Gold Coast. “These big American shows are great to have, but not if they displace local productions. “I have been here on a month to month tenancy ... in
fairness to Village Roadshow, they run their studio as a leasing business,” he said.
“It’s their right to rent the whole lot to another production.”
A Village Roadshow Studios spokesman stressed Mr Shiff had not been evicted.
“Village Roadshow Studios ... welcomes any productions who would consider using the facilities,” he said.
A spokeswoman for Screen Queensland said Screen Queensland was a proud supporter of the development and growth of Jonathan M Shiff Productions and had invested $880,000 in the Mako Mermaids series.
“Should Jonathan M Shiff Productions have concerns ... Screen Queensland can provide support in identifying potential solutions,” she said.