Six Questions with Jenny Plunkett

16 August 2008

Jenny Plunkett recently graduated from the Advanced Diploma in Screen (Video Production) training program at the Film and Television Institute.

Jenny was the recipient of the 2007 Di Coleman Breakthrough Scholarship, which focuses on proving opportunities to allow more women to enter the screen industry. She also recently produced a new promotional advertisement for FTI through the ‘Ad Up’ scheme.

For the final project in the course Jenny successfully pitched to be the film’s producer working alongside Director Andrew Seabourne.

How would you describe your new film ‘Spirits”?
“Spirits” is a quirky tale about a guy who’s inherited an old house, complete with a barrel of 120-year-old Federation Rum. He invites his mates over to share his good fortune, but they get a rude awakening next morning, when they discover what makes the rum so tasty.

Who else was involved in making the film?
“Spirits” was our graduation project at FTI, so it involved everyone in my class. A former FTI student, Gregg Johnson, came on board as gaffer, and we advertised for a professional make-up artist, and found Natalie Watson.

What was the production process like?
Everyone took their roles very professionally and began work immediately from the word go. We all wanted a good result and we knew this could only be achieved by putting 100% effort into it.

Filming was over four days, so scheduling had to be tight to fit into location and actor availability. Overall, the production process went smoothly. We’d worked on a number of films together previously and we worked well as a team.

How did you go about finding the acting talent for your film, was it hard to cast?
We put a casting call out on FTI’s website, as well as local casting agencies, and we had a good response. There’s a lot of actors willing to give up their time providing you act professionally, feed them well, and give them a copy of the film for their show reel.

What’s next on the cards for the member’s of your team?
Everyone’s keen to work on other projects and the training we received at FTI has given us the skills to network and make more films.

*What advice would you give to someone about to embark on making their next film? *
Be organised, professional, courteous and communicate well. Filmmaking’s all about problem solving, so be prepared to solve some problems. Even though it’s hard work, filmmaking should be fun, so don’t forget to enjoy the journey.

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Image: Jenny Plunkett with Di Coleman