Everyone's Talking About ... Ides of March

After a month of quiet solitude, I am starting up my posts with a bang. A startling statement sure to shock every critic in the world at the moment and possibly cause me to eat my words in 2 months time. Yes ladies and gentlemen, I did not think The Ides of March, George Clooney's latest "success" was as good as it had been cracked up to be by EVERYONE who has a tongue and lips. That was until the second half of the film. Don't get me wrong, I don't think this is going to win but I now know why so many people have been calling this a good film.

Let me spell out why I was so put off throughout the first half of the movie. As expected, George Clooney's enveloped involvement with US politics, international issues and general nosey-business matters in local affairs meant that a lot of what was discussed in the film's inception was barely legible: to anyone outside of America. I would not suggest this film to someone who has no interest in learning about other countries, let alone their political system and individual campaign strategies because unfortunately, Clooney just does not do a good enough job of explaining the whole process. Throw in the fact that his establishment of the film's primary characters is hastily done as well as the setting for the film itself, and we have a very rocky start. I had a hard time trying to work out who was important in this film; couldn't understand why Clooney was not as prominent in the beginning (nor throughout the entire plot for that matter) and he had been so routinely pipped in the press; and generally found the style and cinematography to be just as confusing and inconsistent. Finally, the dialogue felt rushed and mumbled, not helped by the fact that you have Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the main explainer in this section, notorious for fumbling his voice unless it is raised 10 decibels above the norm.

Insert the twist, the moment in this film which had me at the throat, supported every argument made recently that this was one of the most suspenseful films of the year, and changed the direction of this film in the only right way. I never reveal spoilers but I will discuss how this film changed and what made me change my mind about why I am more comfortable in believing this film will be a contender in the Oscars race, rather than just an addition because of the Clooney brand.

Following the twist, our protagonist (Gosling) faces a series of moral and ethical dilemmas. He is forced to fight not only his enemies and his friends, but his inner conscience as well. The style of the film in terms of its editing became much more refined. Long takes matched much more succinctly with delicately lit closeups and mid shots. Movement shots were calculated according to the pace of the action, whereas before it had been a little unbalanced. As well as that, the color palate developed into a faithful blend of muted blues and soft oranges, emphasising the cold, bitter winter weather of Ohio which in turn reflected the plot. Acting wise, it will be very difficult to ascertain whether everyone handled the gentle progression of their characters' unravelling with the help of Clooney or by themselves. Judging by the fact that Clooney's involvement with the film both on and off the screen was just too stretched, I would be hard-pressed to say it was the latter. Finally, the audience arrived at a place where they finally had someone to attach themselves to. Having received little information about the film prior to the screening, I was very much under the impression that my initial involvement with the film would be heavily reliant on Clooney's character. This was not the case but again, this was only confirmed halfway through the film.

Outstanding performance awards definitely go to Giamatti, Gosling and Wood with the worst performance awards definitely going to Tomei for her incessantly frustrating supporting character (who was not on screen long enough to justify her dominance of her scenes) and Clooney, was his lack of effort in handling his transition in character from the charming, trustworthy presidential candidate he had been externally described as by his surrounding supporters, to the snake we discover him to be at the end of the film. The only reason we are aware of this transition is through the dialogue and action of other characters in the film. Like an optical illusion, Clooney's character changes with no morphing of his own.

Ides of March is not a good film because it was written, directed and starred by George Clooney. It is a good film because of the other actors he hired who gave it their all for the audience and their characters, and it was only for Clooney's sudden "realization" of the film's direction (which I can guarantee would have to have come from his co-writers and producers) that the film turned good at all. I liked the film but I didn't appreciate George Clooney's involvement with it. It'll be interesting to see what others think in a few months time in LA.

Hot Off The Press...Warrior

This was a film I cannot say I was looking forward to. It was not a film I had on my radar. And it certainly was not the film I thought I would say was the best thing I had seen all year. 

Warrior is as delicately paced fusion of Scorsese's emotive, self-reflexive Raging Bull and Fincher's more evocative, dramatic Fight Club. I make reference to these two films not because their presence is physically felt in O'Connor's masterpiece but rather, as a way of explaining just how beautifully the narrative of this film unfolds on screen. The film follows the lives of two brothers, Brendan and Tommy, pitting the differences of their worlds against eachother in the same way they are pitted against their opponents. Both men are drawn into the world of MMA, not because of some tacky, unthought-out cliché but because of survival - for Tommy, against his financial difficulties (which in this day and age, we completely empathise with) and for Brendan, against his inner demons. We are carried through the film willingly, not like the blind-leading-the-blind, but suggestively. O'Connor invites us into the lives of these two men but cautions us not to judge. And judging thou shalt want. Brendan and Tommy share a horrific past peppered by the violent acts of their alcoholic father and have come out of it with varying results. Both men are not flawless - they lie, they fume, they seek revenge, they scheme. But we sympathise with their situations. We want both of them to win, both in and outside of the ring, and that is what makes the ending just so damn good. 

Aesthetically, I was a little put off by the film at the beginning. Shot on 35mm, I am unable to ascertain the cause of the film's initial graininess ( despite the company's use of KODAK VISION3 500T which is actually designed to reduce this effect) which put me off slightly. Forgive me father for I have sinned but yes, I did not appreciate it in the beginning. Give me 20 minutes however, and not only had I forgotten the initial shock of seeing such an image but I was beginning to appreciate it in context of the film. Naturally, the film upheld a grey, blue color scheme throughout, a technique perfectly contrasted to the swish world we are introduced to in the official MMA tournament. The bright lights and colors of this world set our main characters apart from it, remind us that they are not show-ponies like these other players, but real men forced to fight for their own. Camera wise, I appreciated the breadth O'Connor provides. Many of the best shots of the film that I remember are a mixture of mid shots and wides, all encompassing shots that allow you the opportunity to take in the entire scene. Closeups are so last century when it comes to fighting movies and whilst they were evident, they were not persistent, a technique I appreciated. 

Finally, one must mention the beautifully crafted script. Written by O'Connor as well as Anthony Tambakis and Cliff Dorfman, the script never attempts to cheat the audience. The dialogue is indicative but not explicit, with a lot of the explanation provided by the amazing cast and their performances. Just as in the ring, what's not said is just as important as what is said and the boys behind this creation did well to not try and cram too many words in to this film that one could so easily have been tempted to do. I cannot even begin to comprehend how one could go about recreating such a beautifully scripted story and I think it will be a while yet before I see such a creation. In the meantime, I shall appreciate this film and what it provides: a visionary story produced not for money or fame, but for merely for the purpose of telling it. 

PLUG PLUG PLUG! - Shame

I have never done this before because I haven't yet found a movie that has excited me as much as this film. Without further ado, I give you Shame:

Crazy, Stupid, Loving it anyway.

I've had a majorly intensive week so far and decided to reward myself (slash, just take a minute to breathe) by going to see the latest Rom-Com to hit the screens. Crazy, Stupid, Love features an all-star cast made up of Ryan Gosling, Steve Carrell, Emma Stone, and Julianne Moore with Kevin Bacon and Marisa Tomei guest starring. The film centres around Carrell as the hapless Cal Weaver who is unwillingly told his wife Emily (Moore) is having an affair and therefore wants a divorce. What then transpires I think is a witty storyline that most writers would dream of coming up with.

Cal meets the charismatically cool Jacob Palmer (Gosling) at a local bar where he is uninvitingly told that he is a poor excuse of a man and Jacob is here to sort him out. And sort him out he does. Cal goes through the typical male resurrection from blubbering mess to brazen ladies man. On the side, we're introduced to Hannah, a suave, intelligent student about to sit the Bar test. With her extremely funny side kick (who I personally think does not get enough screen time in this film), she meets Jacob in the same bar Cal frequents but does not fall for his whims like all the other girls Jacob encourages Cal to practice on.

For a while, you think you know exactly where the film is heading - Cal gets his balls back + sleeps around + realises what he's missing = goes running back to the wife who incidentally enough, has had enough of being a single woman. Add to this Jacob throws his weight around pretending to be this awesome player + meets girl who changes him + falls in love = lives happily ever after. Done deal. Now quite. The film is much more complicated than that and as a result, much more entertaining.

