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Mike Goldman: a man of many genres
[Fri 12/10/2012 09:31:30]
By Paul Sourlos
Mike Goldman is best known for his continuing role in the Big Brother Australia series since it began more than a decade ago.
However, the 39 year-old Goldman is aiming to transcend the common typecasting of reality television hosts through his starring role as a fictional version of himself in the feature film, Shooting Goldman, due for release in 2013.
"This is completely out of character for me," Goldman said of his his role in the film. His inspiration was "to make a movie where people aren’t sure whether I’m being myself".
Shooting Goldman is a psychological-thriller based on a reality television host whose career and life has been fabricated to an extent.
Goldman’s satirical representation of the reality television genre which is primarily responsible for his recent fame reflects his feeling that "people are just going to pigeon hole me" if he does not challenge the perception of his identity.
"It’s Truman Show style," in the sense that Shooting Goldman deeply explores the notion that one’s life is a constructed reality. This angle reflects Goldman’s heightened awareness of the functioning of Australia’s entertainment industry that at times can seem like a well-calculated hyper-reality that is highly production-focused.
Another recent venture by Goldman is his recently completed script for the feature film Cabbage, which presents a subversive look at the common taxi ride in every day life.
Goldman says Cabbage is about "a deranged taxi driver... that turns his taxi into a chamber of horrors".
The dark subject matter of Cabbage - the taxi driver kidnaps people - again represents Goldman’s attempt to transcend the reality television host stereotype placed on him by shows like Big Brother. However, Goldman still speaking lovingly of the show. "This is the best series I’ve ever done."
When questioned about his previous pet show, Friday Night Live (that won a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award in 2008) he states that live shows are "the future of television". This reveals further inspiration behind Shooting Goldman, in the sense that it questions the extent of truth presented in the majority of Australian 'reality' television series.
Given the subject matter of the film and the fact that Australian audiences are used to seeing Mike in his comedic element, perhaps most recently in The Great Crusade which was nominated for an Emmy, the most interesting element of Shooting Goldman will be to see how Goldman moulds himself to a new genre.
Shooting Goldman is directed by Tony Prescott, responsible for the chart success of many Australian artists in his production of three music videos that have reached number one.
The screenplay and story of Shooting Goldman is co-produced along with Goldman by James Raue, an acclaimed Australian writer currently producing the animated sitcom, The Serial Millers with Chris Brown.
[Fri 12/10/2012 09:31:30]
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