Queensland Film & Photography Production Services & Camera Crews

Are you a media company, brand, ad agency or production company looking for film / photography production support or shooting crew in Queensland? Contact us for trusted fixers, producers, directors, DoPs, videographers, photographers, and full shooting crews tailored for the specific needs of your project.

Filming in Queensland

For an introduction to shooting in Queensland see below notes on film locations, permits, when to shoot, unique local stories, costs, tax incentives, crews, talent, premiums, fringes, equipment, communications, art department, studios, post facilities, visas and work permits for filming, transport, film-friendly accommodation, and safety advice.

Queensland Film Locations 

Queensland, The Sunshine State, is known for its cities, Queenslander architecture, theme parks, beautiful beaches, coral reefs, tropical islands, dunes, mountain ranges, rainforests, waterfalls, rivers, and outback locations of deserts and wetlands.

Agricultural film locations include farms that produce bananas, pineapples, peanuts, cotton, sugarcane, wool, and cattle. Queensland mines bauxite, coal, silver, lead, zinc, gold and copper. Energy locations include thermal fired power plants, as well as solar and wind power.

Queensland has hosted a long list of productions including Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), Elvis (2022), Ticket to Paradise (2022), Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), Aquaman (2018), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Kong: Skull Island (2017), Unbroken (2014), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010), House of Wax (2005), Mission Impossible II (2000), The Thin Red Line (1998), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), and Crocodile Dundee (1986).

Brisbane

Brisbane is Queensland’s largest city and state capital. Sitting on the banks of the Brisbane river, it is known for its modern city skyline, museums, universities, entertainment and sporting venues.

Neighborhoods of note include West End, Southbank, Fortitude Valley, and Chinatown.

Government buildings include Parliament House, Government House, Old Government House, Brisbane City Hall, State Library of Queensland, Treasury Building, and Land Administration Building.

Other buildings of note include Brisbane Skytower, Central Plaza 1 designed by Kurokawa Kisho, MacArthur Chambers, The Mansions, National Australia Bank Building, People’s Palace, XXXX Brewery, and Boggo Road Gaol.

Museums of note include Gallery of Modern Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Museum of Brisbane, Queensland Museum, Brisbane Powerhouse, Queensland Maritime Museum, and Workshops Rail Museum.

University of Queensland buildings of note include Steele Building, UQ Art Museum, and UQ Library. Other universities of note include Queensland University of Technology, and Griffith University.

Entertainment venues include Brisbane Entertainment Centre, The Tivoli, Customs House, Brisbane Showgrounds, and the Wheel of Brisbane.

Religious locations include St John’s Cathedral, and Nepal Peace Pagoda.

Markets of note include Queen Street Market, Brisbane Arcade, and Brisbane Markets.

Parks include City Botanic Gardens, Roma Street Parkland, New Farm Park, and Victoria Park.

Bridges include The Gateway Bridges, Story Bridge, and Captain Cook Bridge.

Sporting venues of note include Lang Park, The Gabba, Ballymore Stadium, Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, Sleeman Centre, Queensland Tennis Centre, Eagle Farm Racecourse, and Doomben Racecourse. Kangaroo Point Cliffs offer inner city outdoor rockclimbing.

Tranport film locations include Central Station, Overseas Passenger Terminal, Port of Bribane, and Brisbane Airport.

Streets Beach is a man-made inner-city beach.

South East Queensland

The Gold Coast is famous for its long sandy surf beaches, waterfront apartments, and inland canals and waterways. Gold Coast theme parks of note include Sea World, Dreamworld, Warner Bros Movie World, Wet’n’Wild Gold Coast, and Australian Outback Spectacular. Surfers Paradise Beach is a popular film location.

Noosa is a resort town known for its beautiful beaches and Noosa National Park which is home to koalas, short-nosed bandicoots, possums, and a diversity of birdlife.

Fraser Island has a landscape of rainforests, eucalyptus woodland, mangrove forests, wallum and peat swamps, sand dunes, coastal heaths, lakes, and beaches. Fraser Island is famous for its dingo population. Other wildlife of note includes swamp wallabies, echidnas, ringtail and brushtail possums, sugar gliders, squirrel gliders, phascogales, bandicoots, potoroos, flying foxes, as well as a diversity of snakes, frogs, ants, and birdlife. Aquatic wildlife includes humpback whales, dugongs, sea turtles, and great white sharks.

Great Sandy National Park has a landscape of untouched beaches, large sand dunes, heathlands, rainforests, swamps, creeks, freshwater lakes, and mangrove forests.

Glass House Mountains National Park has a landscape of conical peaks, montane heath, shrubland, forest, and woodlands.

Lamington National Park has a landscape of rainforest, ancient trees, and stunning waterfalls. Wildlife of note includes yabbies, platypus’, bats, skinks, frogs, and a diversity of birdlife.