Intersecting the subplots of Cal's son's devastating crush on his babysitter, said babysitter's crush on Cal, the various interactions between Emily and the man who broke up her marriage (Bacon), and you have a slightly distracting narrative which carries you a long right until THE BIGGEST TWIST I HAVE EVER SEEN IN A FILM SINCE I CAN REMEMBER!!!

I'm not going to reveal what it is because I don't believe it spoilers but trust me when I say this, its worth watching. Other elements of the film that are worth watching is the great balance between exploring contentious issues (stalking, child pornography, infidelity) whilst adding comedy to the mix. The script is well versed and the producers have done well to obtain a great cast that know how to deliver comedy. Gosling was an interesting choice for this one but I think its his conviction within his character to remain true to type set against the more slapsticky-comics of Stone and Carrell that makes him brilliant too. A final touch to the film is the fact that it doesn't get preachy - no one is "punished" for their actions and most things go back to how they began, with some major memories to boost. The film for me was a refreshing example of what the rom-com is designed to do and filmmakers abound should take note of its ingenuity.

Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation

Turn up the bass and prepare to blast your speakers because this has got to be one of the best opening sequences I have seen in a movie for a long time.

The final chapter in my Cinema Studies major ends with Australian Cinema, an in-depth look at the history of our nation's most unique and exciting art form with an indigenous twist. Most of the films we have seen so far have had an indigenous focus which I have appreciated however, my intention for studying the course was to finally see some of Australia's greatest film works and learn about the creatives behind them such as Peter Weir and Picnic At Hanging Rock (admittedly we did study Peter Weir and The Last Wave).

The course has now moved into the beginning of the end of the Renaissance period, a time where government policy allowed for a direct injection private funding for Australian filmmakers which resulted in the "Ozploitation" era. Ozploitation was a term coined by the enigmatic Quentin Tarantino who was a massive fan of the films in the 1970s and credits them for his success to date. The "genre" (this term is contested by some) is defined by excess; in sex, drugs, violence, blood, anything you can think of. The result was hundreds of films made with very low budgets, low production values, which were considered by some, such as Philip Adams, to be considered "trash" and not worth the breath of a critic.

Not Quite Hollywood is a celebration of all of these films. Written and directed by Mark Hartley, the film clearly reflects the 10 years of research he undertook and is incredibly well conceived. It features numerous interviews with some of the era's best known personalities (Brian Trenchard-Smith, Antony I. Ginnane, Barry Humphries and Philippe Mora to name a few) as well as hundreds of outtakes from the films themselves. I am in no way a fan of this style of film at all. I much prefer pleasant photography, classy characters, and normal narrative (yes, I am a purist and a boring person). However, after watching Hartley's film, I have a renewed appreciation for the effort these guys put into essentially, saving the Australian film industry from extinction. My bra, in true Ozploitation style, goes off to you boys.

Bad Teacher. Good Film

I was lucky enough to win a double pass to see Cameron Diaz's latest flick, Bad Teacher, in which she plays possibly one of the bet characters I have seen on screen in a long time. 

The film centers around Elizabeth Halsey, your typical, dysfunctional 21st center who doesn't see fault in the old-fashioned tradition of having a man take care of you financially. In fact, she actually encourages it. The film opens onto her expected engagement to an absolutely drip of a man who's balls a clearly the possession of his wealthy mother, the only attraction she has being his hefty back pocket. When the engagement is broken off, Elizabeth is forced to return to her day job as a teacher, a profession which demands passion and commitment, neither of which she has any time for. Elizabeth's belief is that her inability to find a husband is due to her flat chest and so she embarks on the egotistical journey towards raising enough funds to 'enhance her assets'. A new potential at work in the form of Justin Timberlake motivates her towards her goal whilst her arch nemesis Amy (played by the hilarious Lucy Punch) puts the perfect number of obstacles in her way to pace the film. 

There is so much wrong with Elizabeth. She's rude; ignorant; manipulative; and incredibly self-centred. But you can't help loving her. For all her negative qualities are incredibly human, strikingly so I would say, and what I love is that she doesn't change by the end of the film. The directors and writers allowed her to get away with her horrible antics and for that I am truly surprised and grateful. 

Bad Teacher has a number of horrible messages and at the same time, a fair few that are incredibly real: if you're true to yourself, not a lot of people may be interested; however, one day you will have your moment. Being a perfectionist doesn't always get the results you're wanting; but you do need to work hard to achieve your goals. It's good to have standards; but you also need to know when to drop them. 

Finally, I believe the best message the film promotes is the idea that above all, life is an ever-evolving process, whether you're conscious of it or not is not important. It's whether you can accept it. 

It's not a great film and there are many awkward moments. I think it could have been improved if the narrative had occurred in a shorter space of time as opposed to the year it was dragged out to. But the acting is spot on and the causation honest and true to the inner story. An enjoyable film with some good moments. 

The Piano

Whilst writing all my production documents (call sheets, shooting schedule, etc), I decided I needed a little bit of inspiration to remind me what all this movie-making business is about. Scanning my vast array of DVD's, I came across The Piano, Jane Campion's award-winning feature produced by Jan Chapman, who I happen to be researching for my MI2 Personal Networking Report. I know what you're thinking. HOW could I have never seen this film? Well, between all the crap on the TV and terrible films I watch in the cinema (i.e Transformers, Wog Boy 2...you get the picture), I have never made time for the classics. Or rather, the classically beautiful. Two categories that The Piano fits into quite snugly. Ironically, I have played many of the scores produced for the film during my piano practicing years. It is with this that I have decided to direct this post for one question which resonated for me throughout the watching of the film just now is whether the music dictates the narrative, or the story dictates the music? A description of the score would be a good place to begin answering this hefty question.

Created by Michael Nyman, the piano music featured in the film moves from a haunting, minor key, dramatic rendition such as The Heart Asks Pleasure First to a sweeter, more dainty Ballet-esque style piece such as The Scent of Love. As the music plays, you feel your emotions swell and your ability to become carried away, sucked into the diegesis of the film is exceptionally heightened. One scene in particular where this occurs is in the film's finale. As Ada's death becomes imminent (don't be fooled; this is not what happens), the music swells in tempo and tone, contrasting with the action on screen which begins to slow. It is a classic example of the film playing with that balance between the tempo of the editing and the tempo of the music to dictate the scene, rather than the performance dictating the score.

This is quite possibly the reason why the film was nominated and awarded many, many accolades following its release in 1993. Adding to this is the amazing performances generated by Neill, Keitel, Paquin and Hunter, all extremely convoluted characters; all working towards their own selfish means, the only one acceptable of the quartet being Paquin who is only 6 years old and not yet capable of quashing her desires. And there's that key word: desire. The running theme throughout the film that had this viewer feeling a little hot and heavy at the most random of times (i.e Keitel and Hunter at the piano with Hunter in full corset and bodice). I believe though that the word desire is explored more intrinsically within the film. The consequences of desire, the implications of thinking selfishly, and the impact of ones own desires on others can be seen throughout the film. I believe this is quaintly represented in the land sale exchanges between Neill's character and the Maori tribes. The desire of the White Man for more land we know in hindsight was the beginning of the downfall of the Maori tribes, reflected in the various scenes amongst the Maori characters when confronted with White Man's traditions (The Nativity Play) and ideologies (Swapping land for something as trivial as blankets and guns).

The Piano's greatest strength I feel is in the performances and the cinematography which captures the complicated New Zealand landscape beautifully. I've run out of steam but I'm extremely glad I used this film to prop myself up for next week's shoot.

Greatness is upon us!

We've finally secured our 4th guest! 


Completely unexpectedly, Ariel Katz of The Vine, one of the greatest online publications for all things music, fashion, TV and entertainment, has confirmed her attendance at our seminar this week. With just a few days to go, we were obviously a bit concerned about whether we would have enough people joining us for the day but luckily, Ariel said yes immediately. 


