That’s after a workshop held in Tamworth on why regional areas are attractive locations for screen projects, and how they can prepare and promote themselves.

Tourism supervisor Chris Frend and arts and cultural officer Lauren Mackley attended the event, Mr Frend saying: “The more we know about what we can do to promote filmmaking in the area, the better.”

The Screenworks seminar attendees heard from three highly experienced film industry workers.

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They were: Aus Locations location manager Colin McDougall and, from Create NSW, screen destination attraction professionals Matt Carroll and Shannon Wheeler.

They told the learners that – along with a location having the right “look”, infrastructure, transport and facilities – it also needed to be “film-friendly”.

That was largely about a constructive dialogue between stakeholders involved in the project, including location scouts, planners, filmmakers, council staff and police.

Mr Frend said the Gunnedah area had already hosted shoots for several films, as far back as the 1920 silent movie The Man From Kangaroo.

Gunnedah had many features attractive to filmmakers, he said.

“Landscape is the first thing that comes to mind, borne out by Dorothea Mackellar being inspired by the landscape for her work I Love a Sunburnt Country,” he said.

“The Breeza district made an ideal location for the Kent farm scenes in Superman Returns.

“Some other films, such as Beneath Clouds, have been filmed here for the wide open spaces around the Mullaley area.”

As for accommodation and other facilities and services, Mr Frend said the town was able to host a  huge influx of people for AgQuip each year.

He said one of the more obvious benefits of hosting a film project was providing goods and services to the cast and crew, but there were also less apparent ones.

“One of the hidden benefits, however brief, with Superman Returns was that Superman’s house was actually burnt down deliberately and that was a training exercise for the Rural Fire Service,” he said.

He was a little more dubious about whether Gunnedah might benefit from the “film tourism” mentioned in the Screenworks seminar: people visiting simply to see where a favourite film or show was shot.

“Breeza does have a telephone box, but whether it has Superman coming out of it every second day or not, that’s another story,” Mr Frend said, laughing.