FTI Blogs
Recent Entries
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Emerging Producer / Writer Ethan Marrell is currently producing an OOMPF funded film called "Fire With Fire", which is in post production. Ethan recently went on a trip to LA for a Screenwriting Expo and made a few notes on his experiences.
"I have typed up a few of my hand written notes to share with you, my fellow Perth filmmakers, receivers of E-vent, and those who read the blogs...Here is some of the information circulating in this brain of mine about my experiences at the 2009 Screenwriting Expo @ Wilshire Grand Hotel, LA, from October 16th - 18th. Between Guest of Honour speakers, the seminars, workshops, and the pitch festival my brain is feeling jam packed with information.
Day 1: I attended seminars such as 'Make It Funny From The Ground Up', 'Pitching To Sell', and 'The Outline For Your Feature Film'. I found each of these sessions informative, but have copious notes from 'Pitching To Sell' in particular. Karl Iglesias was the speaker and it genuinely felt like he was there to help new writers - which was good! He stressed points such as: Don't be boring, Engage the listener, and Avoid telling the story scene by scene.
Day 2: I joined in on the festivity and mayhem of 'The Golden Pitch.' A pitch festival where new and wannabe writers have the opportunity to pitch their screenplays to production companies. You have 5 minutes with each company and move through about 3 different waiting rooms. It's fast, hectic, and when you look around the waiting rooms some writers are mingling and others prefer to wear their F%$# Off Face.Here's how my pitches went for my feature screenplay 'Dead End Love'.Rat Entertainment @ 9:40 AM - Pitch finished early, 4 mins 30, but that's OK, using the rules of stand up comedy it's never too early to get off. Representative accepted first 10 pages of script.Mad Chance Productions @ 10:40 AM - Pitch took up all 5 mins. Rep asked a lot of questions and was very enthusiastic and interested to know more about the story. Said awesome stuff like 'really intrigued by this' and 'never heard anything like it before'. Accepted first 10 pgs.Lin Pictures @ 1:30 PM - Liked the pitch and said it was 'solid'. Couldn't accept unsolicited material. Needed time to think if this would suit the company and took my contact details.Village Roadshow @ 4:05 PM - Liked the idea and wanted a one page synopsis...Didn't have one...first 10 pgs is how I roll... Rep. couldn't accept unsolicited material. Gave contact details and a list of 5 American competitions in which the screenplay has placed in varying rounds of finals. Great lil' meeting overall.Lionsgate @ 4:50 PM - Lots of questions after my 2 min pitch. Wanted a better understanding of the screenplays genre. Asked for the first 10 pgs. I gave them to him. Went good for the end of the day as we were probably both ready to go have a beer by this time.
I left a gap from pitching between 2 PM and 4 PM on this day, as Shane Black (writer of Leathal Weapon, Long Kiss Goodnight, writer/director Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) was speaking as a Guest of Honour .
This was a fantastic interview. Shane was extremely funny and also very informative. He spoke of certain techniques that he misses in alot of modern screenplays e.g. reversals, twists & turns, set ups and payoffs. He recommended when writing characters that the aim is not necessarily to make them less like you, but more like you, take traits from yourself and build on them in your characters, care about and inhabit your characters. He also smashed in the face the stereotype of writing dialogue that's 'natural' and 'real'. BORING! Keep it playful and fun. Dialogue is not easy, but it should fun.
Day 3: More pitching + Guests of Honour. Scott Free Entertainment, Warner Bros, and Imagine all wanted the first 10 pgs of Dead End Love. Misher Films and Darkwoods took my contact details. That brings an end to my American pitching experience. 10 companies in total and I enjoyed the experience immensely. There was not one person I pitched to who had a 'Hollywood Hard Ass Executive' vibe about them. Everyone I met from the companies was very human, and very nice.
Between pitching I saw 2 more Guests of Honour interviews. The first was Franklin Leonard. In 2008, Franklin began his tenure as the director of development and production at Universal. This dude is switched on! I'm really glad I made it to this session as I found it hugely informative. Franklin spoke about both the commerce and creativity of the industry in a very balanced fashion. The second Guest of Honour session for the day was William Goldman and John Cleese together (two absolute legends of the screen industry - imdb them if you're not familiar with their work). The session was basically a Q & A with the audience for close to 2 hours. Of course the big questions came flooding in 'What makes a hit movie?' 'How do I get a big break?' etc etc. To which Goldman and Cleese could only shrug at times and say they honestly don't know. Luck. Timing. Nobody knows!