This now means our panel will consist of the following professionals: 


MOOP JAW – Rhett Wade-Ferrell – Executive producer @ MOOP JAW – http://www.moopjaw.com/


EA GAMES – Cameron Lee – Producer @ EA Games - http://www.ea.com/au


Media Saints – Michael Woods – Executive Producer @ Media Saints - http://www.mediasaints.com/


The Vine - Ariel Katz - Entertainment Editor @ The Vine - www.thevine.com.au


Obviously this has boosted all of our confidences considerably. In the lead up to this week's seminar, Mel and I are continuing to work on arranging the exhibitions so that we have everyone's work on display during the break, and just ensuring that we have all the material ready to present during the seminar. I'll update soon on how it all went. 

Hot Off The Press...Crownies

Ok, its not exactly hot potato hot but damn is this Aussie series good! 


Having heard about the production a while back now, I had made a mental note to keep tabs on the show and make an effort to watch the series premiere in early July. That was of course in the middle of all my crazy filmmaking/MIFF volunteering days and TV by then had become a blip of my radar; the reason why I missed the premiere. It was purely by chance today that stumbled across a free episode hosted by iTunes on the store that I made the decision to watch the first episode and boy was I glad I did. 


The series is based on the Department of Public Prosecutions and the people that run it. Janet King is the Senior Crown Prosecutor, the matriarch of the entire office and the firm bullet amongst the chaos of her much younger, irresponsible colleagues. The series premieres at an interesting time period, Christmas in Australia, where emotions (and hormones) raise with the mercury. We are introduced not only to the crosshatched collection of lawyers who work alongside King but also the standard of cases that regularly march through the DPP; everything from apparent inherited aggressive tendencies leading to assault, to diabolical cases of sexual abuse from the Attorney-General. The show is no holds barred and is swift and  exciting in its delivery of the convuluted facts (associated with the cases), as well as throwing you into the deep end with its clever assortment of DPP staff.


There's Lina, the slightly straighter-than-your-average-ruler do-gooder of the group; Erin, the ferocious-firecracker with hair color to boot; Ben, your typical eye candy who makes you feel sexy just by being on-screen; Richard, the disastrously awkward nerd of the clan; Tracey, a god-fearing, jealous old-b*#$h who's great at her Briefing and HR Manager role; David, the top-cat with the big title as Director of Public Prosecutions; and finally, Tatum, the little office intern who puts all of the above through their paces despite her age. I think of them all so far, I like Tatum the most. She looks like your average bimbo and I commiserate with her on the attitudes that this can get you from others around but luckily for her, Tatum has brains as well as boobs which makes her character all that more interesting. Layers, my friends, like an onion, aren't complicating. Just challenging. 


And it is the many layers of this new show that should have Australian audiences glued to their seats. Unfortunately however, due to its broadcast on the ABC (the only rightful destination for it really), the show has not had that great a reception. Not only that but competing with Ten's Law and Order:SVU, Seven's Masterchef, and Channel 9's AFL Footy Show, it was hard pressed to reach the much needed audience it deserves. I urge you strongly to consider this as your port of call when you're next in the mood for a little bit of great Aussie drama because Crownies really does surpass all the other reality rubbish (Yes, I do mean you Masterchef, Gap Year, Renovators and The Block) in terms of talent and story. 

Production Managing. AKA: How to function on 2 hours sleep a night.

It came to my attention recently that I promised you all recently that I would inform you of my role on the recently produced VCA third year short film "I've Been Here So Long", and how successful the overall production was. In a nutshell, "good" and "good" are two words that can be attributed to those comments. However, I know you are not merely interested in a one-word response so I thought I would give you a bit more insight into how I worked during the production.

I came to be involved on the shoot when I met the producer, Joshua Smith, at the St Kilda Film Festival earlier this year. Josh was acting as the Front of House manager for the festival whilst I was volunteering for IF and at one shift, we discovered that each one of us had a connection to the short film - me being extremely interested after hearing about it at the VCA Pitch Night, and Josh being the producer. When I explained to Josh that I had wanted to approach Rudolf (the film's writer and director) to offer my services as a crew member, Josh offered me the role of producer's assistant. Right there and then. Needless to say, I was floored. Then my mind went into overdrive - Could I do the job? Was I qualified? Did I need to be qualified? Do I have the time? etc, etc. It turned out that over time, a lot of my insecurities about my capabilities for the role were easily quashed but I'll get to that in a second.

The next step was convincing Rudy (Rudolf) that I was going to be a benefit, rather than a hinderance, to the project which involved possibly the longest interview I have ever had for a job at the VCA cafe. Rudy "interrogated" me beyond belief but in a weird way I appreciated the cross-examination as it may me face a lot of the hard questions I would need to answer over time such as, what skills could I provide for the role? and how would I be able to benefit the production? I managed to calm both Rudy and Josh's qualms by explaining that whilst I may not have any formal qualifications, I had the right attitude and if faced with an unknown task, would not stop until I had worked out how to complete it correctly. That approach worked wonders and within 2 hours of the interview, I had received a message from Josh informing me I had the job.

Over the next 2 weeks, I felt slightly useless getting into the swing of things. Coming into a production mid-way through pre-prod is possibly the worst timing because a lot has already happened without you which means you feel pretty dispensable. Luckily for me, Rudy noticed my floundering and gave me a list of jobs to complete during my time with him and Josh. A little more about the film itself at this point may give you a better indication of the scale of this project and the impact one small failure could have on the entire production.

"I've Been Here So Long" is a short film about a young man who's irresponsible lifestyle of partying and general antics is about to come to an abrupt end as he discovers the dynamics within his family are about to change for good. It is an epically majestical production shot not only in Melbourne's outer suburbs but also the beautiful alpine landscape of Lake Mountain, one of Victoria's most breathtaking unknown skiing resorts. The film was to involve many logistical complications from a large crew of around 18 - 20 average; to transporting said crew plus equipment, catering, cast and personal belongings from Melbourne to Lake Mountain for 4 days in the freezing mountain atmosphere. As well as this, the film was being shot on 35mm, an epic ambition in itself which came with its own dilemmas and production issues (i.e requiring a 3 - man camera crew at all times for loading, clapping, and general assisting)

My job within all of this foray eventually became to maintain the online profile of the film through the Facebook, Twitter, and blog set up before production. I found this to be an extremely easy aspect of my job as those online tools have become second hand to me now thanks in part to my experience at RMIT. Related to this however, were a number of other tasks which I was to complete to assist the film financially. This included finding and approaching potential sponsors for the film who would be interested in donating funds towards the film's completion. Despite my efforts, I had no success in this department and felt completely wounded and useless until I had a small win gaining a sponsorship from Lake Mountain Resort in the form of them lending us an entire snow gear range for our 22-man crew up in the snow. After that, a few other successes occurred leading up to the film so that my insecurities about how irrelevant my role was became less impacting.

The shoot itself was an amazing, inspiring experience which brought me right back to 2008 when I worked in Perth. The thrill of being on set for 12 hours a day, working till all hours of the night to prepare for the next day's shoot sounds like a nightmare to some but to me, it's the biggest adrenaline rush. Nothing makes me happier than physically seeing a film being made in front of my eyes. I don't know whether this is because I have not yet reached a point where this experience has become old hat but for now, I still revel at the idea of waking up at 5am after going to bed at 3am to work for 14 hours. Call me weird but I can't helpt it. For the 7 days we filmed, I worked on a variety of tasks ranging from wrangling extras on set, to setting up unit on location, staying on top of paperwork, attempting to source 1990's Nokia mobile phones, finding equipment vans for the snow, and keeping everything in general order amongst the chaos. And believe me, there was chaos. But that I have learnt is to be expected on film sets.

After completing the shoot, I haven't had that much to do with the film as Rudy and Josh have nestled themselves in snuggly amongst the editing suites at the VCA. I have yet to arrange with Rudy's mum and PR guru, AnneMaree Fitzgerald, a handover meeting where I will explain the processes and procedures I implemented for the running of the online profile but as far as I can see for the near future, this will just have to wait until I've completed my short film for RMIT. I'm extremely excited about seeing the final product however and from the rushes I brought back to set during filming, it is going to be look amazing. All in all, it was an amazing experience for which I will forever be indebted to Josh and Rudy for giving me and I hope that I'll be able to work with every one of the amazing crew members on that set sometime soon.

