FTI Blogs

Q&A with The Rag Witch's, Jacob Holmes-Brown

2010-08-18T16:18:52Z

For an emerging filmmaker, the anticipation of starting a new film can be a daunting yet thrilling project. For writer/director Jacob Holmes-Brown, translating his work from page to screen is an exciting process, as production for his film The Rag Witch continues this week.

The film follows Marcus Stone, a shattered and disillusioned young man who is dealing with the brutal death of his childhood friend, Leon. Marcus deserts the same military detachment that he and Leon served for over six years, and falls into the hands of a powerful individual known only as The Witch. Drawn into the Witch's shadowy world by her blind servant girl, Sofia, Marcus is offered a chance to escape and a chance at a new life.

Holmes-Brown spoke to FTI about what audiences should expect from his period drama feature.

What would you consider your original inspiration for writing the screenplay?

I set out to write a story that merged folktale conventions with a more modern environment, in which a folktale would find itself out of context. In this case we have a deserting soldier, Marcus, whose only hope of escape lies with a "Witch" or at least a woman who styles herself as one. Our story takes place during the Great Depression in Australia, in an age when such "folktales" should have become obsolete.

The inspiration for the story came from a quote in the first episode of the TV series Carnivale: "There was magic then, nobility, and unimaginable cruelty. And so it was until the day that man forever traded away wonder for reason." Combine that with an obsession for myths and Russian history. How that translates into the finished film is an interesting process, but I aimed to write a film in which the folktale conventions would be explained with reason. Yet we are still left with the tale of a broken soldier finding his true self and overcoming his adversity; a tale in heroic tradition.

As a young, emerging filmmaker, how would you describe your experiences with getting your script into production?

From the beginning I think Nikit Doshi (Producer) and I realised that this would be a self-funded production, as it had to run according to our own schedule and film-making style. So it is essentially an incredibly low budget feature film, but we have been exceptionally blessed with the people we have had around us from the beginning of the project. I have been particularly fortunate with my Director of Photography, Arthur Bienkowski, who from the very start of the film knew exactly what kind of film I was setting out to make.

With very little experience directing outside of the university environment, I have had to challenge myself in working with cast and crew in new and very different ways. Often we have attempted exercises and discussions by instinct rather than prior knowledge. But the process of working with my actors, particular James Porter, Rina Freiberg, Nina Deasley and Cody Fern, to develop their characters and to build our scenes, has been very rewarding.

The whole process has been quite a startling experience. We have experienced, I would think, a great deal of the knockbacks that emerging film-makers are struck with. From location issues and filming delays, to changes in cast and crew. But we've used each opportunity to further hone the film, and to concentrate our efforts in getting the film made. It has proven to me that with enough faith and perseverance you can make your film, on your own terms.

Do you have any expectations or apprehensions going into the first stage of filming?

It is always interesting turning up to set on day one with a crew that you've never worked with before. A cast who remain, under your hand, untried. But now that we are halfway through our first block of shooting I am humbled everyday by the willingness and talent expressed by our amazing crew. Rarely have I seen a group of people work so coherently and comfortably together.

Personally, I am waiting to see how my writing fares once taken through the process of rehearsal, shooting and editing. I think that this is the real test of a director; to translate everything that occurs into a coherent whole, with one core and one mind. I am very excited to see my actors step into their scenes. We have had considerable conversations regarding the development of the characters and I look forward to seeing them allowed to grow and breathe within my scenes.

Can you tell us about the filming locations?

As it is a period film we went on a long process to find a suitable building for our set. With a budget as low as ours, building our interior sets was never an option and so we knew that we had to locate a building that would give us everything that we needed in one space. I think I have now seen every significant pre-1930's building in the Perth metropolitan area due to our location scouting!

The building in which the majority of our film takes place is the Old George Hotel in East Fremantle. It is a National Trust building, but it maintains the art deco type look that I always associated with the Witch's building (high ceilings, white walls, ornate cornicing). Other locations include some historic areas down south and parts of the John Forrest National Park.

When can audiences expect to see the final product?

That is the #1 question. But I believe that the film will be completed shooting by early September and we shall be completing the post-production process by the end of the year, or early next year. From there we are aiming at International film festivals with the goal of an International premiere.

Check out The Rag Witch official site, or become a fan on Facebook.

New York Internship Opportunity

2010-07-29T06:51:31Z

I just came across this amazing opportunity from Screen Australia.

If you have a couple of great short films under your belt (perhaps an OOMPF, LINK or a HYPERLINK?) then you can apply!

CLICK HERE to find out more from the Screen Australia website.

Mark It! Movie Reviews

2010-07-28T08:38:13Z

Mark It! is an exciting new podcast focusing on the effects of promotion and marketing on the expectations and understanding of two seasoned film goers. Each week Jonathon Miller and Adrian McFarlane, two experienced film geeks, give their before and after impressions of the biggest films going around.

This week was The Waiting City. Next week? Inception.

Good films, marketing geeks, and the website impressed me. I think I've found a new love.

The Waiting City Review

2010-07-28T07:12:16Z

THE WAITING CITY (2009)

Written and directed by Claire McCarthy

Starring Radha Mitchell, Joel Edgerton, Isabell Lucas and Samrat Chakrebarti

Ben (Edgerton) and Fiona (Mitchell) are a youngish Australian couple who travel to Calcutta to adopt a baby. Instead of a smooth well-organised process, they encounter another culture's bureaucracy and find the frustrations of waiting puts a strain on their marriage.

