Queensland looking to attract "VDT" filming

Giant tank to bring film to Qld: govt
21st February 2007, 15:34 WST

The Queensland government hopes a giant outdoor water tank on the Gold Coast will attract a series of Hollywood blockbusters to the state.

Arts Minister Rod Welford said the $2.1 million tank at Warner Roadshow Studios, currently being used to film the Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey film, Fool's Gold, would be a trump card for drawing other big-money blockbusters.

Mr Welford said the tank, which can house boats and marine life, allowed for large-scale under and above water filming and was the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere, and one of only a few worldwide.

The tank is 40 metres by 30 metres and varies in depth from two to five metres.

The government contributed $500,000 to the tank, which is also funded by Fool's Gold production and Warner Roadshow Studios.

"The government's Pacific Film and Television Commission and Warner Roadshow Studios are currently in negotiations with a number of major studios requiring water tank facilities for their next major films," Mr Welford said.

He said projects that could be drawn to the state included the $100 million production Voyage of the Dawn Treader - the fourth in the Narnia Chronicles series.

Major productions to have used similar tanks include Titanic and Pirates of the Caribbean.

AAP

Walden Media's Bob Beltz gives a little info about "VDT" with Infuze

Bob Beltz has a lot to say. As the Associate Producer of the upcoming movie Amazing Grace as well as the editor of Real Christianity, Beltz talks to us about the life of William Wilberforce and the issue of slavery in the modern world today and what we can do about it. As a part of Walden Media, he also gives the latest scoop on the Narnia series, including which movies have been greenlit, the problem with Edmund and the timeline of releases.

And you've already greenlit the next one?

Yes. The next book after that will be The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and we're going to try and film the next two in a way that it won't have to be two and a half years between them. We'll be able to bring them out sequentially a year apart.

Is Adamson attached to that project?

I think whoever actually directs the project will be under Andrew as sort of an overseer on the thing.

So you will begin shooting Dawn Treader right after Caspian wraps?

Yeah, the way I understand it is that it takes six months to do the live photography on Caspian and then a full year of post-production with all of the effects and computer generated things that have to get done. In theory, what we'll do is as soon as they are done filming Caspian and into post-production, then we'll have a new crew to do the filming part of Dawn Treader. Then when that one goes into post-production, we're hoping to go into The Silver Chair, which would be the next book into production.