IF Magazine

IF Magazine http://if.com.au/ Inside Film - Australia en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss info@if.com.au (The Editor) <![CDATA[Veteran film and TV actor Penne Hackforth-Jones passes away]]> http://if.com.au/2013/05/20/article/Veteran-film-and-TV-actor-Penne-Hackforth-Jones-passes-away/GTOTWJCSVP.html http://if.com.au/2013/05/20/article/Veteran-film-and-TV-actor-Penne-Hackforth-Jones-passes-away/GTOTWJCSVP.html Don Groves Actor Penne Hackforth-Jones, a pillar of Australian films and TV for more than 40 years, died in Melbourne on Friday from lung cancer, aged 63. Her illness was diagnosed in 2012 but she wished to keep the diagnosis private while her father was still alive. She relocated to Melbourne in 2011 to be close to and care for her elderly parents both of whom died recently. “Penne responded to her own terminal diagnosis with great courage and grace,” said her sisters Jos Hackforth-Jones, Simary Hackforth-Jones and Olivia McNally. “Her health deteriorated in April, but she was able to remain at home because of the wonderful support from her GP, Mercy and Alfred Palliative care units and friends. Her last weeks were peaceful and happy. She died surrounded by flowers and cards from those closest to her and cared for by family and close friends. She was dearly loved by relations and friends and much liked and respected by colleagues and fans. Her sisters will remember her infectious sense of humour and her gentleness, wit and beguiling charm together with the great joy and comfort that she brought our parents at the end of their lives.“Œ There will be a private family service next week followed by a memorial service in Melbourne on May 31. The tributes are flowing for the highly respected performer who made her screen debut in TV’s Riptide in 1969. “Devastated to hear Penne Hackforth-Jones has left us. Generous and beautiful, she will be greatly missed,” producer Jane Scott posted on Facebook. “RIP Penelope Hackforth-Jones (actor), Bellbird and many wonderful Australian film and TV productions,” said radio and TV personality Jono Coleman. “Sadly lost so young. I had a big crush on her after GTK on ABC-TV every night after school.” “A beautiful person with a wonderful voice - worked with Penne for many years at UKTV. Vale Penne - you will be missed,” said Phyllisse Stanton. “RIP Penne a stunningly beautiful woman, “declared actor Chris Haywood. Cinematographer Peter James said, “Penne was a true professional actress who always brought a lightness and fun to the set. I loved working with her.” “I'd often see Penne at the Village and I never stopped to tell her how great an actress she was,” said actor Adam Zwar. “She had such a delicate touch. Funny too, telling Rachel Griffiths' character in Muriel's Wedding: 'You can't come in here and threaten brides. I don't care how unfortunate you are.'” Born in Connecticut US, she was raised in Australia. After her breakthrough in Riptide she was a regular in series such as Bellbird, GP, A Country Practice and All Saints. Among her numerous film credits were Alvin Purple, Muriel’s Wedding, Paradise Road, Black and White, The Tree and Mao's Last Dancer.Œ In 2011 she starred in ABC-TV’s Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and Foxtel’s Conspiracy 365. Her final screen role was in ABC-TV’s The Doctor Blake Mysteries. She posted the last entry in her personal blog in April last year, a tribute to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Identifying with the characters, she wrote, “We are all moving in into this shadowland and dealing with it with as much of our better natures as we can muster.” Mon, 20 May 2013 14:31:11 +1000 <![CDATA[The Rocket set to launch in the US]]> http://if.com.au/2013/05/20/article/The-Rocket-set-to-launch-in-the-US/OHHDYPQEWO.html http://if.com.au/2013/05/20/article/The-Rocket-set-to-launch-in-the-US/OHHDYPQEWO.html Don Groves Festival accolades have translated to a significant commercial deal for first-time director Kim Mordaunt’s Laos-set feature The Rocket, which will be released in US cinemas nationwide in the northern autumn. The deal was negotiated at the Cannes Film Market last week with US distributor Kino Lorber by Tine Klint of Danish-based international sales agent LevelK. That’s the fifth Australian film to secure theatrical release in the US this year, or six if The Great Gatsby is included. The Sapphires has raked in $US2 million after nine weeks, now playing on 102 screens, for The Weinstein Co.Œ Dada Films gave P. J. Hogan’s Mental a token exposure at 12 screens in key cities in March, released on the same day on Video-On-Demand platforms. Kieran Darcy-Smith’s Wish You Were Here premieres on June 7 via eOne and Wrekin Hill Entertainment will launch Ben Nott and Morgan O’Neill’s Drift in August. The Rocket will have its Australian premiere at the Sydney Film Festival next month and will debut in cinemas on August 29 via Curious Film. Hailing the US deal, producer Sylvia Wilczynski of Red Lamp Films said, “We're really happy that our film is in the very capable and dedicated hands of Kino Lorber and that a wide US and Canadian audience will have the chance to see it.” Kino Lorber will release the film on digital, VOD and home media platforms in 2014. The plot revolves around a boy, Ahlo, a twin, who fears he is cursed because his tribe is convinced twins bring bad luck. To try to disprove that belief, he sets out to build a giant rocket to compete in the lucrative but dangerous Rocket Festival. Writer-director Mordaunt, Thai-based casting director Raweeporn Jungmeier and location casting director Tanawat Punya auditioned children in schools, markets, temples, drama and youth groups and on the streets. They cast 10-year-old Sitthiphon Disamoe to play Ahlo and eight-year-old Loungnam Kaosainam as his friend Kia. Veteran Lao/Thai actor and comedian Thep Phongam plays Purple, a former CIA soldier who becomes a mentor to the young hero. At this year’s TriBeca Film Festival in New York the film and won best narrative feature, the audience award for best narrative film and best actor in a narrative feature for Disamoe. At the Berlinale festival in February, it nabbed the gongs for best first feature, the Amnesty International prize and the Crystal Bear for best feature in the Generation KPlus section. Œ “Very few Australian films get a cinema release in the US and I think early on in the production nobody would have expected that The Rocket would be one of the few that do, being set in a country most Americans have never heard of, so far away, with a modest budget and in Lao language,” ŒWilczynski told IF.Œ “But Kim and I always aimed to make a film that would be accessible to a wide audience, not an ‘Arthouse’ with a capital A film. We wanted to make a universal story that anyone could relate to whilst also enabling the audience to enter a world they have never seen before.Œ Americans (and Australians) love an underdog story, and New York audiences responded to The Rocket's fresh take on this; they were so taken with the guts and ‘never give up’ attitude of the main character Ahlo that they loved the film. ”Once we started seeing the response of audiences at TriBeca, reading the flood of great press out there, and seeing it at the top of the daily audience favourites, we knew it would have a strong chance at a release in America. And when the film won the awards at TriBeca - especially the Audience Award - we knew it would happen. There were Œmany offers and it was a case of collaborating with the distributor who would treat the film with the love and care it needs and hand-craft a release that suits this film. Kino Lorber is the perfect fit.” As for the next project from Red Lamp, Sylvia says, “It is a love story set between Australia and an international location, within the context of the legacy of war.Œ That is a theme we simply cannot leave.” Read more here:Œ The Rocket wins best debut feature film at Berlin Film Festival <a href="http://if.com.au/2013/02/17/article/The-Rocket-wins-best-debut-feature-film-at-Berlin-Film-Festival/HDEOOWDTFU.html">http://if.com.au/2013/02/17/article/The-Rocket-wins-best-debut-feature-film-at-Berlin-Film-Festival/HDEOOWDTFU.html</a> The Rocket bags a number of awards at TriBeca <a href="http://if.com.au/2013/04/29/article/New-York-Australian-feature-The-Rocket-bags-number-of-awards-at-TriBeca/CFYSGASKVP.html">http://if.com.au/2013/04/29/article/New-York-Australian-feature-The-Rocket-bags-number-of-awards-at-TriBeca/CFYSGASKVP.html</a> Œ Mon, 20 May 2013 09:10:37 +1000 <![CDATA[Veteran sound recordist Don Connolly passes away, ASSG calls for tributes]]> http://if.com.au/2013/05/15/article/Veteran-sound-recordist-Don-Connolly-passes-away-ASSG-calls-for-tributes/ZJTPXTDLVA.html http://if.com.au/2013/05/15/article/Veteran-sound-recordist-Don-Connolly-passes-away-ASSG-calls-for-tributes/ZJTPXTDLVA.html Emily Blatchford The ASSG has today informed membership of the regrettable passing of veteran sound recordist Don Connolly. Connolly has worked on a number of Australia’s most iconic films including Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Devil’s Playground and Gallipoli.Œ He was awarded two AFI Awards, one for his work on The Last Wave in 1978 and then for Gallipoli in 1981.Œ In 2000, the ASSG recognised his contribution to the Australian Screen Sound industry and awarded him with the ASSG Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also awarded the Australian Centenary Medal in the 2001 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to Australian society through Australian film production. The ASSG are calling for tributes to Connolly to be emailed to admin@assg.org.au.Œ Tributes are also welcome to be posted below.