Springbrook National Park has a landscape of mountains, rainforest, and waterfalls such as Twin Falls Waterfall, and Purling Brook Falls. Wildlife includes possums, sugar gliders, koalas, red-necked pademelons, frogs, skinks, butterflies, and a diversity of birdlife including lyrebirds.

Tamborine National Park has a landscape of gorges, cliffs, waterfalls, rainforest areas, and eucalyptus forest. Wildlife includes lyrebirds, platypuses, bush turkeys, lorikeets, eastern whipbirds, and satin bowerbirds. Tamborine Mountain was filmed for Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), and Kong: Skull Island (2017).

D’Aguilar National Park has a landscape of eucalyptus woodlands, and rainforest. Wildlife includes kangaroos, echidnas, platypuses, red-necked pademelons, short-eared possums, common ringtail possums, northern brown bandicoots, long-nosed bandicoot, long-nosed potoroos, and a diversity of bats, lizards, and birds.

Conondale National Park has a landscape of subtropical rainforest and woodlands. Wildlife of note includes yellow-bellied gliders, koalas, grey headed flying foxes, rufous rat kangaroos, plumed frogmouths, giant barred frogs, conondale crayfish, spotted-tailed quolls, and richmond birdwing butterflies.

The Big Pineapple is located in Woombye.

Central Queensland

Townsville is the largest city in northern Queensland.

Bundaberg is known for sugarcane, rum, and ginger beer.

Airlie Beach is the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands. Ticket to Paradise (2022) filmed at Airlie Beach.

Whitsunday Islands are a group of 74 islands and islets known for their paradise turquoise waters and fine white sand beaches. Islands of note include the Whitsunday group, Lindeman group, Molle group, and the Northern Group. Hamilton Island is the most populated island. Hayman Island Resort is a beautiful film location. Whitehaven Beach in Whitsunday Islands National Park is famous for its crystal white silica sands and turquoise coloured waters.

Carnarvon National Park has a landscape of gorges, sandy plains, valleys, tablelands. and ranges. Wildlife includes eastern grey kangaroos, rufous rat-kangaroos, swamp wallabies, gliding possums, platypuses, echidnas, and a diversity of bats and birds.

Capricorn Caves are large limestone caves located near Rockhampton.

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system, composed of over 2,900 reefs, and 900 islands. It is the world’s largest single structure made by living organisms.

Reefsuites is an underwater hotel moored off of Hardy Reef, a short boat trip from Hamilton Island.

Lizard Island National Park is an archipelago with a luxury resort.

Heron Island is a beautiful tropical island with a luxury resort.

Lady Musgrave Island is another paradise island available for filming.

Far North Queensland

Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, and Daintree Rainforest.

Daintree National Park has a landscape of unspoilt rainforest, mountains, gorges, rivers, waterfalls, beaches, and coral reefs. The park is home to a diverse population of frog, reptile, marsupial, bat, butterfly, and bird species. Endangered species of note include the southern cassowary, and Bennett’s tree-kangaroo. Cape Tribulation lies within the park. The Thin Red Line (1998) was filmed in Daintree National Park.

Barron Gorge National Park has a landscape of rugged mountains, rainforest, rivers, and waterfalls including Barron Falls. The Kuranda Scenic Railway passes through the park. The park is home to a diversity of birdlife.

Port Douglas is known for its beach resorts. Four Mile Beach is a beautiful film location.

Paronella Park has a Spanish-style castle, waterfall, and thousands of tropical trees and palms.

Waterfalls of note include Millaa Millaa Falls, Wallaman Falls, Barron Falls, Josephine Falls, Tchupala Falls, and Crystal Cascades.

Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park is a landscape of lowland tropical rainforest, rocky outcrops, mangrove forests, and beaches. The park protects one of Australia’s most diverse populations of butterflies, ants, ferns, orchids and palms. Wildlife of note includes green tree pythons, spotted cuscus’, bare-rumped sheathtail bats, estuarine crocodiles, and a diversity of birdlife including southern cassowaries, and eclectus parrots.

Undara Volcanic National Park is known for Bayllis Cave which is home to a diversity of bats.

Cape York Peninsula is the furthest northern point in Australia.

Kuranda Scenic Railway runs between Cairns and Kuranda.

Outback Queensland

Mt Isa is a remote mining town.

Australian Age of Dinosaurs, located in Winton, is home to many dinosaur fossils. The site of the museum is a dark-sky preserve.

Eromanga Natural History Museum is a dinosaur museum located in Eromanga.

Boodjamulla National Park has a landscape of sandstone gorges, waterholes, and rivers. Of note is Lawn Hill Gorge. The area is also known for its Waanyi rock art. Wildlife includes freshwater crocodiles, rock ringtail possums, rock-haunting ringtail possums, agile wallabies, olive pythons, wallaroos, dingos, echidnas, red-bellied short-necked turtles, and northern snapping turtles.

