Cast 2 Crew Magazine by Allan Cridland

CAST2CREW.COM The Entertainment Network

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CONTENT INDEX 01 03 05 07 09 11 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 24 25 26 29 30

Aliandra Calabrese Michaela Shuttleworth David Tracy Caitlyn Leo Emily Georgiou Jimmy Skylark Jorge Delgado J MA GEN TREE 2020 Film Industry The Best Films of 2020 The Paradox Of Recognition SARAH WRIGLEY Tracy Walsh Stephen Walker EAMON KINGSTON The Paradox of Recognition ARTIST RADAR Crooked Colours Gang of Youths Alice Ivy Minds Mild

31 33 35 37 38 39 41 42

Ilana Collins Kristina Sexton Kuva Rifta Musician’s Story Philippe Deseck Matasha Nuss Peter Koevari (INTERVIEW) Seth Kannof Final Thoughts AFIN Review 43 Kia Kaha 44 The Mirror 45 Hospital Show 46 The Kids of Grove 47 The Reckoning 49 FOR OUR CHILDREN 50 TORN - Dark Bullets 51 Residual Noise 52 Wienerland 53 COVID-19 55 Miss Scuba Australia 57 Suzanne Webcke

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Artist: Genevieve Tree.

Aliandra Calabrese is Queensland’s mix of Emilia Clarke, Gal Gadot and a splash of Lucy Hale. Add to the mix the spice of her Italian heritage and you’ve got an actor who is going places! From a young age her exploration of performance from music, acting and dancing grew into a love of all things creative arts, from the concerts in her living room to the 5 act plays at Christmas. Singing before she could speak, Aliandra studied music from the age of 4 and is now an AMEB trained pianist. Aliandra also studied voice at the Young Conservatories of Music from age 12 and recieved her accreditation from the Trinity School of Musical Theatre in London. Aliandra has years of experience both on stage and screen, one of her favourite roles being the lead in the Australian premiere of Jason Robert Brown’s “13 The Musical’.

Aliandra Calabrese 1

escribed by her friends and family as a very vibrant, kindhearted and hardworking (if slightly goofy) girl, Aliandra is a passionate and dedicated actor and singer. “ I care deeply for those around me, and I to care so deeply about the characters I play and the worlds I create for them. The exploration of human interaction and the beautiful tapestry of the stories we create as actors ignites a fire within me, and I am driven by that passion.” Aliandra’s devotion has led her to train extensively with a wide range of world renowned acting coaches and experts, and she continues to train in advanced screen acting and technique classes weekly. Through her studies Aliandra developed an immense love for screen acting; she has been cast in several projects over the last few years , and has thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to bring contrasting, complex characters to life, while exploring how her own identity and experiences impact her craft. “I am multicultural and I have grown up having almost two identities by belonging to two cultures. This has shaped me both as a person and as an actor. I love having more than one side to my identity and who I am, and I love exploring what multifaceted identities exist for the characters I play. It is a beautiful process.”

Aliandra has recently finished working on the Screen Queensland web-series Perfect Messy Love where she plays a free spirited, intelligent, extroverted young girl who loves life, makingthe most of every moment after having overcome a traumatic experience. A quickly rising star, Aliandra is looking forward to working on future projects, such as the TV series proof of concept she has recently landed a lead role in. And very soon you’ll see her on the big screen in the upcoming Australian feature film ‘The Imagination Investigation’ where this talented young local portrays a powerful, sassy assassin with something to prove. Like Aliandra says: “The sense of joy that fills me when bringing a character to life is like no other, the adoration I have for the nuances and complexities of acting is an undying love affair.”

“

oming into Miss Scuba International, a beauty pageant, I was way out of my comfort zone. I had never done a pageant before, let alone diving straight into an international one. My preparation for Miss Scuba was watching Miss Congeniality starring Sandra Bullock. Needless to say, I walked into the pageant with a fair few stereotypes in my head (guilty), and boy, was I wrong. Miss Scuba International focuses on marine conservation and scuba diving, and the biggest lesson I learnt from the pageant was that personality is everything. I met so many passionate conservationists, scuba instructors, 6ft models, and true gracious pageant ladies. From day one I had no intention of winning - we were all there for marine conservation, and the best means to promote it. And that’s what we did, we created bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime. Meeting people who share similar passions for our environment is beyond motivational. Day two, we were truly sisters in arms, and we acted like it. We had already made plans to work outside the pageant, plans that we are currently enacting. We formed connections worldwide. Miss Scuba International was never about the crown, it was to form these connections so that we had a bigger team fighting for our oceans. So you could imagine my surprise when after a full two weeks of marine conservation workshops, diving, public speaking workshops, pageant coaching, dance lessons, talent shows, and photo shoots, I stood at the end of the stage with the crown. Not only had I formed valuable relationships, but now I could go and create even more opportunities for me and all my sisters. Fast forward to present me, I have completed one MSI trip to Europe and visited two dive shows. From those two diveshows alone I have opportunities around the world to educate, set up programs, promote sustainability, and immerse myself in my underwater haven. And not just me, but for those passionate ladies I am proud to call friends. We are stronger as a team, especially when we’re fighting a global crisis. Miss Scuba International has catapulted my contribution in this fight tenfold, and is something I cannot recommend enough for young passionate women alike to partake in. It’s been over a year and a half since my initial decision to give Miss Scuba Australia a try, and that decision has changed my life.

Michaela Shuttleworth I’ve been brought up to seize every opportunity that comes my way, so when I was scouted to participate in Miss Scuba Australia, I thought, “Well there’s no harm in trying.” Little did I know that simple decision would open so many more opportunities for my career, my travel, my experience, and my personal growth!

Miss Scuba International 2019 / 2020

MODELLING ACTING/STUNTs In this world nothing is free. My time in the industry has been short, but to make anything happen you have to put in the hard work. Deciding to join the entertainment industry started out as a fun idea, to hopefully get a lucky big break. But it’s not so simple. To be great at anything you have to train, study, research, and fail. Fail an immeasurable amount of times, because failure is the best lesson of all. Starting was hard; finding the confidence to put myself out in front of others was uncomfortable, being vulnerable with my emotions was confronting, and facing my fears was beyond terrifying. But holy heck was it fun doing it all. Coming out on the other end to say I’ve done it, and then doing it again to see the improvement, has become intoxicating. Which is probably the best way I can describe my experience with modelling, acting, and stunts. It explores so many different skills and grows my security and confidence dramatically. Stepping into the world of entertainment has definitely engraved my outlook on seizing opportunities. Through it all, my accomplishments are defined by attitude and hard work. There is always something new to learn. Modelling has taught me confidence, Acting has taught me vulnerability is a strength, and Stunts has taught me to give it all or nothing. We are all on a journey to be secure in who we are and thrive in our environment, so my biggest piece of advice to anyone reading; give it a go, you’re braver than you think!

David Tracy David was born and raised in Sydney and mixed his love of surf, rugby, boxing and gridiron with ballroom dancing and theatrical arts - a mixed bag, some would say. His introduction and love of the theatrical arts began in primary school plays and the boy scouts with their yearly production of Showtime/Gangshow. This continued throughout high school, with David taking every opportunity her could to steal the limelight in major school productions. In 2005 he moved into the mining industry and continued his love for theatre in the small mining towns with their local productions. In 2018 he moved his family to the Gold Coast and with this move came the opportunity to get into the film and TV industry. David found an agent, got headshots done, set up a profile on the databases and started doing acting courses to build his experience and credits. Throwing himself into student films and free jobs etc, David loved exvery part of the process. David got his first core extra role as a detective on US TV series “Reef Break”, wihch was filmed on the Gold Coast. He loved being on set, but what David really enjoyed was watching how the professionals did it. “I learned so much”, David says. “Watching a large group of people working hard to get the best from every moment is inspiring.” Under the training of acclaimed acting coach Kristy Sexton, David has learned about professional presentation, image and character, self-taping and script analysis. The list goes on, but David says the biggest thing he topok from Kristy were to not doubt himself, and to pull it right back. Dave really enjoys self-taping in the garage with the help of his family. “This is acting. Any jobs I get from that is pure cream.” As we get through the Covid-19 pandemic, David is finding himself in a position where he can make a career out of acting. “I am truly thankful for the opportunities I have received so far, and the amazing people I have met in the industry. Everybody has been so encouraging and supportive.”

Age Range: 45 – 55 Height: 184cm Base: Brisbane,GoldCoast Hair: Greying Eye: Brown Agent: AED Management Phone: 0421 766 989 Email: info@aedmgmt.com www.aedmgmt.com

Other Experience ~ Served as a rifleman in the Australian Army Reserve ~ Worked as an Auxiliary Fire Fighter in NT and QLD Fire and Rescue ~ Heavy Rigid truck licence ~ Motor cycle licence ~ Boat licence ~ PADI rescue diver ticket ~ Bronze Medallion in Surf Life Saving ~ Ballroom and Latin America dance ~ 2020

Ֆ Short Film - This River - AFTRS / Naomi Fryer : Gary Ֆ Television - Reef Break - ABC International / Disney : Extra – Reporter Ֆ Short Film - The Last Philosopher King - John McCormack : Bit-Port - Bar Manager Ֆ Short Film - Brown Paper Bag - Scott D Clark : Extra - Airport Traveller Ֆ Short Film - Stay - Hannah Smith : Extra - Non Speaking Ֆ Short Film - Would You Rather - Waterworks : Extra - Non Speaking

Ֆ Commercial - Officeworks - The producers : Hero: Uncle Bikie Ֆ Short Film - Eloise - Daylight Pictures : John Ֆ Short Film - Watcher - Anton Ek : Greg Ֆ Web Series - Get out of jail free - FoathTV: Grant Bell : Sargent Milburn Ֆ Education: Ben Parkinson Casting with Kristy Sexton : Intensive Comedy Ֆ Short Film - How it hurts - NYFA. Alexa Widt : Tim

2019

Ֆ Education - Ben Parkinson Casting with Kristy Sexton : Intensive #102 Professional Acting Ֆ Education - Ben Parkinson Casting with Kristy Sexton : Intensive #101 Audition and text analysis Ֆ Education - Queensland Headshots with Sandra Bell : Intensive general American accent course Ֆ Commercial - NRMA Insurance - The Monkeys : Hero: Mattress Guy Ֆ Television - Reef Break - ABC International / Disney : Core Extra – Detective

2018

Ֆ Television - The End - Foxtel (See-Saw Films) : Prison Inmate Ֆ Short Film - Late - Griffith Uni : Extra - Non Speaking Ֆ Education - Bud Hopes Workshop : Buds Gets Set Workshop Ֆ Education - Agency 888 Movie Extras Club with Krystal Shuttleworth : Career Centre

Caitlyn Leo is an Australian Actress Based on the Gold Coast 7

Her recent film credits include a role on Harrow (ABC) the short horror film Reformed (which premiered at the Screamfest film festival at the TLC Chinese Theatre in LA) and Practice Patience, a medical drama in which she plays the role of a nurse. Playing a nurse coincidentally comes naturally to Caitlyn, as she has been working as a Registered Nurse for Queensland Health for the past 6 years, having now crossed over into the field of on-set nursing. Caitlyn’s real life experience as a Registered Nurse has given her invaluable life experience, having helped patients and families through some of the hardest times of their lives. This has helped Caitlyn immensely when exploring the emotional experience of the characters she portrays on film, and in the theatre. Before turning to the world of the arts, Caitlyn grew up as a competitive Surf Life Saver on the Gold Coast. After years of intense training and competitions, Caitlyn had spinal surgery at the age of 14, and during the time off from her training, she began to focus her energy on exploring other interests. After seeing a performance of Summer Of The Seventeenth Doll at La Boîte Theatre Company in Brisbane when she was only 14, it was then that Caitlyn knew she wanted to become an actress. Diving into the theatre world in 2019, Caitlyn performed in the role of Honey, in ‘Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?’ by the Fortitude Valley based Ad Astra Theatre Company, which received very positive reviews. Theatre Haus praised her performance, saying she was “Endearing in her portrayal of Honey and, while the character did not speak quite as much as the others on stage, Leo’s consistent characterisation didn’t go unnoticed. The talented actress was always switched on and responsive to the action around her”. Later that year Caitlyn played the role of the French teacher Mademoiselle Diane De Poitiers in Villa Nova Players Picnic At Hanging Rock, in which Stage Whispers praised her as having poise in their review. Finishing off the 2019 season, Caitlyn portrayed the role of Jessie in Ad Astra’s ‘Jingle Bells Suck!’, an original piece created by Ad Astra’s youth group, Astra-Nova. The 2020 season will go out with a bang, with Ad Astra putting on 2:20 AM, a contemporary drama written by Australian playwright Rebecca Lister, which tackles the heavy topic of suicide and the impact it leaves on family members. A powerful piece, 2:20AM hit the stage in late November, with Caitlyn having scored herself one of the lead roles of Emma. Shortly after that, The sequel of Jingle Bells Suck - ‘Jingle Bells Sucks Baubles!’ will hit Ad Astra’s stage, with Caitlyn reprising her role of Jessie. This show is a hilarious comedy written and directed by Ad-Astra’s own writer in residence, Pierce Gordon, and follows eight young Aussie adults in their week up to Christmas, which will provide some much needed Christmas cheer and laughter after a chaotic and scary 2020. The goal is clear. Caitlyn is focused on the entertainment industry, and will continue to pursue a career in acting within film and stage.