So where have I been in the last 21 days?

I realized today that it has been exactly 21 days since I last posted here and for this, I am extremely apologetic. I was getting into a really good rhythm during the holidays but since starting uni/working at MIFF/finishing the film/travelling, my life has been one hectic day after another after another. So I decided to fill you in on what's been going on in my life in this little time space which will bring you up to speed on where I am now.

So 21 days ago apparently, I finished up my shifts at MIFF. That's the Melbourne International Film Festival for you non-Aussies, a must see exhibition of Australian and the World's finest shorts, documentaries, feature films and seminars related to the wonderful land of filmmaking. I was working for both MIFF and IF which may sound confusing (and trust me, at times it felt like that), which was both a great experience and an amazing opportunity to network with some of the country's best up and coming producers and directors. IF for those of you again who are unaware, stands for Inside Film, Australia's leading independent film magazine which also hosts the IF Awards each year, an event I will also be attending later this year (November 16 to be exact). Volunteering for both companies allowed me to not only see a whole bunch of films for free but to also meet some of the filmmakers, most importantly, Andrew Kavanagh who created "At The Formal" and Katrina Mathers, producer of the animated short "Nullarbor" which did extremely well at the festival winning the award for Best Animation. I didn't get much of a chance to speak with Katrina as she was on her way out of the screening but Andrew helped me out with my VCA/No-VCA dilemma, repeating what ALL VCA graduates had said which was that without the VCA they would not be at where they are now.

As well as that, MIFF allowed me to witness the unveiling of the highly anticipated series from Matchbox Pictures, "The Slap." I have had my eye on "The Slap" ever since I read the book for the first time all the way back in 2009. It had been a while since I had found a read so engaging and written in such a way that really made the reader feel like they were a part of the story, rather than just the reader. I'm now currently re-reading it and am still finding it to be just as exciting and breathtaking as the first 3 times I read it. As you can imagine, there was tremendous anticipation on my part once I found out the book was being translated into a TV series by Matchbox. When the news was released late last year, I even drafted an email to Matchbox pictures offering my services in any way, shape or form for the set but didn't send it as I knew my life would be too hectic at that time coming back from America and starting up third year. The premiere surpassed my expectations and whilst there were definitely some elements of the book removed, what remained was delightful for the avid fan. Matchbox were extremely successful in capturing the inner monologue of the characters which features so heavily in the book, due in part I feel to the talent of the actors, but credit can also be taken by the directors and scriptwriters. All in all, it was a magically surreal experience and I was even fortunate enough to approach Tony Ayres at the end of the screening (EP of the whole series) to thank him for creating "The Slap." He was extremely grateful for me being such a fan and a lovely guy in general which capped off the night for me immensely.

After the festival, it was time to get serious about uni. We had started a good week before all the other unis for some reason and already, there was a lot going on. First was my production unit which saw me become producer for a short film to be created in conjunction with other people within my class. These students had opted to be selected for particular roles and whilst I have not worked with any of them before, they have certainly proved their stripes thus far. The film has developed extremely well since conception and with the shoot less than 2 weeks away, the nerves are starting to kick in. For more info, check out my next post about how the production is going.

As well as the film, I am studying my final contextual studies unit in the form of Australian Cinema; an online unit title Introduction to Photography (yes it sounds like a cop-out but its actually quite hard!); and finally, a course designed to assist me with my leap into the industry in the form of Media Industries 2, a follow on from last semester's Media Industries 1. Australian Cinema so far has been a little bit of a disappointment as the main focus for this semester is on Indigenous Filmmaking. Now don't take this the wrong way. I have every interest in all forms of filmmaking including Aboriginal filmmaking. It's just that I have a bigger interest in Australian contemporary cinema and Australian cinematic history from the great filmmakers like Peter Weir, George Miller, Jan Chapman etc. Unfortunately, that was not to be this semester but the films we have watched so far have definitely been an enjoyable experience and a great opportunity to be exposed to some new art.

Media Industries, I have to admit, has sat a little further down on my priorites list until recently, with our big seminar due to occur this coming Friday. Hectic. The aim of the course is to prepare students for their entrance into the big wide world of film/TV/advertising/PR whatever tickles your fancy, and the main work for the semester is split between organizing a seminar related to a particular media topic. As I missed the first 2 classes, I had to choose Alternative/Digital media instead of my first preference (Film) however, the group I am working with are really great and motivated and some of the speaker's we have coming to talk are really interesting. The second part to this semester for MI2 is focused on creating your own personal networking report, or rather, an opportunity for you to schmooze others within your field for information related to an interest of your choice. Naturally I chose producing and have already had success in contacting a few people I know in the industry for later interviews and have got quite an extensive list of others who I am interested in interviewing as well.

Other than that, life is just one big snowball growing larger and larger up towards my graduation in December. Its hard to believe that just 3 years ago I began this new cycle of my life and now it is about to end. Whilst I am a little timid about my future prospects, I have to admit I am much more relieved than some of my co-workers. I know exactly what it is that I want to do with my life now and slowly learning how to go about doing just that. It will take time but I know eventually I will become a film and TV producer within this country. Before then though, I have a lot to learn.

For the next 3 months, I will be using this space again to document my experiences at RMIT in my final semester for my production unit and MI2. I will try as much as possible to create other non-RMIT related posts if I have the time but until this short film is wrapped, there is not a lot of that going around. Either way, the work I am producing at RMIT this semester will be extremely interesting to you either way as I will be either reporting on my producing skills, commenting on my success at networking in the industry, or updating you all on new indigenous films I have discovered. Stay tuned and you will be rewarded I promise.

The Exhibitions

So Mel and I have started collecting and collating everyone's work for the purpose of the seminar and its really exciting to be watching/reading/playing with all these products knowing we will soon meet the amazing creators behind them.

From Moop Jaw, we have been given permission from Rhett to present their music videos during the break on the main projector. Mel and I are planning to have these playing whilst everyone is talking and eating to fill the audio space a little bit. They're also amazing videos so I'm sure people will be interested in watching them too. Here is one of my favourites:


Bag Raiders 'Not Over' (Directed by Rhett Wade-Ferrell for MOOPJAW) from Moop Jaw on Vimeo.

From Cam at EA Games, we decided to purchase one of their most successful games but switch it up a bit by buying their iPad version. I have a 1st generation iPad and the idea is that we will have this available on a table for people to play with during the break. Here's the trailer for Mirror's Edge, one of their most successful productions:

At Media Saints, we decided to try and shake things up a bit by displaying one of their websites which, surprisingly, was produced for a client that we all know very, very well. Playschool's website was designed by Michael Woods and his team and is a brilliant example of alternative media production. Here's a link and a screenshot:

Playschool

Finally, for Ariel, we decided to present The Vine online as well as have a few of her articles printed out for people to pick up and read. The Vine is a great example of where your life can go post-uni if you are looking to produce but not necessarily become too involved in creating photo shoots or movies. The Vine is basically a professional blog and relies on the entries of others to support its content which is then monitored by editors like Ariel. Here is an example of one of her articles: Animals with stuffed animals.

The idea on the day is to set up all of these exhibitions around the seminar room so that people physically have to get up and move to interact with them. We're hoping this will lead to a more informed discussion between the audience and the panel with the audience actually being able to ask specific questions related to the content our panel members' produce. This way we should be able to get a better flow of questions. Here's hoping!

EEK!

So we've hit a little pothole in our MI2 seminar plans. Whilst originally believing we had all 4 guests secured and ready to go, we just found out that Brad Giblin from Film Victoria was not actually a certainty anymore which means we are back to that tentative 3.

It's not that 3 is a bad number but 4 is just so much of a better number for panel discussions, to give a more rounded reflection of the industry (we would have someone from games, music videos, the film financing sector, and someone from corporate video). Because Brad is MIA, we can't confirm the film financing sector being represented so are now on the hunt for a 4th panel member.