Porcupine Gorge National Park has a landscape of sandstone cliffs, vine forests, and waterholes. Wildlife includes rock wallabies and crimson-winged parrots.

Diamantina National Park has a landscape of sandstone ranges, sand dunes, grass plains, waterholes, and wetlands. Wildlife includes bilbies, kowaris, and a diversity of birdlife including night parrots.

The Spirit of the Outback Train runs between Brisbane and Longreach.

Qantas Founders Museum is located in Longreach.

Darling Downs

Queensland’s agricultural centre has a blossoming food and wine culture.

Girraween National Park has a landscape of granite outcrops, and forests. Wildflowers bloom in the spring. Wildlife includes wombats, spotted quolls, lyrebirds, and turquoise parrots.

Queen Mary Falls are located in this region.

Queensland Film Location Permits 

Location Permits. Saturday afternoon and Sunday are the best times to film in Brisbane’s downtown business district. All other times are much more restricted. Most inner city locations requiring exclusive use of public space require at least 7 days to process permits. Tracking shots and road closures require up to 10 days. Locations outside of major cities are easier to permit. Please contact us for location specific information.

Insurance. It’s also important to note that most locations require proof of public liability insurance of at least $20 million.

When To Shoot?

Queensland has a sub-tropical humid climate with a rainy humid season in summer from October to May, and a mild dry winter season from June and August.

For monthly weather statistics please see here.

Events of interest to filmmakers and photographers include:

• Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival takes place in Winton in June / July.
• Boulia Camel Races in July.
• Birdsville Big Red Bash in July.
• Hamilton Island Race Week in August.
• Ekka takes place in Brisbane in August.
• Mt Isa Mines Rodeo in August.
• Brisbane Festival in September.
• Birdsville Horse Races in September.
• Brisbane International Film Festival in October.
• Woodford Folk Festival in December / January.

Public holidays may affect timing, availability and costs. See here for public holiday dates in Australia.

Unique Local Stories

Brands are looking for local stories that match their brand narrative. Our local teams are a great lead for sourcing those unique stories and characters.

If you are looking for stories for your next shoot, send us your brief and we will pitch you ideas.

If you have a unique story you would like to pitch to a brand anywhere in the world, pitch us your idea. We have well-established processes to ensure that your ideas are properly seen and protected.

Costs & Tax Incentives

Costs. Recent devaluations in the Australian dollar have made filming in Australia a more cost competitive option. Distance is a major expense. Both in terms of getting to Australia as well as getting around Australia (the country is roughly the size of the US Lower 48). Australia is a very well established and sophisticated production centre so factors of production cost accordingly. Post production is one area that remains a cost saving attraction with high quality post 30-40% less expensive than in the US. Ultimately, whatever the project, our locally based fixers and service producers will negotiate deals and provide the appropriate level of production support to match every budget.

Tax Incentives. Australia offers qualifying co-productions a Producer Offset 40% tax rebate for feature films, and a Producer Offset 30% tax rebate for documentaries, TV series, telemovies, and short form animation. Some states may offer additional production incentives. For more information visit AUSFILM. There are no tax incentives for commercials.

Film Crew & Talent

Crews. Brisbane has a very good experienced pool of directors, directors of photography and stills photographers, several being of the highest international standard. Professional and technical crews have had decades of experience servicing long and short-form projects from all over the world. The result is a very deep pool of well trained crew with a great attitude and a world-class reputation.

Contact us if you are looking for a director, DoP / cinematographer, videographer / camera operator, stills photographer, or any other film crew for your shoot in Brisbane, Australia.

If you are an exceptionally talented Melbourne based director, DoP / cinematographer, videographer / camera operator, or stills photographer, introduce yourself here.

Talent is union and non-union. Talent buyouts are negotiable since the Offshore Agreement expired. For more information about the talent union please visit MEAA.

English is the official language but given Australia’s culturally diverse population, hundreds of other languages are also spoken.

Australia boasts a very large and experienced pool of multicultural talent. The majority of Australians are of European decent. The country’s large population of Asian actors and models makes it a popular destination for visiting productions from Japan, Korea, China and India. Australia also has talent minorities of Pacific Islander and African decent.

Heading outside of the cities, filmmakers and photographers can find a wealth of aboriginal cultures.

Australia also offers unique animals for filming including kangaroos, crocodiles, koalas, wombats, emus, and a wide variety of birds, bugs, and reptiles.