Miss Georgiou says, “While it’s been hard not going into class in person, thankfully classes have been on Zoom! Also, classes that I wouldn’t have normally been able to attend due to location, were offered on Zoom for convenience! I was constantly learning and bettering my skills.” Now with restrictions easing, Emily has already managed to jump into one of the South East Queensland productions currently filming. Emily says “I’ve just been on set, it’s a different experience with COVID having an impact, but it’s great to be back doing what I love. There’s so much happening in QLD at the moment, it feels as though opportunities are opening up.” Emily has been in several film and television projects including San Andreas, Inbetweeners 2 and Harrow. Her list of credits is continuing to grow. Now Emily is in the midst of writing her own feature film. It’s a comedy with an ethnic bent. Emily says, “Having a Greek Orthodox family presents so many opportunities for comedy, there is humour everywhere you look. I’ve had this idea in my head for a while, and thanks to COVID I have been able to put my head down and write it.” “My favourite genre is Romantic Dramedy because it can bring a smile, a cry and a good laugh for everyone.” Her love for film and acting began when she was 8 years old after seeing the film “Bend it like Beckham” in cinemas. Emily says, “I remember going to the movies and watching this film about an ethnic girl who came from a strict cultural background who wanted to play soccer. I was also a huge football fan and said to my mum, “This is what I want to do! I want to make people laugh and cry. I want to make people feel.” Emily is focused and determined to deliver enjoyable and creative content to viewers while striving to make her way through the acting industry.

M I S S Georgiou 9

Emily Georgiou Brisbane’s Emily Georgiou hasn’t let the challenges of 2020 stop her from chasing a career in acting. While COVID-19 has provided many hurdles and a brief pause of Miss Georgiou’s auditions, she hasn’t let it stop her from practicing her craft.

Jimmy Skylark is an actor currently based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. To hone his skills in Voice, Stage and Screen, Jimmy has trained with some of Australia’s most reputable acting coaches from NIDA, as well as Voice and Dialect Coach, Rebekah O’Sullivan and Casting Director Ben Parkinson from Ben Parkinson Casting. Jimmy has starred in a number of productions ranging from Feature Films, TV Shows, Short Films, Music Videos and Commercials. His latest role was a Scene of Crime Officer in the ABC drama series Harrow. Jimmy has also appeared as a Soldier in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and has worked as a supporting cast member for the TV Show Hoges: The Paul Hogan Story. Outside of acting, Jimmy spends his time networking,

Film Making and working as a Storyboard Artist. Jimmy diligently continues to train weekly with his acting Coach, Kristina Sexton as part of her Acting Army and company. To follow Jimmy Skylark’s success more closely be sure to check out Jimmy’s Instagram page @jimmyskylark or and head to his website www.jimmyskylark.com to get in contact with the up and coming star.

Jorge Delgado

Jorge Delgado, also known as ‘Fit Grandpa Jorgie,’ is a man on a mission to promote the mindset “It’s never too late and you’re never too old!” Jorge was born in the slums of South America. At the age of ten he saw his neighbor get shot by thieves. It was when he saw the life threatening injuries, Jorge realised life was not going to be easy. Jorge’s parents were accepted to emigrate to Australia in 1978, and Jorge was only 12 at the time. He has been in Australia now travelling and residing between Sydney and Gold Coast for the past 42 years, adjusting to the Aussie way of living, but he always retained a lot of his cultural background. For Jorges 40th birthday his sister purchased him a weekend stunt experience as a present. All Jorge ever did before that and knew how to do was play soccer. After that weekend his life took a turn. Fit Grandpa Jorgie says, “Stunts changed my life, when I said I wanted to become a stuntman, a lot of people said it’s a bit too late. I was far from discouraged, I didn’t listen and it gave me the drive to chase that dream.” Little did Jorge know it was the beginning of so many things he was yet to explore or accomplish. “In 2006, at the age of 40, I did my stunt course at the Australian Stunt Academy. I came back to do it a second time, because I enjoyed the first time

so much! I went on to become an instructor at the Academy, teaching side-by-side with Colin Handley, the founder of the Australian Stunt Academy, and his son Ryan, who is now a top stunt performer himself.” In 2010 Jorge became a graded stunt performer, achieving the first of many performing goals he had set for himself. “I went on to Hollywood to improve my skills through training with some amazing coaches such as Anthony De Longis and Bob Yerkes, both Hollywood legends. But that wasn’t enough, I went on to join circus training as a trapeze catcher and acrobat. I learned and trained with Rodleigh Stevens, a master of the art, and had the honor to fly with the España brothers, I had also trained with Richie Gaona in the United States. My thirst for knowledge pushed me more and more and I wasn’t going to let age stop me.”

Fit Grandpa Jorgie also competed in 2nd season Ninja warrior in 2018 at the age of 52 (!) making it through to the semifinals. Always wanting to learn more, he is now a student of calisthenics, and at 54 is training in CrossFit. His next goal? Competing in the CrossFit Master Games in 2021. When he is not training, Jorge really enjoys creating content for social media. Check out his instagram - @ fit_grandpa_jorgie and his YouTube channel www.youtube.com/user/jorgehdelgado6661 One of Jorge’s driving forces for everything he does is from a quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s - his 6th rule on life: Give something back! “I hope my videos can help inspire people, the same way I was inspired when I got involved with stunts.”

After Hollywood, Jorge travelled to Chile and Argentina to learn more about acrobatics and stunts, and went on to run two stunt courses in Argentina, which were extremely successful. He then came back to Australia and started teaching acrobatics with well known Ninja Warrior competitor Skye Haddy.

Cast 2 Crew recently had the pleasure of sitting down for an interview with rising star J’ Ma. Here’s what this strong, sassy and driven upcomer had to say: C2C: So J’ Ma, you were born and raised in Taipei. How did you end up joining us in Australia? Did you have any issues at the start? J’ Ma: I came to Australia as an exchange student when I was young without my family. It was so hard at first as I could not speak English. I didn’t have friends at school because I was not able to understand what people were saying, they all seemed to be talking so fast! But soon I learned that if I want to adopt this new culture and language, I needed to step out of my comfort zone. I began to speak up more, listened to more music, watched more TV and films. I remember wanting to learn how to speak English so I can make jokes. It was during this time that I discovered my passion for acting and storytelling. How stories connect people together through different emotions and feelings. I felt that personally. C2C: Was there anything else about acting that attracted you to the craft? J’ Ma: Growing up in Australia I never really see anyone that looks like me in movies or tv, that is one of the reasons I wanted to be an actress as I believe everyone deserves representation, to be a kid and seeing someone that looks like you is powerful. I am a strong advocate for diversity in the entertainment industry. Everyone needs to know they are unique and beautiful, and you can just be you and you do not need to look a certain way. C2C: Now you only really started chasing work last year, correct? J’ Ma: That’s right. After years of not chasing my dream due to personal and family reasons I finally began my acting path in 2019 and I have been on stage, short films, and feature films that I am so blessed to be involved in. C2C: What did you work on? J’ Ma: I worked on more projects in one year than I ever thought I would. Let’s see... Death Row, Life Goes On, Breaking Tradition, The Brighton Miracle, Hollowed Stone. Shorts, TV movies, features - I learnt so much in 12 months! My biggest one was aTVseries called Mystery Exposed. I can’t say too much as we’re still filming, but I’m very busy on that one. C2C: Nice work, that sounds super exciting! So how did you stay busy this year? J’ Ma: During Covid-19 I co-wrote and directed a short film called Together with an actress from Los Angeles. The film is a film about a journey of two best friends reconnecting through video diaries, and ultimately rediscovering themselves during the uncertain times of Covid-19. It has been selected as one of the official films in a Social Distancing Film Festival in LA, and in an online Isolation Short Film Festival in Russia, and is currently in other film festivals around the globe.

J’ MA C2C: Congratulations J! What’s next for you now? J’ Ma : I hope I can keep going with my acting journey and stay creative in the film and TV industry. I know I’m really fortunate to get the opportunities I’ve had so far, and I want to say thankyou to all the people that have helped me on my journey so far. C2C: Any advice for people starting their own journey into the arts? J’ Ma: Keep busy and keep your skills up. I’m still at acting classes every week. You can never stop learning.

GEN TREE Gen Tree is a versatile artist and animator based in Brisbane Australia. Having just graduated with a Bachelor of Animation at Griffith Film School, Gen studied and honed skills in disciplines such as animating, art direction, comics, storyboarding and stop-motion fabrication. Exciting her degree with many academic achievements, she landed an internship with Ludo Studio in November for Character Animation on the hit TV series Bluey. Currently Gen teaches and entertains the masses Bob Ross style at Brush and Barrel’s Sip and Paint studios in both Newstead and Fortitude Valley, whilst also freelancing from her personal studio; completing commissions, animated projects and commercial client work in both digital formats and traditional mediums as a skilled acrylic painter. Gen finds it often quite surreal to have a thriving career in the arts, especially with so much success even during her time at university: In 2019 her portrait of Brisbane based drag queen Sellma Soul was selected as a finalist for the Portrait Prize Exhibition as apart MELT: Queer Arts and Culture festival and was exhibited at Brisbane Powerhouse throughout the season. Gen was also a resident artist at Woodford Folk Festival 2019/2020, running workshops in the Artisan Alley to hone skills with biros and markers, life drawing and fostering advanced techniques. In February 2020 her growing cartoon cubism collection exhibited at Backdock Arts, with prints available for purchase online through her website or via Store Envy. Plus during her final weeks of her degree, Gen scored a major project completing multiple animation sequences solo for a locally produced TV Pilot (The Science of Stunts) which is set to air in 2021 (TBC). Outside her visual artist pursuits, Gen has previously trained and frequently performs as an Actor, Singer and Writer in theatre and film, with various musical theatre credits to her name including QPAC and Brisbane Powerhouse based productions, seasonal residencies in immersive works as a Jazz vocalist and performer, or educational theatre tours across NSW and Victoria. But on a more personable level, Gen is a goofy nerd at heart, has a deep love of Pokémon, bad puns, Studio Ghibli movies and her corgi Jupiter. With already so much interest and promise in a career of animation early on, Gen aims to work as a character animator on acclaimed networks such as Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Netflix Animation or Disney to name a few, with ultimate aspirations to launch her own animation studio producing original narrative features or television series. She is extremely excited to see where her career takes her next; locally or internationally. For information on commissions, portfolios and reels, keeping up to date or just for some mad chats, visit itsgentree.com or follow her on Instagram @itsgentree

ARTIST & ANIMATOR 16

2020 Film Industry: Streaming Services Swoop on the Territory of Struggling Cinemas

ou would know 2020 was a year like none other. You would also know that the film industry has been particularly hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. From a patronage standpoint, we have been omitted from the new releases and blockbusters we typically expect to be screened in cinemas in all parts of the year. With studios too afraid to release their multi-million projects to limited audiences (as well as venues closing indefinitely), the film industry is projected to be wiped of US$70bn in comparison to last year’s US$110bn revenue.