Goldman's philosophy in short was 'write something of interest that will keep the reader turning the page. One day someone will give you money'. Cleese spoke on how tricky it is these days because budgets are so high. When the budgets get high, tension/anxiety creeps in and creativity can become stifled by control. He spoke of the early Monty Python days when there was less at stake and they had the freedom to be original. Nobody knew if it would hit or miss!
Overall it was worth the journey and money to attend this event. I spent another 11 days in L.A. after the expo and if you have any interest in filmmaking what so ever it's definitely a town worth checking out. Bring on the credit card debt! Cheers, Ethan M."
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Nat Eaton from Production Support at FTI had a quick chat with local Producer / Director / Writer Megan Palinkas, about the process and experience gained from working on the recently wrapped shoot for the 2009 Raw Nerve funded film "Crows Feet" and where she hopes to be when the project is delivered.
1. How have you found producing an FTI funded project?I've had to beg, steal and borrow to make this film. As grateful as I am for the grant, the simple fact is that $2000 doesn't go very far. No-one's getting paid their worth, if anything, and people let you down. It's been very stressful at times but the experience has been such a rich one and I've learnt more than I ever expected to.
I'm glad I produced this film. It's important to me as a writer/director to have some ownership of my work but next time I will definitely source a producer. No matter how much you put into place to prevent it, shit happens on set and the producer is the 'go to' man. On set I'd rather not waste energy on debating whether the runner should shoot off to Osborne Park to pick up a spare battery.
2. How did you come about applying for Raw Nerve?I come from an acting and writing background but recently I've been drawn to the idea of exploring the other side of the camera. It's a nice change to be in control of the creative proceedings rather than at the mercy of them. I knew of Raw Nerve and thought it would be a great opportunity to cut my teeth as a first time director. Luckily the panel liked the script and took a chance on me.
3. How would you describe the filming process of 'Crows Feet'?The shoot was probably the most enjoyable part of the process for me. It was immensely satisfying to see that script come to life because the 2 main characters are based on my grandparents. We actually shot most of it at their house because I figured it would save a bit on production design.
The director of photography, Anthony Hanson recruited the crew. They were wonderful, especially first AD Rosie Bright who did a superb job corralling extras and keeping us on schedule.
4. Who else was involved with the project?Anthony Hanson was the director of photography on the project and his creative contribution was priceless. We went in pre-shoot and created digital storyboards so on the day I had a very clear idea of how I wanted to execute each scene. He just 'got' my vision and none of my requests were too hard to carry out, bar for one infamous steady-cam shot.
On the acting front I don't have enough good things to spout about my lead actor Clem Littleton. He was simply magic. I can't wait for audiences to see his performance.
5. What was the most interesting incident on set during filming?Let's just say that capturing a wild bird and an actor in the same frame is pretty tricky.
6. What knowledge have you gained through this process that will benefit you in future projects?Being an actress I was familiar with crew roles and common filming techniques, but now having experienced the process as the 'captain of the ship' I have a renewed respect and fervor for film and the people who work together to create them.
I can't wait to make my next one. I have a ton of scripts that I'm working on at any one time but at the moment I can't see the forest for the trees. There's one in particular that I would love to make but it's a period piece and that equals chunky budget so I'll consider my options come the new year. I have to get this monkey off my back first and we're on track for a mid-December completion. I just hope people will like it. -
On Wednesday 28th October, FTI hosted a sold out screening of four local horror shorts.
The Dead Wastes Premiere Screening In a long dead world, a young woman puts herself to the ultimate test. Does she have the ability to overcome an opponent who has already died long ago?
Written and directed by Wade K Savage and shot on a RED camera.
Trespass Premiere Screening A quiet night in the woods is interrupted by a group of youths who are out for some extreme entertainment. After some off road driving, poor judgment and a cruel practical joke, someone is now aware of their presence.
Written and directed by Damien Giglietta and shot in 2K format.