Œ Wed, 15 May 2013 10:08:41 +1000 <![CDATA[Interview: Rebel Wilson on Pitch Perfect]]> http://if.com.au/2013/05/13/article/Interview-Rebel-Wilson-on-Pitch-Perfect/ATGIAFFYXT.html http://if.com.au/2013/05/13/article/Interview-Rebel-Wilson-on-Pitch-Perfect/ATGIAFFYXT.html Yasmin Noone If you didn’t know she was a famous LA-resident, a screen star and America’s latest comedy ‘it’ girl, you would have glanced over at the blonde 20-something and then walked right on by. There was no chaos, ‘in your face’ entourage or fanfare. And despite her newfound reputation for being Hollywood’s big, bold and brash funny woman, there were no hilarious stunts or ‘fat girl’ character impressions – only the real Rebel Wilson, back visiting her home town, Sydney, after reaping movie-magic fortune in the US. “I love being an Aussie over there,” says the self-professed, now well-to-do ‘westie’ and star of the new musical comedy from Universal Pictures, Pitch Perfect. “I feel like we get special treatment. I don’t know why? Maybe cos we‘re good! I really do feel they’re like ‘Yay. Rebel’s here’ when I’m coming into auditions and stuff because they like AustraliansˆCos we are good and not divas. And we’re well-trained.” Donning pink and black Adidas ‘trackie-dacks’ with matching trainers, the Fat Pizza, Bogan Pride and The Wedge comedian sits at a familiar table outside the Australian Theatre for Young People, where she originally trained to be an actress. Confident yet slightly shy, Rebel relaxes into the ongoing cycle of media interviews to promote her latest role as Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect. “The writer actually sent me the script on Facebook.” Rebel laughs. “I was the first one cast for the film, three months before anyone else. I guess because this role was so specific. “But a lot of people had seen a lot of raw footage of me from Bridesmaids. So they were considering me for the role and were like ‘come down and audition’ cos then I had to prove that I could sing.” The musical comically depicts the battle between American college a cappella groups who “make music with their mouths’. Honing in on the competitive rivalry between Barden University’s aca-male stars, The Treblemakers, and its struggling female aca-group, The Bellas, the hilarious storyline blends your typical college film with the X-Factor series and a cynical take of the Miss Universe contest. The film is based on the book, Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Capella Glory but you can thank choreographer, Aakomon Jones (who works with Usher) for the film’s wicked dance moves, and both screenwriter, Kay Cannon (30 Rock), and director, Jason Moore (Avenue Q), for its irreverent humour.Œ Take, for example, Rebel’s character ‘the best singer in Tasmania’, who named herself Fat Amy “so that twig bitches like you don’t do it behind my back”.Œ Not your typical member of The Bellas, Fat Amy is an impressible Aussie who’s sure she’s a singing sensation, hates participating in cardio, and is a dab hand at both horizontal running (done lying down) and mermaid dancing (again, movements done on the floor to resemble the fish swimming). “This was probably my favorite [film] out of the ones I have done because I guess it was three months filming in Louisiana and I loved it down there.” “There were times when we had very long days singing and dancing but it was just so much fun. The cast were all a similar age, we all hung out and it was really good. We have reunions all the time with the girlsˆ And not all movies are like that.” The off-screen camaraderie must have done wonders for the team on-screen. Released in the USA in October 2012, Pitch Perfect has gone gangbusters. The $US17 million movie has already grossed $US62 million in the USA alone and after eight weeks, was still in cinemas. Its YouTube trailer has racked up five million hits and over 20,000 likes.Œ “I’m very happy about that because I think I sort of headed the publicity campaign for the movie in America. It was the first time I had that responsibility and it’s done so good. So like, yeahhhˆ” This article first appeared in IF Magazine issue #150Œ Mon, 13 May 2013 13:22:11 +1000 <![CDATA[Callan McAuliffe to star with Ben Kingsley in UK feature Our Robot Overloads]]> http://if.com.au/2013/05/09/article/Callan-McAuliffe-to-star-with-Ben-Kingsley-in-UK-feature-Our-Robot-Overloads/QQPYFMSPOT.html http://if.com.au/2013/05/09/article/Callan-McAuliffe-to-star-with-Ben-Kingsley-in-UK-feature-Our-Robot-Overloads/QQPYFMSPOT.html Emily Blatchford Australian teen actor Callan McAuliffe has secured the lead role in upcoming UK film Our Robot Overloads alongside screen legend Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson. McAuliffe, who recently filmed Japanese anime Kite opposite Samuel L. Jackson, is also soon to hit Australian cinema screens playing the young Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby.Œ Our Robot Overloads follows the story of Sean Flynn (McAuliffe) who goes in search for his estranged father in the middle of a war between humans and robots.Œ McAuliffe, 18, is the first to admit being involved in an action-robot film is a teenage boy’s dream come true.Œ “Of course I’m pumped,” he tells IF on a long-distance phone call from LA. “As a teenage guy it’s always good fun to do an action film every now and again. “It’s a group piece but I’m definitely one of the leads which I’m very grateful for.”Œ McAuliffe also talks of his excitement about acting opposite industry great Ben Kingsley. “It’s going to be pretty great. I just watched Iron Man 3 in which he was my favourite character, so I’m really looking forward to having some conversations with him about that.”Œ Starring alongside Hollywood royalty is becoming part of everyday life for Sydney-born McAuliffe, who admits that meeting Leonardo DiCaprio on the set of Gatsby was a career highlight.Œ “I’ve been lucky enough to work with some big names over the past few years,” McAuliffe says. “But Leo (DiCaprio) was probably the only person where I had to stand back for a moment and say ‘Wow.’ “I’m more used to it now. There are so many famous people in Los Angeles.”Œ McAuliffe has the next three weeks in LA before flying to London to commence rehearsal on Our Robot Overloads, for which he is required to don a British accent.Œ “I’m often hired to do a US accent, and living in the states it’s not hard to jump onto because I am surrounded by it,” McAuliffe says. “But I’m really looking forward to spending a couple of weeks in London just to pick (the British) accent up. I really want to get an inoffensive and accurate British accent down.”Œ Of his seemingly overnight success, McAuliffe says he has been working away at his career longer than most people may think.Œ “I mean it’s been a slower process than it would seem, I’ve just happened to have a couple of big films in recent years, for which I am immensely grateful for,” he says. “I’ve been in LA for three years nowˆ I’ve been working at it for a while. Obviously far less than other people have been in the industry, but I was lucky in that I had a lot of great people helped me along the way.”Œ The Great Gatsby hits Australian cinemas on May 30.Œ Thu, 09 May 2013 08:50:32 +1000 <![CDATA[Initial reviews for Luhrmann's Gatsby mixed, but all agree Debicki shines]]> http://if.com.au/2013/05/07/article/Initial-reviews-for-Luhrmanns-Gatsby-mixed-but-all-agree-Debicki-shines/KHFWSFIGAZ.html http://if.com.au/2013/05/07/article/Initial-reviews-for-Luhrmanns-Gatsby-mixed-but-all-agree-Debicki-shines/KHFWSFIGAZ.html Emily Blatchford The first reviews of Baz Luhrmann’s highly anticipated The Great Gatsby are in - and most aren’t singing praise for the director’s interpretation of the American classic.Œ The adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel will open the Cannes Film Festival on May 13, but US critics who have seen advance screenings of the film have so far been largely underwhelmed.Œ Luhrmann comes under fire in particular for drowning the story in what Variety’s Scott Foundas describes as a “visual circus”.Œ As The Wrap’s Alonso Duralde notes in his review, “The Great Gatsby is an immortal American tragedy, but the story's impact gets completely buried in Luhrmann's flash and dazzle.” Foundas similarly writes, “Together with cinematographer Simon Duggan, he [Luhrmann] unleashes every manipulation he can think of — sepia flashbacks, smash zooms, split screens, superimpositions, period newsreel footage, new footage degraded to resemble period newsreel footage — all of it coming at you in three steroscopic dimensions.” Foundas, however, did previously admit that to criticise Luhrmann for overkill is “a bit like faulting a leopard for his spots.”Œ Performances from the all-star cast drew mixed reviews with one surprise exception – Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki.Œ “Only newcomer Elizabeth Debicki, who comes off like a combination of Rashida Jones and Kristin Scott Thomas, displays any kind of flair or even an approximation of humanity,” Duralde writes, while Foundas says, “By far the liveliest work in the film comes from two actors with only a few minutes of screen time between them: the lithe, long-limbed newcomer Elizabeth Debicki as gabby golf pro Jordan Baker, and, in a single scene that marks his belated Hollywood debut, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan as the flamboyant Jewish “gambler,” Meyer Wolfsheim.”Œ Todd McCarthy from The Hollywood Reporter also sings the actresses praise, noting, “Australian newcomer Elizabeth Debicki, who, with her towering slim build, black hair and pool-like blue eyes resembles an elongated Zooey Deschanel, is terrific as far as the part goes, but after a few prominent scenes up front, the character recedes.” Impressions of DiCaprio’s golden-haired Gatsby varied wildly between solid thumbs up and thumbs down.