From the moment Ben and Fiona arrive in Calcutta, they carry with them a tension about the adoption. They are restless because their lives are on hold until they see their child and take her back home to Australia. They have waited for years and when they are forced to wait days longer than they expected, they are not mentally prepared for the increase in tension that this further delay causes.

Calcutta is utterly foreign to them, but in an attempt to gain further knowledge for their child when she gets older, they explore the city and it's culture. Fiona is also winding up a legal case she is working on, and therefore spends hours working on her laptop or Skyping her colleagues in Sydney. The serious cracks in her and Ben's relationship are revealed. And we are left wondering if the adoption will happen or even whether this couple are good candidates to raise an adopted daughter.

The plot of The Waiting City is light on incident. The journey of its characters is largely internal. However, I was fascinated by that journey. First time feature director McCarthy has created a solid and engrossing drama. Ben and Fiona's drive to have a child will be familiar to many and their bewilderment at dealing with an utterly foreign culture will also strike a chord.

To take a small and internal story and open it up enough to make a feature is a feat that many Australian independents don't achieve. McCarthy's success in doing this is due to a number of well-handled elements. The story has just enough meat on its bones to make it worth investing in emotionally. The performances of the two leads are very strong. Mitchell is often excellent in her movies, but not always in the right vehicle. The role of Fiona is perfect for her. Edgerton is a charismatic actor, who has played a number of similar-feeling roles, but the part of Ben is his best performance for a number of years. McCarthy's way of shooting Calcutta puts the audience right in the thick of things. You are not kept at a comfortable travelogue distance; rather you are thrust in the middle of the crowd and onto the street right along with Ben and Fiona.

The film's cinematographer, well known in Western Australian film circles, is Denson Baker. He was in Perth for The Waiting City's launch and later to do a master-class at the FTI. I had a brief conversation with him and mentioned how good it was to see an Australian film that worked. He, quite rightly, put aside my cultural cringe and said that he liked to think of the film as international.

This is the best way to consider it. We can be proud that a film made with Australian talent is this good, but perhaps more noteworthy is that it has the chops to be shown anywhere and doesn't rely on quirky Australian traits or our wide brown landscape as its hook. It's a character story that relies on craft and talent.

Obviously this is not a film for an audience looking for a vast tale of externalised emotions and death-defying actions concluding with giants orange fireballs in the night sky over Calcutta. This is a film of details, primal emotions and the threads that connect people, make relationships and create families. It deals with national identities and familial roles. If you like the idea of a movie where you join the dots and read what is implicit, then you could find The Waiting City very rewarding.

The film is currently screening at Luna Cinemas in Leederville. I rated it an 8/10.

Reviewed by Mr Trivia.

Gate St High at Supanova

2010-07-21T04:35:58Z

For those who dont know, GATE STREET HIGH is a production thats happening in the animation centre - people learning animation whilst making an animation. Its about a school whos students are little monsters, literally.

Check out the GATE STREET HIGH BLOG to find out more about the show.

Recently, Gate Street High and FTI had a booth at Supanova. CLICKHERE to see a great video by Adam Harvey which really portrays the beautiful geek vibe there and the FTI staff hard at work!

Rev13: Cropsey Review

2010-07-15T07:08:26Z

It sounds clichéd, but when I became a mother I saw the world through different eyes - the eyes of a protector. Yes, I have been an older sister who has fought her brother's battles. Yes, I have stood up for injustice I've seen in the world. But there is nothing more powerful than the protectiveness a parent feels for their small, defenceless child.

On the surface, 'Cropsey' is an exploration of the mythology of the bogeyman: That faceless threat that parents and other children perpetuate to make kids fear the unknown. But the reality is that there ARE bogeymen (and women) out there that actually will hurt your kid if they get a chance.

This frightens me to the point of restricting my child's liberty. I take her to the park and see some of the people hanging out there, and I can't imagine a point in her life when I'm going to feel comfortable letting her be in the vicinity of those people without me there. One day I'm going to have to, I know. But right now, after seeing this film, it might be when she's about 35.

Cropsey is a New York legend that kids told around camp fires in New York state for years. After the gruesome discovery of murdered 12 year old Jennifer Schweiger in 1987, Staten Island is abuzz with reports of a real life Cropsey who preys on mentally challenged kids.

The prime suspect, Andre Rand, worked at Staten Island's infamous Willowbrook Mental Institution, a place exposed by a young Geraldo Rivera in 1972 for the degenerate treatment of it's young wards. The footage is truly terrifying.

Rand is then accused of abducting and murdering another four kids from around the area.

One of the things this film raised for me was: If my kid was abducted and murdered, how much evidence would I actually need to be sure they had the right guy? It probably wouldn't be much. And that's scary.

Cropsey screens again on Sunday at 1:30pm.

Film fest-ivities, halfway through

2010-07-14T05:06:23Z

I love a good film festival. And it's more than just the films, it really brings out a sense of community. One person has been there for pretty much every session, local filmmaker and projectionist extraordinaire Pete Gurbiel. I asked him what he's enjoyed so far and what he's still looking forward to:

I was looking forward to THE LOST THING big time. I've been a fan of Shaun Tan's illustrations since he provided the cover artwork to Lotel's 2000 Album. The execution of the animation was spectacular, and lifted Tan's heady concepts right off the page - massive approval!

Things to look out for are THE LOVED ONES and NIGHT OF THE TRIFFIDS, shows you'll be hard pressed to catch on the big screen any time soon.

What's everyone else looking forward to?

Animation Showcase

2010-07-13T01:59:42Z

It's on. Tonight. At the Astor.

