Six Questions with Miranda Edmonds

8 June 2007

Organisation

Perth based filmmakers Miranda and Khrob Edmonds have just had their low budget feature film ‘The Course’ screened at the Stratford Upon Avon Digital Film Festival in England.

The 81-minute feature was written, produced and directed by the brother-sister team and tells the tale of Ben, a computer nerd who falls for the most beautiful girl on campus and turns to the literary works of Shakespeare to woo her.

We put six questions to Miranda, following the films debut at the Staford Upon Avon Festival.

How would you describe your new film ‘The Course”?

Its a fast-paced, energetic and colourful romp through the world of University and Shakespeare.

Who else was involved in making the film?

We had a great team of West Australian cast and crew for the shoot, all of whom worked exceptionally hard throughout the production. For most of us it was the first feature we had worked on and it proved to be a fantastic learning experience.

In post we were lucky enough to have Richard Mahony at Toadhall Studios to do our sound post production and we worked with a local
composer Ewan Jansen for the music. There is also a lot of band music in the film which was sourced predominantly by finding bands on the JJJ Unearthed website.

The film would not have been possible without the assistance of FTI in providing low-cost equipment, the extensive support of The University of Western Australia who provided our location and the UWA Guild who sponsored our entire catering – they say an army marches on its stomach – the same is true of a film crew!

What was the production process like?

We had the initial concept for the film in 2000 and were chosen to participate in the Sunrise Pitching Event in Sydney. We pitched the idea there which led to us working with veteran Australian director Maurice Murphy (15 Amore, The Aunty Jack Show) to develop it into a script.

Production took place over 3 weeks in January 2003. It was a frantic time but we had a lot of fun on set despite late nights and early mornings! The majority of our shoot was at one (large!) location which made things easier.

Post production then took ages but we completed the edit in 2006 then the sound post earlier this year. It is an amazing feeling to finally have a finished film.

How has the film been received by audiences in Stratford upon Avon, the home of Shakespeare?

The Course was very well received at Stratford. For the opening night we had a high percentage of Australians in the audience who loved it but it was also rewarding to hear the laughter of ‘strangers’ at the second screening.

We felt very privileged to screen our film in the very place where Shakespeare lived. Just walking around the streets there sends you back in time. We hope the ghost of Shakespeare appreciated our take on his work.

What’s next on the cards for your team?

We are currently working on ‘A Quinta,’ which is a drama set in Portugal; ‘Case’ – a black comedy set in Perth and a Shakespearean animated feature of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ using digital puppetry.

We are very keen to make our next feature using everything we have learned making The Course. We are also looking forward to shooting the next one on HD.

What advice would you give to someone about to embark on making their next film?

You’ve really got to love all your characters and your story, because this is literally years of your life you’re investing, and that boils down to your script – get that as close to perfect as you can, set a date to start shooting and get out there and make it!

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