The Mercury, Scripted Ink. and the Australian Writers’ Guild (AWG) are thrilled to
announce today the creation of a Writers’ Room at The Mercury in Adelaide, made
possible by the generous donation of screenwriter and showrunner Shane Brennan.
Mr Brennan is an Australian television writer and producer best known as the
Executive Producer of the worldwide hit police drama NCIS, as well as the creator of
the NCIS spin-off series, NCIS: Los Angeles.
The Mercury provides emerging filmmakers with a pathway to a screen career and is
home to a screen culture community. The Writers’ Room is a key attraction of the
revamped business model of The Mercury, a not-for-profit screen body with a newly
established board and management.
The model proposes a monthly low-cost subscription that provides subscribers with
year-round access to cinema screenings, workshops and upgraded filmmaker facilities.
The facilities include a production office, edit suite, colour grade room, sound
editing & mixing suite and, thanks to Shane Brennan’s significant gift, a
purpose-built Writers’ Room.
“The Mercury will be in a position to take emerging filmmakers from script to screen,
giving valuable time to the development of screenwriting, and paying professional
screenwriters as mentors to give stories the attention they merit, in line with
industry standards,” says The Mercury’s General Manager Lisa Bishop.
One of the values of the new board is collaboration, which saw Bishop reach out to
Sally Hardy, SA representative on the National Executive Council of the AWG, with
the idea for a Writers’ Room. Sally thought it was the perfect project for Mr
Brennan, who has a passion for the development of emerging screenwriters, and
Scripted Ink., a joint venture between Mr Brennan and the Australian Writers’ Guild
aimed at shaping, building and investing in the Australian screen industry and
Australian writers.
Mr Brennan says, “The plans for The Mercury sound promising and I was impressed with
the idea of facilitating AWG members to work with emerging screenwriters. Having a
supportive filmmaking environment like The Mercury gives stories the best chance of
getting to the screen, particularly as writing for screen is never an end in
itself.”
Mr Brennan also serves as President of the Australian Writers’ Guild, the
professional and industrial association for Australian performance writers, whose
vision it is to improve rights and opportunities so that screen and stage writers
may thrive as a dynamic and integral part of Australian storytelling.
Starting from the 1st July, The Mercury will run weekly writing consultations for
filmmakers who have draft scripts and story ideas. Coupled with this will be a
monthly “Script Club” along the lines of the “Book Club” concept. Bishop says, “We
are looking forward to revealing our new products and services for the emerging
sector with a new model effective 1st July this year”.
Kirsty Stark 0422 433 543 Mark McGowan 0419 695 487
The new Board of the Mercury CX today outlined a clear plan to its members to usher
in a new era for the much-loved arts organisation - including the announcement of a
monthly subscription model.
The Board presented its carefully considered Strategic Plan at its Annual General
Meeting tonight, after the association was left in a financially precarious position
in 2022.
Co-Chair, Peter Hanlon, from Mess Productions said: “We’ve worked very hard with
Mercury staff, members and industry stakeholders to develop a new business model and
think beyond the typical income streams for arts organisations – which are
philanthropy, sponsorship and grants.”
Mercury CX is a member-run organisation founded in the 1970s and has a passionate
membership base. The organisation has listened to its members and is inviting deeper
engagement with the community through this ‘one-ticket-all-access’ subscription
model.
Alongside unlimited access to standard film screenings, subscribers will have
year-round access to workshops, upgraded production facilities and equipment, a
monthly Script Club, regular networking and mentoring sessions and a creative screen
culture community - all for just $25 per month (with scholarship memberships
available in a commitment to equity and accessibility).
Fellow Co-Chair Kirsty Stark from Epic Films said: “The Mercury has been an
invaluable organisation for South Australian screen makers and cinema goers since
its inception, and at the heart of the new business plan is the opportunity for a
new generation of diverse audiences and creatives to connect in a vibrant screen hub
in the heart of the city.”
From a screening perspective, the long tradition of the Mercury CX’s Silver Screen
and Cinematheque programs will be expanded with new offerings including Heaps Good
Cinema, a program of South Australian- made short films, and Cinema Mechanica,
curated by local Screen craft Guilds, which will give audiences an insight into the
mechanics of filmmaking through the selection of world class movies that epitomise
excellence in their craft.
In this exciting new era for the Mercury CX, Interim General Manager Lisa Bishop has
been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for the much beloved icon.
Ms. Bishop said: “We simply could not have developed this new business model without
the support of the SA Government and Arts Minister Andrea Michaels, who has backed
our vision with grants of over $200,000.”
Ms Bishop also thanked the generosity of philanthropists, enabling the Mercury team
to turn underutilised office space into cutting edge filmmaking facilities,
including a Writer#s Room, Production Office, Edit Suite, Mini Studio, Colour
Grading Suite and Sound Editing and Mixing Theatre.
Microsoft Word - Final MercuryCX Media Release AGM 30052023.docx
Also announced tonight was the significant contribution from the South Australian
Film Corporation (SAFC), which will again provide $240,000 in project funding to
deliver the QuickSilver, Launch Lab and Script Club programs for emerging
filmmakers.
SAFC CEO Kate Croser said: “The SAFC is pleased to continue its partnership with The
Mercury, providing funding to deliver programs and opportunities that support
diverse, emerging practitioners to develop, advance and professionalise their
careers in the screen industry.
