Crew cuts for Neighbours
Exclusive: Major changes to the way Neighbours is produced has crews concerned about job security, ahead of the switch to Eleven.
- Published by David Knox
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EXCLUSIVE: Major changes to crewing operations at Neighbours have been initiated by FremantleMedia Australia in a bid to upgrade a drama production model that has been in place since 1985.
The move comes after the soap’s 25th anniversary and before its switch to new channel, ELEVEN in January. UK execs are believed to have recently visited Neighbours to address production cost-cuts.
Sources tell TV Tonight the changes include studio shoots reduced from 3 to 2 cameras, with 1 camera to be used for location without steadicam, grips, dolly and crane. Locations will be confined to the backlot (Lassiters) and ‘Ramsay Street’ with occasional use of one-off locations. As a result the location manager and location catering have been cut. There is talk that technical director, art director, studio sound recordist and designer are also affected or gone.
While FremantleMedia says the changes are to “contemporise” production following 9 months of research and consultation with staff, TV Tonight understands some staff are said to be concerned about job security.
A year ago FremantleMedia invested heavily in the Global Studios site (formerly Channel 10 Nunawading) by expanding its backlot with new sets. While there are also whispers UK broadcaster Five may seek to renegotiate its long-term contract, so far it hasn’t happened.
Five holds a contract with the show until 2017 which secures its long-term future. TEN doesn’t reap any financial benefit from the UK sales, but it is enthusiastic about the show leading the launch of ELEVEN in January. It may also simulcast the show to help remind viewers of the switch.
A spokesperson from FremantleMedia Australia said the changes to crewing would drive the show’s future:
“Neighbours is undergoing a workflow upgrade to accommodate advances in technology and production techniques to ensure we are at the forefront of professionalism and efficiency.
This initiative to contemporaise the creative and production process of Neighbours is being driven by FremantleMedia Australia’s desire to produce the best possible program possible.
“The Neighbours production model has been in place since 1985, it is time to evolve and adapt the international standards now used to create high-turn-over drama production.
“FMA has carried out a great deal of research globally, utilising the services of FremantleMedia’s World Wide Drama Unit, to establish best practice for Neighbours.
“Our primary commitment is to maintaining and growing our incredibly high production standards. We are dedicated to improving the production process to ultimately deliver a better quality of product.
“This process has been very collaborative with cast and crew. The commitment of the Neighbours cast and crew to the process and the potential for change was inclusive and incredibly reassuring.”
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45 Responses
Ah, so the entire cast is getting a haircut.
Depressing. This speaks volumes about the future of the show. They’ll end up with a cast of seven sitting in the kitchen at this rate.
I agree with Ryan, they need to get out of the damned street more. Erinsborough may not have a beach, but a few city storylines would actually mix it up visually.
And I think we all know it’s time for bye-bye Bower.
Susan Bower systematically destroyed this show over her time working on it. I am amazed that the people who run this company haven’t looked at the ratings, at the cast departures, at the morale of the people left there, and sacked her.
For Neighbours to go on, Susan Bower has to be removed. It needs a fresh, young Exec (probably someone from a soap in the UK) who loves soap at its helm to save it.
Her ‘EP’s corner’ on the Neighbours website is blatant self-promotion and she clearly does not understand the genre.
For God’s sake get rid of her. This iconic show is 25 years old and doesn’t deserve to go out like this.
just to let everyone know there is a big fire on the last ep i think next friday, scully’s house burns, lol.
Virtually every word of the Fremantle spin is a blatant lie. These moves have nothing to do with efficiency and everything to do with cutting costs to the bone in order to squeeze the maximum profits from an obviously dying show. What’s not mentioned here is that they’ll henceforth be writing and shooting six episodes a week, so that they can produce the required number of episodes faster and enforce a 12-week annual hiatus on cast and crew – with all the salary savings that involves. Anyone who knows the first thing about TV knows there’s no way of doing this without radically reducing the quality. Add that to all the other quality-reducing cuts and the effect will be to virtually cripple an already lame production. No doubt Fremantle will be relying on the contract with Five in the UK to keep their profits rolling in, even as they further alienate the audience they still have. But if Five had any sense they’d use the obvious reduction in quality as grounds to void the contract with Fremantle. It would serve Fremantle right. Since Neighbours passed from Grundy to Pearson/Fremantle it’s been the victim of galloping greed and incompetence, the losers being the audience and the poor bastards who’ve had the misfortune to work for such vile shysters.