If you're into animation then you won't want to miss this fantastic selection of short films. Included is Shaun Tan's 'The Lost Thing', which recently won the Yoram Goss Animation Award at the Sydney Film Festival. You can view the trailer here.

Local animator Pierce Davison's short 'Backstage', which was produced as part of the Nick Shorts initiative is also screening.

Guaranteed good times tonight, Tuesday 13th July, at 7pm. Ticket info online.

Also in animation news, local industry group WAnimate held their annual WAM BAM 48 hour speed animation comp on the weekend resulting in these four great short films:

The Pumpkin

Real Vampire

Bee Happy

Passion Play

Revelation Opening Night

2010-07-09T09:58:07Z

Last night I realised how much I've been taking my hair for granted. I don't dye it, I don't get it cut that often (note to self, probably should get it cut more), and I definitely don't burn it with chemicals to make it soft and bouncy. Rev's opening night film 'Good Hair' exposed the multi billion dollar industry based around black women's hair. If you missed it last night, it's screening three more times. Details here.

But opening night is about more than just the film, it's also about the party. Pics are now up on the FTI Facebook Page.

Friday night's pick? Revel-8.

Saturday pick: When You're Strange

Sunday pick: Howl

Getting Revved Up For Rev

2010-07-06T15:56:50Z

It's almost Rev time, one of the most exciting times in Perth because you can go to the movies every day for 10 days and see something amazing.

This year's lineup has an awesome selection of features, shorts and docos. Thankfully those good people over at Rev have a list of 'Hot Sessions' on their website - make sure you get your tickets in advance for those films because they're close to selling out. Ticketing information can be found here.

This year two Western Australian features have been selected to screen - A Day at the Oasis by Tim Beckett and Tim Lethbridge and The Sculptor by Christopher Kenworthy.

ScreenWest is once again presenting Get Your Shorts On - a selection of some of the best short films produced in WA this year, and local shorts Rock N Roll Mud Wrestling by Mike Hoath and Backstage by Pierce Davison will be screening prior to features.

And don't forget, Rev isn't just a film festival - there's a conference as well with sessions on distribution, the state of Australian film and independent production.

Our Rev Hot Picks

Opening night: Good Hair

Animation Showcase

Best of Domefest

Get Your Shorts On

One Hundred Mornings

The Loved Ones

American: The Bill Hicks Story

Probably best to get a gold pass. See you at The Astor.

FTI Graduate on learning sound & skills for Red Dog

2010-07-01T03:10:29Z

Katherine Glass was a recipient of the Indigenous Media Internship Scholarship in 2009. A ScreenWest and FTI sponsored initiative, the Internship provides two Indigenous filmmakers with a place in FTI's 30-week Diploma in Screen and Media Production (Digital Production) and a six-week project based work placement through FTI.

As her work place placement, Katherine Glass worked on the feature film production Red Dog. She spoke to us about her favourite moments, some lessons learnt, and the rewarding experiences she had along the way.

From left: James Currie, Katherine Glass & Mike Bakaloff, on location for Red Dog

What was the most valuable thing you learnt while working as an attachment on Red Dog?

The most valuable thing I learnt on Red Dog is that maintaining a positive attitude even after being told off is important. And that magic really does happen, in life and on screen.

What duties did you perform for the Sound Department?

From day one, I was first responsible for maintaining and distributing the Comptek packs, (radio packs) to the director, producer and visitors to set so that they could hear what our microphones where picking up. I got to learn where the equipment was in the truck very fast so that when James Currie needed anything I would run and pick it up, I carted cases up and down hills and helped set up the sound trolley and generally helped out whenever I could. I was often on the second boom pole as well. And I made James Currie and Mike Bakaloff tea and coffee whenever I could.

Could you describe one of your days?

Each day was different, and even though I was born in the area I had never seen it the way that Kriv Stenders saw it. One of my favourite days was the day I woke up at 4:30 to get out to set at 6:30 along the Tom Price road driving inland. The location was a dirt road where the characters of Jack and Maureen are driving and first meet Red Dog, sitting stranded in this vast area of hills and spinifex.

Generally I would pull up and be directed for parking, then go over to James and Mike in the sound car and start helping them unpack gear whilst listening to their plan for the day. We would start setting up then end up wheeling really fast over to the video split whilst crew members moved confidently along setting up gear and getting ready for the first shot. The First A.D Chris Webb was fantastic, very humorous and he would say "okay Turnover!" The Clapper Loader would say, "Shot 24 alpha take one" And because Kriv was seated behind the video split Chris would say "Action!" and then I would listen with my headphones and watch James mix the sounds on his recoding device. That was par for the course most days, moving from here to there on the same location. At some points most days we would be told that the next few shots were MOS (mute on sound) so then it'd be a matter of sitting around and grumbling, going to unit, talking to whoever was hanging around. I met the Author of Red Dog, Louis De Bernier and we got along really well.

That day out in the middle of seemingly nowhere, I met Noah Taylor (he bummed a smoke off me) and I said to him that he looked like he had sprung from the ground, he wasn't even in costume just influenced by the scenery. We wrapped at 6:30pm and I drove back to Dampier where the salt pools lie on the side of the highway and the sunset made them look like mercury. It was fantastic, the best experience in my life to date.

Image: Nick Jackson

How did your experience on Red Dog extend your skill development from the productions completed as a student?

I've learnt how to move faster and not hesitate, and to make sure to speak up if I don't understand something, and also to not take it to heart if someone is terse or snappy, a lot of emotions run high on the job. I also have learnt more about the various methods of sound recording and James Currie told me that the best thing to remember about sound is that it tells us where we are. It lets us know our place in relation to other things. Reverb in the natural world can let us know where we, so that can be replicated so that audience has a sense of being there.