Tinglewood When the McCallum family set up camp in the Tinglewood Forest for a family vacation, they encounter an unknown force that leads to a violent battle for survival.
Tinglewood by Alex von Hofmann and Antony Webb has recently been honoured as Best Horror Film at the Chicago International REEL Shorts Fest and won a raft of awards at the 22nd WA Screen Awards. This is your chance to catch this film - with re-worked sound and FX - in a local screening, if you haven't already.
Living with Benjamin A chilling haunted-house story that explores the crippling effects agoraphobia can have on a lonely soul.
Made by FTI graduate, Jason Stringer Living with Benjamin comes direct from its premier at A Night of Horror Film Festival (WA).
FTI looks forward to presenting a bigger Local Focus programme in 2010. Contact Liz Sideris, Screen Events Manager, screenevents@fti.asn.au if you'd like your film screened.
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On Friday 16th and Saturday 17th October, Yvette and Nat from FTI's Production Support attended the annual SPAA Fringe conference, sponsored by Screen Australia, at the FOXTEL Television Centre in North Ryde. We were there to watch some informative seminars as well as to support Jules Duncan, the WA State Finalist for the SDA Pitching competition, as he pitched his project 'Cashed Up Bogans' to an industry panel and full house.
SPAA Fringe is an interactive two-day seminar for emerging film, television and online content makers who are interested in building their community and career within the Australian screen industry. The event was comprised of workshops, roundtables, one-on-one sessions, panel discussions, film screenings and social networking events and also provided a unique opportunity for the emerging sector to network with and pitch to, like-minded content creators, established professionals in the screen industry and local and international financiers.
People who were interested in similar projects or subjects could participate in a discussion thread on Fringe Facebook; while The Melting Pot, a social networking online portal where filmmakers could collaborate, network, find creative partners and discuss current and potential screen projects by posting an advertisement to other registered delegates calling for expressions of interest. There also was a Speed Dating event, where Writers, Directors and Producers could 'date' one another and see if they would like to 'hook up' for project collaboration (must have taken the idea from Production Support), a Screen Testing Workshop for directors and 1-0N-1's which enabled up and coming filmmakers the opportunity to get access to commissioning editors from Foxtel, ABC and SBS.
The keynote speaker for 2009 was Mia Bays, founder of film production company, Missing In Action Films (MIA), which has produced Oscar and BAFTA winning shorts. She spoke about what she has learnt of the different stages of the development, production and distribution process of a film through working on 45 features.
Other speakers were Kath Shelper, Producer of Samson & Delilah; the team behind the first Australian Muslim comedy series Salam Café; Dario Russo, creator of the hilarious viral Italian Spiderman; and filmmaker and new media auteur Nicholas Carlton the creator / writer / director of Australia's first social web series, OzGirl.
One of the seminars I found most interesting was 'The Cutting Edge Of Digital Distribution' by Fringe patron and digital media guru Peter Broderick which looked at the latest strategies for maximizing distribution. It was very interesting to hear Nicholas Carlton talk about the strategies and processes involved in the creation of the web series 'Oz Girl".
Also interesting was the 'Rapid Development Workshop: Multi Platform Content', in which all participants were put into groups, given a recent Australian feature (we were given "Kenny"), and then allowed time to brain storm and develop a hypothetical cross platform marketing strategy for the film. Our group decided the best way to market the film would be utilizing a ChatBot, Facebook, a 'Kenny' character web page, and potentially involving Kenny in a waste water recycling campaign. This was all very entertaining and interesting.
We also checked out 'Using The internet To Create Personal Audiences and Building A Social Media Campaign on A Budget' with Laurel Papworth, who is in the top 5 of media bloggers in Australia. We were shown how to use the internet to create personal audiences and build a social media campaign on a budget. We learnt how to use low cost/open source ("free") tools to build out a campaign.
Basically the message was clear - BE ACTIVE. The more content you have out there the more opportunity there is for people to notice.
Now to the SDA pitching competition! Held at the end of the final day of the seminar, the room was packed and abuzz with a great energy. On the panel was Mia Bays and Michael Wrenn. All the state finalists were well prepared and we watched them each present their 3 minute pitch. There was a range of entertaining projects, from short docos on the history of chilli, the cult of the cat, cashed up bogans, to a feature script (drama) and some short comedy series on arranged marriages and living low in Tasmania.