Pierto … I agree with you Corrie and Eastenders look wonderful especially the outdoor scenes. The cuts in production we are talking about may make other soaps look like a major motion picture.
To possibly see what the new outdoor scenes will like You Tube eps of Guiding Light from around 03/08 to 09/09 this is what they could look like with the one camera thing….
WTF……….. Neighbours why???????
Why would cutting on the production side improve the show, its just going to get worse!!!! Get rid of Susan Bower! Move the show to a later timeslot, make it PG, get the characters sexed up, have real drama, and then maybe, people will go hey, is that Neighbours everyones talking about, god i must watch it!
With Susan Bower shes’s just taking the micky out of the shows G rating, lets have community debate storylines, a speeling be storyline….thats crap!
BTW, Neighbours is already cutting cost, I have not seen a prper car crash stunt scene since 2005. They always cut to black now -_- What happened to the good old stunts, and explosions…. As much as I hate to say this……. Neighbours look at H&A and get some ideas, on what Aussies want to watch. ILY Neighbours!!!!!
But Mr Do-Bee the huge difference between Corrie and Neighbours is the quality of the acting and the writing. And have you seen HD Corrie? It looks wonderful.
if anything neighbours needs to get out of ramsay street more! Thats the only advantage home and away has over neighbours, there are alot more locations and places where they shoot which keeps a show interesting, they had these new sets done like police station and filming the uni grounds but lately havnt seen any of them bar the new hospital waiting rooms( still after all these yrs using the same 1 room. lol
Neighbours is badly wounded and is slowling dieing, srs Ive always stuck up for the show for a few years but is it just me or is the show just getting lame….. I dunno it 100% lost is flame…. I think its time for it rap up.. as sad as it is..
Spending money on production cuts is just not addressing the real problems this show faces. How about they spend some money on better scripts. Seriously this show goes from bad to worse. I think the rot started to set in when Izzy left the show. This has been a great show for fostering Australian talent in the past but it seems the glory days are well behind it.
I’m with tomothy. Funny all the major problems coincide with Bower’s reign.
Ps of course Fremantle’s spin about improvements and modernization are a very transparent smokescreen
It’s very naive to imagine that Neighbours’ business model would not contract as a result of the move to 11. Sad as it is, local production for multi-channels made at anywhere near international standards is simply not viable. At least Ten are running local scripted content on a multi-channel instead of canceling it altogether.
If the show’s abysmal ratings continue on 11 or get even worse, Ten will have a big problem, as they need it to meet their Aus quote content and would have to come up with a replacement show. As the show is UK owned and funded, it could theoretically continue being made just for the UK, without it even airing here.
@napdav, well summed up
So dropping a studio camera, steadicam, grips, dolly, crane, Location Manager, catering, technical director, art director, studio sound recordist and designer is going to maintain ‘incredibly high production standards’?
Yeah, right.
I meant Fremantle Media, of course.
So it will end up looking as dull and visually unappealing as Corrie and Eastenders? Way to slam the final nail into the coffin, Southern Cross.
This is sounding very much how Guiding Light was produced it’s last couple of years on the air and it’s outdoor scenes looked really awful.
Hoping this won’t be the case here. Guess we will have to wait and see.
Unfortunately Channel 10 is in for more of the same…
Poor, poor Neighbours I think its about time they wrapped up the show and gave it an ending it deserves.
“Neighbours is being driven by FremantleMedia Australia’s desire to produce the best possible program possible”….
Well why don’t they start by dumping Susan Bower? Since she arrived the show has gone rapidly down hill in quality. No wonder so many casr members are leaving.
Everybody needs good neighbours…. with a little understanding….
The show is going to die a long painful death on ELEVEN, until it gets so bad, that not even the UK wants it.
Not sure how less cameras, less locations, can be considererd