Œ “After a number of roles which, however well acted, may not have been comfortably in his wheelhouse, DiCaprio looks and feels just right as Gatsby; the glamor and allure as at one with his film star persona, he's sufficiently savvy to convince as a successful bootlegger but still young enough to recapture the hopes and innocence of youth,” writes McCarthy.Œ Not so enamoured is Duralde, who scoffs, “DiCaprio has a fluctuating accent that often sounds like it's being delivered through a mouthful of marshmallows. DiCaprio's utterances of Gatsby's pet endearment "old sport" become more and more cringe-worthy with each repetition.” Tobey Maguire’s Nick Carraway is largely accused of being generally dull while Casey Mulligan’s Daisy Buchanan received mixed reviews.Œ “Mulligan is not elegantly beautiful, but she’s a touching actress, and, when Tom and Gatsby fight over Daisy, her face crumples and her eyes tear. Mulligan makes it clear how much Daisy is a shaky projection of male fantasy. The men struggle to possess her; she doesn’t possess herself,” writes David Denby of The New Yorker.Œ Duralde isn’t as kind, stating, “The blank and reactive Maguire and Mulligan are cast as the blank and reactive Nick and Daisy, the result being such a vortex of nothing that they threaten to disappear from the screen entirely.” Whether Gatsby will disappoint Australian audiences is yet to be seen, with the film’s premiere in the country scheduled for May 22.Œ The Great Gatsby will hit Australian cinemas on May 30.Œ View the trailer here:Œ Œ Tue, 07 May 2013 15:32:50 +1000 <![CDATA[Working Title bosses evaluate their career highlights]]> http://if.com.au/2013/05/01/article/Working-Title-bosses-evaluate-their-career-highlights/OZTUWREJMA.html http://if.com.au/2013/05/01/article/Working-Title-bosses-evaluate-their-career-highlights/OZTUWREJMA.html Tim Kroenert This is a double-milestone year for Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, heads of UK studio Working Title Films. Not only is it 30 years since the company’s inception, 2013 marks 21 years since Fellner joined original cofounder Bevan at the helm. Surely that would be cause for a celebration. In truth the two affable producers haven’t given it much thought. ‘We were thinking about having dinner with you,’ jokes Fellner. A beat, then: ‘Yeah we probably should do something to celebrate.’ ‘It’s not only us either,’ adds Bevan. ‘There is a core group of people who have worked together for a long time. It is very unusual in the film industry.’ He believes the reasons for this longevity are largely geographical. ‘One is that we’re based in the UK, and there aren’t many other games in town. The other is, we’re based in the UK! If you’re in Hollywood there are all sorts of alternatives and it would be difficult to hold a group together for the same amount of time.’ Whatever the reason, it’s a decent innings. No doubt this pair has gained some sharply honed insights along the way, on the nature of the industry and how it works. ‘It works in mysterious ways,’ says Fellner, drolly; Bevan nominates a more pointed epigram: ‘Nobody knows anything about anything!’ Bevan is laughing, but it’s no joke: ‘That is the shocking truth,’ says Fellner. ‘Just when you think you’ve got it cracked, it all goes horribly wrong. Or you think something will never work, and it’s a massive hit. ‘It’s the most confounding industry. A lot of businesses, you create a product and spend 30 years honing it so you know it’s going to work. We’re starting from scratch every single film. You bring experience of physical production, and some knowledge of the marketplace, but really you’re back to casino odds.’ That unpredictability can be infuriating, but also gratifying, when what was thought to be a ‘tiny film’ turns out to be a massive hit. ‘The cornerstone movie for Working Title was Four Weddings and a Funeral,’ says Bevan. ‘All of a sudden you had a non-American movie, made for no money, become a worldwide box office phenomenon. That opened up the possibility for all sorts of other films that we’d never have been able to make otherwise.’ ‘We made Billy Elliot purely from a point of passion,’ recalls Fellner. Other surprise hits included car-racing doco Senna, Bridget Jones’ Diary and the Keira Knightley vehicle Pride and Prejudice. ‘There’s nothing more gratifying than when you make a film because you love it, and the audience comes,’ says Fellner. You couldn’t accuse Bevan and Fellner of lacking personal investment. ‘Most of what we do, we’ve developed from an idea or a book or whatever, through the screenplay process,’ says Bevan. ‘So we have a strong creative relationship with the material quite often before a director has even come on board. ‘We then like working with good strong directors. Our job at that point is to make sure the creative vision is intact and the right people are brought on board both in front of and behind the camera, and that you’re working to the right price point. If you get all that right then the shoot itself will go quite smoothly.’ Working Title has excelled at a range of genres, from rom-coms (Four Weddings) to horror (Shaun of the Dead) to comedies (Burn After Reading) to period dramas (Pride and Prejudice). Now you can add musicals to the list: Bevan and Fellner were in Australia in December touting their grand adaptation of Les Miserables. ‘Les Miserables was actually a fast movie to make,’ says Bevan, explaining that they first met with Cameron Mackintosh, producer of the theatrical version of the show, just three short years ago. ‘Most movies take a lot longer.’ Nonetheless, Fellner believes it will be a game changer, due to director Tom Hooper’s inspired decision to record the vocal performances live rather than using pre-recorded tracks. ‘I think it will revolutionise how musicals get made.’ He gives credit to the film’s production sound mixer Simon Hayes, who got ‘clean vocal tracks for every musical performance. We’ve had dialogue films where we had to do more additional dialogue recording than on this film,’ says Fellner. Fellner believes the biggest challenge facing filmmakers today is to ‘fight the reality of branded entertainment ˆ the superhero movies, the sequels, the adaptations of board games or things that come with huge brand awareness but aren’t necessarily stories. And that’s what most modern day blockbusters are.’ ‘A lot of filmmakers this past year have made good films,’ notes Bevan. ‘Still, the whole financial model of the way films get made is changing. The branded movies tend to be very, very expensive, and that’s where the studios are putting their resources, so it’s getting the pickings that are left over to make other films.’ Within this climate, ‘getting a good story, telling it well, and hoping it can compete’ is a genuine challenge. ‘So it’s gratifying’, says Fellner, ‘when you see all these films that are doing $100 million, like Argo, Lincoln, Life of Pi ˆ movies that had a tough journey to get made, but they’re doing business. ‘Maybe the audiences are speaking,’ he speculates. ‘Maybe audiences are saying we want a varied diet, we want things that are interesting and intelligent as well.’ This article originally appeared in issue 151 of IF Magazine in February - March 2013. Wed, 01 May 2013 14:04:55 +1000 <![CDATA[Get Shorty: the future of short film]]> http://if.com.au/2013/04/24/article/Get-Shorty-the-future-of-short-film/JRGEYTNOLH.html http://if.com.au/2013/04/24/article/Get-Shorty-the-future-of-short-film/JRGEYTNOLH.html Lee Zachariah ‘I find it appalling that there is now so little funding for short films,’ said Gillian Armstrong as last year’s SPAA conference. ‘Sadly, only three short films are to be funded in New South Wales this year, none at all from Screen Australia, and I don’t know what’s happening with Film Victoria, who used to lead the way.’ When Gillian Armstrong took to the podium last November to discuss the future of filmmaking in Australia, she pointed to a decreasing amount of support for filmmakers starting out. Most notably, the decline in short film funding. ‘The world’s contracted markedly,’ says Metro Screen’s David Opitz. ‘There are fewer opportunities around for short film funding than there were over the last decade or so. Obviously, we feel that has a strong impact on the development of grassroots filmmaking. Those that we hope will go on and become industry icons in years to come.’ There are numerous reasons for funding programs drying up, but perhaps the most significant one is the global economic downturn. ‘Basically, the reason there’s been a contraction is purely economic,’ says David Opitz. ‘There unfortunately appears to be less funding around from a state government level, and Screen Australia don’t have it in their current charter to support short film as such. They’re interested in promoting feature films, longer form, and new media, online material. There are components within the Screen Australia funding regime to support short films, and we get some funding from them for a program called Raw Nerve, and some from the indigenous unit, but there’s been a contraction in the state budget in supporting the arts. We’ve been told this may change in the future.’ Although AFTRS continues to produce short films – last year, the postgraduate courses alone produced 58 – students have recognised the growing difficulty in getting short films noticed, and have begun branching out. ‘I think the thing is sometimes the short is the right thing to do,’ says Neil Peplow, AFTRS Director of Screen Division. ‘Sometimes it might be directly related to the script you’re trying to get through. The students here are all looking at their next script now. They’re very savvy at contextualising what it is that they produce.’ Thanks to the high profile of quality productions such as The Slap and Puberty Blues, as well as the international series coming from BBC, HBO and AMC, film students are becoming increasingly keen to hone their TV making skills. In this instance, the move away from short film production has been driven by them. ‘For the students, a short film achieves something in being able to state their style and approach and voice,’ says Peplow, ‘but in terms of their career, they recognise that they need to prove that they can do something which is longer form; be able to do something that is half-hour or hour if they want to get into TV. A lot more have their eyes on trying to make features, ’cos they see a crowded shorts market and go, let’s try to make a microbudget feature.’ Before working at AFTRS, Peplow worked in the UK film industry, and noted a similar dwindling in funds for shorts. ‘In the UK, the short film funding also dropped drastically,’ he says. ‘Film Four cut their funds, and the Film Council cut their funds, but it was also about being clever with the way you used the money that you did have, so it wasn’t being put into a generic scheme. And the question is: do you need less funding because people have access to technology and are doing it anyway?’ Despite the downturn in funding, the number of short films being produced has skyrocketed, thanks to the increasing accessibility of equipment. ‘I think what’s changed is the barriers to entry have collapsed,’ says Peplow, ‘so in theory you can shoot a short film on your mobile and then distribute it. It just means there’s a lot more material on the market.’ For filmmakers, finding their place amongst so many competitors is the bigger challenge. In addition to the traditional established film festivals, there is an increasing number of short film festivals, many of them on the internet. This has had the effect of opening up a traditionally niche format to a whole new audience. ‘Hopefully when the NBN comes online, that’ll increase the speed,’ says David Opitz. ‘There’s greater options available to have people see short films than there ever was before.’ Over the past three years, another funding model has emerged from the internet. Crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter, Pozible and Indiegogo have given filmmakers a forum to solicit smaller donations from a wider audience. Investors can often donate as little as ten dollars towards a project, often with the promise of a prize at the end, be it a souvenir or a DVD of the finished film. Australian short Troll Bridge broke crowdfunding records last year when it raised nearly double its target. The filmmakers had originally attempted to raise the money from government agencies. ‘While I genuinely believe they loved the film,’ says director Daniel Knight, ‘they were ultimately unable to help us out.’ Post-production funding was offered, and the production had to source the budget elsewhere. Due to the story’s popularity – it is based on a short story by award-winning author Terry Pratchett – Knight and producer Ahren Morris were able to reach out to an established fan base that was keen to see the project realised. Metro Screen has now incorporated crowdfunding into its model, seeing it as a necessary complement to the funding they already give. ‘In the past, filmmakers may have held events or hit up friend’s relatives; now Pozible and Kickstarter provide other options.’ Rather than simply being an alternate funding option, Metro views crowdfunding as an important part of the producer’s entrepreneurial development. But even with all the equipment, Gillian is right about support training ground. Director Amiel Courtin-Wilson sees the democratisation of filmmaking tools as a positive, but remains pragmatic. ‘I think ultimately it’s back to that old adage: “It’s still a f--king pencil”. It’s a tool, it’s a means to an end. It means more films can be made, but I don’t think it means better films are made.’ This article first appeared in IF Magazine Issue #151 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:56:53 +1000 <![CDATA[Twisted sisters stick the knife into their latest film American Mary]]> http://if.com.au/2013/04/15/article/Twisted-sisters-stick-the-knife-into-their-latest-film-American-Mary/WLXEILJVZR.html http://if.com.au/2013/04/15/article/Twisted-sisters-stick-the-knife-into-their-latest-film-American-Mary/WLXEILJVZR.html Rodney Appleyard Œ <img alt="" height="299" src="/image/SoskaSisters-1-web.jpg" width="448" /> The Soska sisters in American MaryŒ American Mary follows a medical student, called Mary Mason, who becomes disenchanted with the surgical world she once loved. Following her desire for easy money, she leaves medical school and is lured into the corrupt world of underground surgery. ŒSoon afterwards, she finds herself executing a series of bizarre and gruelling emergency surgeries and is left traumatised by the actions of one of the more experienced surgeons. This leads her to take revenge, with horrific consequences. The movie received critical acclaim last year from a number of high profile horror film festivals, including the Film4 FrightFest in the UK, the Toronto After Dark Festival and the Monster Fest in Australia. The Canadian Soska sisters said they came up with the storyline, which they wrote, directed and acted in (including the stunts), at a time when they were experiencing severe difficulties with their own lives. "When we wrote it, we were struggling after making Dead Hooker in a Trunk, before its release," recalls Sylvia Soska. "In fact, we were very poor, starving, meeting monsters in the industry and having all sorts of personal troubles. "But the script was very therapeutic - we put everything we were going through and ourselves into that story, using mainstream medicine versus body modification as analogies for the mainstream film industry versus the horror scene." They were also motivated to write this film after being fascinated about the body modification culture when they stumbled upon it years ago. So they decided to research more thoroughly into the subject matter. "In the end, we wanted to shift people's opinions on appearances on the surface, as well as one person's struggle for success." "The body modification community is largely misunderstood and seems to be the subject of modern day witch hunts. It makes no sense to me that cosmetic surgery is fully accepted, whereas body modification (such as making sexual enhancements) is ridiculed. We wanted to educate people on body mod. It is also a perfect vessel for telling our story." Their debut movie, Dead Hooker in a Trunk, which was inspired by Grindhouse, directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, also received critical acclaim when it was released in 2009. This amusing horror movie is about a group of friends who discover a dead hooker in their trunk, but they find it much harder to dispose of the body in real life, as compared to the movies. ŒFollowing the success of this film, they contacted every director they could to drum up support for American Mary. One of the people who responded was Eli Roth, who played a big part in helping them to get the film off the ground. The twisted sisters are big horror fans and the film features a number of gruesome revenge killings. In particular, they have deliberately included strong female characters to do some "serious ass-kicking," as they describe it. "One of Mary's victims ends up with an apparatus in her mouth that is used for spreading vaginas, which is a special way to finish him off," adds Sylvia Soska. They have also deliberately killed off blondes very easily in the movie, which they claim is inspired by Hitchcock's theory that: "blondes make the best victims." "It has nothing to do with us being raven heads," adds Sylvia Solska. "It just happens for some reason. The script writes itself and suddenly the blondes are all dead and mutilated. I don't know what happens. It's my Mac - it just hates blondes." The sisters deliberately decided to avoid using CGI effects in the movie because they are such big fans of practical effects, in particular the work of Todd Masters, who owns MastersFX. Masters' company has been responsible for creating a number of award-winning effects for many Hollywood films and series in the past, including Underworld, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, True Blood and Six Feet Under. The opportunity to work with MastersFX was a dream come true for the pair, who were particularly delighted when Masters showed them his secret stash of fake prosthetic penises when they asked him for a special kind of genital for American Mary. The next film they are working on is called Bob. It is a monster horror film, which stars an effeminate man who gets even with his persecutor by committing a rape revenge. The sisters have written the script, which features werewolves, vampires and zombies, specifically with MastersFX in mind because they are so keen to work with the company again. Stylistically, the twisted sisters say it will look like a cross between American Mary and Dead Hooker in a Trunk, which should please their growing army of fans. ŒIn January, American Mary was released theatrically in the UK. Check out the trailer here:Œ<a href="http://if.com.au/2013/03/14/article/American-Mary-Trailer/CCJLRQIGXW.html">http://if.com.au/2013/03/14/article/American-Mary-Trailer/CCJLRQIGXW.html</a> This article first appeared in IF Magazine Issue #151 Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:29:52 +1000 <![CDATA[Game On: enhancing a screen production over multiple platforms]]> http://if.com.au/2013/04/04/article/Game-On-enhancing-a-screen-production-over-multiple-platforms/MLITOUTAPK.html http://if.com.au/2013/04/04/article/Game-On-enhancing-a-screen-production-over-multiple-platforms/MLITOUTAPK.html Emily Blatchford It is no secret the screen industry is rapidly evolving to embrace more and more platforms. The ultimate film experience is no longer confined just to the big screen; but has extended into numerous apps, games, webisodes, e-books, social media platforms and even real-life missions. It’s a process we have seen grow rapidly and successfully in the Australian industry the last few years; so much so, last November Arts Minister Simon Crean announced $20 million in funding to create an Australian Interactive Games Fund.