I've made a few suggestions to the group based on some research I did of the new media industry. Red Snow Productions are a new production company that specialise in anything from corporate videos to music videos. My interest in them and their company came out of their involvement with TVC production, something we hadn't yet explored for the purpose of the seminar. My second suggestion was Big and Small Productions who again specialise in advertising but in the online format - definitely something relevant to our seminar.

I've posted these suggestions on the Facebook page and so far no one's commented so we will see if there's an interest. Alternatively (pun intended), I may suggest we approach the online written portals, similar to Portable where Flavia used to work. Shall see how it all goes.

Apologies

I had a pretty bad start to MI2. I missed my first two lectures due to engagements in Perth and a shoot I was working on in Maryland. As a result, I wasn't in class when everyone was placed into groups for their seminars. I knew how the seminars worked based on the ones I went to two years ago in 1st year so knew there would be a TV seminar, film seminar, etc, etc. I really, really wanted to be in the film seminar as it would have been an opportunity to meet professionals within the film industry and ask them to come speak with us in the seminars. It's also a sneaky bit of networking which is great for us third years about to embark on our journey to the professional universe.

As fate would have it, the film seminar and tv seminar (my second choice) were both full and I had a choice between sound, distribution or digital/alternative media. I chose digital/alternative media based on the group that had already begun to form for the seminar who I knew were really good students, dedicated individuals who would work really hard for the project.

At today's lecture, I met up with the group and made a point of being open and available to everything that was floating around. By this point, the group had already made amazing headway, having secured 3 guests and already beginning to think about how the seminar itself would run. I asked how I could help and eventually it was decided that I would assist Mel in organizing the run schedule thinking about how we could arrange the examples of work from our guests in a creative way. Mel and I are going to converse using Facebook over the weekend whilst I'm in Perth so that hopefully by next week we'll have something set up.

MIFF 2011 - Session 4

The session we rated on Sunday was none other than the second part to the accelerator program which was extremely exciting for me as I didn't even know there was a second half. The reason this was exciting is because the Accelerator program promotes the best up and coming talent in film making and basically, these filmmakers are the future of the industry and will be the ones to dictate the direction it takes.

The films in order of preference again are:

1. A Fine Young Man
2. Nullarbor
3. Eli The Invincible
4. Toy Soldier
5. Collision
6. If I Dance Will It Keep Me Warm?

This was a really tough session to arrange my preferences from. The reason for this was that unlike The Missing Key, there were no films in the selection which had a lasting impact on me mentally (save for Nullarbor which I have already praised beyond belief so I thought I would be a bit different this time) This isn't to say that they weren't well-made films - it's just more that none of them had that "je ne said quoi" about them which leaves an audience breathless/restless/speechless.

That may have been the experience for A Fine Young Man however, as I believe many members of the audience didn't see the twist coming like I did (which I am always looking for even though I know it will spoil the surprise) The reason I still liked the film though is due to its impeccable cinematography which was shot beautifully on 35mm, and its set design, which nailed the 1960s decor and atmosphere perfectly. The acting was a little bit too over the top however which I believe is the reason behind why I could tell what was going to happen at the film's climax. A little inconsistency in their performance may have helped the non-believers.

Other than that, A Fine Young Man deserves the award it received on Sunday night (City of Melbourne Grand Prix for Best Short Film) and is, I think, a great precursor to a much larger feature film project which I hope the producers will consider for their next production.

MIFF 2011 - Sessions 2 and 3

No, you're not going crazy. I am intentionally not writing about my first session at MIFF because, well, for a start, it wasn't technically my first session (I missed that due to me being exhausted from the film shoot) and secondly, I couldn't sit through it long enough to draw any logical conclusions about the films and then write about them (it was the experimental shorts category)

Today's sessions however were a little more interesting and engaging. We began with the Accelerator shorts which showcases the latest up and coming talent from young filmmakers around the world. This particular session (I'm not sure if this was deliberate or not) contained only 2 other films which weren't Australian. The rest were all from NSW, VIC and South Australia with varying degrees of amazement. In order of preference, here are the films screened in the session today:

1. The Palace
2. At The Formal
3. Attach Boat to Motor
4. The Stranger
5. The Father
(I missed the last two films unfortunately so I apologize to those filmmakers for not being able to include them in this list)

The Palace was an epic, tragic movie which combined all the suspenseful elements skillfully within the confinements dictated by the short film genre. I was amazed by how well the filmmakers were able to draw the reader straight into the narrative and thus, the character's predicaments. I believe it was the subject matter which aided this as the story is set in Cyprus, 1970's and shows a family literally running for cover in the middle of a battle. They hide in an abandoned house with a few other Cyprians? and await their fate. What happens next is so shocking for a short film, I do remember being speechless at points. I believe the success of this film had a lot to do with the editing, particularly with the sound, and the cinematography. Acting was half-helped by the fact that the actors spoke with their native tongue (for non-native speaking audiences, this means we already believe half the performance) but it really was the technical brilliance of the film and the way it was laid out that impressed.

The second session for the day was the Australian Shorts category, 2 films of which I have already seen which was great as I could focus more on attempting to place those films I had once seen within some order amongst the others. Here is my list in order of preference for the films of this cateogory:

1. The Missing Key
2. PeekaBoo
3. Mooncake and Crab
4. Its Him...Terry Lim
5. Air

The Missing Key easily outshone all of the other participants within this screening and I didn't even need to watch it again to know that. The images from this film are still firmly planted on the retina of my eye whilst the notes of its beautiful film score still float within my inner ear. The film is masterpiece and without having seen The Lost Thing yet, I'm surprised it didn't receive an Oscar (maybe next year). The film, whilst an animation, draws the audience in by setting up that classic me against the world narrative, something I feel many individuals are grappling with today. This dilemma we all face in trying to forge a mark for ourselves amongst the constraints of this tainted society can be seen in the main character of The Missing Key and it is for this reason, I warm to the film so greatly.

I have many many more session coming up to chat with you all about so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for more posts.

I've Been Here So Long

If you are all wondering where I have been for the last 2 weeks, you can find the answer by reading the production blog I have been keeping for the short film I just wrapped on

"I've Been Here So Long"

More posts to come about my experience on set soon.

Everyone's Talking About ... Offspring

Found this great article through my old media teacher on all the cinematographic specs of the amazing Aussie series, Offspring. Finding this information about a television series that is still on the air (and has been recently picked up for a third season) is rare to say the least so it's really awesome to have this info whilst watching the show, trying to piece together the behind-the-scenes with the front-of-camera stuff. Anyway, have a read of it. I didn't understand half of what was said in regards to the camera tech stuff but I'm going to ask the DOP on the film I'm working on at the moment to explain a few things for me next time I see him:

Some Striking Statistics

I find it easier to remember things once I've re-written them down in a separate place but have an easy time remembering numbers. Things get a little hazy however when the numbers get mixed up with the statistics. Recently, I've been engaged in a few conversations with various friends and family members over the numbers associated with the Australian Film Industry, mainly, the number of attendees to cinema theatres annually and the highest grossing films. I decided to assist me in my conversations (arguments) I should get my facts straight and thus have produced this list of 10 statistics I feel are most interesting in relation to the Australian Film Industry:

1. The number of cinema screens in Australia as of 2010 is 1,994.
2. The number of digital screens in Australia as of 2010 is 452.
3. The number of theatre admissions in 2010 reached 92.4 million.
4. The annual gross taking for the Australian box office in 2010 was $1,132.8 million, an increase of 4% compared to 2009.
5. The top five films ever screened in Australia list as follows: Avatar, Titanic, Shrek 2, Lords of the Rings: The Return of the King, and Crocodile Dundee.
6. The proportion of Australians attending cinematic screenings in 2010 was 69%.
7. The average number of attendances for this 69% was 7.4 screenings.
8. 14-24 year olds averaged 9.3 visits during 2010 making them the largest demographic associated with cinematic attendances.
9. Australian films earned a 4.5% share of the total box office takings for 2010. This was a total of $50.6 million.
10. The Australian film production and post production services industry incurred $1,857.4 million in production costs in 2006, with that figure reported to have increased significantly over the past 5 years.