If you were to go back in time to the day you began the Diploma of Screen - Digital Production, what advice would you give yourself?

Try not to get discouraged and buy a weekly diary sooner, rather than later.

What's up next in your plan to take over the world?

[Laughs] I am not at liberty to say.

Jon Reiss & Marketing strategies in RevCon workshop

2010-07-01T01:18:53Z

FTI spoke with renowned filmmaker Jon Reiss about his bestselling Think Outside the Box Office workshop, which runs in Perth as a part of RevCon. Reiss' workshop addresses methods of hybrid marketing and distribution for independent filmmakers.

Image: Jon Reiss at Tribeca Film Festival

You stress the importance of engaging your audience as early as possible. How early do you suggest and how are you engaging them?

I suggest either from inception of the filmmaking process - when you are going into pre production - no later really if you are able to. The process starts with audience identification - specific identification. NOT 15-25 year old boys/men, but something more defined than this. Then research as to how these people receive information, eg what if any social networks, blogs, organizations? And then start connecting with them in these places. All films are different and all films have different audiences who all consume information in different ways.

Has distribution changed in the time between your promotion and release of Better Living Through Circuitry and Bomb It!?

Yes, there are much fewer lucrative overall deals for filmmakers. Not that these were the best for all films or filmmakers. In addition consumption patterns have shifted and the internet has opened up huge opportunities for distribution and marketing to filmmakers.

Could you describe your distribution and marketing strategy for Bomb It!?

In a nutshell I created a split rights hybrid strategy in which I did my own theatrical release, partnered with a DVD company and sold the dvd and other merch from my website and created a very intricate parsing out of all of my digital rights. Marketing has been across numerous media and strategies from traditional press to affiliate marketing to street teams and everything in between.

Would you suggest that filmmakers create transmedia content alongside any feature length films they produce?

I think it's the future for film personally. I think transmedia opens up so many creative doors for filmmakers - they should be jumping on it. The possibilities are endless - it's the wild west for us.

How creative do filmmakers need to be about marketing their own content?

Very!

Do you have any other tips for independent filmmakers?

Create your own unique distribution and marketing strategy for your specific film. Filmmakers need to consider their goals, their film, their audience, their resources and the variety of rights are available to them which I have reclassified as Live Event/Theatrical, Merchandise and Digital. I also strongly recommend (especially if you don't like doing this stuff) engaging what I have termed a Producer of Marketing and Distribution. All of this is what the workshop is all about.

Think Outside the Box Office Workshop
Perth Art Gallery Theatrette
Saturday 17 & 18 Sunday July 2010
Check out our website for more information about the workshop and how to get involved.

Chris Kenworthy talks production for The Sculptor

2010-06-29T02:46:00Z

FTI spoke with Chris Kenworthy, co-writer, producer and director of The Sculptor, about his inspiration and processes during production for his latest film.

What was the original inspiration for the film?

Probably the poets, Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath. What happens when two extremely talented people try to live a creative life together? And what happens when you throw the occult into the mix? Ted and Sylvia were quite heavily involved in the occult, and one of their friends went so far as to say that it was black magic that killed Sylvia. We had no desire to write a film about Ted and Sylvia, because you couldn't do justice to them in two hours, but we took some of their intensity and some of their history, and used that as a starting point.

Atmosphere is really important to the story, could you tell us about how the cinematography and sound have contributed to the rural gothic Australian claustrophobia of the film?

The Australian landscape is often shown as open all the way to the horizon, but I wanted to show that you can feel quite smothered and trapped out there. The sense of claustrophobia was largely created by using locations that had some sort of wall around them, such as a wall of rock or a wall of trees.

For the night scenes, the idea was always to have a smooth roll-off into complete darkness. When you're outside at night, that's often your experience. You can see some things clearly, but there's a lot of complete darkness in the spaces, and that's frightening.

Good sound design was important to the whole film, but at all times it was used to illuminate the story. I never want atmosphere for the sake of atmosphere. Everything has to make sense in terms of story.

What brief did you provide your Production Designer, given the importance of design to the story?

I started talking to Emma Fletcher eighteen months before the shoot, but there wasn't a brief so much as an ongoing discussion about source material, colour and texture. I created some pre-viz images for her, but after that I preferred to let her create and then I'd choose what suited the film. I went in to the workshop most days during pre-production and she always had something good to show me. I once told Emma I wanted some of the sculptures to be really big, and she took me literally. Some of them ended up being massive. They took weeks to create, transport and assemble, even though they're only on screen for a few seconds.

In terms of your film making process, are there any techniques that you rely on? Do you find these are project specific?

So far, I've never had a project specific technique. I always choose the lens, and I choose where the camera goes. Some directors leave this to the DP and concentrate on performance. But I think it's my job to get the best performance from the actors, and find the best way of capturing it.

Mark DeFriest once said to me that when you're almost done with one set-up, you have to start planning the next one in your head, so nobody's waiting around when you call cut. It's really good advice, although it takes a lot of concentration to watch one take while blocking the next shot with another part of your brain.

How hard was it to produce the film as a privately funded production?

In many ways it was easy, because it took just six months to raise the money, which is really quick. On the other hand, no matter how much money you have, you're always fighting the clock and the budget. In that sense, it was like any other movie.

There was a lot of pressure, but the pressure didn't come from it being privately funded; it came from being producer and director on the same job. You have to be incredibly disciplined with time and money, but still find the space to be creative. And you have to live off three hours sleep a night.