The SAFC has long been committed to improving diversity and inclusion in the South
Australian screen sector and boosting industry participation of people from
historically under-represented groups, through initiatives such as the Diversity and
Inclusion Strategy and First Nations Screen Strategy.
In alignment with these strategies, and with the findings from the SAFC’s recently
released South Australian Screen Industry Workforce Development Strategy, the SAFC
supports The Mercury’s plans to work closely with emerging screen makers from a
range of backgrounds to develop their skills and ensure businesses within the South
Australian screen sector are equipped with a skilled workforce.” says Kate Croser.
The Mercury’s new programs commence July 1 and will be outlined in an event aptly
named Mercury Rising to be held at the Mercury Cinema Tuesday June 27 at 6pm. Sign
up to the subscription waitlist here: https://forms.gle/hwWGoSYh3oH1qkMQ6
Interviews and images please contact:
Kirsty Stark 0422 433 543 Mark McGowan 0419 695 487 INFO ON MERCURY CX:
The Mercury was established in 1974 and is a membership-based not-for-profit
incorporated association and charity. It acts as a bridging organisation that
provides emerging screen makers with a pathway into a professional screen career. It
is also home to screen culture communities and operates exhibition programs and
events out of the Mercury and Iris cinemas. Its objectives are to develop screen
makers and screen audiences, through the provision of equipment, facilities, advice,
training, cinema programming, events and production initiatives. It works closely
with screen partners including the South Australian Film Corporation, Channel 44,
the Adelaide Film Festival, educational institutions and local screen businesses.
The new board appointed at the 2023 Annual General Meeting comprise:
Kirsty Stark Peter Hanlon Nara Wilson Adrian Tisato Lisa
Scott Daniel Tune Maddie Parry Kath Dooley Rebecca Summerton
Producer, Epic Films & Founder, CrewHQ Producer/Writer, Mess
Productions Arts SA Senior Project Manager, ATSI Arts Principal, GT Legal Pty
Ltd
Producer, Highview Productions Screen Student, Flinders University
Writer/Director/Producer, Mess Productions Associate Professor, UniSA Creative
Producer, Closer Productions
The Mercury is delighted to announce this year’s Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship
(HLSF) has been awarded to experimental filmmaker Bryce
Kraehenbuehl.
The HLSF was established to inspire and enable aspiring experimental and surreal
filmmakers to develop their distinctive voice and create bold work for the
screen. Bryce will create and deliver his ambitious experimental screen-based
project, Red Earth, which will see him travel to endangered ecosystems around South
Australia and photograph them on Aerochrome, an extinct film stock, to showcase the
environments in an unseen way. Bryce says “The film explores themes of
conservation, with the subject being environments that will be lost due to
climate change. By using an endangered medium, I want the audience to look at
the ecosystems we have left in a different way and think about the need to
conserve these unique environments.”
The HLSF, valued at $45,000, is a collaborative Fellowship supported by
philanthropist, Peter Hanlon, The Mercury, Flinders University, Light ADL and
Adelaide Film Festival. The Fellowship was established in honor of the late Cole
Larsen, a Flinders University Screen Production Lecturer, who encouraged his
students to think and do outside the norm of conventional filmmaking. “I’m proud
to support emerging filmmaker Bryce and his project, Red Earth, which is
emblematic of Cole’s dedication and passion for experimental screen-based works”
Co-chair of The Mercury Board and Founder of the HLSF Peter Hanlon
$5,000 of the cash portion of the grant is contributed by Flinders University.
“Bryce’s application for the HLSF presented a truly experimental project with a
unique approach and great potential” Senior Lecturer at Flinders
University, Tom Young.
The Mercury, Adelaide Film Festival and Light Adelaide have provided up to $20,000 of
in-kind support. “Bryce’s unique approach to conservation through an endangered
medium aligns perfectly with our mission at Light ADL, and we can’t wait to see
the impact his project will have on audiences around the world” CEO Light
Adl, Nic Mercer
Bryce and his proposed project were a standout in what was a competitive round.The
CEO & Creative Director of the Adelaide Film Festival Mat Kesting was excited
by Bryce’s application. Mat says “Bryce presented an exciting vision and his
proposed work embodies the creative spirit of the Hanlon Larsen Fellowship. We
look forward to seeing the finished work and considering it for inclusion in the
2023 Adelaide Film Festival.”
The Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship is the most recent of Bryce’s accolades, which
include being the inaugural winner of the Helpmann Innovator Program in 2021. Bryce
also received a fellowship in 2022 for a year-long mentorship with prolific and
acclaimed experimental filmmakers Richard Tuohy and Diana Barry. As well as
developing his creative work Bryce Kraehenbuehl co-owns and works for production
company Two Up Films which focuses on producing creative and sustainable commercial
work.
The Mercury would like to thank all the applicants and their outstanding efforts in
preparing their applications for this round.
For further questions, interviews or photos please contact Stephanie Jaclyn
at:
The board and staff have been hard at work developing the future of our beloved
Mercury. We have pleasure in inviting you to our
Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 30th May 2023 at 6pm.
Join us for a complimentary drink and to hear all the news, both past (Annual Report
2022) and future (Strategic Plan 2023-2025). We look forward to your
company!
