Extraction 3's Illawarra shoot a sign of big budget films to come

Chris Hemsworth’s Extraction 3 has wrapped three weeks of filming in the Illawarra as the area cements its reputation as a top-level location for international movie productions.

Hemsworth, Idris Elba and the production’s crew have spent almost a month filming the third instalment of the Aussie actor’s hugely successful Netflix action franchise, with helicopter chases and gunfights among the scenes shot in Port Kembla and beyond. 

Screen Illawarra chair Nick Bolton says the fact such a big-budget film was shot in the Illawarra is “wonderful”. 

“It's so exciting to have one of the biggest films in Australia filmed in our backyard. So yeah, we’re very, very happy.”

The positive knock-on effects of such a production are felt throughout the community, Nick says.

“That's one of the reasons Screen Illawarra works with Invest Wollongong, the economic development arm of Wollongong City Council, because of the injection of cash [to the Illawarra from such film productions] and the multiplier effect is wonderful. 

“There are also other softer benefits as well: there’s so much buzz, everybody's pleased to see these superstars in town. And when the film comes out, there's Port Kembla, and you spot these locations on your TV and you have that sort of communal pride, which is lovely.”

So, how much money did the production spend in the Illawarra?

“I don't have an actual number, but I've seen the first two films and they're probably $100 million movies, and cast and crew have been here for three weeks. 

“So, you've got hundreds of cast and crew staying in the hotels and being fed. They've got all the businesses benefitting from supplying their services to the film, whether that's minibuses, ports cabins, scaffolding, chippies, sparkies, all that sort of stuff. 

“And this is why the government has the production offset and location offset of 30%, which is a pretty significant offset to attract these major films to a region. 

“And we've got to thank [Cunningham MP] Alison Byrnes, [Wollongong MP and NSW Planning Minister] Paul Scully and Wollongong Council for working with Netflix on putting the deal to bring them here.”

Nick says Screen Illawarra would like to see even more locals employed on any film productions shot in the area.

“We'd like to try and get in talks with the production companies earlier so we can try and get our local crew members involved. 

“There’s all this spend, but a lot of it is for Sydney people coming through the area. And we want to build at the capacity and portfolio of our local practitioners. And we've worked with the casting extras agency and we've got about 50 extras working on the film [Extraction 3], which is great, but there's not been many local crew. 

"And so that's probably my only little disappointment is that the local practitioners don't get the benefit of working on the big films. They [the film’s producers] bring in their own crew and shoot, use the locations, and then move on.

“It's absolutely wonderful that they're here and it's yet another tent pole movie that's been shot here.

"The number of movies being shot here is increasing year on year on year as the word gets around that we've got all these amazing locations and we're close to Sydney and there are lots of great people here. 

“So it’s a sign that more productions have the confidence to come here in the future.”

The next production to be filmed in the Illawarra will be a new season of ABC’s documentary series, The Piano.