Where there has been apprehension and indecision on cinema releases, there have however also been signs of resurgence from filmmakers through increased use of Video On Demand (VOD). This easy-use, socially-distanced entertainment method has proved perfect for cashed-up bored people across the world. Those studios lucky enough to be aligned with Streaming Video On Demand (SVOD) services, such as ‘Netflix’, have been gifted the opportunity to showcase their work to a growing number of couchbased audiences. Both VOD and SVOD users are projected to be the fastest growing medium users in 2020/21 due to the COVID-19 affects, rising to more than 160 million and almost 100 million users worldwide respectively over the last 12 months. Last year’s online alternative to cinema hasn’t been all smooth-sailing nevertheless. Desperate to reclaim some of the lost estimated revenue in cinema tickets, studios like Disney and the case of their live-action film ‘Mulan’ going to the SVOD ‘Disney+’, have been heavily criticised for placing paywalls on top of existing subscription service fees. This has led many to discredit the method’s longevity, while others have simply labelled it as just experimental. Disney’s cashgrab failure, in the eyes of critics and general users alike, has led many SVOD services to re-revaluate their approach to additional monetised efforts following initial sign-up costs, meaning this may be

the last time we see this kind of stunt for a while. Other streaming services, such as the industry juggernaut ‘Netflix’, have avoided this paywall approach and instead opted to simply rise their subscription plans. Although these price hikes have been self-credited by the platform as an effort to increase their catalogue of movies and TV shows, it could be argued that Netflix are confident they will hold their monopoly on the market despite new streaming services popping up what seems like every month this year in Australia. Looking to the future, three prominent questions then stick in the minds of entertainment fans across the world. The first is, after experiencing its worst year in the 21st century and arguably since WWII, how many more decades or perhaps just mere years will the cinema industry continue operating for. The second question is then did the threat of large cinema chains potentially becoming bankrupt by the end of 2020 signal an impending doom of new films screening to collective audiences? The subsequent question following these then, is will we ever see Netflix toppled from its SVOD throne with more streaming services coming out of the woodworks, or is their grip on the market only to grow with cinemas becoming less relevant following 2020?

Final Thoughts by Connor McMurdo

To see more content by Final Thoughts including reviews on Film, TV and Gaming, follow us on: Facebook – @finalthoughtsreviews Instagram – @final_thoughts_reviews ӆ PWC, 2020 – https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/entertainment-media/outlook-2020/perspectives.pdf ӆ STATISTA, 2020 – https://www.statista.com/forecasts/456771/video-on-demand-users-worldwideforecast

ӆ MARKETWATCH, 2020 – https://www.marketwatch.com/story/30-to-watch-mulan-on-disneyis-either-outrageous-or-an-amazing-deal-depending-on-who-you-ask-2020-08-05

ӆ NEWS.COM.AU, 2020 – https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/streaming/netflix-increasesprices-for-basic-and-standard-plans-in-australia/news-story/a55c1c70905abe7393f3c13e6bd4ac53

ӆ THE VERGE, 2020 – https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/13/21514822/amc-theaters-cash-moviesdelays-closing-pandemic-debt-regal

The Best Films of 2020:

Reviewed by the Team at Final Thoughts

Although the COVID-19 pandemic brought the cinema industry to its knees this year, studios, directors, writers, actors and the wider crews involved in the production of films stood tall through 2020’s adversity to bring movielovers such as us at the Final Thoughts team the bigscreen content we so craved. Compiled below, are the standout theatrical releases that we were lucky enough to see either in cinema, or as most people did this year, online. These short reviews of our team’s favourite films that released in Australia in 2020 are a merely a glimpse into our personalities and the content we publish to our pages and to Cast2Crew. If you like what we have to say and have an interest in either films, television shows or gaming, consider following our socials below.

Connor: Being a sucker for war films, it’s not surprising

how much I enjoyed The Outpost, the true-story telling of an American base in Afghanistan that was attacked by Taliban forces in 2009. Starring Scott Eastwood and a short but sweet appearance from Orlando Bloom, this homage to a few of the American lives that were lost is as much brutal, as it is tasteful and is simply brilliant.

Jesse: A true play on human knowledge and imagination,

Christopher Nolan’s Tenet reimagines the idea of time travel and shapes it into a film that encourages audiences to delve deeper into the cinematic experience. Tenet redefines story-telling through film, and is sitting pretty for awards season.

Damon: After the extremely terrible depiction of our

favourite blue hedgehog in the Sonic the Hedgehog trailer in 2019, it felt as the only thing quicker than Sonic at that point was everyone’s disappointment and faith in this film. But after the redesign of the blue speedster and Jim Carrey being Jim Carrey we all remember and love, I couldn’t believe that my low expectations of the movie had been knocked right out of the park. It had a great mixture of action and comedy with a great storyline that ended with me wanting more! To see more content by Final Thoughts including reviews on Film, TV and Gaming, follow us on:

ӆ Facebook – @finalthoughtsreviews ӆ Instagram – @final_thoughts_reviews

These short reviews of our team’s favourite films that released in Australia in 2020 are a merely a glimpse Sam: Extraction, I thought, was an incredible into our personalities and the content we publish to our portrayal of the darker side revolving around ex-military pages and to Cast2Crew. If you like what we have to say personnel. It was awesome to see Chris Hemsworth step and have an interest in either films, television shows or into a much more rugged, brutal role compared to his gaming, consider following our socials below. more recent out of this world/comedic characters. Connor: Being a sucker for war films, it’s not surprising

Tait: The Peanut Butter Falcon is a beautifully how much I enjoyed The Outpost, the true-story telling

emotive film that follows the adventure of two unlikely friends; an outlaw, and a man with Down syndrome. The film’s incredibly well written script is aided by great music composition and acting from Shia LeBeouf and Zack Gottsagen, that provide an overall wholesome tone. If you haven’t seen this gorgeous film yet, it is definitely worth the watch.

of an American base in Afghanistan that was attacked by Taliban forces in 2009. Starring Scott Eastwood and a short but sweet appearance from Orlando Bloom, this homage to a few of the American lives that were lost is as much brutal, as it is tasteful and is simply brilliant.

Connor MCMURDO BIOGRAPHY Hi, my name’s Connor McMurdo. I’m 22 and am the creator of Final Thoughts, an online reviewing platform of films, TV shows and games. In what began as a way to continue practicing writing and to develop upon my portfolio from university, has evolved into a passion project for five people across the eastern states of Australia. Titled ‘Closing Credits’ as a placeholder name in its infant state, Final Thoughts now one year later will continue its existing partnership with Cast2Crew to feature in this organisation’s magazine each month. Outside of this hobby, I work in advertising as a media. The fast paced and heavy reporting nature of my work makes Final Thoughts seem an escape to be creative and an opportunity truly build something with close friends. Looking to the future, there are many expansions and new ventures for the platform. However, as long as the films, television shows and videogames that we are passionate about are still being reviewed for the pure joy of creative expression, then Final Thoughts will be in good hands!

Stunt Professional - Grace

Conlan

C2C: Can you tell us a bit about yourself? My name’s Grace Conlan, I’m a West Aussie girl, born and bred. I went to school and to uni in WA, completing my degree in Physiotherapy in 2005. I’ve worked in Sports Physio since then - I’ve always been fairly sporty and active. I left Perth five years ago in pursuit of more opportunities to work in film. I’ve spent time in Melbourne and Sydney and now find myself living here on the Gold Coast!

C2C: You work in Stunts, what was that like when you first started out in the industry? Yes, I work in stunts- at least where I can. It is difficult, especially when you’re starting out, because you only get called in to shoot scenes as needed. So most of us hold down a regular job and just cameo in stunts for a few days or weeks when required. The aspiration is of course to build up to a point where you can get enough work in film to make it your primary job- but it’s a long process and I’m still plugging away at it.

C2C: At least as Sports Physio you’d never be short on stunt clients! Hahaha! Yep, that’s definitely true!

C2C: So how did you get into stunts? I was doing an adult trampolining and gymnastics class, just for fun and fitness, about 8 years ago. It was there that I met a group of people training to become stunt performers. My ears pricked up when I heard this- there wasn’t much of a film industry in WA at the time, and growing up I’d never even heard of this as a job option. I was instantly intrigued. When I started to learn more about the process, I realised “water” was one of the avenues which can help you get into stunts, and so I followed up and began my training!

C2C: So you’re a water baby? Most definitely! I grew up by the beach and my parents put my sister and me into swim lessons from an early age. But it wasn’t really until my teenage years that my involvement in water sports took off. I learned to surf, then to dive, then to kite surf and now I’m also really into free diving.

C2C: Would you say that anything to do with water is where your niche is? More like a jack of all trades, master of none. I have a very solid grounding in a wide variety of water based activities, but I was never pro level at any one of them. That being said, my years of involvement in these disciplines has given me a good understanding of how currents, tides, waves, rips, wind, water clarity and so on affect the conditions on any given day, as well as how they affect the safety of the people in and around the water. This has led me to the other area of film and stunts which I’m interested in, which is Water Safety. I’ve continued to up-skill over the years, and focused on learning the more technical side to certain areas of water safety.

C2C: Ok, aside from stunts, you’re an avid SCUBA diver. Where’s the best place you’ve ever dived? Awww, that’s a hard question!! I’m not sure I can pick just one. Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia is stunning, and diving with the humpback whales in Tonga was a very special experience, Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands- which is sometimes referred to as Iron Bottom Sound because of the sheer number of war wrecks which sunk thereis a surreal underwater haven; it’s not often you can swim out from shore and find an abundance of plane and boat wrecks right there to dive on- it’s actually kinda spooky. Indonesia has some crazy currents and trenches where I went, which made for some memorable, and scary, dives. And being here now I’ve started exploring some of the beautiful sites that QLD has to offer... I know that’s not one favourite place, sorry!

C2C: That’s OK! Seems like you’ve been to a lot of places! Yeah, when you ask me a question like that I realise how lucky I am to have done as much travel as I have. I was super lucky with my first few jobs in physio- for about a decade I would work for 9-10 months and save, then go away backpacking and travelling for a few months a year. I feel so blessed to have travelled to so many corners of the world. It’s crazy what the world is looking like at the moment with this pandemic. Who knows when international travel will be freely open again? Hopefully it’s not too far off!

C2C: Do you only do stunt work involving water? No. Most people have a background area they bring to stunts (fighting, driving, horse riding, etc.) but all of us train to meet a certain level of basic competency in land based stunts. Most of the work I have done so far in stunts actually has been on land, not in the water... I just realised the phrase land-based stunts make me sound like some kind of mermaid.

C2C: Mermaid, hey? Could be a career goal there to work towards! I was lucky enough to tick that box already! I got to work as a professional mermaid at Sea World, swimming in the shark tank for the vistors. It was awesome! That tail was heavy though!

C2C: That’s brilliant! What other productions have you worked on? I’ve been fortunate enough to work on King Kong vs Godzilla, Legend of Sun and Moon, and I just finished work on the Baz Lurhmann Elvis biopic. That was epic, just great fun to be a part of. Oh, and Dive Club! I was the stunt diving double for one of the actors on that one too!

C2C: Nice work! Hopefully you can get more jobs like that in the future! That’s the goal! Scuba stunts by day, professional mermaid by night!

STORYTELLER.

SARA a H WRIGLEY: ACTOR, ARTIST, PASSIONATE CREATIVE,

and is excited to put her skills to the reading, traveling, and exploring test. nature to keep me centered. Look after yourself, and you’ll be ready for Acting goes beyond telling people’s every opportunity that comes your stories for the talented performer. way.” As Sarah says, “For me, acting is an exploration, investigation and celebration of life and the human Wanting to become the best possible condition. It searches for the origin version of herself, Sarah left Australia of behavior, societal conditioning, several years ago to study her craft and most importantly to me, the abroad. Settling in New York, Sarah unique connection of humanity.” focused on a Fine Arts degree from the prestigious Tisch School of In the 2020 lifestyle, Sarah realises the Arts, finishing with a major in it’s important to stay busy, but to also Theatre. Now back on home soil, this take time for yourself. “If I’m not versatile artist is represented by Paul acting, there’s martial arts, singing, Newlands at Creme Management, dancing, playing guitar and piano, Bitten by the acting bug at a young age, Sarah has put her whole being into her profession. Over the last decade, this promising actress has worked on many projects around her home base of Brisbane, both on the stage and in front of the camera.