The reason I added in that last statistic (unrelated to Australian cinema income) was to show how little an impact Australian cinematic distribution has on the ability to recuperate the costs incurred with Australian film production. To demonstrate the ludicrousness of this situation, read my next post comparing the financial set up of the American film industry compared to the Australian film industry.

What I've Learnt So Far

Over the years, I've had to had many, many hard-edged life lessons drilled into me. Over time though, my brain does a good job of forgetting all those lessons and I tend to make the same mistakes over and over again. Remembering this from last year, I checked out my old production file on the Mac and discovered this little gem - an extensive list of all the things I need to be aware of when working on set. As I am currently working on another short film at the moment, it was a great opportunity for me to re-read this list and make mental notes about what to take into account before our shoot next Friday.

To give you a better understanding of the context within which this list was written, you can check out the TV1 label which houses all the blog posts I created last year related to the shoot, the link for which is here.

What I learnt on set:

NEVER leave the creative decisions to the last minute:
Not insuring that I had properly considered which take of Lara’s performance we were going to use for the filming drastically reduced the overall quality of the film. Because I did not think about the implications of hearing my voice in the recording, we were left with the serious complication of trying to erase my voice during Luke’s performance which proved to be impossible without a reshoot.

ALWAYS film ambient sound and wild lines:
Not having these clips made it really difficult to fix the sound problems encountered when attempting to erase my voice during Luke’s performance. If we had had wild lines filmed at the set, they could have easily replaced Luke’s hacked speech. The ambient sound clips would have also helped with blending the wild lines.

NEVER record wild lines anywhere but on set:
By not recording Luke’s lines from the exact position we had him in during the hacked take, the sound recording we eventually did get was too close and sounded like it had come from a recording in a studio. Even with all the post work we did on that clip, it still sounded like it had come from another place and did not work at all.

ALWAYS have at least one other experienced person on set:
Having Arthur on set made all the difference. His presence was what got the film done in such a timely fashion and why we did not have to worry about lighting errors or shots being out of focus like many other groups did. Ultimately, I’d prefer to have someone who has experience as a production assistant. That way I would know all the important decisions that need to be made about the production will not be something I need to worry about.

SAFETY FIRST:
No matter how pressed for time we are or how cold everyone is or how hungry they are, it is vital that safety comes first for both crew and equipment. After nearly dropping the camera twice and nearly throwing Arthur’s back out at the same time as well as doing stupid things like putting the camera on the tripod on top of the camera boxes, there were many a times when we definitely jeapordised our own safety for the sake of the production. Whilst nothing seriously went wrong, the fact is it could have and better safety measures will need to be put in place next time to ensure those “nearlys” are non-existent.

SPONSORSHIPS:
There is such a thing as too much food when it comes to working on set. What would have been much better would have been to think about what type of food everyone wants and have it all arranged to be picked up on the day of filming. Collecting food over a series of days only led to there being a excess amount of food, particularly fruit, being left over at the end of the shoot. Had we just had Subway, Dominos, the fruit from one day and maybe some snacks from the fruit and nut shop on both days, we would have been perfectly fine.



DON’T be afraid to talk to your tutor about ANY problems you are experiencing:
Having Robin as tutor got me through the whole thing knowing I had someone who understood how frustrating it was to film with people who had no experience whatsoever and did not seem to have the same work ethics as I did. It’s important to know when to ask for help.

Get to know your crew:
It was only until my laptop was stolen that I found out how much of a great crewmember Louise really was. At the beginning, I just assumed that she had no experience or previous training in the film industry, hence her reserved attitude at the beginning of production. Eventually I found out though that she was just shy and apparently had all these ideas but felt too scared to voice them. I knew Roland was useless and he only proved that to me again. Deanna I had a bad feeling about from the beginning and she too proved to continue that until the end of production. Needless to say, sometimes I am right in picking out people I know will just be useless. However, that does not mean everyone is useless. Give everyone a chance (unless you know them). They may surprise you.

About A Girl

I find it very difficult to speak of films I have found extremely resonating without giving away too many details about what I have seen, ultimately affecting the next person due to watch it. "About A Girl" is one such short film recently shown to me by the director of the production I am currently working on that fits into this category. Without revealing my initial reaction to this piece of work (at this time), I shall give you the same description he gave me which is that it is a great film and one I encourage you to watch if you have the time.

http://www.silverfilms.co.uk/movies/short-films/about-a-girl

Hot Off The Press...Sleeping Beauty

I feel slightly vindictive about repeating my dislike for Sleeping Beauty over and over again but I can't help it. Here's news.com.au's take of the film:

Everyone's Talking About...The Australian Film Industry Part 2

Having woken (barely) from my exhausted state after work last night, my numb mind drifted towards the Film Vic website to see if anything exciting had been recently posted. Accidentally, my mouse hovered over the Audiences link which lead me to view the Resources page. It was here I uncovered a treasure trove of information related to the relationship between Australian audiences and Australian film. Clicking on the first link, I discovered the results of a recent survey conducted in 2010 "AUSTRALIAN FEATURE FILMS, FICTIONAL TELEVISION AND DOCUMENTARIES: The results from our
Roy Morgan Research."

Scanning through the document, there were a number of key statistics which I found not just interesting, but also slightly worrying. The first positive sign was that it does seem that Australians are watching traditional formats of television and film, with the report stating that of the 660 participants within the survey, "66% of people stated that they watched feature films at least monthly and fictional television at least weekly." When weighted for the size of the Australian population, this number becomes inflated to 11,838,000 Australians. WOW. So there's a potential there for the Australian film industry to prosper at least (compared to previous thought where the belief was that there just was no audience at all for film and TV and we would instead have to appeal to a different online audience)

Not surprisingly, the report states that "about a fifth of regular viewers do not watch any Australian television programmes or Australian documentaries (20% and 18% respectively), yet only 8% of regular viewers do not watch any Australian feature films." Whilst these figures aren't tremendously worrying, we do need to take into account that that figure represents approximately 2,500,000 Australians, Australians who go to the movies. Add on the remainder of the population who DON'T go to the movies or watching television regularly and you have a much bigger proportion of the population who are not engaging with our Australian content than those who are.

The final interesting point of the survey, and something I have been harping on about recently, was found in the observations part of the document. Here, the writers state how "The results of Roy Morgan’s research also bring into question the importance of content origin to viewing choices. It appears that Australian audiences may have less knowledge of, or be less concerned with, content origin. Also, Australian audiences seem to have a far broader definition of what is “Australian” content than the screen industry itself."

I'm finding more and more these days that a move for the industry towards more co-productions between Australian and other international filming industries is the only way our industry is going to survive. The bottom line is Australia is just in capable of returning the investments placed into film and as a result of this, the stigma surrounding Australian film production is constricting the practice before its even begun. Australian's have just never been big movie fans. America defined this term and it's use in popular culture I believe is what drives their industry. Australians lack this "fandom" associated with film. We are far more interested in other hobbies and it is these activities that we place more of our energies into. Therefore, if more Australian productions teamed up with American or English investors, and lost the Australian label, I feel that whilst this would be a sad omission of origin, the Australian film industry would ultimately discover more success.

David Michod

There's something about David Michod and his ability to tell life at it's most real. I don't know if its something he strives to achieve but what I have seen of his work so far has strung a chord with me somewhere deep inside my soul which scares the crap outta me. For someone to reach in like that and offer up all these feelings you know only too well, that's talent.

I found this little gem accidentally after I decided to check out Aquarius Films, the production company in charge of the upcoming feature, Wish You Were Here, starring Teresa Palmer and Joel Edgerton. I didn't realize until I hit the link that this was another film from Blue-Tongue but after watching for just a few moments, I would have been able to identify that style eventually.