Unfortunately WA was not successful this time around, the winner was Wide Angle's (TAS) Elise Taylor who pitched as the loveable 'Darls', her project "Have A Crack", which was to teach us how to 'learn to live a successful low-lifestyle with some Tasmania pure-breds'. We congratulate Elise.
Many thanks to ScreenWest for their involvement in the SDA Pitching Initiative, it was a great opportunity for Julian to get feedback on his project.
Next year will be WA's turn to steal the limelight we hope. Get 'cracking' WA!!
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I came across this note published by local makeup artist extraordinaire Naomi Lynch. I think she's articulated what a lot of people feel about filmmaking in Perth.
A New Era in Perth Filmmaking....
Filmmaking is about creative collaboration and co-operation.
When you see the ongoing success of events like the 'Perth Film Network' networking functions you realise how much we are all benefiting, getting to know and work with the rest of the people in our fledgling industry. It's great to see people responding so enthusiastically to these events. It makes you realise what has been missing for so long in this town- communication. It's fantastic to have that chance to meet people, have a few drinks and and dream up new ideas for future projects.
But we won't ever catch up to the rest of the country unless we all pull together, put in some serious effort, and make it happen.... or else we will keep on having drinks and having a good time, and life will go on pretty much as it always has round here. Which is fine if you want to keep working for nothing, or are happy getting paid two-thirds of what the rest of the country gets because 'it's only WA'. It's fine if you don't care that many of our crew never get much past the skill level of your average keen student filmmaker, not from want of trying, but purely because they never, ever, get a chance to work with someone better than they are and see how it can, and should be done.
There haven't been enough professional level production here to have any sort of useful mentoring of our brightest and best, and people complain that the big productions that come over don't use many local crew. Why is this so? Two extremely valid reasons- firstly, because we have a very, very small group of people trained to the standard they need, and most of those work full-time to service the small industry we do have- local commercials, corporates, docos, sport, and once in a blue moon, a kids tv series. Second reason is because most of the interstate and overseas productions don't know a soul in the industry here, and even if they did want to hire local crew- they wouldn't know where to find them. Basically we are really bad at promoting ourselves outside our own backyard. And not so hot within it, for that matter.
Is it any wonder that anyone with any ambition gets on a plane as soon as they can? If the people who do have the knowledge can't or won't teach you, how can you learn? Worse, if there is no-one here with the kind of skills you need to learn, what else are people supposed to do? How many of you want to spend the next twenty years making the same kind of films they have done here for the last twenty? Sure, the advances in computing and digital technology now make it possible for anyone to get a little camera and make a film, complete with CGI, in their living room. Well, heads-up, folks- just because you can physically make a film, it doesn't automatically follow that its going to be good! This is an artform and a craft - one that requires dedication and passion, and most of all, practise! And by the way, practise doesn't mean doing the same thing, the same way, over and over and over- it means refining and improving and learning.
On that note, think about the kinds of films you are making. Symptomatic of the Australian industry as a whole is the criticism that we are too introspective, and it's true. We spend so much time navel-gazing that we forget, in our earnestness, why the majority of people watch film: to be entertained, educated, or both. You can make all the deep and meaningful, existential diatribes you want to. You might appeal to the small group of arthouse patrons who enjoy being lectured at. But if you ever want to be successful- forget it. If the only reason you go to see a film is because your friend filmed it, wrote it or was in it, that tells you something straight-up. It's probably no good. Or at best, not interesting enough to garner an audience on the merits of the film alone. No-one is suggesting you attempt the American studio way, trying to analyse a bunch of disparate factors and jigsaw them into a blockbuster formula.. that's crap too. Just make good films. That in itself would be different enough to guarantee your future.
Writers, you should know that the 'important' story burning a hole in you is probably one you should write down, put away in the bottom drawer, and never look at again. It is in all likelihood reflective of your own inner struggle for self-awareness, and not necessarily of any interest whatsoever to the general film-going public. If you think you want to write, then write stuff that advances the human condition- or what the heck, just write something that's fun or interesting to watch!!