Tracy Walsh

has made the leap from television reporter to actress and confesses that crossing the credibility line is something she has struggled with. “It was so important as an on-camera news reporter to remain calm, maintain credibility and ultimately, to be taken seriously. I used to work hard to find three stories a day and get them to air in country New South Wales.” Tracy says the seriousness of news presented a real conflict in learning the craft of acting, inhibiting her class work and performances. However, she says she learned focus, how to be resourceful and how to deliver under pressure. Importantly, she learned to work closely with camera crews and after a few years of reporting moved into a segment producer role for the children’s television show, “Totally Wild”. “This experience being part of the media meant surviving in a cut throat industry and as a result of it, I made life long friends. I’m really comfortable around crews and productions.” Tracy moved from television to corporate communications, but reached a point in her life where she could no longer resist the compelling urge to act. “I was the lead in the school play, most of my teenage years were spent in community theatre, and I studied drama (as well as journalism) as part of my Bachelor of Arts degree at UQ (The University of Queensland). It got to the point where I realised I had been compromising a part of me that is important and yearns to flourish.” And flourish she has. Within a few months of being taken on by her agent, Tracy landed the hero role in a national TVC. Then this year during Covid, Tracy created something that has begun to put her on the map. “I wrote Technology Hurts and filmed it on my iphone in my bathroom. It’s the story of a woman who is dumped by a single text message and goes through the often unseen emotions that result. It’s a simple theme but one that audiences have found relatable.” The short film has won selection at several Indie Short Film festivals in Los Angeles. “I’m religious about my commitment to acting training. I’m currently doing three classes and all the scene study homework each week. This includes a US accent class. Oh, and I have just finished a draft of my first feature film.” Tracy says her background has served her well, reinforcing the importance of reaching for excellence and putting in the work. “I love the gritty, emotional scenes. The challenging ones because I’m prepared to go there and there’s nothing stopping me. Professional characters like those in corporate offices are fantastic too because having worked for so many years in the media and in corporate offices, I have many life experiences to draw from. ”

Stephen Walker Actor / Voice Artist

Stephen Walker is an actor and voice artist who now calls Queensland home. From age six, Stephen endeavoured to act the moment he saw a school friend appear in a fast food commercial. As an 11-yearold, Stephen began to make Super 8 films at school in the 70’s. As a teen, he started writing scripts and screenplays, attended playwright weekends at Sydney’s Shopfront Theatre and undertook work experience on film sets. His first role was in Bruce Bersford’s Puberty Blues. At 17, Stephen dropped out of his final year of high school to work fulltime in the industry: as an assistant camera operator at ATN Seven news Sydney. Stephen said “I think it’s an uncommon move in the industry today. I wrote to all of the networks and asked for a job. Seven said yes and that was it! Why would I stay at school? It was my dream – plus I was going to earn a staggeringly huge $10,000 a year!”

Stephen. “I would either attend training, network, listen to industry podcasts, read a play, research new productions, film a scene or do accent work every day. ” With productions and face-to-face workshops shut down during Covid, Stephen adapted and immersed himself into online training, table reads and creative collaboration opportunities, resulting In the years that followed, Stephen immersed in two short film productions. himself into acting – seeking out every imaginable training, voice coaching and casting opportunity he Stephen recently represented Australia in the World could find. Since that day, Stephen has accrued 46 Monologue Games: an initiative designed to engage credits across film, TV and web-series. Stephen has actors during Covid. Whilst he didn’t win, the no regrets starting later in life. He says, “Starting late experience was unique. “Representing Australia was is a gift and it has given me the opportunity to bring humbling and not something I could have imagined I characters to life with depth and realism through my would be doing when I started this journey,” Stephen reflected. “I act because I need to. I’m a storyteller life experiences.” and it’s in my core. I’m not chasing fame or fortune. I Stephen approached his acting as a business – with simply enjoy getting into the skin of a character, and himself as the product. Getting the right headshots immersing myself into the world of the story and the and showreels were important. “Like any successful relationship with the other characters.” business, you have to invest your time,” explained Multiple careers followed for Stephen which included a Police Officer, a Diplomat and Consultant; but the need and want to perform never left. Stephen has also completed a Degree Majoring in Script Writing, graduated multiple acting courses and also performed a little in musical theatre.

EAMON KINGSTON Born and raised in Brisbane, with a visual arts teacher/fashion designer for a mother and a film-obsessed poet for a father, Eamon Kingston grew up around all aspects of art.

Whether it was Mum and Dad bringing him to dozens of plays and concerts at the Powerhouse, watching “The Lord of The Rings” at his uncle’s house before he was toilet trained, or jamming with whatever music was playing in the lounge room while still in nappies, it seems Eamon was always destined for a career in the arts.

entertainment industry, Eamon is finding his feet in uncertain times. In his own words: “My short career has been pretty modest, consisting of major and minor roles in short films for university projects or for festivals, and a few bit parts in indie features.”

Away from acting, Eamon has a deep love for music, cultivated through his artistic upbringing . “Over the Having spent more time watching last year I have started writing music the ‘making of ’ segments of films, of my own,” Eamon says. “I use this Eamon figured that his career was as a form of therapy, expressing how headed behind the camera. But after I feel through song if I can’t through giving acting a serious try during words. Though my music hasn’t really high school, he quickly changed left the confines of my bedroom walls tack, and now has sights set on just yet, I have a backlog of songs in different stages of completion and performing. the hope to release my first album Now having completed a Diploma within the next year.” and Advanced Diploma of Screen and Media and being thrown head So what is it that attracts this first into the “real world” that is the burgeoning talent to performing?

As he says, “To me, art is the purest expression of self. What attracts me to film and to music, is that for those two hours, or 2 minutes, you get to look through a window and experience someone else’s story. No matter how fantastical or how grounded, how funny or how dramatic, you can invest yourself in this narrative and these characters and ultimately allow yourself to feel emotion without consequence.” So no matter if he’s in front or behind the camera, singing his heart out on stage or recording in a studio, all Eamon wants is to be able to create art to be proud of, bringing his own, or other people’s stories to life. And with 2020 behind us, Eamon says “Even though a few doors were closed last year, so many more have opened, and I can’t wait to see what gets thrown at me next!”

The Paradox of Recognition

Combine that with school appearances, charity events, For most performers who operate on the silver screen parades, and the like, and Casey lives for hours at a time or on a stadium stage, the goal is to be seen. Recognition as Sunny Ray, his own efforts hidden behind the smiling drives those who find themselves called to the work; mask. But as he says, the relationships that Sunny forges applause is the currency of the realm. But for some, in the work are all worth it. recognition is anathema. To be seen - to be noticed - is “People see Sunny and they just light up. Kids especially. to have failed. When I interact with children, there’s no question that Casey Wright knows this paradox all too well. As both Sunny Ray is real, and that’s exactly how I want it to a stuntman who has worked on multiple Hollywood be.” blockbusters and the man who gives life to one of Australia’s most beloved sports mascots, Casey lives in For all of the difficulties of performing in the shadows, Casey loves the work. Whether on set or in front of a particularly strange world for a performer. the crowd at a stadium, he brings an infectious energy “If they see me, then I’m not doing my job correctly,” and joie de vivre that lights up every situation. And given the work at his “office”, why wouldn’t he? he says. Such is the life of the fall guys in Hollywood, but their job is indispensable. These unseen artists work tirelessly to make the big name superstars even more super. Casey has lent his talents to numerous films and television series, helping to make stars like Paul Giamatti and Brian Sacca seem capable of larger-than-life wonders. He recalls how his invisible assistance helped keep one project on track in a more subdued fashion:

“Hearing the call of “Action!”, and then watching a team of men on horseback drag a building through the streets does make you wonder how the hell you ended up here. I love that part of the job.”

Unfortunately for performers like Casey, the paradox that keeps them from their glory even impacts the industry as a whole. Stuntmen and women have been campaigning for years for exceptional stuntwork to be “[During filming of] In Like Flynn, actor Dan Fogler recognised at highest echelon of film - the Academy had tweaked his ankle during a scene where he was Awards. Currently, no such award exists, and great being chased by head-hunters. I was called in to work by men and women like Casey Wright goes double Dan. This meant that I had to perform the unrecognised on Hollywood’s night of nights. For now, actions required in character, which involved sprinting they will have to continue to wait in the wings for their through the bush, swimming across running rivers, due. Still, as a grin crosses his face, Casey explains that and more. My work meant that Dan was able to rest it’s not all bad. and heal up, and filming wasn’t disrupted.” “We get to do things no one else can. Sure, no one knows Even with such high-profile work behind him, Casey who’s doing it, but hey, if I wanted to become famous, I would have gone into acting instead.” doesn’t have a high profile. In his role as Sunny Ray, mascot of the Gold Coast Suns AFL team, Casey performs in front of packed stadium crowds every week of the season.

ARTIST RADAR

Author: Tait Caldwell

Here are some artists that should be on your radar and you need to check out, if you don’t know them already. This magazine issue contains an all-Australian cast; Some are well known, and others are just starting to make a name for themselves. Take a look! Crooked Colours really began to stir the waters in 2017; releasing one of their fan favourites, Flow. The band from Perth elaborates on various different sonic elements, creating a vast musical sound which you can dance, or chill out to. Their use of beats and live instruments make their live sets full-sounding and exciting. I have been to their live set several times and would highly recommend going to see them if you have the chance. Their recent single releases are exciting, and lead me to believe that we will see a new album from the group very soon. Top Songs: Show Me, I’ll Be There, I Hope You Get It, Do It Like You

Crooked Colours Gang of Youths have been on the block since 2013, and started to really take the spotlight with the release of Magnolia in 2015. Their ability to create such strong emotions with their music is flawless. Front man Dave Le’aupepe has a strong presence live and on-record, using his powerful voice and poetic vocals to convey his positive messages to cherish life, persist in everything, and never give in. Their huge sound comes from the prominent use of orchestral instruments, which additionally adds to making their music so emotive. GOY is defiantly a band you should check out.

Gang of Youths

Top Songs: Magnolia, The Deepest Sighs the Frankest Shadows, Sjamboska

Alice Ivy has been releasing music since 2013, but last year a trio of singles (Close To You, In My Mind, Sunrise) really started to turn heads. The ARIAnominated electronic producer from Melbourne released her debut album this year, and I can definitively say that this is an all-round great album. The riffs are catchy, the beats make you vibe, and the vocals and choruses are captivating. Ivy has a great mixture of bangers and progressive songs in her discography, and I can’t wait for more. Her vibe is great for summer and is definitely worth checking out.

Alice Ivy

Top Songs: In My Mind, Don’t Sleep, Close To You, I’ll Find Out, Sunrise This Melbourne-born LA-based producer is relatively under the radar. His chilled-out style of electronic music is calming and vibing at the same time. If you are a fan of RUFUS DU SOL you should defiantly check out MILD MINDS. His melodic riffs and dance beats are mesmerising, and the sounds he uses are soft and dulcet. His debut album, MOOD, released earlier this year and already sounds like a mature artist with a diverse sonic pallet. I can’t wait to see what else MILD MINDS delivers in the future.

Minds Mild

Top Songs: MOVEMENTS, SWIM, WALLS, VIEWS, FORMATIONS

Ilana Collins Biography 31

lana Collins is a talented MEAA graded Stunt performer and actress. She got into stunts in 2017 and shortly afterwards discovered her passion for acting too. Ilana had an adventurous and athletic childhood. By the age of 18 she had trained in gymnastics, dance, cheerleading, surfing and mixed martial arts for years. Having this background, Ilana felt like it was meant to be when she discovered stunts. Since getting into stunts and acting in 2017 she has doubled Elsa Pataky (wife of Australian superstar Chris Hemsworth), has acted in multiple short films and just had her first big acting role on a feature film, with another one in the pipeline. Ilana doesn’t want to just wait for opportunities to come her way, she wants to create opportunities for fellow talent and film industry professionals. She has just coproduced her first short film “The Legacy”, and has finished writing her second 100 page feature film alongside her business partner. They are hoping to have it picked up by a producer within the next year. Ilana is bright, charismatic, switched on & very passionate about any job she is involved in! She will without a doubt put one hundred percent effort into any project she is cast in. Ilana’s hobbies include; rock climbing, scuba diving, boxing/MMA, jet skiing, wakeboarding, paddle boarding, ice skating, surfing, gymnastics and dance (basically anything fun and energetic).