The film is another great story, one based almost on what you would call an urban myth.  Told in an extremely voyeuristic manner from the POV of an anonymous narrator, the camera glides around the set like another character, revealing to us this dysfunctional family but not letting us relate to them too well. Its the same way we would probably remember our childhood. Growing up with "that" house down the road our mothers always told us not to stand too close to. We never really knew what was going on in those houses but we knew it was trouble. All the more interesting for curious child-minds.

Michod taps into that desire to know the unknown and I have found that like Animal Kingdom, he likes to reveal stories about people who most of the Australian public would probably have no personal connection with. In Crossbow, it was cheap, drug taker. In Animal Kingdom, violent criminals. We're attracted to these stories in the same way people used to be attracted to the freak show at the circus - because it felt so far removed from our own existence it had to be worth a look.

I know this film is an old one (2009) but its clear Michod is developing his niche. I just hope he doesn't change for the sake of fitting into the mainstream.

Australia can only make short films...Thoughts?

This is a pretty harsh statement, even by my standards, and I apologize for being so blunt, but its a saying I've been hearing quite frequently over the past few weeks and I thought it was about time I did some research into the background of such a comment.

In Australia, there are very few places Aussie films can get noticed. The box office is almost always consumed by the latest American blockbuster; the internet is filled with crap from every corner of the globe; and TV, whilst increasing its Australian content somewhat, still only really does it to fulfill guidelines ("The ACS requires all commercial free-to-air television licensees to broadcast an annual minimum transmission quota of 55 per cent Australian programming between 6am and midnight.") So where do our Aussie films screen then? The following list is a full compilation of Australia's more successful film festivals held each year in the country:

1. Melbourne International Film Festival
2. Sydney Film Festival
3. Dungog Film Festival
4. Adelaide Film Festival
5. Flickerfest
6. Tropfest
7. St Kilda Film Festival
8. Bondi Film Festival

Of these, four are dedicated purely to short films and of the remaining four, Australian films have to compete heavily with international films as well as local productions. This makes it extremely hard for these festivals to be considered avenues for distribution whereas the entrance requirements for the short film festivals are much easier; it makes sense therefore, to produce a short film that may actually have a chance of being shown somewhere than a feature that may not be shown anywhere.

As well as this, the pure and simple explanation for why Australians only produce short films is because of money. A good short can be made on a budget of about $30,000; a feature needs at least 10 times that amount, money the industry just does not have. And with government funding becoming more and more difficult to ascertain, the likelihood of a filmmaker gathering enough of those funds to produce a feature is diminishing, causing them to return to the short form which they can afford to make.

Why say Australians are only good at making short films? If you look at any Australian film recently released, you'll notice a clear similarity between them all. Visually striking, well-thought-out characters set amongst your typical Australian backdrop, we start out well. Give it 10 minutes, and we lose the plot: cause and effect start to drift apart; plot holes emerge; characters act out of sync with their established personalities; and if it's a genre film, there are probably a few too many scenes which fit the pre-established norm set out by some international film made 10 years earlier. Then we reach the denouement (which normally begins 10 minutes before the film's conclusion with Australian films, as if we're in a race for the finish) and we start to shape up a little bit better (save for Sleeping Beauty). The 10-minute rule seems to stick with us a little too close and it can only be attributed to one thing - we are taught well how to produce great shorts but when it comes to features, we haven't got a clue what we're doing.

A thought that came into my head the other day was the idea that a film school enrols students into 1st year in which they spend all year in pre-production; then they head into second year where they produce their scripts from 1st year; and finally, in the final year, they commence post-production and get into some serious marketing and distribution work, in the hope that the film is viable enough to be released after graduation. All in the feature film form. Obviously you're taking a risk with this and it would obviously be costly but that's why you have students pay $20,000 a year to be taught by the best Australian and international feature filmmakers on how to make great films, with that $20,000 going towards tutoring and funding for the films. A girl can dream.

Aside from that though, I'd love any thoughts on the comments above. I know its a contentious issue and I don't mean to insult but when we have an industry that can barely get a film to make more than $30,000 on opening weekends, we know we have a serious problem. Maybe this is one of them; maybe not. Tell me your thoughts if you don't/do agree.

Everyone's Talking About...The Australian Film Industry

I've had a few opportunities this week to ask people this question:

"What is wrong with the Australian film industry?"

Now, don't roll your eyes at me because I've already placed the idea in that person's head that there's something "wrong" with the way we make films. This is indisputable. In an industry that thrives on NOT making money, there is going to come a time in the very near future where funnily enough, losing money to make money is going to be revealed as a really bad way to make films. We need to shake things up a little.

As I'm only just starting out in the industry, I've been seeking the advice of some more seasoned players amongst the field, asking for their advice on what it is our filmmakers can change to achieve a more harmonious environment for our craft. At a short film shoot I did on Tuesday this week, I managed to have a little chat with the DOP about what his thoughts were. When I suggested that all Australian films are merely extended short films (see my next post) he agreed 100%, saying it is extremely difficult for films to sustain their momentum after the first 10 minutes. Interesting note #1.

At work on Wednesday night, one of the the owners (an up and coming screenwriter graduate from the LA Film School funnily enough) again chastised the demented processes Screen Australia enforces for potential filmmakers. His comments about the guidelines being drawn up each year were that they are too focused on producing content which reflects "Australian" values and lifestyles rather than viable, commercial projects. As a result, filmmakers cannot get the funding they need merely because it doesn't feature a thousand and one stampeding cows heading towards an Aboriginal boy on a cliff. As well as this, my friend pinpointed the problem down to the fact that we have an exceptionally small fraction of talent which rests in the layers amongst Cate Blanchett, David Michod etc, and yet an extremely large percentage of crap wannabes, who follow the guidelines set out by Screen Australia, get funding for their crappy little film, which funnily enough, is never watched by anyone and they never make another film in their lives. He said that we need to start harvesting talent properly, and he attributed this observation to his leaving the VCA after just one year, realizing it would never be able to teach him the essential tools he needed to succeed.

Interestingly enough, tonight I spoke about the issue with the director and producer of the short film I am currently PM'ing on. The director (a young yet extremely talented film student at the VCA) had many things to say about the industry but the main one falls in line with my friend from work in that, put simple; we just need to stop making crap films. There is a great pool of talent resting within this industry but the gems are finding it hard to shine amongst all the false stones due to the sheer number. As a result, they pack up and move to LA where the industry does not tolerate crapness and anyone of a mediocre demeanor is immediately sent home packing.

In a nutshell (and these are very broad statements I will be expanding on so don't start squabbling yet):

1. Australia can only make short films
2. The guidelines for funding are too ridiculous for words
3. We have the talent. We just need to cut out the crap. 

Read on for more insights into the industry. 

Blue-Tongue Films

For those of you who have ever wondered about the origin of this amazing film group, this is a great article I've scalped from another blog.

http://cinematicpassions.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/aussies-rule-blue-tongue-films-arrives-on-the-scene/

'The Secret Life of Us' - Where Are They Now?

I've recently picked up all 4 seasons of John Edwards' "The Secret Life of Us" and am absolutely loving it. I remember nearly 10 years ago how this was one of my mum's favorite shows which I was not allowed to watch because it was "adult TV" which makes me laugh watching it now. I was going to write this post at the end of all 4 seasons but its taking me so long to get through all the episodes that I decided to do it now. I've compiled a small description for each major character with where they are in their careers at the moment which I find fascinating to think of.

1. Claudia Karvan - "Alex Christensen"

Alex was one of the key three characters in the show right up until the third season. Since then, she has done extremely well to get many amazing roles within both film and TV. She has worked on a number of projects with John Edwards again including Love My Way and Spirited (pay TV) and recently completed work on the highly acclaimed "33 Postcards" which recently premiered at the Sydney Film Festival. Claudia was recently nominated for the ASTRA awards, pay TV's biggest night, with the awards being announced July 21.