You have a take in the film lasting a full 3 minutes that was not planned. Could you tell us how this came about?

We'd spent hours on some really technical shots, and the actors were bored and drained. I think everybody knew that we'd just spent nine hours working on a scene that was never going to make the cut. We had to do something to get inspired again, so I decided to shoot one of the key scenes in a single Steadicam shot before the sun went down. The actors weren't expecting that scene for another few days, but they rose to the occasion and didn't miss a single line. You've never seen such energy and commitment on a set, and it was just what we all needed.

Were there other elements in the film that were created during the shoot?

New elements were brought in all the time, whenever they met the needs of the story. Directing is about harvesting all the talent on set, rather than ordering people around, so you talk to everybody and listen to their ideas. The little details that are added on the day can make all the difference to a scene.

Kimmel Doesn't Let Lack of Power Hold Him Back

2010-06-25T03:45:14Z

On Tuesday night in the US, Jimmy Kimmel's LA studio suffered some kind of weird power blackout. The alleged problem only affected the cameras though - everything else seemed to be working, including Kimmel's Macbook. So he just shot the show on that. Using Photo Booth.

Here's a clip.

The web is rife with discussion on whether the power problem was real or a stunt in conjunction with Apple. I do like Macworld's headline: Jimmy Kimmel's MacBook Saves The Day.

Stunt or creative thinking? Who knows. I really love my MacBook though.

Showing off their Shorts for Aussie Premiere

2010-06-24T03:37:37Z

Future Shorts Australia had its premiere screening in Fremantle last week. Pink wigs and all, it was entertaining to see the opening night unfold. Held at the Fly By Night, the crowd was a unique mix of young and old, family and friends, filmmakers and film fans alike.

Ladies of Future Shorts: Amberlee Hong, Ruby Coumans, Lesley Burnham.

You could sense between the flow of drinks and the social chatter, there was a buzz about the headlining Perth short film, 'It's Just Gary'. With an introduction from Future Shorts' Australian Program Director Amy Broadfoot, audiences could tell that the event - and future events - would be about showcasing the most innovative local and international shorts.

Musical guests Brash and Sassy entertained and opened the event with their electro 80s beats. The venue looked brillant, providing an intimate and casual atmosphere but with a quirky twist. Highlights from the night included Sons of Tu, a New Zealand war comedy perfectly illustrating that boys will be boys. The emotionally captivating animated documentary Slaves from Sweden, also made a powerful impact on the night. Not forgetting the old school arcade gaming film Pixels from the US, a quick short that became a memorable favourite.

The night ended a little awkwardly, and perhaps a closing message or response would have rounded off the night perfectly. Despite this, the premiere of Future Shorts Australia left the audience with plenty to talk about. The films were a brilliant mix of comedy and conflict, animation and live action. If you missed the event last week, make sure you check out the encore screening on June 29, 2010.

Future Shorts Australia can be found on Facebook.

Spend A Day at the Oasis with Filmmakers Tim Beckett & Tim Lethbridge

2010-06-23T14:20:31Z

Revelation screens the world premiere of low budget WA production, A Day at the Oasis, on Sunday 18 July. Writer and producer Tim Beckett and director and co-producer Tim Lethbridge talk to Anomie about their understated comedy.

Tim Lethbridge with Cleighton Siva (DOP) and Peter McIntosh (Sound Recordist)

The awkward and painful humour of honestly observed life is done particularly well in many Australian films; do you see this film as particularly Australian?

TB: Yes, I hope that the film and the characters come across as being authentically Australian. We were trying to capture a certain type of social environment, where everybody knows each other, but are still emotionally isolated from each other. There is also a lot of stoicism amongst the characters, which I think is also typically Australian.

At the same time, I would like to think that the characters, and their stories, are universally relatable. The characters face issues which are common to everyone, not just Australians, and not just country people. And I find the response to emotional isolation especially interesting.

TL: I didn't specifically set out to make an "Australian" film, but I did want to portray characters that could be believed, even in the more absurd moments, and the best way I could do that was to use my own experience - which of course is as an Australian. On the other hand, my wife is German, so I briefly considered setting Oasis in post-war Berlin, but it was ultimately decided that the more subtle humour (read: wind-up sex-toy gag) might be lost in translation.

You shot 11 minutes a day, over 9 days on one camera. What was the production process like?

TB: The production process was very fast, but we didn't feel like we were under excessive pressure on too many occasions, because we always knew that would be the case. It was aided by a very efficient cast and crew, a very motivated First AD, and Tim Lethbridge's meticulous planning.

TL: I turned up on the first day of filming with a very specific plan - and promptly abandoned it.

TB: We did a technical rehearsal a few months earlier, to figure out the most efficient way to get the coverage we needed. Tim Lethbridge then developed a shot list for each scene, and we re-shot each scene from as many angles as we needed.

TL: In essence, we blocked each scene, worked out the shots we needed and set the camera rolling. We didn't have time to do anything too complicated, and I'm glad that we didn't. Oasis was never going to look like a Hollywood movie. It was all about the characters, and that was what I devoted most of my attention to. As long as we captured the moments where the actors nailed it, I was happy.

Why did you write these characters?

TB: For me, the writing process began with the concept of the dismal attempt at speed-dating in the bush. With that concept in mind, and knowing the types of issues I wanted to explore, I just wrote the characters that I wanted to see reacting to that situation. Prior to introducing the characters, I did not have any pre-determined plan of how they would develop. Once I had a good understanding of who the characters were, I just tried to stay true to those characters.
The most important thing for me was to (try to) get a good blend of characters. I wanted them to be different people, with different needs, but with the same sense of isolation. It was never meant to specifically be about country people or the desire to find a mate.