Kristina Sexton

is the premiere acting coach who is taking the Australian entertainment industry by storm. In addition to being a highly acclaimed acting coach, she is also an accomplished dialogue coach, teacher, mentor and intimacy coordinator, with close to 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Kristina is the Hollywood professional you need to know in order to become a successful working actor in the film and entertainment industry. She’s the dialogue coach you want on your set to ensure your production reaches its goals. Once a working actor herself in glitzy Los Angeles, Kristina now devotes her time to teaching classes (both in person and on-line), private coaching and working on sets around the world as a dialogue and intimacy coach.

ristina has mastered several crafts within the entertainment industry over her 20 plus years of experience. She trained in Los Angeles, New York and London and holds two Bachelors’ degrees, one in Psychology and the other in Theatre Performance. She also holds an MFA in Performance from the California Institute of Arts. Fluent in both Spanish and English, Kristina trained and worked with several prominent acting studios in the US before deciding to venture out on her own. She has established her own actor consultation company in Australia, “On Set Coaching”, where she offers her services as a dialogue and acting coach as well as a private acting teacher. Kristina works with professional actors of all ages and from all genres of theatre, television, and film. Kristina’s even worked on some Oscar winning projects with some of Hollywood’s greatest stars. But she’ll never train and tell! Discretion is of utmost importance to Kristina. But those in the know, know! A professional dialogue coach for more than a decade, Kristina works on set with directors, writers, producers and actors to help a production achieve its goal to the best of the actor’s ability. She is known as the secret tool of production. Kristina doesn’t direct, she merely uses her extensive knowledge of performance and the human psyche to assist the on-set actors to deliver the performance most desired by the production. In addition to dialogue coaching, Kristina can and has assisted with American Dialect(accents)on set. Included in her long list of skills is Kristina’s work as an Intimacy Coordinator. Currently she is the only internationally certified IC (Intimacy Coordinator) in Queensland, and one of only a few in Australia. Kristina works with actors and productions to facilitate the safest performance of a scene that involves intimacy including, but not limited to, nudity, kink and LGBTQ+ material. An IC can be compared to a stunt coordinator, but instead of coordinating death-defying action, they coordinate intimate scenes to protect the safety of the actor’s mind, body and soul, whilst also creating the best version of the production’s vision. When Intimacy Coordinator was instituted as an essential role in the film industry in 2018, Kristina was one of the first in Australia to earn her official certification. One of her future goals is to help train up other Intimacy Coordinators, so that everyone will always be protected on set. In summary, Kristina draws on her extensive industry experience and knowledge to offer solid, practical, and relevant advice to those that seek her services. This advice is the core of her 2017 book, “ACTING IN LA - How to Become a Working Actor in Hollywood”. The highly acclaimed read remains a fantastic guide on how to becoming a working actor, wherever you may be located. Currently based out of Los Angeles and Queensland’s Gold Coast, Kristina’s vision is to help the Queensland film industry take the world by storm. And with an increasing number of international productions coming to Queensland, there is no better time for both actors and producers to acquaint themselves with Kristina Sexton. If you would like to work with Kristina either online or in person, please email Kristy@OnSetCoaching. com for more information. If you would like to join her in person classes in Brisbane at Ben Parkinson Casting Studios, you can do so by emailing direct@bpcast.net. But be aware - this talented lady is in high demand, so you’d better get in early!

Contact Kristina: www.OnSetCoaching.com www.facebook.com/OnSetCoaching 34

KUVA RIFT A MUSICIAN’S STORY For many things in life, projects worth doing can take much time and effort to complete, but they are a great adventure. At the start of an adventure I’ve sometimes thought I’d end up at one place, but find myself somewhere entirely different. And as many say, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. What I will say is that the journey will certainly mould what your destination becomes. My name is Tait Caldwell, and I am KUVA RIFT. I am blessed that my family has always been musically inclined. My grandparents and my parents have a large say in the fact that music is one of my greatest passions. From a young age guitar became my instrument of choice (both electric and acoustic). I was always creatively motivated, creating riffs or songs, and my folks always encouraged me to play. But it wasn’t until I developed a passion for music for myself that I began to flourish. There was a period of time where as a teenager I didn’t play music for about 18 months, and then I heard John Butler play Oceans (if you haven’t heard it, you NEED to). It was at that moment a fire ignited inside me again. I wanted to be able to play like that - like John Butler, or at least half as good as him. From there on out it wasn’t my parents that were fuelling my music playing, but my own passion to play. My music style has evolved over time, from a very folk/roots feel to a more produced alternative feel, but I will always attribute my love for music coming back to me after wanting to play John Butler’s crazy style of fingerpicking. I have been in a few different bands over the years, either with others, or as a solo act - The Inn and House of Liom. Through time as a young musician you are working out what you like, new techniques, and what you want to play. For me I have arrived at KUVA RIFT. KUVA RIFT is my own personal solo project. I like to meld my skills as a live musician with the elements of producing.

You will find I love to use my skills as a guitarist and vocalist and fuse them with beats and other sonic elements, while not boxing myself into one genre. I think there is strength in creating lots of different sounding pieces of music, rather than limiting your sound to one style. KUVA RIFT has been live for under 12 months but it has been the most rewarding project that I have undertaken to date. I’ve had opportunities to write and create with other great artists, and I’m writing some of my best music. I am continually learning new techniques and exploring how to create vast sonic pallets throughout my music. I have released two songs under KUVA RIFT; Let Me Down and Outlaw, and have more that I am currently working on, and can’t wait to release. I look forward to sharing my experiences in the music industry, and passing on some tips and tricks I’ve learnt over time. If you are writing music, keep it up! Learn from others, and continue to stretch your abilities. Make sure you are doing music (or anything for that matter) for the right reasons. I write music because I love it and I want to create, not because I want to make money – if you do end up making money, fantastic, that’s a bonus. Create what you want to create, and continue to work on your craft, bettering yourself.

Links

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.comartist/7eWArYoIXMvauVr odTEhMC?si=-lp-17kpQ3eZnlU0psFbsA

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/KUVARIFT

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/kuva_rift/

Credit M Southam Photograp @msouthamphoto

Philippe Deseck From a very young age, Philippe has had a love for movies, particularly action movies from Hong Kong. Since 1994, Philippe has been actively involved in film, TV and radio. Living in Thailand at the time, Philippe worked on the cult classic film Street Fighter, and here he was first introduced to stunts through stuntman Ronnie Vreeken. More work followed on Operation Dumbo Drop and The Quest - where stunts came calling again, this time through a meeting with one of the most wellrespected Australian stunt performers, Alex Kuzelicki. During the filming of these movies Philippe had the pleasure of working with Thai stunt coordinator Kawee ‘Seng’ Sirikanerat, whose work on The Beach and Rambo IV is highly regarded. Having lived in Thailand for over 5 years, Philippe had trained in Muay Thai, Tae kwon Do and Thai weapon training, so a career as a stuntman wasn’t too far away.

quickly followed, including work on Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Iron Sky and The Killer Elite, where he shared screen time with Jason Statham and Robert De Nero. Most recently Philippe has worked on Hollywood blockbusters Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Kong: Skull Island, The Meg and Aquaman, as well as the soon to be released films Mortal Kombat and Marvel Studios Shang-Chi. Constant education and training in the film industry has allowed Philippe to acquire camera and editing skills, essential for filmmaking and performing. Consequently, Philippe has filmed and edited well over one hundred action scenes. He is graded as an Assistant Stunt Coordinator and has also been instructing Stunt Fighting and Stage Combat at the New York Film Academy (Australian campus). The talented martial artist has also started his own company, Action Movie Makers Training, where he teaches actors and stunt performers the art of filming and performing action.

Wanting to learn as much as he could about the film industry, Philippe moved to Belgium and the UK, where he started his own Video Production Company. And his ultimate film goal? To work with Donnie Following his dream to become an Action Director, Yen, one of the main people responsible for Philippe’s Philippe then moved to Australia in 2001, where he trajectory in life. began working and training with some of the best stunt Click Here for Profile performers and coordinators in Australia. Film work

Hi! I’m Matasha Nuss, and I’m a Qualified Hairdresser with over 10 years experience. I have worked in many elite salons over the years, which has given me a wide range of knowledge for all hair types. I am particularly passionate about helping women feel confident in their natural beauty. This is something I feel very strongly about. My particular style of hairdressing is about nurturing your hair and enhancing your natural beauty. My specialty is working with Natural Curly Hair, as I understand the challenges curly haired women can face. This also includes and not limited to, cutting, colouring, balayage, blonde/ brondes/highlighting and formal styling. Over the years I’ve spent time working on set for films, with Runway Models on the Catwalks, on TV commercials, and helping celebrities get ready for a night out! I really enjoy meeting new faces and connecting with people from all walks of life. I love empowering women to feel their best - I work with my clients on an emotional level, inspiring the best version of themselves from the inside out. I started my journey in high school, as I was always attracted to creative arts, performing arts and many other creative interests, such as gymnastics and dance. I always had a fascination with hairdressing and went on to study a 4 year apprenticeship, which taught me the fundamentals. During that time I took an interest in a new sport, pole dancing! I trained and performed pole dancing alongside studying as a hairdresser. I went on to compete and teach pole dance fitness to others. These are the things that fill my soul. I attended many hair courses, wanting to learn as much as I could. I attended Blonde specialist courses, Balayage Courses, Styling Courses, Personal Development courses, competition work and many other exciting things to enhance my knowledge and skills. I then went on to learn Cinematography and special effects makeup so I could work on films. Living on the Gold Coast during this time, I was able to work on a films that gave me opportunities to work with other artists.

I’m very excited and proud to be running my own salon, focusing on helping empower women one head of hair at a time. :) This is my passion! - Matasha Nuss

Peter Koevari INTERVIEW AFIN - FOUNDER/DIRECTOR

C2C: Hi Peter, it’s a pleasure having this opportunity to learn more about you, your company and projects.

manually sending information out, etc. Eventually, I realised that there was a need for something that made casting easier, automated, and ultimately saves me a ton of time, so myself and two other founders set out two years ago to try and build the solution. It’s going great! We are going to include a lot of features to benefit casting directors, as well as talent and crew who are auditioning or applying for jobs. A lot of this is going to be revealed soon, but one of the biggest coming features for actors will be for them to receive feedback on how they are being received in auditions. Lots more is coming, and we’re gearing up for a release very soon.

Koevari: The pleasure is mine. Well done on Cast 2 Crew. C2C: Thank you! So Peter, tell us a bit about yourself, how was your childhood, what led you to your passion for filmmaking, where did it all start? Koevari: Sure thing. Ever since I was young, I absolutely loved films. The magic of it coming to life on screen, the storytelling, and even in my teenage years, I’d go to the cinema to see new releases whenever I could. I always loved writing and English was the subject I most enjoyed in school. Quite later in life I began to write novels, starting with a fantasy series, Legends of Marithia. This led me to another path, as I always intended to head toward film, just didn’t know how I’d get there. I started creating concepts with a partner, and one thing soon led to another. I began as a screenwriter, producer by necessity, casting director, and later grew into a director.

C2C: I believe this software is strongly anticipated. It sounds exciting! Apart from Cast Complete, you’re the Founder & Managing Director of the AFIN International Film Festival. The array of films submitted this year and the quality was amazing. What are your final thoughts on AFIN 2020? Koevari: Yes, I’ve been building up AFIN International, and we are onto our fourth year in 2021. A few years ago I submitted one of my short films to a large number of festivals locally and internationally. I discovered many things; our film was incredibly well received internationally, but barely picked up locally, but when

C2C: There is so much we can talk about. Let’s get into a project you’ve been working very hard on for a couple of years now. - new software called ‘CAST COMPLETE’. Can you explain what this software does, and who would be likely to use this? Koevari: Of course. Cast Complete was born from my own pain points as a casting director, and many issues I saw that were shared with other casting directors. I kept searching for a tool that could do everything I needed, only to find that I couldn’t find one. I found small pieces of what I needed across different casting sites and solutions, but a lot of them also did it very badly. I’d spend most of my time using spreadsheets, endlessly messaging people,

it was, it did well. This gave me a lot to think about, especially as our films are more globally minded. I saw a need for a festival like ours, where I felt that we could offer a truly equal playing field, with a globally minded mindset - a focus only on the quality and execution, without quotas and politics playing a part in how a film succeeds with us. AFIN was born, and as you can see, the quality of projects in storytelling and execution that make it with us has been indeed astounding. AFIN 2020 was an enormous challenge, running a live festival in a pandemic year, with restrictions and so many hoops to jump through. However, we had three sold-out events,

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including the red-carpet awards night, and gave our audience the best events we have ever put on to date. I can’t wait to see what 2021 brings. C2C: That makes two of us! I’ll definitely be attending along with many others. Now I’ve been told through the grapevine that you’re starting your own Film & Acting Courses. Is this true?

