Kennedy Miller Mitchell

Kennedy Miller Mitchell
Founded 1978
Founder Byron Kennedy
George Miller
Headquarters Australia
Products Motion pictures, television, video games
Services Film production, television production, video game production

Kennedy Miller Mitchell (before 2009 known as Kennedy Miller)[1] is an Australian film, television and video game production house in Potts Point, Sydney, that has been producing television and film since 1978. It is responsible for some of Australia's most well known and successful films, including the four Mad Max films, the two Babe films, and the two Happy Feet films.

Kennedy Miller Mitchell is one of Australia's oldest existing film production companies, and the internationally most successful.

Many of the films are directed by the co-founder, George Miller, though he sometimes takes an organisational role and prefers to use someone else to direct, as with Babe, which was directed by Chris Noonan.[2]

The company's most recent project was the fourth Mad Max film, titled Mad Max: Fury Road. After being "in development hell for 25 years", the film was released to critical acclaim on May 15, 2015.[3][4]

History

Byron Kennedy, who was a film school lecturer at the time, and George Miller, first met at a summer film school in Australia in 1971. They began making short features and experimental work, including "Violence In The Cinema, Part 1", which Byron produced, photographed and edited, which won two Australian Film Institute (AFI) awards.[5]

In 1978, Kennedy and Miller formed the production company Kennedy Miller Productions, which produced their first feature film, Mad Max. The success of the film allowed them to establish Hollywood contacts, and work in the US in addition to Australia.[6]

In July 1983, Byron Kennedy was killed when the helicopter he was piloting crashed. Miller's first reaction was to back away from film making without Byron's input, but he decided to continue, and created a sizeable body of TV productions during the 1980s and 1990s,[6] among them the six-part series The Dismissal (1983), the seven-part series Bodyline (1984), the six-part series The Cowra Breakout (1984), the ten-part series Vietnam (1987) with Nicole Kidman, the three-part series Bangkok Hilton (1989), and the five-part series The Dirtwater Dynasty (1989).[7]

In 1994, the company took court action against Australian television broadcaster, Nine Network, over a contracted creative rights dispute. Kennedy Miller received a payout of $8.1 million.[8]

In 1995, the company had a major success with the film Babe, the story of a pig who thinks it is a sheep dog. The film used cutting edge animal animatronic robotic effects created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop and Animal Logic. Babe was the second largest grossing film at the Australian box office after "Crocodile" Dundee.[9]

In 2006 the company had another big success with Happy Feet, which topped the US box office.[2]

In 2007, the company formed a partnership with Australian production and media services outfit the Omnilab Media Group, to launch a digital production company.[10]

In 2009, the company was renamed Kennedy Miller Mitchell, thus recognising the role played by longtime staff member Doug Mitchell.[1]

In 2011, the company made a strategic move towards video game creation, and plans to make games for its own films. The company has taken on staff from two Australian game developers that have collapsed, Krome Studios and Team Bondi.[1]

Productions

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Australian Financial Review Magazine, 25 November 2011: "George Miller’s new script" Retrieved 2012-04-19
  2. 1 2 Australian Broadcasting Corporation Transcript: "Miller unhappy with local film industry despite 'Happy Feet' - Kerry OBrien speaks with George Miller" broadcast 29 November 2006.
  3. ↑ "Mad Max 4 Fury Road - Current Status". Madmaxmovies.com. 2009-10-24. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
  4. ↑ "'Mad Max: Fury Road' to storm theaters Summer 2015". ew.com. 2009-10-24. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
  5. ↑ "Mad Max Trilogy Cast & Crew - Byron Kennedy (Producer)". Madmaxmovies.com. 1983-07-17. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
  6. 1 2 "Mad Max Trilogy Cast & Crew - Dr George Miller / Director". Madmaxmovies.com. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
  7. ↑ Debi Emker, "Kennedy-Miller: Cross Over and Collaboration", Cinema Papers, November 1989 p14-22
  8. ↑ The Australian Financial Review, 9 June 1994: "Nine loses $8.1M damages appeal"
  9. ↑ Straits Times, 29 November 1996: "Oink, oink, Babe is back"
  10. ↑ Hollywood Reporter, 19 November 2007: "Miller eyes Aussie digital"

External links

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