Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI): An example of robust Australian Creative Industries
What is the creative industry?
The conception of the cultural and creative industries emerged in the 1970s, where the aesthetic value of artwork started to transform into commercial values (O’Connor, 2011). It allowed the ordinary to enjoy cultural and creative goods at an affordable expense. Though with difficult business models, the cultural and creative industries have been booming with advanced media and technology tools. Australia is now well-known as one of the leading destinations for artists, and Victoria is at the heart of Australia’s vigorous cultural innovation (Live in Melbourne, 2021). According to the Australian Government, the creative industry has been categorized into six sectors, including publishing, performing arts, visual arts, screen production, screen services and facilities and music (Australian Trade and Investment Commission, 2021). The government now has a special look at three sub-sectors of the best-performing creative industries, namely cultural precincts, digital games and screen production Australian Trade and Investment Commission, 2021). Cultural precincts are the incubator and the display window of modern arts, where different types of arts can be accommodated by precincts. For example, symphonies and ballets played in the concert halls and 3D-movies watched in the theatres. In 2013, The Australian Centre for the Moving Image has launched the Game Masters, a world-touring game exhibition, and has successfully hosted in 11 places of 6 nations. It is a great example that how multiple sectors of the creative industry can leverage each other and make a difference.
A brief analysis of ACMI
In 2013, The Australian Centre for the Moving Image has launched the Game Masters, a world-touring game exhibition, and has successfully hosted in 11 places of 6 nations (ACMI, 2021). It is a great example that how multiple sectors of the creative industry can leverage each other and make a difference. It is a brave and pioneering attempt to combine the advantages of digital games and cultural buildings. Take the event for example, we can ask the following questions to analyse the cultural policy:
-What sort of policy is it?
A commercial cultural event supported by the State Government’s culture industry advocacy policy
-What does it do?
ACMI operates visual arts events individually and cooperatively with other producers, such as movie makers and game producers.
-What form does it take?
Not-for-profit museum.
-What laws govern it?
Legislative framework — Screen Australia Act 2008, Classification (Films, Publications and Computer Games) Act 1995, Designs Act 2003 and so on.
-What is its budget?
We can check with ACMI’s reporting announcements for Game Master.
The main reason why Game Master can export abroad is that it has a strong base of creativity and technology. Victoria is home to 90 game studios and animation houses (Vic), which gives ACMI an outstanding channel of cutting-edge technology and personnel resources. It makes international collaboration in the industry much easier because digital gaming is an internationally-exposed industry.
Source：
Australia Centre for the Moving Image. (2021). Game Masters. Retrieved from
https://www.acmi.net.au/about/touring-exhibitions/game-masters-touring/
Australian Trade and Investment Commission. (2021). Australian industry capabilities. Retrieved from
https://www.austrade.gov.au/international/buy/australian-industry-capabilities/creativ e-industries
Live In Melbourne. (2021). Creative industries. Retrieved from https://liveinmelbourne.vic.gov.au/connect/victorian-industries/creative-industries
O’Connor, J. (2011). The Cultural and Creative Industries: A Critical History. Ekonomiaz: Revista Vasca de Economia, 78(3), 24–47.
O’Connor, Justin. (2009). Creative industries: a new direction? International Journal of Cultural Policy : CP, 15(4), 387–402. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286630903049920
Williams, R. (1985). Keywords a vocabulary of culture and society (Rev. ed.). Oxford University Press.
