Austral Photoplay Company

The Austral Photoplay Company was a short lived Australian production and distribution company. It was established in Melbourne in 1913 by A.C. Tinsdale and later transferred to Sydney in 1917.^[1] It initially sought to raise ₤10,000 to make a film about the goldfields.^[2]

It raised funds to make movies via public subscription; people would pay for the right to appear in the film. They later purchased the negatives of films made by the Australian Film Syndicate in 1911-12.^[3][4]

In 1917 Tinsdale shot footage for a feature in Ballarat called Women and Gold which was never completed.^[3]

The company was still trying to raise funds in 1919^[5] and also later in 1920, under another name.^[6]

Select Credits

• The Life's Romance of Adam Lindsay Gordon (1916) - distribution only
• The Laugh on Dad (1918)
• Dad Becomes a Grandad (1918) - short
• Through Australian Wilds (1918) - documentary with Francis Birtles
• A Romance of Burke and Wills Expedition of 1860 (1918)
• Scars of Love (1918)

References

1. "AUSTRAL PHOTOPLAY COMPANY.". The Ballarat Courier (Vic. : 1914 - 1918). Vic.: National Library of Australia. 6 June 1914. p. 12 Edition: DAILY. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
2. "Advertising.". Mornington Standard (Frankston, Vic. : 1911 - 1920). Frankston, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 13 June 1914. p. 2 Edition: MORNING. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
3. Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p 75
4. "Local Moving Pictures.". The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers’ Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1919). Parramatta, NSW: National Library of Australia. 24 May 1919. p. 11. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
5. "Advertising.". Singleton Argus (NSW : 1880 - 1954) . NSW: National Library of Australia. 10 May 1919. p. 6. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
6. "WHAT MR. THEODORE THINKS.". The Daily News. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 19 February 1921. p. 4. Retrieved 10 July 2012.