Tim Lethbridge with Lachlan Palmos (Steven)

What particularly excited you about the characters to make you come on board as director?

TL: I liked the fact that they were all so different but seemed to complement each other so well. Although the script changed enormously from the time I first saw it, the characters actually changed very little - they took on their own lives from a very early stage and from there it was just a matter of giving them the best material to work with.

While always a character based comedy, was the script written and developed for a DYI production budget or was it re-written to the more manageable shooting schedule of one location once you knew you were self producing?

TB: I wrote the film with the vague idea of self-producing, so I chose a concept that would make that possible. Having said that, once it came time to actually make the film, we made quite a few small changes to make the shooting more manageable. In particular, limiting the number of locations made a big difference. Almost the entire film was shot in and around one location.

TL: I admire Tim for his ability to do that - most of my scripts require budgets that would put Avatar to shame.

What stories or films inspire this film?

TB: I am inspired by a wide variety of films, but I am particularly obsessed with comedy. In relation to this film, it is (in some ways) similar to films like Best in Show, or even a TV show like The Office. We didn't use the mockumentary format, but I think that the pacing and character presentation is similar. It is not a film about big moments, it is meant to be more understated and observation.

I like stories that blur the lines between good and bad, and success and failure. I prefer stories that focus on smaller accomplishments or victories, because life is like that. I don't have an interest in writing a character that wins everything, or becomes the hero. If you like a character, then it should be enough for an audience to watch them pursue whatever is important to that character, even if it would seem unimportant in any other context.

TL: My favourite movie of all time is the Iron Giant. It is an utterly perfect example of taking a simple, beautiful story, having faith in it and not being afraid to put it out there in all its glory. With this in mind, I think one of the strengths of Oasis is that it doesn't try to be anything it's not. There were a few drafts (and I freely admit to being responsible for some of these) where we tried to over-complicate things, and the fact that we ended up going right back to the core was a big factor in the final product working as well as it did.

In a more specific sense, I always tried to keep in mind the great comedies and the way a single raised eyebrow or a moment of hesitation could be funnier than the joke itself. Shows like Arrested Development, The Simpsons, Bugs Bunny, all of the D-Generation's work, Blackadder, The Young Ones and a hundred more were the fabric on which I worked.

What do you attribute to the way that the film works? Do you think there's an intangible magic in film making?

TB: I like to think that the film has benefited from the circumstances in which it was made. Because it was an independent, self-produced film, we were able to make the film as we wanted it. Hopefully, that gives the film a sense of individuality, because we were not forced to follow certain film conventions, or please anyone other than ourselves. I also think that, because it was such a challenge to get the film made at all, there was a great sense of purpose and dedication from everyone involved. Without that, it simply would not have happened. So, hopefully, the tone of the film is reflective of the intimacy and distinct personality of the atmosphere in which the film was made.

For me, making the film was very life-affirming. I was told that it was overly ambitious, which may have been right. But the generosity, commitment and resourcefulness of people amazed me.

TL: I really don't know. Luck? I had no idea if it had worked until the audience started laughing in the preview screening. There are all sorts of things I could point to that I think we did well, but we also did a lot of things badly that I could have blamed had it been a disaster.

I do think that we approached it the right way. The actors all played it straight, which I think is a prerequisite for a good comedy - it makes the good jokes even funnier, and the bad ones can slip under the radar as if they were never intended to be jokes in the first place. We weren't precious about anything - nothing was too sacred to be changed if it wasn't working and everyone was prepared to be criticised. That helped a lot.

In the end, it was a lot of fun - hard work, of course, but still fun. If I had to come up with one reason why it was successful, it would be that we had fun making it, and that makes it fun to watch.

Perrella and Osborn link Perth comedy scene into short film format

2010-06-17T03:41:54Z

Vincenzo Perrella and Dan Osborn made a very successful viral video in 2009, a comedy called THIS IS PERTH. They have followed this up with a character-based short called IT'S JUST GARY. It premieres on Saturday 19th June as the headlining film in Future Shorts at the Fly By Night in Fremantle.

Phil Jeng Kane interviewed Perrella and Osborn about their new comedy.

PJK: The shorts you made previously were paid for out of your own pocket. How was making IT'S JUST GARY as a funded film a different experience?

VP: We've been used to a two-man approach to everything. But we realised that to be able to put on screen the ideas on a certain scale, you need funding. Many Perth filmmakers realise that LINK funding is an important step in that process.

DO: We had a huge cast and a lot of different locations - we couldn't have done it any other way.

VP: We were told that it couldn't be done on a LINK budget, anyway. (Laughs)

DO: We were told to strip it right back. Have Gary in a room sipping herbal tea.

VP: Many people said write a film with one location and two or three actors.

DO: Very sensible...

VP: To my mind we could achieve a film like that on our own.

DO: So where did the money go?

VP: With some funding behind you people come on board - and many industry professionals are happy to give back. Many of the people we worked with said that. They are happy to give back and help emerging filmmakers. That happened to some extent because of LINK - it legitimises your project a bit.

PJK: You had Richard Mallins as your Director of Photography and Scott Montgomery on sound. How did you find working with people of that calibre?

VP: Richard's stuff is pure class, to be honest. He has a classical filmmaking approach and that's what we wanted for GARY. The story is a classic rise and fall tale.

DO: With Richard we found something that clicked and he has a great sense of humour. And he's very efficient. Scotty is a guy who lives and breathes sound. It was kind of exciting because he'd talk to us on set and give us a little lesson.