2. Samuel Johnson - "Evan Wylde"

Evan's character of TSLOU was thoroughly enjoyed by many and it was his departure from the show which was believed to have cause its demise. After TSLOU, Sam went into a starring a series of short films, finally landing a larger gig with another John Edwards produced show, Rush. I am in love with this program and have followed it blindly since its inception and Sam's character in it, Leon is hilarious. Similar to Evan, he has a knack for playing cheeky characters who know they can get away with murder. Probably the reason for why he got picked up for Underbelly Season 2 and the newest addition to Australia's gritty crime drama work, Small Time Gangster. His voice has also been featured on a number of adverts over the years. All in all, he is doing extremely well with his career.

3. Deborah Mailman - "Kelly Lewis"

Deborah's commitment to the show saw her remain with the production until it wrapped in season 4. Her work in the industry has been revered as a shining example of the talents nestled amongst the indigenous community and she has been an inspiration ever since. Having completed great work on such films as "The Rabbit Proof Fence", her skills were quickly noticed by Edwards and she was selected to play Kelly in TSLOU. "Bran Nue Dae" shortly followed after the closing of TSLOU and soon after that, Deborah returned to the small screen for yet another brilliant John Edwards production as Cherie Butterfield in Offspring. Her character is much loved on the show and with ratings still going strong, her role seems secure.

4. Joel Edgerton - "Will McGill"

I was shocked after beginning season 2 of TSLOU to watch as Will abruptly said goodbye to the show and walked away after just one episode. It turns out he had bigger fish to fry. From TSLOU, Joel starred in "Ned Kelly", "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith", "Kinky Boots", and "Smokin Aces" whilst also developing "The Square", a feature film directed by his brother Nash. Joel has been extremely fortunate in his career, being awarded the AFI award for Best Supporting Actor for David Miçhod's "Animal Kingdom", probably my most favorite Aussie film. Next up? Joel is slated to star in "The Great Gatsby" and "Warrior", major roles which will enhance his reputation for sure.

5. Abi Tucker - "Miranda Lang"

Abi's role in TSLOU wasn't one-dimensional. Her beautiful singing can also be heard in some of the show's most popular songs (i.e "Everybody (Idiot Free)") and it was a sign for her future career. She left the show in 2003 and went onto tour for her first album, Dreamworld. Since then, Abi has been balancing her singing and acting careers, starring in "McLeod's Daughters" whilst writing her second album, One December Moon, which was released in 2008. In 2010, Abi joined "Playschool" but now has focused on her singing career, touring around Australia and internationally.

6. Sibylla Budd - "Gabrielle Kovich"

Sibylla's career began at the VCA which she attended until 1999. From there, she bypassed the usual route of most VCA graduates who enter into the short film laneway and instead found herself being offered a number of TV jobs such as "Something In the Air", one of the ABC's most successful dramas of the era in 2000. She landed the role of Gabrielle on TSLOU one year later and remained with the show until 2003. After this, she had a brief period of inactivity before being signed onto the highly popular "All Saints" series. Two roles in film (for "September" and "The Book of Revelation") most definitely helped her get onto "Sea Patrol" in 2007 and then the unfortunately unsuccessful "Canal Road" in 2008. Sibylla was last heard prepping for a Brisbane based play titled "Betrayal" in 2010.
7. Spencer McLaren - "Richie Blake"

Our favorite straight guy/closet gay came out in season 2 and it was probably the move that propelled Spencer into stardom. In between seasons and after the filming for TSLOU, Spencer performed in a number of theatrical works which helped him sustain his skills until his next role appeared on the British "Family Affairs" sitcom in 2005. Spencer went on to appear in a number of programs from "McLeod's Daughters" to "All Saints" between 2006 and 2010, finally landing a major role in the highly anticipated feature, "Surviving Georgia" which we are extremely excited to see him in. 

8. Damian De Montemas - "Jason Kennedy"

Finally (just because I have been writing this post for 2 days now and I really need to move on - sorry David), we now look at everyone's favorite DILF. Damian graduated from WAAPA in 1997 (which makes me like him even more for being a Perth boy) and from there after a long string of TV appearances in single episodes, he landed the role of Jason Kennedy in 2001. His resume after TSLOU ranges from short films to TV movies to features before he secured a stable on everyone's favorite Aussie soap "Home and Away". He left the show in 2008 and jumped straight into the role of Brian Alexander on "Underbelly" in 2009 which won him the AFI for Best Supporting Actor. Since then, Damian has been extremely lucky to be picked for the role of Brian in the hugely anticipated feature "Blame" and can also be seen on the less successful "Cops LAC" show. What next? Damian is set to appear on ABC "Crownies" later this year. Keep your eyes peeled.

So there you have it everyone! An (almost) complete account for everyone of The Secret Life of Us and there movements since the show up until now. I'll be giving you my account of Season 2 soon so keep reading.

(NB: All photos used in this post are NOT of my own work but can easily be found in a Google search. I thank the photographers for allowing me to use them)

SFF 2011 Day 3 - Saturday Part 2

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil - ****
Bear - *****



I was extremely excited about Saturday night's film firstly, because of number of screenings we would be at (I like to stay on my toes) and secondly, because I would get to see Nash Edgerton's Bear for the third time. I know I sound obsessed but it's actually kinda nice to see how one film can have so many different receptions.

We started the night with a screening of Toomelah in the state theatre, this big, beautiful old building set just off George St which had a huge cinema. I didn't see the film as I was going to be watching it the next day at 10am. Instead, me and the Inside Film kids chilled outside (literally) on the cold marble steps waiting for the session to be over. After Toomelah, we quickly packed up and raced down to Event for the 9pm sessions. Black & White & Sex was on first followed very shortly by Tucker and Dale vs Evil. I was planning on seeing BWS but with Bear screening before TDE, I decided to stay for that. Lucky I did because who would walk into the cinema for TDE than none other than Nash Edgerton himself. I think I nearly lost my shit. I was so excited and made a point to meet him after the screening to put a name to the face.

Bear was met extremely well by the audience. Just as had been done at the two sessions, the film pushed them away with Jack's obnoxious behavior and them pulled them back with its two gripping climaxes. My production teacher at RMIT felt that the second climax was too much but I disagree! It makes the film if anything and I have been racking my brain to come up with alternatives and none come close to the brilliance that already exists. The audience really enjoyed the film and I think it's going to be the confidence boost Nash needs to get his next film made.

Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil was the biggest surprise of the festival. Having heard absolutely nothing about the film, I only stayed in the cinema because BWS had already started. Immediately I was wary. The film started out like any badly written horror genre but suddenly, there was a twist in the road ahead and you suddenly realized you were watching a complete spoof. It was amazing! Gory and suspenseful and hilariously funny, I haven't been able to sit through a black comedy like that since Hot Fuzz. What I think really helped the film in its reception was its brilliant delivery of the script by the clearly young but well-selected cast supported by the amazing talent of Alan Tudyk (Death At A Funeral) and Tyler Labine (Mad Love) As well as this, the writers clearly knew every single horror genre pitfall and sidestepped these by highlighting them in their inadequacy with comedy. It was a really enjoyable film and one I hope does well in its release.

Stepping out of the theatre getting ready to face the two audiences for voting, I mentioned to the producer of the IF awards how Nash and I had had a brief email exchange over my previous posts on Bear. She told me that if he had time, she would introduce me after the voting. I was excited but focused on the task at hand by this point and trying to get everyone to vote for Bear when ironically, the producer pulled me aside and before I knew it, I was standing before the man himself. I was speechless. I had absolutely no idea what to say and almost came out with "Would you like to vote for Bear in the Inside Film Awards?" (I line I had perfected by that point) What then pursued was an embarassingly awkward small talk conversation which encompassed my ability to explain to Nash why the producer had bothered to introduce me to him (with me all the time freakin out over whether he would remember me or not) and then a quick comment back and forth between us on Bear and the show of TDE. I felt like an idiot. I had a thousand and one questions to ask him which of course only flooded back into my brain after we said goodbye. Thinking I had made an absolute fool of myself, I withered in self pity for a short while but then decided to live happily in the fact that I had managed to meet my icon. Hopefully next time Nash, I won't be such a bumbling idiot.

(Following Saturday night's screening, I received an email from Nash stating how it was nice to meet me and thanks for supporting the film. I feel much better about the whole exchange now Nash so thankyou for that)