Fringes. Crew are either Company or Pay As You Go (PAYG). If the crew member is Company then they take care of their own superannuation and in some cases, workers compensation. Some crew members with Australian Business Numbers require workers compensation to be paid for them. If crew is PAYG then we must pay an additional 9% superannuation and 3% workers compensation. There is a 6% payroll tax.

Premiums. Australia has an eight hour shooting day, time and a half for the next two hours and double time after that. Shooting after 8:00pm is a 25% loading. Sunday is a 100% loading. The industry is currently campaigning for a 10 hour day.

Queensland Film Equipment

Equipment. Australia offers both Panavision and Arri equipment as well as many boutique equipment companies. There is a great depth of standard and more specialised camera gear including digital cameras (Alexa, RED, Sony, Canon), film cameras (16mm and 35mm), high speed cameras (Phantom), Three-axis stabilized heads (Scorpio, Libra), Motion Control, and much more.

Unlike the US system most gear is provided by individual crew. Grip and lighting trucks are privately owned by crew who accompany them to set. Anything required in addition to this is outsourced. Crew charge a rate for the truck and then individually for lights and gripping gear, burn time and labour rates. Australia offers a great variety of standard and specialised grip and lighting gear including cranes (Technocrane, Phoenix, Giraffe), 3D camera rigs, car rigs, tracking vehicles, sea rigs, helicopter mounts, and underwater housing. Companies of note include Panavision, Red Apple, Brownie Grips, and Big Toys.

For productions looking to bring in film equipment, Australia is an ATA carnet country.

Communications. Communication is key. Our agility and global experience allows us to customise the right communications systems for every shoot.

Web posted casting, scouting, and videoconferencing.

For clients that are unable to attend set we offer a virtual video village solution. This dedicated and secure high-resolution video streaming platform allows clients from one or multiple timezones to view setups without compromise and to participate in real-time with the team on set. Separate systems can be set up for the discrete conversations that are required to make a job run right. Working remotely with our local teams reduces your content production costs, turnaround times, carbon footprint, and risks associated with unpredictable global events.

Art Department, Studios, Backlots, & Post Production

Art department and set construction. Queensland has very experienced art department and set construction crews.

Studios. Village Roadshow Studios, and Screen Queensland Studios has purpose built studios with extensive facilities. Village Roadshow Studios hosted Elvis (2022), Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), Aquaman (2018), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), Kong: Skull Island (2017), Unbroken (2014), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010),

Post Production. Queensland offers a variety of high standard post facilities including VFX, animation, editing, and film labs.

Visas & Work Permits

Short stay visa for visits under three months or business visas (meetings) are the most expedient way of gaining entry to Australia. Please note that you cannot attend meetings through the Tourist stream and may be turned around at the airport if there is suspicion in relation to your motives whilst in Australia. In addition, the business holiday visa can only be to attend meetings, sign contracts or undertake (limited) training. Any activity that would normally attract remuneration would need a work visa.

Productions that intend to stay longer than 3 months require Entertainment Visas, unless the production is not being shown in Australia, then a subclass 400 visa will be required.

For international crew to enter into Australia for work purposes, they must be covered by a subclass 408, Entertainment Visa. The local service company sponsors each visitor. For a 408 application the service company also needs to get approval from MEAA, the local Entertainment Union. To process the sponsorship visas, MEAA requires to see the deal memos between the overseas production company and each crew personnel. A similar thing has to be done with the cast’s deal memos as well.

Western passport holders travelling as tourists can an obtain an Electronic Travel Authority prior to departure. Passport holders of EU nations can enter under the E-visa program. Both allow stays of up to 90 days. Given recent changes to Australian immigration policy we would only advise travelling to Australia as a tourist if you intend to only undertake genuine tourist visa activities. Anyone found working on the wrong visa will be deported from Australia and face an immediate three-year ban from applying for temporary Australian visas.

Our local service producer / fixer can assist with organising Australian visas, including turning around last-minute applications.

Transport & Accommodation

Transportation Infrastructure. Major roads are up to international standards. Some outback roads require 4WD transport. Australia is serviced by most major international carriers and several domestic airlines.

Accommodation. See here for recommended film friendly hotels in Brisbane.

Final Notes

Safety. Queensland is a very safe and reliable filming centre. Strict work place procedures also ensure safety on set. See here for up to date travel advice.

Down Time. Visit the Great Barrier Reef.

Projects. For an example of TV commercials, stills campaigns, online content, corporate videos, virtual reality 360 content, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in Queensland, please see below:

Hire Queensland Production Support & Shooting Crew

If you are looking for a film or photographic production service company, line producer or fixer for your shoot in Queensland, please contact us.

If you are looking for a shooting crew for your shoot in Queensland, such as a director, DoP, photographer, videographer (cameraman / camera operator), camera assistant (focus puller), sound operator, grip, gaffer, stylist, hair and makeup, PA / runner, production driver, please contact us.

We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.