VP: Everyday on set was an immersion in the intricacies of sound recording. From the smallest details of the individual mics we were using or boom placement. Again very efficient and clear with what he wants. That kind of efficiency is what we were looking for.

DO: Which brings us to Claire Blake.

VP: She was the first assistant director. She has spent most of her long career working in the UK and Sydney. She happened to be in town for our shoot. Kate Bailey the producer introduced us.

DO: Claire made it happen. That's how we shot it in six days.

VP: It was like a military operation. Claire has years and years of experience which allowed us to strategically achieve the film.

DO: Having those people on board helped us achieve all of that. But it was still a pleasant shoot. Very little stress.

PJK: I believe your producer Kate Bailey was part of making that happen.

VP: Kate is a one of the nicest most thoughtful people I've ever met and she managed to put together an excellent crew. It was a pleasure to work with somebody who cares about other people and wanted to make this film without stepping over anyone. It helped to foster a nice tone on set.

PJK: You direct in a slightly unusual way. Basically both of you direct everything in a sort of 'tandem system'.

VP: We watch the takes together have a quick chat, then one of us talks to the actors. It doesn't matter who. What's good about the system is if you're not 100% sure...

DO: If one of us isn't 100% sure, we know we have to go again.

PJK: You've developed this method of working together over a long time, haven't you?

VP: I met Dan when we made a short film on a course at Uni.

DO: We both ended up living in London at the same time. At that stage we were getting together and throwing ideas around but didn't have a clear focus

VP: We would meet up. We have shared interests in literature, art and film. We're not film "heads" but we like the medium of film very much. We would catch up and see theatre, watch live comedy or discuss novels we were reading and we were always in that (creative) mode. When we got to London we wrote our first script together. Inspired by the comedy and seeing Australians in London.

DO: From there on we focussed on our writing.

VP: What's good about working in partnership is that you rarely hit blocks. We feel you really make that film in the writing processes. If it doesn't work on page there's no point. First and foremost we would consider ourselves writers who direct.

PJK: IT'S JUST GARY is a Who's Who of West Australian Comedy.

DO: There's a great comedy scene in Perth.

VP: It's world class. Some of the comics who have worked in Perth for the last 5 to 10 years and are second to none.

DO: We would watch the BIG HOO HA etc and wonder why they weren't on film. It was great joy - casting this film. Some act in theatre and have a great range. And not all the characters are laugh out loud.

VP: Although Damon Lockwood is naturally funny. You look at him and you're ready to laugh. But he's in enough scenes and has a different types of conflict so he can bring different shading and subtleties to his performance.

DO: I expected a great performance, but he went beyond that. And he's in every scene.

VP: His consistency was amazing - no variation unless we asked for us. He has an innate understanding of how that dialogue is supposed to work.

DO: There are so many great smaller roles in this film that now we're writing something different we going - "how can we fit everyone in again because they're such a joy to work with".

PJK: So what did you learn by making a bigger film?

VP: It was great for our skills. You don't know what it's like to be on a set unless you're on one and when we were in the middle of it...

DO: It was a nice place to be.

VP: It was the best place to be.

DO: You're looking over and there's Richard and there's Scotty and there's Claire Blake ...

VP: Cracking a whip

DO: It was the first opportunity we ever had, where we were only worried about framing and performance.

VP: Usually, I'd be holding a camera. Dan would be rigging a light, holding a microphone...

DO: Wearing a cardigan

VP: It was the first time we could say 'our job is that it's shot properly and the scene is blocked and covered.' It was like a drug. At the end of six days it was very hard to come down. To be in the centre of such an efficient team and for it to be just for six days?

(Laughs.)

PJK: In THIS IS PERTH and THIS IS FREO you appear Dan, but have no lines. In GARY, finally, Dan Osborn Speaks.

DO: With Damon Lockwood.

VP: He saw the opportunity and grabbed it.

PJK It wasn't a plan to have you not speak for a couple of films?

DO: There was no great plan, but it's nice if people go "there he is", I guess.

PJK: It was suggested to me by some in the filmmaking community that you were going to play the part of Gary originally.

DO&VP: Wow.

DO. The rumour mill. I got ousted. (Laughs) People are going to talk and you got to let them.

VP: We originally wrote the role for Damon.

PJK: You're a team, but you've ended up as the face of the films, Dan. Are you going to bring greater pleasure to your fans with a full speech in your next film?

VP: The next short will be his monolog straight to camera

DO: The sky's the limit, really

VP: Dan is also a very fine dancer. So we're putting that into the next short.

PJK: So where do we the public, get to see the World Premiere of IT'S JUST GARY?

VP: It's headlining the Australian launch of the Future Shorts Festival. It always shows exceptional world-class films and it's excellent to have the opportunity for IT'S JUST GARY to be shown locally because it has such a big local cast.

Future Shorts is on at the Fly By Night on Saturday 19th June and is proudly supported by FTI.

A modified form of this interview appears on mrtrivia.net

Got Women?

2010-06-16T02:36:13Z

Every day I see at least one poster for the upcoming Jonah Hill film Get Him To The Greek. I probably won't go to see this film because, well, I've seen the preview and therefore feel like I've already seen it.

Interestingly, this film actually has more than two women in it, but they don't speak to each other. How do I know this? Because I came across the Bechdel Test.

This simple test for films comprises of three criteria:

1. Does the film have more than two women in it?
2. Do they talk to each other?
3. Do they talk to each other about something other than a man?