Œ The ever-evolving nature of the industry has meant these additional elements, once seen as separate entities, can now be used to direct traffic to the film’s website, attract new markets or drum up interest in a movie before its release. However, the traditional method thus far has seen these platforms treated as “extras” that support the main star – the film itself.Œ Feature film producer Keith Sweitzer and Christopher Ferriter, Managing Director of Divisive Media, claim to have turned this way of thinking on its head.Œ The duo, in conjunction with the producing and creative teams respectively, have launched what they describe as “the first transmedia/game combination of its kind” in Australia and New Zealand.Œ The browser- based game, named Vigilante: Speak for the Dead, precedes the accompanying Australian film, John Doe (written by Stephen M Coates and directed by Kelly Dolen), which is currently in post-production in Los Angeles and is expected to be released later this year.Œ What makes this package different, Sweitzer and Ferriter argue, is that both game and film were developed in conjunction with each other. In other words, the game is not the ‘additional extra’ to the film, or vice versa.Œ “This is unique in that (the film and the game) were developed at the same time,” says Ferriter. “In the past, we would build games on TV shows or films that already had fan bases.Œ “For example, I worked on CSI for years and a number of other properties, and I thought they were great games and great properties. However, in that position you can’t influence what that TV show does and you have to work very hard not to step on the toes of that property.Œ “It’s the same old model in that one medium leads and another complements. This is very unique in that they kind of go out together and work together as a team. “Œ The pair stumbled across the idea almost by accident.Œ Sweitzer, who refers to Ferriter as an “old associate of mine” was discussing his latest work on the project John Doe.Œ “He was immediately interested in the world and the character, and the possibility of what could be done with them,” Sweitzer remembers.Œ “I have not an ounce of experience in the game world, but I knew Chris, and I was developing the script at the time with Stephen and Kel, and (when Chris expressed interest) I was like, ‘I can’t wait to hear what this is.’” Ferriter adds, “The first thing that popped into my mind was, ‘we could do something really unique here.’”Œ The result is a visually impressive and artistic game which allows the player to create their own vigilante identity. The task is then to act as “judge, jury and executioner” in a city teeming with crime.Œ Players can exact battles, punish wrong-doers in the community, chat to friends and unlock various cars and weapons as the game progresses. “The game lays the ground work of the world we see in John Doe,” Ferriter says. “It’s a world that can live from two to three to four monthsˆ so by the time the film comes out, people are already invested in the world and the characters.Œ “It’s opened up very different, very new distribution possibilities. It will be a new model.”Œ However, Ferriter is quick to maintain the big appeal about this project was not the potential marketing value.Œ “We didn’t care about just driving traffic to a website or building a rough brand awareness,” he says. “We wanted to build something that people cared about and invested in.”Œ To achieve this, Ferriter concentrated on two aspects they considered to be crucial.Œ Firstly - that the game had legs of its own.Œ “I think if you make a game that simply mirrors the storyline of the film you are not providing incentiveˆ you won’t get people to look to the other medium to get additional information,” Ferriter says.Œ “There’s things left out in the game right now,” adds Sweitzer. “And the beautiful part is that, in a game, anything can happen at any moment. For instance I can tell you that at some point in the game the audience will be excited about the mysteriousness of this John Doe character.”Œ The second important aspect was to achieve a visual integrity in the game comparable to that of the film.Œ “Visually we went to great lengthsˆ the goal that we set was if you look at the game there can be no mistake you’re in the world (of John Doe). The art style is so different and unique, and that is so necessary (once you see) the film. We would not have done it justice to go out there and make a game with cartoony characters, so we spent a lot of time trying to create a game with a look that complemented the film,” Ferriter says.Œ It was a process aided rather than abetted by John Doe director Kelly Dolen, who Ferriter describes as someone who was “open to telling stories in different ways.”Œ “It took a lot of faith on Kel’s part, to hear me say, ‘I want to make a game like this, you have to trust me.’ It took a lot of faith to give me that level of trust. I didn’t want a game to ruin the artistic integrity of the movie. Instead, I like to think I have enhanced it.”Œ Ferriter and Sweitzer have no plans to stem the platform flow after John Doe’s release – in fact, they plan to keep expanding.Œ “The creative team and great minds at Divisive have a very large universe mapped out and it encompasses books and comics and web seriesˆ something unique,” says Sweitzner.Œ “I think this is a new model, I think it’s innovative – really I’m just excited about what we’ve been able to accomplish.”Œ Vigilante: Speak for the Dead is available to download over iTunes, wifi or 3G in Australia and New Zealand and will be available to download in the US mid-February.Œ John Doe is currently in post-production and will be released at a later date.Œ This article first appeared in IF magazine #151.Œ Vigilante: Speak for the Dead is now available to download in the US.Œ Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:37:59 +1100 <![CDATA[Producer Clark Spencer on Academy Award nominated film Wreck-it Ralph]]> http://if.com.au/2013/03/20/article/Producer-Clark-Spencer-on-Academy-Award-nominated-film-Wreck-it-Ralph/FPZJOPYKJJ.html http://if.com.au/2013/03/20/article/Producer-Clark-Spencer-on-Academy-Award-nominated-film-Wreck-it-Ralph/FPZJOPYKJJ.html Yuan Liu Among this year’s Academy Award nominees for Best Animated Feature was the 3D animation Wreck-it Ralph, a children’s tale depicting a world with characters from a variety of video games, both fictional and real. Though losing to another Disney production Brave at the Oscars, the film scored a box office victory and was celebrated by many viewers, including both Disney fans and gamers with a retro game nostalgia. The initial idea of the story emerged in the 1980s when Disney had been unsuccessfully developing two related versions of film, High Score and Joe Jump, both of which were set in a world of video games. The project remained in limbo until 2008 when the gamer-turned-director Rich Moore came on board. John Lasseter, the Chief Creative Officer of Disney Animation Studios said to Moore at the time, “What if we think about the world of video games as a place to set the animation itself? I don’t know what the story should be, but I want you to think about this world as a great world for animation.” These words inspired Rich Moore to revisit the story idea. “So it was really four years ago that Rich started thinking about the story,” producer Clark Spencer recalls. “When speaking of video games, Rich said to himself, ‘I think one of the greatest things to explore would be, what if you are a video game character from the 1980s, and you have been doing the same job for 30 years? You may wake up one day and wonder if there’s something more in life.’ And that really was the spark of the story.” Wreck-it Ralph tells the story ofŒ“villain” Ralph from the 8-bit video game Fix-it Felix Jr., who is tired of being overshadowed by Felix, the “good guy” star in the game. He then decides to set off on a game-hopping journey across the arcade to fulfill his dream of being a hero. In his role of producer, Spencer was responsible for the film’s schedule, budget and crew. At the same time, since the film gathers a slew of character cameos and references from iconic video games, Spencer had to negotiate with game companies in order to use their characters in the film. “In the very beginning, the director Rich Moore said that we had to have real characters from real video games to make this world believable,” Spencer says. “I agreed with that. But as the producer, that made me nervous. I was thinking if I could actually make this happen. What we decided to do, which I think was a smart way to approach it, was to wait until we really understood the story of the movie and knew how we were going to use these characters to approach the companies.” Spencer started his campaign journey by approaching Nintendo, Namco, Capcom and many others. They loved the idea. “I think Toy Story and Who Framed Roger Rabbit in some ways have broken down the barriers, because both of them brought fictional characters coming from different worlds into the same movie. What both of them did was to introduce these characters to a new audience. So I think the video game companies thought that it’s a way for them to make the 1980s arcade games like Pac-man become relevant with the young kids today. “In the end, it actually proved to be much easier than I ever would have expected to get the companies to say yes,” Spencer recalls. “Over the course of time as we started working with these companies, they then would come to us and say ‘hey, have you thought about this character?’ and gave us story ideas. We also had other outside companies coming to us, suggesting their characters. The momentum was building behind the project. It was at that point that I knew that we were onto something.”Œ Ironically, soon after convincing the companies to cooperate, Spencer realized they had actually secured an enormous number of characters to be placed in the story. “There are almost 190 unique characters in Wreck-it Ralph, while the most we have done in a film before was 60. So it was more than three times the number of characters that we have ever put into a film before. Also, we did not simply design these characters but we had to build the models in the computer and put them in a way that allows the animators to move those characters and then figure out how these characters are actually animating. So that’s a huge cast for us.”Œ Another challenge was the creation of Sugar Rush, a candy-coated cart racing game in the film, where Ralph encounters another main character Vanellope von Schweetz. “Sugar Rush is a really complicated world for us to build,” Spencer says. “Because making food look appealing in the computer is really difficult. We spent a year doing research on how food photographers make food attractive in still pictures. One of the best examples we’ve got is that in order to take a photo of pancakes with maple syrup, they use motor oil. Because motor oil is a thick substance and adds the color to the syrup and makes it look much lighter. We had to figure out how we can use technology to actually build that into our system for the film itself. So that was a huge task.” From the very beginning in the making of this video game crossover, the creators of Wreck-it Ralph realized they were not simply making one film. By combining four worlds – the world of Fix-it Felix Jr., Hero’s Duty, Sugar Rush and Game Central Station – each with completely different art directions, animations and visual effects, they were in fact creating four films.Œ “Although in the movie you only see a little bit of the game play, we had to think about what the overall games are about,” Spencer says. “We had to figure out if we were the game developers and we had to create the game Sugar Rush, what the overall game would look like. It took lots of time. We did lots of research on games and managed to have meetings with game companies to talk about what makes a good recent game, what makes a first-person shooter game and what made a great 1980s vintage video game. We had to know the games inside out before we started throwing them into the story and showing them to the audiences.”Œ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:54:48 +1100 <![CDATA[Super soldiers run riot in Crawlspace]]> http://if.com.au/2013/03/18/article/Super-soldiers-run-riot-in-Crawlspace/CIPRMPGECV.html http://if.com.au/2013/03/18/article/Super-soldiers-run-riot-in-Crawlspace/CIPRMPGECV.html Rodney Appleyard This article first appeared in IF Magazine Issue #150 Justin Dix made a name for himself in the local film industry after creating special effects for the Star Wars prequels filmed in Australia, as well as on independent horror movies such as Dying Breed and Storm Warning. But he always dreamt of directing his own movie – a dream now realised with the release of his debut feature Crawlspace. Set beneath the real-world military base at Pine Gap, the movie follows a small team of elite soldiers who are sent into the bowels of the complex to rescue a top scientist from an experiment that has gone badly wrong. Once they are in, the soldiers encounter a mysterious survivor called Eve. It quickly becomes clear that the facility is a testing ground for something far more sinister and, with Eve in tow, the team finds itself fighting through escaped inmates and facing devastating psychic attacks rooted in their own darkest, primordial fears. The film was inspired by Dix's insatiable appetite for sci-fi and horror films made by the likes of John Carpenter, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Ridley Scott. He hopes the movie will encourage more people to create genre films in Australia. "We are good at making kitchen sink dramas and Aussie comedies but to be honest, they don't sell outside of our country," says Dix. "Crawlspace pretty much sold world-wide at Cannes, which is a testament to what the world market wants and I think it shows we can deliver. In Australia, I think ‘genre’ is a dirty word, but it should be embraced." Dix runs his own special effects company, Wicked of Oz, which allowed him to showcase every kind of effect he could imagine including miniatures, creature suits, zombies, silicone bodies and make-up effects. "It was probably a lot of pressure doing the effects on my first feature film, since we created so many. We pretty much made prosthetics or some kind of effects on every day that we worked, which is usually unheard of on low-budget films. But it helps to keep the costs down when you know how to create this stuff. "I was the special effects designer, writer, director, producer and story boarder on this movie, so when it came to the special effects, I knew exactly what I wanted them to look like and I could allow this to happen. Working on a lot of low-budget horror films in the past helped me know how to get the best bang for my buck." The film is full of fantasy effects, with one creature so huge that it filled the whole set, which Dix says added to the scary nature of the action-packed scene. David Hankin, who wore the make-up effects and costume, was made to look double the size of a normal person – the entire effects took six hours to create. Despite Dix's obsession with creating make-ups, he was careful not to let it overwhelm the story. "Even though you may have some amazing effects, it doesn't mean you need to linger or possibly leave it in the film if it's not working for the story. I never thought I would cut out any of the effects in my first movie – but we did. Ultimately it comes down to the question: Is the effect working within the context of the story? If it's not, then you need to lose it. Even if you have spent really good time and money on the effect, you shouldn't just keep it in there for the sake of it." Crawlspace is set to continue its successful run around the world, having had its world premiere at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain recently. This event is the largest genre film festival in the world and has been running for 45 years.Œ The film has also been bought by IFC Midnight (the deal was brokered by XYZ) and is set for a US theatrical release in the New Year. It had its Australian premiere at the Cockatoo Island Film Festival in Sydney and was released in the UK at the end of October. Although the movie was funded by the private sector, Dix hopes it will help to convince government funding agencies to back more films like this in future. "I think that Australian funding bodies just don't understand what makes a good genre film or even a successful one. There is a reluctance to back them. It's easier and safer to fund something that is a culturally viable drama. Even if it fails at the box office, no one will really condemn them for it." Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:27:49 +1100 <![CDATA[Oscar Isaac joins Warp Films Australia's Partisan]]> http://if.com.au/2013/03/15/article/Oscar-Isaac-joins-Warp-Films-Australias-Partisan/ASYGJBTZWD.html http://if.com.au/2013/03/15/article/Oscar-Isaac-joins-Warp-Films-Australias-Partisan/ASYGJBTZWD.html Inside Film Correspondent Oscar Isaac has been cast in Ariel Kleiman's upcoming feature film debut, Partisan. Isaac plays the lead in the Coen Brothers’ upcoming Inside Llewyn Davis and last appeared in an Australian film back in 2009 with political-thriller Balibo (which won him an AFI Award). The film is described as a confronting tale about a vengeful man raising his children to attack the world that wronged him. Partisan, penned by Kleiman and Sarah Cyngler, has been in development with Warp Films Australia for much of the past two years. Kleiman first came to attention with his award-winning short film Deeper Than Yesterday. Warp Films Australia has produced two films: Snowtown and Shopping. Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw will produce Partisan and Madman Entertainment is signed on as distributor. <a href="http://vimeo.com/10524000">DEEPER THAN YESTERDAY- trailer</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/arielkleiman">Ariel Kleiman</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>. Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:39:52 +1100 <![CDATA[Big screen docos: what makes a documentary theatrical?]]