Directors? Why, oh why, does nearly every film student think they would be the next 'Big Thing", if only some mysterious benefactor would give them several million dollars and a pro crew.... people- do your homework! Having faith in your abilities is admirable, but lets back it up with some talent. Skills don't form fully-fledged in the womb, we need to learn them. Raw talent is merely the beginning, and then comes the hard part. It takes sustained effort and the willingness to learn from your mistakes- and other peoples.
Actors- guess what? You have chosen one of the hardest professions. Guess what else- most of you will never make it big. Many of you will have solid workaday careers and work steadily without ever getting famous, but thats ok, in fact it's a pretty rewarding life if you can do that. Many of you will get fed up with never having any money and quit. Some of you need a serious reality check, because you think you are hot and you aren't. But no matter where you fall on the scale, Perth needs you too. If you all bugger off as soon as you can then we are left to start again with the next crop and our local productions suffer. Why do most interstate productions bring in their own cast? Same reason as they bring their own crew- because all the good ones left and went over east anyway. The skill level here is ten years behind them, and its a pain to have to work with people with no experience when you can easily access ones who have plenty somewhere else.
Perth used to have a reputation for being cliquey, and people were mostly concerned with protecting their little patch. Professional jealousy is not pretty, but it was rife, and if you speak to people from the rest of the country, even people at the top end of the business, they have all heard stories of how hard it is to make friends over here and break into the biz because people are scared to share.
Well, I say let's trash that old reputation and create a new one- one where Perthites are willing to become a part of the greater world-wide filmmaking community, one where we are no longer afraid of people 'stealing our work', but in which we welcome new additions to the fold warmly, to see what we can learn from them.
This new generation of filmmakers, plus the stalwarts who have stuck it out for the last decade or so, are ushering in the new guard, a group of people who embrace change as opportunity. Hey guys - you rock!
Let's put a bomb under this hobby-farm and turn it into a real industry.
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Ok, that's my little rant, thanks for reading if you made it this far, and lets hear your thoughts on how we can all work together to change things for the better.
Naomi -
"The Washing Line" a Raw Nerve film, directed by Penny Bedford & produced by Megan Riley, explores the way in which our domestic chores reflect the state of our relationships. Are we so in love that we donʼt care...yet, or do we have a list of requirements that our partner needs to "get right". This film was shot over three days on the weekend of the 10th & 11th of October. The cast & crew made the trip out of town to a fantastic bushland property in Parkerville. The crew all slept at the stone & wood house, warmed by the fire throughout the night.
We filmed, sang songs, & laughed around the camp fire. Everybody had a fantastic
weekend away, we wrapped early & didnʼt quite finish all the wine!
The idea from the outset of pre production was that we were all going on a film "camp" & that there would be a lot of freedom to experiment, unrestricted as much as possible by time. Out of this creative & laid back environment we hoped something really special might emerge. At the end of the shoot the cast & crew had all had a ball. The camera was in the hands of D.O.P Wayne Nicholson, whoʼs photographic experience bought something quite wonderful to the images. Camera Assisting was Anthony Hanson, who we all know is absolutely brilliant & his lighting & technical expertise made a world of difference. Anthony also is a wonderful singer & guitarist. Sebastian Baltyn on second camera took some amazing images. We had two Canon Five D mark twoʼs & the very best of Canon lenses. The film location was stunning, the waterfall was running, we had overcast light... OK, there were a few insects. The less we say about that the better.
The score for the film has already been written, Thank you to Zaalan Tallis. Wendi Graham has some fantastic nature sounds waiting for the visuals, & a few unexpected horse sounds as well, always so nice to have surprises in sound! Megan Riley did a superhuman job as producer & managed to be in 5 other roles, as well as act. Megʼs provided the cast & crew with some of the best food ever. May I recommend her lasagna toasted sandwiches! Claire Leach, Amy Pollitt & Megʼs as the cast were just great to work with, not only providing superb performances but also being a part of the vibe. We did have to tear Claire away from her first love ( the camera), once a D.O.P always a D.O.P. Seriously though, Claireʼs creative input into the camera department was a great asset. Noah Norton was a joy to work with, making sure the technical side was all good, assisting Wendi with
sound & playing guitar in the evening. Donʼt worry Noah I wonʼt mention the way you run...I do have you "running" on film though...Hmmm.
