SHOULD the Warrnambool City Council be investing ratepayers' funds in a movie venture? Well, why not?
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The story of how Maremma dogs were used to save the penguin colony on Warrnambool's Middle Island is unlikely to be a blockbuster on the scale of James Cameron's Avatar, but it is also unlikely to lose money.
A gentle tale aimed squarely at families, the movie will star bankable,watchable actor Shane Jacobson and, of course, some dogs and the odd penguin. It should be a winner.
On Monday, the city council voted to make a $10,000 contribution to the movie which will be filmed near Middle Island and other Warrnambool locations for three weeks in May.
The allocation is in addition to assistance from council staff in advice and promotion plus cabin beds worth up to $25,000 at the municipal Surfside Holiday Park.
So what is the point in the council putting money into a movie again?
The answer lies in public relations and marketing, or good old-fashioned publicity as it used to be known. It is the sort of stuff that is hard to put a price on, but is without doubt valuable.
If the movie is a success, and there is no reason why it shouldn't be, Warrnambool and surrounds will be showcased in movie theatres around the nation and around the world.
Ten grand is in reality a great deal for the Warrnambool City Council. If the council wanted to showcase the city to such a wide audience without the movie, it would cost a lot more than that.
The spin-offs from the level of exposure the movie can offer the south-west should be obvious to anyone who understands the complexities of tourism marketing.
If people like the movie and like the look of Warrnambool, they will want to visit and spend money here. It's as simple as that.
Money well spent.