Koevari: Yes indeed, but we are offering more than that. I wanted to find a way for my children to study film and theatre, and filmmaking, over the course of the year, and after finding nothing locally that fit outside of workshops, my wife and I decided to create a school. We brought on two fantastic educators to begin our opening year, and are offering film and theatre performance, voice acting, and creative studies in screenwriting, producing, and film study. We’re starting out in New Farm and Bardon, with classes split between groups. We look forward to growing it and offering more to our students as well.

FILMLABACADEMY@GMAIL.COM FILMLABAC.COM

C2C: Amazing! Thanks so much Peter, we appreciate your time, it sounds like you’re a very busy guy. We look forward to seeing what you get up to this year. Koevari: Thank you, and best of luck for Cast 2 Crew!

eth Kannof is an American ex-pat who made his way to Australia for a girl in 2016. In America, Seth spent years building his skills as a comedic actor, improvisor, and singer/songwriter. He also studied Film Television at Columbia College Chicago where he finished with a Bachelor’s Degree. While writing and playing music in Chicago he also appeared in short films, improvised shows, sketch comedy shows, and plays. He also graduated from The Second City’s Musical Improvisation Conservatory (Chicago). Seth has been likened to Gary Oldman and Steve Carrell (energy-wise) and Adam Goldberg/John Krasinski (looks-wise). Since having moved to Melbourne he has appeared on stage over ten times, been involved in three different web-series as well as a handful of various short films and commercials. He brings a sincerity that can be either quirky and endearing, or intense and offputting. He most enjoys playing either fun, comedic roles or deeply intense character roles. In real life he’s a bit of a “nerd” or “geek” (particularly about movies, music and video games) but also a loving family man who just became a Dad this year. He has also been told by many to be “the only American [they’ve] heard pull off a convincing Australian accent.” He is based in Melbourne where he lives with his wife, baby girl, and two dogs. Seth is represented by Storm Actors and can also be found at www.sethkannof.com

Presents

Final Thoughts

REVIEWS 42

Final Thoughts Review

Kia Kaha Opening with an upsetting scene, in which phrases such as “you’re a failure” and “kill yourself ” are echoed around a strong Maori warrior figure as the sounds of a Haka ceremonial dance are played softly in the background, it is immediately clear particularly to the male viewer, that for the next twenty-one minutes, this is a story you need to listen to.

‘Kia Kaha’, is a short

biography that documents the life of Leon Ruri, a New Zealand born man who since 2017, has been using his story and heritage connections to help prevent male suicide in Australia and his homeland, as well as more recently in the United States.

world around him. Then, after Leon begins to list his “failures” for a final time, the sombre tone of the biography is wonderfully lifted by the reintroduction of his children and the power they had over him staying in this world. He recounts that he discovered he was a “beautiful human being” and that his purpose became clear, supporting other men who were struggling with their mental health.

Shortly following, the audience is told by those closest to Leon that this father, brother, nephew and son, is “cheeky… mischievous… [was always] up to no good”, yet someone who is “genuine… a good bloke” and most importantly from his mother, is proudly described as a “phenomenal human being”. These descriptions are then coupled with the voice of Leon himself, as he outlines his humble beginnings in a small town in New Zealand. It isn’t until the documentary shifts to retelling the hardships Leon faced as a boy to a young man, that your heart truly listens to the message Leon is conveying in Kia Kaha.

The reintroduction of the Haka in the final five minutes of the story, through Leon’s non-profit charity ‘Haka for Life’, was a come-full-circle period in the documentary. It captured not only Leon’s declaration of war on suicide, but the influence his story, culture and organisation are having on male conversations across the world.

Final Thoughts Leon Ruri’s conclusion to Kia Kaha, through highlighting Haka for Life’s driving notion, in “how powerful men can be when we’re fully self-expressed”, perfectly encapsulates the incredible journey this amazing man has been on since his saddening earlier life. The efforts he’s making to ensure men are Hakaing to break their silence are truly inspiring and leave the audience of this short documentary with a message they’ll never forget.

Like a tidal wave, you are suddenly hit with the film’s emotional impact, as flashed across the screen is the symbolism of Leon drowning to these pressures. The recounting of Leon’s marriage breaking down and the barriers put between himself and his children, are particularly devastating as we see this in appearance strong man become lifeless fully submerged under the water, as sirens of red and blue flash across his face.

Lasting Thoughts: “Kia Kaha is a Survivor’s Amazing Message set to Save the Minds of Men.”

The feeling of hopelessness is so well captured here, as you begin to more so understand Leon’s struggle to rise above his challenges in life. Beautiful shots of Australian gum trees are disturbingly referred to as potential spots for one to hang themselves from, providing an eyeopening insight into the dark view Leon had of the

Written by Connor McMurdo

Final Thoughts Review

The Mirror Opening to an innocent car ride between the young girl and her father ‘Paul’ (Matt Day), as they travel to visit the grandmother’s home, the viewer is immediately struck by angelic piano sounds that beautifully reflect the feelings of a naïve Suzi. Upon entering the house, Suzi learns that her grandmother doesn’t recognise her, instead calling for her late husband in an emotionally charged scene. Disheartened, the girl distances herself from her family and hangs back to look at hung photos of her grandparents. After hearing a strange wisping sound coming from the door across the room, Suzi finds the home’s basement, covered in dust alluding to its time untouched and occupied only by antique furniture. Mysteriously, sits a tall object in the room covered by a large white cloth. Yet, Suzi is first drawn to a large wooden chest etched with floral designs. In a fantastic use of showing, not telling, the film highlights Suzi’s grandmother as being a Jewish child in the year of 1939, allowing enough threads for the audience to begin to understand the hardships in her life. The film’s employment of sudden noise once again steals Suzi’s attention, this time being the sound of a young girl sobbing under the aforementioned cloth. Surprised, Suzi finds a mirror after a dramatic pull of the cloth. Complimented brilliantly by the sound design, this scene quickly shifts the film’s tone from mystery to unnerving as Suzi looks through the mirror to a figure shushing her, scaring the young girl back upstairs. It isn’t until the middle of the night that Suzi builds the courage to return to the basement. Compelled by magical bright lights in a stunning scene, Suzi enters the mirror turned portal, uncovering on the other side another basement, this one with light peeking through bordered windows and the sounds of planes above. It is here that the previous context providing scene of

‘The Mirror’, is an Australian produced short film written and directed by Joel Kohn that tells the story of young girl named ‘Suzi’ (played by Ingrid Torelli), who discovers the antique mirror in her grandmother’s basement, is a pathway between her modern-day world and the Nazi-occupied Poland of her grandmother’s childhood.

Suzi rummaging through the basement chest again compliments the story, as the audience is given the tools to discern that the girl on the other side of the portal is Suzi’s grandmother ‘Hilda’, as a child (Amelia Westlake). The film’s fantastic writing uses the dialogue between the two girls to spark Suzi’s care for Hilda, frightened for her safety realising the danger she is in. This is amplified in the film’s most tense scene, in which an SS Officer (Daniel Frederikson) with a weapon drawn investigates the basement Hilda hid in. Quick thinking from Suzi highlights her compassion and intelligence, marking the transition of a once timid young girl seemingly disinterred in travelling to the home of a grandmother she share’s a limited relationship with, to a protector who’s considerate of the sufferings endured by their nonna/wider heritage.

Final Thoughts Joel Kohn’s The Mirror uses fantastical elements such as a time-travelling antique mirror, to in only twenty minutes of runtime, wonderfully tell the story of reconnection between a grandmother emotionally scarred by war and her granddaughter, naïve to the horrors faced by her lineage in the late 30’s, early 40’s. Brilliant performances and a great combination of direction and writing have me excited to see more from Kohn.

Lasting Thoughts: “The Mirror is a Magical Take on the Devastating Impact of War.” Written by Connor McMurdo

Final Thoughts Review

Hospital Show ‘Hospital Show’, is a Canadian miniseries written, directed and edited by Adam Greydon Reid. The miniseries explores the ironic lives of the people who are acting in a medical TV show ‘Drama’. Starring Sara Canning as ‘Charlie’, who embodies the character of ‘Dr Samantha Grace’, the pilot episode explores the conflict within the doctor as she decides whether to stay on board with the failing show or, to quit. While the episode is only twelve minutes long, it delivers a comedic analysis of the personalities of actors who play the apparent ‘lovable doctors’. The pilot episode opens with Dr Grace and the other so-called doctors as they prepare themselves for a surgery. As the camera takes snapshots of the different areas around the operation room, Reid’s scene direction reveals to the audience that the doctors have a limited understanding of the procedures involved in the upcoming surgery, made clear with a doctor breaking sanitary protocols by scratching their nose with rubber gloves. This irony is drawn out further by the backing soundtrack to the introduction that chants, “you have to fake it ‘till you make it”.

Final Thoughts The pilot episode of the Canadian miniseries, Hospital Show, is an entertaining episode that plays with common stereotypes within the filming industry. The use of comedic irony within the episode provides the audiences, especially those in the medical field, with many laughs as we watch a group of dysfunctional actors tackle a job that is highly respected around the world. While this show is a comedy, the underlying issue of poor expectations and female objectification found within the filming industry is a harsh reminder that while a television show may be as clean and pristine as an operation room, the unseen and dirty backstage life faced by many actresses and actors is a surgery tool that cannot just be sanitised and tucked away.

As the opening scene continues, we are drawn to a series of misspelt messages that are being received by Dr Grace: “need to genocide today…decide today”, “it’s time to goooo”. The context of these messages is then represented in the surgery room as Drs Kelso (Adrian Holmes) and Moretti (Jordan Connor) enter into a dialogue where they both come to the conclusion, “when you gotta go, you gotta go”. This saying is echoed throughout the remainder of the episode as we follow Dr Grace deciding whether she should leave the poisonous environment of the show or if she should ‘suck it up and stay’.

Lasting Thoughts: “Self-Aware Hospital Show is Clinical in it’s Execution.” Written by Jesse Salvair

This episode’s deeper meaning comes through the director’s portrayal of the unrealistic expectations that many actresses face during filming. During a break from filming, Dr Grace is asked by the film producer Rosana (Lynda Boyd), who watches the show through a security camera carried on a pole by an intern, to wear a bigger bra because the people in the cast “need to be vibrant… we need to be up, not down”. This small jab at the film industry’s unrealistic expectations and objectification of actresses on set is a great insight for all types of audiences and an essential topic that we need to be considerate of when consuming media.

n a modern day that is often associated by suburban growth and city expansion, it is easy as an onlooker to be amazed at the transformation of older buildings being replaced by new architectural feats. What we rarely do from this standpoint, is consider the people whose lives have been changed by this development. How often do we consider where the families of those living in government housing or ‘cheap’ accommodation get relocated to? Are they even looked after?

The film takes place in Victoria, Australia, as tensions rise between a housing project on ‘Grove Street’ and the property firm, ‘Wright Property’, with the narcissistic and arrogant CEO, ‘Nick Wright’ (Mick Preston) evicting families of the project in order to develop “a safe living environment for families”. As Nick Wright continues to push for evictions and delivers unpathetic interviews about the people being removed from the northern suburbs, a group of angry protesters led by ‘Jonti’ (Mark Casamento), who was recently released from prison with The ‘88to1 productions’ film, ‘TKG: The Kids of a blood thirsty agenda, take the law into their own hands Grove’ directed by Damien Giglietta addresses these and brutally infiltrate Wright Properties to “take blood as issues connected to suburban growth. Giglietta uses payment” from Nick Wright. urbanisation as a backdrop to deliver a well filmed ‘Thriller’ that gives the outspoken people of these While the extreme actions taken by TKG would be destroyed housing projects a voice, a voice in the film frowned upon by the audience, director Giglietta challenges us to see the villain’s motive in a different that is deadly and unremorseful.