Some of the films listed on the Bechdel Test site pass these criteria, however only just. For example, Astroboy is listed as passing the test, however it only meets criteria three for this conversation:

Grace: Kora, did you bring me something?

Cora: The perfect Gift for a sweet little girl [hands her a chainsaw] Be careful!

Grace: [heard offscreen] Too late!

Should we be making more films that pass this test? I don't know. Most film marketing reports show that films that have a male central character make more money at the box office. But is this because audiences don't want to watch female centric films or is it that there aren't any good female centric scripts around?

Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder passes the test because Leela joins an eco-feminist group.

3 Filmmakers Review ANIMAL KINGDOM

2010-06-01T09:39:00Z

The new Australian drama Animal Kingdom is a slow burning crime story that subjects its audience to serious amounts of suspense. It appears to be set during the height of the Melbourne Gang Wars. The Codys are under suspicion for a number of armed robberies and are being closely watched by some angry, bent coppers. The Codys develop a siege mentality and it's at this time that their nephew and cousin J is introduced to them.

J is Joshua Cody and his mother has just died. He needs a refuge and finds himself in the middle of the violence and madness of his criminal relatives. A lot of my discontent with this film had to do with choice of Frecheville as the lead character. He is mostly an observer and because of his recent tragedy he is almost silent with a grief he doesn't understand.

This makes J's character very much the mystery at the centre of the story. The Codys see him one way - as potential; a potential crim to help them with their illegal businesses; the police see him another way - as youthful informant who can help to bring the family to justice. Whatever J thinks is, for the most part, hidden from us. There is heavy use of voice over in the first few minutes, but mostly we have no idea what J is thinking or feeling. This makes his character less than compelling over the course of a feature film.

First time feature director David Michod has made a solid debut. The performances are uniformly excellent. However, the story telling is good in parts and muddled in others. On more than one occassion I found myself just drifiting with the story because the narrative force of the plot had disappeared. At this point, a grand and overpowering soundtrack usually did the emoting for me.

The film aims high. This is obvious in its frequent use of slow motion and in the analysis that J has of his uncles and his grandmother always 'living scared'. This is a critique of a certain mentality. The Codys are as flawed as the Soprano family and we are led to understand that despite their humour and loyalty, when cornered, the Codys will revert to jungle law. Which means no one, friends or family, is safe from them and their greed.

For audiences who like a crime drama with high production values, this film will deliver. I scored it 3/5.

Phil Jeng Kane

When a film wins an award at a major festival - in this case, the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance - expectations are high. The story concerns a teenager who, after his mother's death from a drug overdose, moves in with thuggish relatives. He soon becomes embroiled in a murderous war against corrupt cops.

Performances are excellent but the film is too long. A great story can be told in ninety minutes and it's a mistake to assume you can keep an audience engaged as you approach the two hour-mark.

The police corruption, while I don't doubt it exists, needed to be better-set up so the violence is more credible. The subject matter is too depressing - like so many Australian films - and the central character is too passive, until the very end.

Animal Kingdom is still worth watching. It ranks among the better Australian films released this year. Just don't expect a comfortable ride.

Burleigh Smith

David Michod's directorial debut delves into the lives of a Melbourne crime family. Yes, another one.

Michod had already been working on the script for years before Underbelly hit the big time, and whilst this film has far more depth and layering than the television series, it has an episodic structure that impacts negatively on the tension required to sustain the drama.

When J's (James Frecheville) mother has a fatal heroine overdose, he is drawn into a criminal web led by grandmother Smurf (Jacqui Weaver), his three uncles and family friend Barry (Joel Edgerton). When J assists the brothers to murder two police officers, detectives waste no time in hauling the family in for questioning. Detective Leckie (Guy Pearce) sees J as the weak link in the family and tries to coerce him into betraying his family.

The casting of this film is superb - each performance is beautifully subtle and layered, Joel Edgerton was particularly electric as Barry Brown. Overall it's the length and structure of the film that lets it down.

Despite this, David Michod's directorial talent shines through and this is a fantastic first film. I can't wait for his next one. 3.5 out of 5

Liz Sideris

Phil Jeng Kane is a local writer who loves screen, loves prose and teaches storytelling because that's how he pays for his packets of mi goreng.

Burleigh Smith is a local screenwriter, film director and actor. His films centre on relationships between men and women and often emphasise dry wit and desperate characters. His strongest influence is Woody Allen.

Burleigh lectures in filmmaking at SAE Institute.

Liz Sideris was FTI's Screen Events Manager for the past two years, coordinating the WA Screen Awards, Bohemia Outdoor Cinema and FTI's regular schedule of events.

Liz comes from a production background having coordinated, cast and produced several productions for light entertainment and factual powerhouses such as Beyond Entertainment, Freehand Television and iTV.

Internet Killed the MTV Star

2010-05-27T01:58:09Z

Not only do I love evolution but I love to hear news of directors, both professional and up-coming, finding the creative work satisfying and getting big audiences. It's just depressing to be working in communicating in sound and image when no one is watching.

This New York Magazine article discusses why a new breed of directors is taking music videos in audacious directions, citing Gaga's star-making "Paparazzi" and "Telephone" as well as Gavras' gory, banned-by-YouTube evocation of M.I.A.'s "Born Free".

"Videos found a new niche that's habitable for them: the Internet," the article quotes Gondry before going on to say, "And, truly, they have evolved, into a much more aggressive species. The online ecosystem is so overpopulated that the more oh-my-God bizarre a video is, the better the chance it will go viral."

Now lets get some stories out about how these artists, both filmmakers and musicians, turned their popularity into income.