Megʼs daughter Jezzy sang for us on Saturday night, by the time she got to her second line I knew she had something "special". For a young girl to sing so confidently was fantastic, & of course no one was letting her slip away without an encore. Sarina Starkey is waiting in the wings as our voice over actor, & will add the final finishing touches to the "feel" of the film, as soon as she arrives in Perth.
For such a fun shoot, Megʼs kept us all on schedule, & it was a well run set.
As the director, I must say I felt privileged to have such great cast & crew. My expectations were absolutely exceeded. Most importantly we had a ball, I have some great memories of our "film camp" & the film looks visually superb...still I could be biased!
I would like to sincerely thank everybody who took part in "The Washing Line" including Kaz Sternberg who wrote the poem the film is based on. Hanging out the washing will never be the same again!
See you all at the screening. Regards Penny Bedford.
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What is it like producing an OOMPF funded project? What can be learnt and where will it take you? Nat Eaton from Production Support asked OOMPF funded producer Jonathon Miller all about it...as well some other stuff.
1. You have recently finished working on the OOMPF funded project "Goodbye, Cruel World", how would you describe the filming process?
The filming process was for the most part, very smooth. Our greatest difficulty was that myself, Adrian McFarlane (writer/director), Sam Winzar (director of photography), and Marieke Spence (1st assistant director) were all very busy during the lead-up to principal photography. Adrian had recently started a new job and had arranged time off for the filming, Sam was taking work in the weeks leading up to our shoot to allow him to work on our production, and Marieke wasn't able to make it back from Queensland until the Saturday before our shoot started. None of our schedules really meshed apart from principal photography, so things like tech recces of locations were near impossible to schedule. The four of us were happy to get to locations a couple of hours early each day to try and negate some of the problems we would otherwise encounter, and I'm proud to say that we wrapped on time every single day.
We were really lucky with locations, from TAFE allowing us to spend a day on a rooftop, to hooking us up with another location when we were running ahead of schedule, to the City of Swan and City of East Fremantle assisting us. Richard Gunning (who we knew from the Town of Vincent Films) helped us out with a location when we had some problems elsewhere, Jessica Knight (the director of Gusto, a previous short I produced) let us take over her place one night, and the University of Notre Dame were very accommodating in letting us shoot in the School of Medicine's Simulated Ward.
As far as something funny, we were shooting up at Ellenbrook in the forest on our last day (Saturday), and we brought a gazebo and a portable changeroom for this shoot. Unfortunately, neither myself, Adrian, Sam or Marieke are "the outdoor type", leaving us fumbling in the dust with metal poles that were getting hotter by the minute, and lacking any ability to cohesively put together anything resembling a tent. We got there in the end, but luckily most of the crew and cast weren't due to arrive yet and missed our embarrassing display of construction!
2. What are some on-line resources that you can't live without?
Facebook, YouTube, and Vimeo are the targets I really want to hit with this short, but we're looking into building a website for it as well. I'm a big fan of resources such as Without A Box, various discussion boards, and am a big reader of Deadline Hollywood Daily. While it's not really relevant to our productions, it's a great view into the real side of Hollywood, and it's comments section is frequented by people who actually work in the business, rather than something like Ain't It Cool News. Sam Winzar's an avid reader of the forums over at RedUser.net and this has been helpful a few times on both "The Blind Daters" and "Goodbye, Cruel World" in terms of workflow, potential technical issues, and the like. Adrian utilised resources such as a scriptwriting feedback group he's part of. He incorporated the feedback he received when doing rewrites to help him get the script into the best possible shape before shooting.
3. Who else was involved in the making of the film?
Adrian McFarlane and I were lucky enough to have Sam Winzar return as director of photography, along with Xoe Baird as both location recordist and sound design, both of whom we worked with on our Town of Vincent film "The Blind Daters". Sam's equipment is well known around Perth, and by shooting a $5,000 film on a RED One, with a wide range of lenses, we were really able to maximise the look of the film and try to elevate it above some of the competition. Laetitia Belen as camera assistant was suggested by Sam, and we had Steve Hughes come down and help as gaffer for a couple of days. Adrian and I went to another OOMPF production as extras for a shoot to help out Xoe, who was working on it. That was when we found Marieke, and she was an absolute boon to our production. Xoe also recommended Jayden Weston from his work on Crow's Feet as still photographer, and Jayden has been a great resource for us on this production as you can see from the stills. Freena Hamilton, who I worked with on Sam Barrett's feature "No Through Road", came in and really helped us out with both hair and makeup in addition to special effects. Our actors were Damon Lockwood and Amanda Woodhams, who were both understanding of our lower budget, and really gave the production their absolute all, and I can't wait to see their performances cut together during the edit.