Final Thoughts Review

The Kids of Grove perspective. Through intense expressions made by Jonti, the audience can understand the frustration and anger felt towards Wright and his associates as they shamelessly remove people whose “homes are on their back” from the only place they can call home. Yes, the TKG take their anger to the extreme by brutally murdering the staff of Wright Property, but the film does a fantastic effort of conflicting the audience, raising the question, as to whether these actions justifiable, when the world turns its back against those in need. In extension to the strong messages delivered in the film, standout acting from Alexandra Adornetto (‘Sam’), Henry Torres (‘Jason’) and Maria Velletri (‘Marissa’) provide an additional layer to Giglietta’s story. These portrayals evoke empathy from the audience causing us to hope that somehow, these broken characters can live so that they can continue to right the wrongs of powerful people.

Final Thoughts Director Damian Giglietta has created an intense film that, although is heavily violent, manages to remain thought provoking through its entire runtime. In a film that appears to be the start to a larger story, the audience can appreciate the time and craftsmanship that Giglietta and his team have put into this first chapter. Through its based in the suspenseful themes of survival and revenge, TKG provides the audience with a calculated plot that will forces the audience to ‘choose a side’ and consider whether we are truly aware of the hurt found within our own community.

Lasting Thoughts: “TKG: The Kids of Grove is a Ferocious Fight-Back Story.” Written by Jesse Salvair

Final Thoughts Review

The Reckoning ‘The Reckoning’, directed by Neil Marshall, is a feature length film that delves into a long-ago world, rampant with torment, temptation, death and deceit. Set in the 1600’s, The Reckoning depicts the tale of a young mother, ‘Grace Haverstock’ (Charlotte Kirk), who recently lost her husband ‘Joseph’ (Joe Anderson) to the plague. Grappling with her sudden loss, Grace fights off the advances of the pompous ‘Squire Pendleton’ (Steven Waddington), who in his anger, accuses Grace of being a witch. The Reckoning utilises the era’s historical elements to create a horrifying film that delves into the witch trials of women during the plague. Marshall’s balance of cinematic ‘Horror’ techniques and folklore from the 16th Century, creates an atmosphere that will put the audience at unease. The play between Grace’s ‘nightmares’, in which she encounters ‘The Devil – Lucifer’ (Ian Whyte) and her temptations that follow as she withstands the most heinous tortures, facilitate a division within the audience, as they ponder the possibility that Grace may in fact be in contact with Lucifer. The Horror techniques used by Marshall are further enhanced with the setting and costumes supervised by Fanni Dukat. The ‘Medieval Europe’ setting used as a backdrop for the film’s story develop the sense of chicanery as the forests, castles and dungeons eclipse Grace, combining to highlight the feeling of inferiority, as she holds onto her honour in a world dominated by arrogant men and false doctrine. In addition to the use of the historic setting, the film editing during the witch trials are announced by drawn images that depict the processes used to find a witch. Each day Grace is in capture, is announced by the horrid trial she will face, progressively getting worse. If you are familiar with the history behind the Europe’s witch trials, then seeing these images will evoke a sense dread. The costume’s used within the film hold historic accuracy and foreshadow the battle Grace will have with ‘other-worldly’ beings. A fantastic example of such can be found through the bird masks that are used in her capture. While these masks were used by doctors during the plague to stop the smell of rotting bodies from making them sick, the evil appearance of these in the film make even the humans appear sinister. This portrayal creates the understanding that the religious peoples of this film were in fact the ones being used by the devil, an irony when that sticks with the viewer.

Final Thoughts The Reckoning, although appearing tame through its bygone era appearance, provides enough jump scares and tense scenes to establish itself in Horror genre. Utilising witch trials and including information within the film though screen texts, director Neil Marshall develops the audiences understanding of just how horrible this time in history was, especially for women. Charlotte Kirk’s powerful portrayal of the main protagonist Grace, brings to life the sheer willpower and resilience this character possessed, as she was judged and tormented by humans and Lucifer himself. The combinations of these themes and techniques make The Reckoning a must-watch for Horror enthusiasts.

Lasting Thoughts: “The Reckoning is a Brutal yet Brilliant Take on Medieval Europe.”

Final Thoughts Review

FOR OUR CHILDREN In the height of civil unrest in Venezuela, families find themselves forced to leave their homes for their children’s sake. While the Venezuelan Government continue to be progressively unstable, citizens become increasingly in fear of potential war. Many feel as though they have no choice but to leave their home country before it is too late.

of music was well suited as well, as when paired with the images on-screen, it truly evokes a high amount of care from the viewer. The shots that were used were emotionally moving and supported the narrative that the team intended on creating, that is the struggle of everyday people in Venezuela. Kulczyk’s decision to interview a diverse age group, added much credibility to the production, in addition to supporting the fact ‘For Our Children’ is produced by Polish foundation, that these struggles are shared across all Venezuelan age ‘Kulczyk Foundation’. The director, Dominika Kulczyk segments and demographics. These varying perspectives takes a head on approach for this documentary, going are heart-breaking, yet unfortunately will be relatable straight to those that are directly affected by the social for a number of diverse audiences. and political issues that Venezuela is facing; reporting on the first-hand, real stories of everyday people. For Our Children is an excellent documentary that sheds light on the current social situation in Venezuela, documenting the lengths locals are taking to ensure their family’s survival. The lead reporter in the team, Dominika Kulczyk, did an extremely good job at bridging the gap between the audience and the people she interacted with on camera. While remaining friendly at all times, she was not afraid to ‘dig deeper’ into the issues plaguing Venezuelan citizens, providing facts on the nation’s recent history and limiting the ability for assumptions to be made. The team responsible for creating the interview questions deserve an exceptional level of recognition, as they generated hot topics and interesting dialogue which draws in the audience. In regard to the documentary’s production, the variety of camera angles, panning and birds-eye-view shots made the footage gripping. The editor’s choice of shots lined up perfectly with the overdubbed dialogue, creating a seamless transition between subject matters. The choice

Final Thoughts

For Our Children’s excellent achievement of covering a broad range of issues, influencing an increased level of knowledge and personal understanding of the terrible circumstances in Venezuela, are a tremendous credit to the time and care Dominika Kulczyk has poured into this project. This documentary draws in its audience and holds their attention throughout the course of its entire forty-four-minute runtime. It conveys the raw emotion of Venezuelan locals through its incredibly professional recording and is more than worthy to be seen by thousands by being aired on mainstream networks.

Lasting Thoughts: “For Our Children Depicts Venezuela’s Issues with Precision and Unconditionally.” Written by Tait Caldwell

A racially charged ‘Thriller’/‘Drama’ involving the themes of police brutality, ‘Torn - Dark Bullets’ is a feature film that captures audiences with its raw emotions and gritty nature. Torn - Dark Bullets had a very timely release in the midst of civil unrest across the globe, and paints an interesting picture for both sides.

Final Thoughts Review

TORN - Dark Bullets

Writers Joshua Mazerolle and Dan Rizzuto, have done an excellent job at funnelling emotion and intensity throughout the film. The script is riddled with heartfelt moments, which the actors expertly carry out in a grand manner. The second and third act in particular contains great dialogue and themes that draw the audience in and put you on edge. Dan Rizzuto’s great writing and fantastic direction are highlighted by his attention to realism, in addition to his exceptional ability to connect the audience with each character and their scenarios. Sam Vincent’s main role as ‘Detective Pearce’, was outstanding. His performance was incredibly physical, utilising facial expressions and various vocal tones to a compelling effect throughout the film. His rapid character change and deterioration was well written and acted out, as Detective Pearce’s viewpoint develops from believable to absurd and crazy. Dexter Bell also stood out in the film, as he portrayed ‘Dom Bell’, the brother of a victim in a racial shooting. As soon as he was introduced in the film’s second act, the dynamic between the actors and overall quality immediately lifted. He and Sam Vincent particularly had great on-screen chemistry as a moody, ambivalent relationship which was interesting to watch unfold. The film also does an excellent effort of using various camera angles and shots, enhancing the viewing experience with interesting techniques. Sporadic use of birds-eye-view footage and time-lapses broke up traditional shots, as well as in several cases was used effectively to reinforce plot points. Additionally, the lighting team are deserved of praise for their role in aiding the aforementioned realistic tone, proficient in use of both natural and staged light, never overbearing the scenes. Throughout the film, similar to the lighting and its affect, the music was highly influential in emphasising characters’ emotions, heavily utilising drones, malevolent pads and strings to compliment the actors. The minimalistic technique of utilising singular notes and chords throughout scenes in particular made dialogue much more weighted and intense.

Final Thoughts Torn - Dark Bullets is a gritty, emotional ride with the clear aim of highlighting racial inequalities in the first world, that mainly of racial profiling and police brutality. The film has moving performances in particular from Sam Vincent and Dexter Bell, who greatly elevate the intensity of the movie, highlighting its ferocity and significance. If you like realistic Dramas that are expressions of real life issues, then Torn - Dark Bullets is worth viewing.

Lasting Thoughts: “TORN - Dark Bullets is a Brave Take on Racial Inequality.” Written by Tait Caldwell

‘Residual Noise’ is an Israeli produced short foreign film written and directed by Tova Dorfman that depicts the life of a woman (played by Viki Cohen) who is dealing with the aftereffects and challenges from a post-traumatic experience of having been sexually assaulted.

Final Thoughts Review

Beginning with the peaceful sounds of birds chirping, the audience is shown a foggy scenery of the countryside and ominous music starting to play, as we find a woman

Residual Noise

lying on the ground in the middle of nowhere all alone. As she stands up from the ground, she walks towards the camera with an empty look of worry and distress, looking around as if she is afraid whilst constantly fidgeting and trying to cover herself.

concerned male employee who was seeing if she was okay, cleaning her clothes in the lake to try and rid of that dirty feeling and even at one point the thought of suicide, were tragic reminders of the adversities laid ahead of her. The reality for this woman outlined in the film, is that they will need to continue fighting away Throughout the film, we are thrown back and forth into their inner-demons to rise above such a horrible and a series of flashbacks leading up to the events of the night traumatic experience. that she was sexually assaulted, whilst transitioning back to the present showing her daily struggles she is now finding herself having in life. It doesn’t take long after losing her job, in which she finds herself in a backalley sipping (what seems to be) vodka straight from the Though Tova Dorfman’s Residual Noise has a short bottle, accompanied by a man (Gal Polak) reassuring her runtime of just under fifteen minutes, it conveys a that everything will be fine. Instead of being comforted powerful message that provides the audience with an by these words, she’s left looking very distant, angry and extremely eye-opening insight on how problematic and mentally challenging life can be for a sexual assault quite uncomfortable in an impactful scene. victim. In addition to painting an accurate picture for Following this, the audience is shown very dark, yet the audience, Dorfman’s ultimate achievement is aiding well depicted examples of the pain and suffering this viewers with grasping the heavy toll that is inflicted on woman will re-live with each day because of someone’s people who have been made subject to these crimes. disgusting actions. Outside the physical sense, these events affected the woman so harshly, that it contributed Lasting Thoughts: “Residual Noise is to her losing work and influenced her path in taking up the bad habits of smoking and drinking alcohol more a Woman’s Courageous Telling of an frequently. Awful Assault.”

