A scene from the Australian-made box office hit "The Dragon Pearl". Photo: adelaidenow.com
MARIO Andreacchio's brush with the mythical Chinese dragon, long associated with good luck, is translating into what promises to be a long and auspicious relationship with the emerging film-making superpower.
The Chinese dragon, unlike its warlike Western counterparts, is a benevolent mythical creature endowed with auspicious powers, and its depiction is closely monitored by the Chinese establishment.
The Norwood director and film producer's AMPCO Films was the first company given permission to portray the dragon in a live-action motion picture, in the 2011 Sam Neill feature The Dragon Pearl.
The process of producing the movie, which was filmed in China and was the first Chinese-Australian treaty co-production, has furnished Mr Andreacchio with a wealth of knowledge about working with China in the film sector. It has also helped secure some of the funding for his next feature.
AMPCO is now in the process of setting up a company which will executive produce films for others keen to tap into the Chinese market.
Mr Andreacchio was venturing into uncharted waters when he set out five years ago to make The Dragon Pearl, which he directed.
While there was a treaty covering Australian-Chinese co-productions, and a desire to work together, there was no "how to" guide per se.
Issues such as legal structures, copyright issues, and how to actually get your money out of the country if you made a profit all had to be contended with for the first time.
"We struck a lot of difficulties, but we knew we had to be very patient. We had a lot of support from the Chinese Government authorities to help us through it," Mr Andreacchio said.
While there were some initial difficulties recouping profits from The Dragon Pearl, which did "very well", these have now been sorted and the company is soon to be paid.
The lessons learned, and the relationships forged, are now paying off both in the form of a new production company AMPCO is setting up, as well as a multi-million dollar film funding vehicle which is also being considered.
"We're in the process of establishing a facility as a result of many films from overseas wanting to do coproductions with China," he said.
Many film producers want to work with China, but don't have perhaps the time or the expertise to do so.
Mr Andreacchio has specialised over his career in international coproductions, with collaborations with Japan, Germany, the UK, France, South Africa, Canada and of course China, under his belt.
"A lot of people keep approaching me saying 'We don't have the resources to build the relationships which you have in China... can you executive produce this film for me'," he said.
"We're in the process of setting up a company specifically to executive produce China coproductions."
The company will have its main base in Perth, but will also have a presence in Adelaide, China and Europe. Deloitte Private both locally and in Perth is involved.
There are numerous benefits to setting up a coproduction in China. The first is the sheer economics, with Chinese authorities reporting that an average of five new cinema screens open every day a phenomenon which is expected to continue for another four to five years.
It also allows films to be classed as Chinese productions.
This is important because China currently only allows the screening of 20 foreign films per year, plus another 14 Imax or 3D titles. There are also revenue limits in place.
Mr Andreacchio said there was also a large pool of China funds available for film funding if the right relationships were in place.
For example, AMPCO's next production is expected to be an adaptation of The Alchemyst - the first of a six-book fantasy fiction series for young adults written by Irish author Michael Scott.
AMPCO has the rights to the entire best-selling series, which could spawn a major movie franchise.
"That will be a really high budget film," Mr Andreacchio said.
"It's also the sort of film that does really well in China.
"Because we've got this relationship with China and China film funds... they said why don't we invest in that as well."
The Chinese investment amounts to about 20 per cent of the budget of the film, which sources estimate would cost about $50 million to produce.
The film is hoped to go into production next year and Mr Andreacchio is keen to shoot it in Australia.
He is also looking at a film about a Chinese circus troupe and its adventures as it journeys from Robe in South Australia to the Victorian goldfields during the gold rush. The film would be shot from the Chinese perspective.
"Along with facilitating productions with China, we are also moving towards setting up a major film fund with China... specifically for China co-productions," Mr Andreacchio said.
Mr Andreacchio is in China at the moment, where he has been invited to talk at the 2012 Annual Conference of Zhongguancun forum in Beijing about coproductions, the business of film and also innovation and technology in the sector.