> http://if.com.au/2013/03/15/article/Big-screen-docos-what-makes-a-documentary-theatrical/OCKRDXBHSK.html http://if.com.au/2013/03/15/article/Big-screen-docos-what-makes-a-documentary-theatrical/OCKRDXBHSK.html Sandy George This article first appeared in IF Magazine issue #150 Producer Lizzette Atkins justifies the theatrical nature of Aim High In Creation! on several levels: the scale and scope of the ideas; its experimental style; the broad interest in the closed society of North Korea; and director Anna Broinowski’s cinematic eye. “And Anna has proven she can sustain a story for 90 minutes,” says Atkins, referring to the bold Forbidden Lie$.Œ If the various threads can be woven neatly together, this intriguing project could be a pearler. Cinematic propaganda is the key theme and the film follows Broinowski as she travels to North Korea to meet with that industry’s leading lights and examine former leader Kim Jong-il’s passion for cinema and the filmmaking manifesto he published. Back in Australia, applying the advice she got on a script she took with her, Broinowski makes a short about a community overcoming gas frackers – after all, North Korean films always have upbeat endings. “Aim High! represents a step forward in the continually evolving world of drama/documentary hybrids,” says Atkins. “Its closest cousins amongst the recent ranks of increasingly seamless hybrids are Exit through the Gift Shop, Man on Wire and Catfish.” The film is funded through Screen Australia’s feature door, Film Victoria and the Melbourne International Film Festival’s Premiere Fund. Supporters are sales agent Highpoint, distributor Antidote and ABC TV, which has licensed the film at 90 minutes.Œ Red Obsession was supported, from its earliest days, by the considerably bigger distributor, Roadshow, although filmmaker and vigneron Warwick Ross was nonplussed when wine auctioneer and writer Andrew Caillard first suggested he make a film about wine. Nevertheless Ross’s attitude changed when he accompanied his friend to France’s Bordeaux region.Œ “The place is steeped in history and makes incredibly fantastic and finite wine, but I did not understand until then how the rise and fall of the nations that buy the wine determines the rise and fall of the success of this wine,” says Ross.Œ He also learned that China replaced the US as Bordeaux’s best customer after the GFC: “In 2011 prices were pushed up to an astronomical all-time high, horrifying traditional clients. The hubris was palpable but a year later top-end prices collapsed.” Being there during the most volatile 12 months in Bordeaux’s recent history wiped out all thoughts of making a television documentary: Red Obsession, about a love affair that sours between wealthy voracious China and traditional Bordeaux, demanded a big screen.Œ Ross and David Roach co-wrote and co-directed the film. Underpinning every decision, says Ross, who also produced, was giving audiences atheatrical experience. They delved deeper into story, a three-act structure was applied, helicopter and tracking shots added spectacle to Bordeaux’s beauty, France was visited five times and China four, while narration by Russell Crowe was added. Fifteen wine lovers contributing two-thirds of the budget alongside Ross’s own investments. Some 1960s Hollywood glamour is also heading for Australian cinemas. Writer/director Lawrence Johnston’s Fallout, produced by Peter Kaufmann, explores the writing of Nevil Shute’s end-of-the-world war novel On The Beach, written and set in Australia, and the making of the film adaptation starring Ava Gardner and Gregory Peck in Victoria. A theatrical release always requires a combination of factors, says Johnston. His tells an untold story of Shute and his ideas – many flowing from his parallel career as an aeronautical engineer – and the deterioration of his relationship with director Stanley Kramer. Without recreations and excess budget, Johnston’s emphasis has been on the solidity of the historical narrative. There’s also important contemporary resonance: the book’s context when published was the Cold War but now it’s nuclear proliferation in the world today. Johnston’s Eternity, Life and Night were released theatrically. Screen Australia’s Signature Fund door and Film Victoria are funding Fallout. The sales agent is Melimedias and the distributor Antidote. As usual, several longer versions without distributors are being made of one-hour ABC documentaries. The Sunnyboy, funded by Screen Australia and Screen NSW, is one.Œ Writer/director/cinematographer Kaye Harrison explores the musical career of Sunnyboys lead singer Jeremy Oxley and his battle with mental illness. She says her focus was to be true to the film on every level, including choosing the best story and approach – and that means seeking out a theatrical release. “It’s the strength of the storytelling: the engaging structure, the tension and drama, humour and sadness, all told within an unfolding narrative. Because he’s a musician, the opportunities to get immersed in the soundtrack give the story room to breathe. And my background as a cinematographer brings a visual language to my directing.”Œ She believes that having someone as engaging, likeable and complex as Oxley, talking openly of his experiences will create empathy. “For people with serious mental illness, surviving on a daily basis is heroic. I want people to feel inspired by that and the power of unconditional love.” Audiences have to go on a journey in observational documentaries and experience transformational moments and turning points with the characters, says The Sunnyboy’s producer Tom Zubrycki. Questions around whether the band would reform with Oxley as front man provides particularly strong forward momentum. “It is a journey of the mind, the rebuilding of past relationships with family and the band, and the development of a new one, with Oxley’s wife Mary,” he says. The availability of stills from the band’s heyday and home movie footage was a bonus.Œ “It will be a feel-good film with teary moments and that’s always good.” Whereas the ABC welcomed a film about mental illness, Zubrycki did not approach distributors early on. “They need to have certainty: a dramatic arc and story resolution. But you can’t deliver certainty in an observational film where you can only guess the ending.” His confidence about securing their interest is driven by the sensitivity with which Harrison has captured the story. “She has the kind of dedication documentary makers need; she is totally obsessed.” Œ Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:02:28 +1100 <![CDATA[Jack Thompson talks about new film Blinder]]> http://if.com.au/2013/03/06/article/Jack-Thompson-talks-about-new-film-Blinder/DNSJZNYNAO.html http://if.com.au/2013/03/06/article/Jack-Thompson-talks-about-new-film-Blinder/DNSJZNYNAO.html Brendan Swift It's been a long time between kicks for Jack Thompson. The acting icon takes full advantage in Australian Rules Football film Blinder, some three decades after he last played a coach in the big-screen adaptation of David Williamson's The Club. “It’s been 30 years since I played a coach – I thought I’m going to have to get myself into condition," the 72 year-old tells IF Magazine. "But then I read the script and realised that it wasn’t really a reprise of The Club. The Club was originally a play and every scene is an argument, a comedy really about the administration of football more than the game itself. This is a lot about the game and there’s some great football in it. It’s about a younger generation and a different aspect of football." Blinder centres on one-time Torquay Tigers legend Tom Dunn (Oliver Ackland) who returns to his home town after ten years to face his demons and pull the club back together after a sex scandal. “What happened was relatively innocent – it’s not like the scandals we see in sport now. This isn’t performance-enhancing drugs, this is someone putting something like ecstasy into someone’s drink at a party and the consequent results – a scandal.” Thompson plays the tough-but-fair Coach Chang - a characterisation he partly drew from former Collingwood coach Tom Hafey while preparing for The Club. “The work I did with Tom Hafey back then gave me a real insight into people who make it their life and see it as: this is what life’s about. In football all things are reflected: honour, and courage, and their obligation to the community and all of that.” Blinder is released on more than 110 cinema screens from March 7 by Backlot Studios. Find out more information at <a href="http://www.blinderthemovie.com" target="_blank">www.blinderthemovie.com</a>. Wed, 06 Mar 2013 13:45:30 +1100 <![CDATA[SMPTE creates new cinema sound committee]]> http://if.com.au/2013/03/05/article/SMPTE-creates-new-cinema-sound-committee/FFPOZQSXJP.html http://if.com.au/2013/03/05/article/SMPTE-creates-new-cinema-sound-committee/FFPOZQSXJP.html Inside Film Correspondent The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has established a new technology committee which will work to improve the quality and consistency of cinema sound. The committee, TC-25CSS, will also work to update SMPTE standards and recommended practices to reflect the many technical advances which have occured since the standards were created. "Improvements in measurement technology, digital sound delivery, and in sound reproduction equipment, as well as the greater detail and dynamic range of movie soundtracks, present a variety of challenges in providing quality cinema sound," Brian Vessa, executive director of digital audio mastering at Sony Pictures Entertainment and chair of the new SMPTE committee, said in a statement. "Existing SMPTE standards and recommended practices help to minimise variations but cinema sound quality today is highly dependent on the skill, talent, training, and hearing acuity of the adjusting technician. TC-25CSS, the first SMPTE technology committee dedicated solely to cinema sound, will explore and standardise new sound measurement techniques with the goal of consistency in sound reproduction between the mixing stage and diverse cinema spaces." A free SMPTE Standards <a href="http://www.smpte.org/education/standards-webcasts" target="_blank">webcast</a> to discuss the area, "Cinema Sound Systems — Raising the Bar Through New Standards," will be held on March 12. Separately, the SMPTE Australia section will hold a 'loudness' session on Thursday, March 7, from 6pm-9pm at AFTRS in Sydney. Those interested in attending can email John Walsh at <a href="mailto:jwalsh@gencom.com" shape="rect" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">jwalsh@gencom.com</a>. A <a href="http://nabshow.com/2013/education/conferences/technology_summit_cinema.asp" target="_blank">technology summit</a> on cinema will also be held at this year's NAB Conference. IF Magazine editor Emily Blatchford will be attending the NAB Conference, which will be held in Las Vegas from April 6-11. Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:28:09 +1100 <![CDATA[Director Allen Hughes on crime thriller Broken City]]> http://if.com.au/2013/03/04/article/Director-Allen-Hughes-on-crime-thriller-Broken-City/RPRPAKLIQR.html http://if.com.au/2013/03/04/article/Director-Allen-Hughes-on-crime-thriller-Broken-City/RPRPAKLIQR.html Emily Blatchford The first thing out of the mouth of Broken City director Allen Hughes is an apology. “My apologies for my tardiness, the previous journalist kept me on the phone too long,” he says, before adding, “It’s not all their fault though. Once you get me going I don’t stop.” Hughes does indeed have a lot to say about his latest project, the gritty noir thriller Broken City starring Russell Crowe, Mark Wahlberg and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The film follows ex-cop, now private-detective Billy Taggart (Wahlberg) who is hired by corrupt New York mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Crowe), to investigate his seemingly-unfaithful wife (Zeta-Jones). But as the mayoral election campaign takes off and Taggart becomes more deeply involved in the case, he begins to suspect Hostetler’s motives may not be as straight forward as they originally seemed. Hughes says the script, written by Brian Tucker, originally came to him via his agent, which “is how it’s supposed to work but rarely does.” “One can always tell when an agent is just sending me stuff because they should and when they are because they’re passionate about it. I could tell this was a project of passion – I had to read this.” It is Hughes’ first feature as solo director (previous successful features The Book of Eli and From Hell were co-directed with his brother Albert). “It was great for me,” Hughes says of the experience. “I was looking forward to it. Don’t get me wrong – me and my brother have done some things – it was extraordinary how we worked together. But this was a new feeling, a new sport. Now it’s time to me my own man and him to be his own man - our own filmmakers.” For Hughes, the casting of his two leading men was a no-brainer. “One thing was quite unusual – (when I was reading the script) Mark Wahlberg’s face just jumped off the page to me. That’s rare that happens. There was no one else for me. I met with him right away; we hit it off right away. He understood what the movie was. I asked him to come on as a producer – he makes the tough calls and knows a lot of people.” As for the casting of Hostetler, Hughes says, “We knew we had to get a movie star. Everyone agreed that Mark and Russell was an interesting dynamic– everyone just knew they would work. So we went to Russell and that was a bit of a dance. He’s very particular about what he does in his own colourful way. The last thing I expected was to really get on with him, really like a brother, I love him. I knew he was a great actor, I just didn’t know he was this good. If you see the movie the second or third time – he’s so uncanny, so subtle – you’ll see something new every time. He’s extraordinary.” Hughes’ praise of Crowe’s performance is not one that has necessarily been echoed in the press. In fact, reception to the film and the performances – that of Crowe in particular – has been anything but uniform. “The critical response has been very mixed. Very interesting, I haven’t seen anything like it,” Hughes says. “I don’t read any reviews but through my publicist and through my brother I’ve heard the trends. There’s vindictiveness (toward the film). Even the (reviews) that are positive seem to be vindictive.” Hughes maintains this perception lies mostly in critic’s circles and doesn’t reflect what he has personally witnessed amongst audiences. “The audiences – and I mean this, I’ve seen it – we did a tour, they really, really love the film. “I’ve seen applause at the end of the movie, which I didn’t expect. “I think there were certain people in the so called critical world that – you would think would appreciate it – but even the critics are not accustomed to reviewing great film anymore. There’s so much popcorn out there. The critics are changing. “Personally, I’ve never been so proud of a film.” Hughes will march to a different beat in his next project, A Bittersweet Life, which is based on a Korean gangster film. “I’m just going to get back to some gangster s—t,” he says. “(Broken City) comes out – it’s complex and it’s dark and multi-layered and sophisticated. “But now it’s time to go and bust some caps in a few asses. “You’ve got to keep people entertained you know.” Broken City hits Australian cinemas on March 7. View the trailer here: Œ Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:49:48 +1100 <![CDATA[FTI releases plans for 2013 WA Screen Awards]]> http://if.com.au/2013/03/04/article/FTI-releases-plans-for-2013-WA-Screen-Awards/XBYFYVSWXM.html http://if.com.au/2013/03/04/article/FTI-releases-plans-for-2013-WA-Screen-Awards/XBYFYVSWXM.html Brendan Swift The Film & Television Institute (FTI) has released draft plans to raise the profile of the 2013 WA Screen Awards in conjunction with the Revelation International Film Festival (REV). The plans, outlined in its latest <a href="https://www.fti.asn.au/sites/default/files/documents/WASA%20Review_Stage%202%20Discussion%20Paper_0.pdf" target="_blank">discussion paper</a>, involve attracting more high-profile talent to the awards while shortening the running time of the ceremony itself. "By combining the promotional resources of FTI and REV, the WASAs will target a mass WA market as opposed to its usual industry niche," the discussion paper said. "This may also result in additional educational outcomes for emerging filmmakers with international film talent available to share their expertise." Other plans for the revamped awards, which will be held in July, include: Rebranding the "Emerging" and "Established" award categories as "Short" and "Long Form" categories. Including more educational/networking outcomes in association with the awards and REV. Achieving a better balance in the awards to recognise the achievements of professional screen practitioners. Including award categories to recognise producers of gaming content. The WA Screen Awards were <a href="http://if.com.au/2011/11/23/article/HRRJHKGLFQ.html" target="_blank">placed on hold</a> in late-2011 as the FTI undertook an organisational review. Comments on the discussion paper can be emailed to <a href="mailto:michael_ellis@fti.asn.au">michael_ellis@fti.asn.au</a> or by phone on 0431 063 159 by March 11. Mon, 04 Mar 2013 09:15:05 +1100 <![CDATA[Australian directors in Hollywood]]> http://if.com.au/2013/02/28/article/Australian-directors-in-Hollywood/UDAXDDODXH.html http://if.com.au/2013/02/28/article/Australian-directors-in-Hollywood/UDAXDDODXH.html Brendan Swift Baz Luhrmann, George Miller, Robert Luketic, Alex Proyas and Phillip Noyce have carved out impressive careers in Hollywood over the past three decades. A second wave of directors are also now carving out impressive US careers – and flying under the radar in their homeland. Richard Gray recently finished filming The Lookalike – a US thriller/crime comedy starring Justin Long and Luis Guzman – which was filmed in New Orleans and the Bahamas. The filmmaker has made four feature films (two shot in the US) since Australian romance Summer Coda in 2010 and is currently promoting his Australian Rules drama Blinder, which will be seen on more than 100 screens from March 7. “I'm such a fortunate guy,” Gray said by email. “I have a tremendous team and we've basically worked seven days a week for last five years to get us into a position where we can do what we love regularly. It's all about protecting your investors and making their money back quickly – doing more for less.” Peter Cornwell made a strong impression in Australia with short animated film Ward 13 in 2003, but his US debut feature, The Haunting in Connecticut, went relatively unnoticed in Australia despite grossing more than $US77.5 million at the global box office. Almost four years later he is now shooting Mercy, based on a story by horror writer Stephen King. The film stars Chandler Riggs, Joel Courtney, Dylan McDermott, Frances O'Connor, Chris Browning and Shirley Knight. Meanwhile, director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell are currently shooting the follow-up to their low-budget horror film Insidious, which grossed more than $US97 million at the global box office. Insidious: Chapter 2 stars Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye and Ty Simpkins and is set for an August 30 release in the US. Wan also recently directed The Conjuring, which will be released in UK cinemas from July 19 (no Australian release date set). Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:17:13 +1100