Final Thoughts

The way she reacted to being slightly touched by the

Written by Damon Le Sueur

Final Thoughts Review

Wienerland

‘Wienerland’ is an Austrian film directed by Jan Woletz, originally conceived as a miniseries. The film tells the story of the non-humans’ struggle for survival. The conquest of their continent ‘Asteria’ by humans led to unknown tragedy for the indigenous population endowed with magic skills. After their failed uprising against the empire of the land lies in ruins, ‘elves’, ‘dwarves’ and all other creatures with magical powers are persecuted and murdered.

standard’. The world that Woletz has built is impressive. Throughout the town’s setting we are exposed to elements of this fantastical world. Small details such as posters hung around the town, the currencies used and even beer specific to this world help bring the film a sense of reality. This made a simple scene, such as walking through the town’s streets, an engrossing and curiosity arousing endeavour. With the added benefit of being able to pause the film and take note of the surroundings, it becomes apparent that Woletz It is in the opening of the film that we are introduced rarely wasted a frame. to ‘Kramer’, played brilliantly by David Wurawa, and to the fantastical elements of the film. A wonderful introductory scene showcasing the fusion of ‘Spaghetti Western’ and ‘Fantasy’, ‘Spaghetti-Fantasy’, filled with tension and a slow building conflict, akin It is clear that Wienerland is only the beginning of a to the evident inspirations of the filmmakers, such as sprawling story. The climax of the film is left rather open, with characters and their motivations being ‘For a Few Dollars More’. established. Themes such as division, state authority It is then we are introduced to our heroine, ‘Atalja’, and race are all too timely and are given interesting played by the wonderful Jeannine Mik. A mix of elf parallels in the film’s world. Tonally, the film does and human, she is a wary character in this harsh a magnificent job of shifting between Fantasy and world. Having seen the fallout of a failed revolution, Western elements, creating a ‘Spaghetti-Fantasy’ she is cautious around the city, so as to not attract that captures a certain grittiness that is often lacking the attention of the guards patrolling the streets. in Fantasy films. Wienerland offers an original and While attempting to sneak contraband through the audacious story, with compelling characters, a fully cities checkpoints, Atalja makes use of her ingenuity realised fictional world and what seems to be limitless in hiding an encoded message inside the mouth of story possibilities going forward. a dead fish, while manipulating the guards with her false sense of naivety. Lasting Thoughts: “Wienerland is a

Final Thoughts

The film is shot beautifully, incorporating 4K cameras, the cinematography is nothing short of ‘Hollywood

Standout Spaghetti-Fantasy Film.” Written by Jack Thompson

HAS COVID-19 DOOMED THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY? It’s no secret that the world has been rocked to the core by the current COVID-19 outbreak. The virus which originated in Wuhan, China quickly spread to the rest of the world and has now been labelled as a global pandemic. Countries have closed their borders, quarantines have been put in place, individuals have fallen unemployed, many business operations have slowed or even halted, and the entertainment industry has become one of the virus’s primary victims. The entertainment industry is one that is so heavily reliant on events that necessitate people to be close in proximity to one another. It was inevitable that businesses, companies and individuals involved in entertainment would be strongly affected by the COVD-19 outbreak.

Entertainment That Has Ceased

There are endless entities that have been shut down for the foreseeable future. The production of films has ceased until further notice, pushing deadlines back several months, if not years (for certain projects). James Cameron’s Avatar sequels were meant to filmed in the coming months, but will have to wait for clearance before production begins. Avatar is just one of many films, tv series and live action musicals that are being forced to halt all production. This is saddening for media consumers as we will have to wait that little bit longer for these anticipated titles to release. More importantly though, this halt in production has led to the unemployment of 120,000 people in Hollywood, and an estimated 50,000 film freelancers will lose their jobs in the UK. Film isn’t the only industry in entertainment that is being affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. Sports have been shut down all across the world, with most having no foreseeable resume date. In Australia, the economic toll of having to suspend the sporting season were so great that the AFL and NRL became genuinely concerned with the prospect of financial collapse, and ultimately ‘going under’. The situation seems so dire that the sports leagues have been reaching out to their respective governments for surplus packages. In Britain, there are warning signs that many newspapers will permanently close, resulting in more people losing their jobs. Musical events, concerts, festivals, and cinema operations have also been suspended till the foreseeable future. Entertainment production might seem to be at an all-time low, but the industry has adapted to the predicament and continues to evolve.

Adapting to The Virus

Although it appears that the entertainment industry is in disarray, businesses, artists, and producers have been innovative to adapt to the current situation. Even with the social-distancing policies in place, and respective quarantines, the entertainment industry continues to innovate in the face of adversity. Streaming and gaming have seen an exponential increase in viewership and use. In North America alone there has been

a 75% increase in gaming during peak times. YouTube and Twitch have seen increases in usage, as well as streaming platforms of the likes of Netflix, Stan and Disney+ displaying increases of up to 60% in usage. With the closure of live concerts, musicians have turned to streaming services to produce and perform their content. As live sports were temporarily cancelled, many businesses and individuals turned their focus to eSports. Social media has also seen a large increase in usage as people try to find new ways to keep themselves entertained. Content creators are now producing an unprecedented amount of creative art – the most we have ever seen. During this time of uncertainty, individuals have been given opportunities to be innovative and push the boundaries of art and passion, whether they are professional or amateur. One of the many questions that has been raised in reference to content creation is will there be a point where we run out of content? In short, no. Hollywood and professional type medians may be in a time of production suspension, meaning we may have minimal professional content released (ie. movies, TV shows, etc), – leaving consumers with a ‘content void’; but this does not mean we will run out of content. As previously stated, YouTube is booming, Streaming services still have a large backlog of content to release over the next year, musicians are using this time to create more music, and game developers are still working (just in isolation, rather than at the office). We may not be able to go to the cinemas, or see our favourite bands play live, but we will be out of this situation soon, and in the meantime, there is plenty of content to be consumed.

The Future of The Entertainment Industry It is clear that the entertainment industry will never be the same once this pandemic is over; and this is not a bad thing – quite the opposite actually. The entertainment industry has learned to adapt to the Coronavirus situation, and subsequently produced some great content. The seemingly dying construct of TV is again receiving more viewership as new and creative shows are aired across the nation (and world). Lego Masters captivated the heats and eyes of many living rooms across Australia and North America, with its creative spin on the MasterChef style format. We could see a resurgence in TV viewership even after the pandemic is over if TV networks continue to be innovative and create inspiring, creative shows. Streaming has become increasingly popular over the last few years, but since COVID-19 the world has witnessed a rapid increase in views across multiple platforms. According to Forbes, the outbreak of COVID-19 has led to a 70% increase in internet usage across the globe. Businesses and entertainment companies are sure to take advantage of this even after the pandemic is over. This increase in views will only encourage streaming companies to continue to create even more original, ‘fresh’ content, in order to keep hold of the extra viewers they have gained over the time of the pandemic. The world will be forever changed even after COVID-19 is over. No matter what the business or industry is, the internet will be utilised more consciously and with stronger intent. Society will continue to grow into a more technology integrated world, with entertainment being one of the core consumer pleasures that is developed as a result of this. Although it may seem like the entertainment industry is in chaos, that certainly isn’t the case. Production dates have been pushed backward, and musical and sporting events have been rescheduled. However, through this disorder other content creators have risen to the mark, and we have seen a surge in entertainment innovation and creativity. So, has COVID-19 doomed the entertainment industry? Certainly not. If anything, we will witness an industry bounce-back. The best is yet to come.

-Tait Caldwell

Miss Scuba Australia has participated in the Miss Scuba International pageant since 2018. In 2018 and 2019, MSA was represented by two Brisbane-based Marine Science graduates, both models and passionate marine conservationists. Michaela Shuttleworth was awarded the coveted Miss Scuba International crown in 2019, beating out 22 other participants from around the globe. It was the first time Australia has won the title, with the largest participation in the 10-year history of the pageant. Michaela also won the title of Miss Photogenic.

Miss SCUBA International (www.missscuba.com www.facebook.com/MSIInt/ ), aka the MSI pageant, began humbly in Kota Kinabalu, capital of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo (www.facebook.com/SabahMalaysianBorneo/). It was founded and presided over by Mr Robert Lo, a strong believer in sustainable development within the realms of our marine environment. He hopes that by sharing the magic and wonders of the underwater world via beauty queens, it will enable more people to understand how fragile our oceans are, and how much more we all need to play our individual little roles to make a big difference in protecting it. Our goal is simple: To create awareness around the need to keep our oceans clean and healthy, and to encourage others to explore the world through SCUBA diving. • We celebrate inner beauty and encourage the empowerment of the modern woman of today • We advocate for marine conservation • We promote safe and environmental aware diving practices. During the pageant, finalists compete in various categories such as knowledge of marine conservation, proficiency in modeling & catwalk, as well as showing their own stage talent. Our finalists also participate in beach cleanups

and underwater cleanups, as well as visiting a variety of charities and explore cultural heritage sites. Our conservation partners include; - WWF-Malaysia www.wwf.org. My Manta Trust www.mantatrust.org Green Fins www.greenfins. net/en and Shark Savers www.sharksavers.org/en/home

Miss Scuba Australia

has participated in the Miss Scuba International pageant in 2018 and 2019 and was represented by two Brisbane based Marine Science graduates who are also models and passionate marine conservation ladies. In 2019, Michaela Shuttleworth won the coveted Miss Scuba International crown beating 22 other participants from around the globe. It was the first time Australia has won the title and it was also the largest participation in the 10-year history of the pageant. Michaela also won the Miss Photogenic title. This particular event also had the largest participation in the 10year history of the pageant. Michaela also won the Miss Photogenic title. Since winning the title, Michaela has traveled to Europe, Thailand and returned to Sabah to promote marine conservation at dive shows and worked with local marine conservation programs. One of these programs is a coral rebuilding effort based in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo. Michaela is now part of a Marine Conservation Sisterhood that is made up of like-minded ladies from around the world. These inspirational women share the same passion of finding and implementing long term alternatives in reversing and rebuilding damaged marine life. Join us in this movement and be part of a positive sea change! Miss Scuba International is scheduled for late 2021 (subject to government travel restrictions).

Cast 2 Crew & Mr Lai will be looking for the next representative in 2021. Stay tuned for more details!

Jeremy Lai National Director Miss Scuba Australia 2021

+614 10 882 882

jeremy@absoluteasia.com.au

MissScubaAustralia

Suzanne Webcke Suzanne had a love of performing from a very young age. She would regularly entertain her family with puppet shows, plays, and renditions of Olivia Newton John’s best hits including Xanadu. Suzanne continued to “clown around”, as her family put it, for many years until she was finally able to study acting in her high school drama classes. Unsurprisingly, she excelled at the subject having finally found her niche. In addition to performing in her high school’s senior drama productions, Suzanne was thrilled to take part in two of her school’s musicals, “Annie Get Your Gun” and “Bugsy Malone”. Like many creatives, Suzanne dreamed about going to NIDA after finishing high school. She gratefully accepted an Oscar from the Academy in her bedroom at the age of 17, watched on by her adoring dog, Sebastian. However, Suzanne never made it to NIDA. After being encouraged by her parents to pursue a more stable career, she went on to study Law at QUT. She completed her studies in 1997 and worked in several law firms around Brisbane. But practising law didn’t bring her joy, and her desire to act never wained. She continued to attend acting classes whenever she could. In early 2016, Suzanne decided the time was now! She commenced studying an Advanced Diploma in Screen & Media at the Performing Arts Conservatory in Brisbane. Her idea was to learn how to be a filmmaker first so that she could create her own content. A female Quentin Tarantino if you will, but with more of an acting role. After completing her film studies at the end of 2017, Suzanne went on to study acting at the Factory Acting Studio, undertaking their ten week Acting Immersive. Now that she had finally taken the plunge, Suzanne didn’t want to stop training. Following the Immersive, Suzanne went on to complete the Factory’s six month Actor’s Breakthrough Program. During her time at the Factory Suzanne was mentored by some of the best actors and acting coaches in Brisbane, including Christopher Sommers, Brad McMurray, Helen Howard, Charles Allan, Rob Horton, Sean Lynch and Lyndelle Green, to name a few. Throughout 2018 and 2019, Suzanne also attended numerous acting and audition workshops with casting directors such as Ben Parkinson, Thea McLeod, Amanda Mitchell, Greg Apps and Bud Hopes. Since January 2020, Suzanne has been studying her acting craft under the tutelage of renowned acting and on-set coach, Kristina Sexton. Suzanne also attends Kristina’s online scriptwriting classes, and has recently finished writing a 120-page feature film under Kristina’s guidance. To date, Suzanne has appeared in several short films and web series, including Maneater, Copper-pillar, A Message, Accio Love, The Fourth Element and Andy’s Adventure. Some of these films she wrote, produced and directed herself. In 2019, Suzanne worked on the feature films Bloody Hell and Romance on the Menu, as well as on the third season of the hit ABC TV series, Harrow. Suzanne has also worked on a number of corporate and commercial productions, including a TVC for Carinity Aged Care. Suzanne’s vision is to continue to write, produce, direct and appear in as many of her own productions as possible. In other words, she wants to keep living her dream. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11162263/ https://www.suzannewebcke.com

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