4. What do you feel you have learnt from the filming of this project that you will take with you to future productions?
Well, we'll be aiming for LINK soon enough, and one of the benefits of the higher budget is being able to pay people. The benefit of this is the fact that we can include pre-production time in that, and take more of their time. Other than that, this script was around the 15 page mark, with a lot of locations, and we're looking at developing something a little smaller, a little more self-contained, for when we apply to LINK in order to allow ourselves to have more control, and really take advantage of the resources and possibilities that a LINK grant can afford the production.
5. Which filmmakers are you inspired by?
As producer, it's difficult to really answer that how a writer or director would. I've really been impressed with films like the first "Saw", and particularly David Slade's "Hard Candy". I think it's too early for me to say that it's reflected in my filmmaking, but they are definitely films that, from a production/budget viewpoint, have really delivered and that I view highly of. They're low budget, but they never feel like they were a dollar short of what the story needed, and that's why I find them rather inspiring. A clever story making the most of its limited budget is something I really admire.
6. What advice would you give someone about to make their next short film?
Be realistic about what your budget is and what you can achieve for it. If you're going for Raw Nerve or OOMPF, try and keep it small. We shot 15 pages in a little over four full days, from East Fremantle to Lynwood, to Mount Hawthorn, to Ellenbrook. When we were submitting for OOMPF, we knew it would be difficult as we would really be stretching ourselves, but we made the decision to try and have this film look as big as we could. We're just starting to think about developing something for LINK, and the stretching of time and resources was one of the harder parts of this production that we intend to learn from!
Oh, and wear sunscreen. Lots of it. That was a Day 1 mistake.
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On Wednesday 7 October FTI was host to a screening of the National Indigenous Television/ Excalibur Productions joint production Life of the Town. Dale Kickett, narrator of the 13 part documentary series, and director Paul Roberts were available for questions after the screening of two episodes, Episode 7 - Healing and Episode 9 - Town Clown.
The audience response was deeply appreciative, "We see a lot of stuff from the East and it's nice to have a piece of our country, our people, on TV. "You captured the magic of that place," said Karla Hart. As a young girl growing up there, Karla said she could confirm that the town was always close-knit.
Paul Roberts told the audience that one of the themes was survival in regional Australia and that Ongerup was recommended to him by a Nyoongar friend as the right location for the series. When Paul asked why, he was told to go to Ongerup to "bloody find out"
Dale Kickett said he was happy to play a small part in this documentary. He said that there were a lot of messages in the series and urged audiences not to miss them.
Kathy Kickett & Dale Kickett
Dale Kickett, Blanche Quartermaine & Charles Kickett
Pip & Grace Young
Alan Payne & Jenni Cohen
Regan "Rags" Bennett
Peter Capp, Jenny Morris & Alf Harley
Paul Roberts
L-R Anthony Hanson (DOP), Paul Roberts (Dir) & Regg Skwarko (Editor & Motion Graphics Artist)
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60 bloody, decaying zombies moaned up Oxford Street and into Luna Cinemas in Leederville as impressed locals became paparazzi to the undead crowd. The opening of A Night of Horror Film Festival WA was huge fun.
Zombie Attack
Kevin Rudd Zombie
High Society Zombie
Night of the Dead
Zombie Girls
All You Zombies
Zombie Thirst
Our Leader, Undead
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The FTI Staff took part in some fire safety training this morning. We can now all put out fires with fire extinguishers. Pretty cool.
Facilities Manager Di Farmer gets on top of the situation.
General Manager Murray Reynish stands tall in the face of fire.
Post Production Officer Glen Adams learns some new things about fire.
Production Support Manager Yvette Coyne won't let fire stand in her way.
Receptionist Helen Vidovich prepares to give that fire a good talking to.
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