Looking for Pia Miranda- The AFI Best Actress recipient eludes a fan. Introducing the MallboyS: Vince Giarrusso and Kane McNay. Australian film m akers abroad. Who’s doing what, where, and who with? Michael Bodey.Adrian Martin. Suzanne Stretton-Brown. Mark Woods. Alan Duff. Richard Frankland, 9770311363019
The Critical Issue. December.00.January.01
$ 7.6 5in cG S T NZ$8.00 inc GST
we found a com pany in A u strlfia
^^im gg^BBSS^SSS ^ : --
-- gwg
Rising Sun Pictures that did phenomenal 3d w ork.”
S i-
Deff O kun] ®
isirigSun Pictures] •
SU M I
#- r i s i n g s i l h
J
[ P I C T U R E
S I
FILM « TELEVISION * ADVERTISING ADELAIDE [0 8 ] 8 3 6 4 6 0 7 4 - SYD N EY [0 2 ] 9 6 9 9 0031 W W W .RSP.C O M A U * IN FO @ RSP.C O M A U
#
[Jeff Okun] is a leading visual effects supervisor in
Hollywood.You may know him from such films as "Red-Planet” 2 0 0 0 ,“D eep Blue Sea” 19 9 9 ,“Sphere” 1998, ‘T h e Long Kiss Goodnight” 19 9 6 , “Lolita” 1997, "Stargate” 1994 e t cetera, e t ce te ra , e t cetera...
® [Rising Sun Pictures] is a bunch o f people w ho create phenomenal visual effects fo r film, television and advertising.
i3fí.contents.
dec00.jan.01
Reviews 36.Film. The Dish Almost Famous Mailboy Coyote Ugly Innocence Cunnamulla The Magic Pudding 42.Reading.
AFI Wrap. Michael Ward searches the Horden Pavilion for elfin star Pia Miranda.
14
Animated Helmets on the Red Planet. Digital FX team leader Tony Clark writes about creating objects around Val Kilmer’s head.
18
Australian Filmmakers Abroad. They’re working in every nook and cranny of Hollywood, plus a few places in between, like New Zealand.
22
Mailboy. Under the tutelage of first-time director Vince Giarrusso, bright young thing Kane McNay comes into his own in Mailboy.
24
On set. South Australia has carved a niche as the place to shoot on a shoestring budget. J Harkness stayed home to direct his feature debut, Dope.
26
Hollywood Down Under. The studios occasionally come to Australia and New Zealand because production here is cheap. Alan Duff argues we shouldn’t kid ourselves it’s otherwise.
John Hargreaves...a celebration Looking For Alibrandi The Sound Of One Hand Clapping Out Of The Mist and Steam Coen Brothers The Bond Files
Australian Art Films. Do They Exist? Adrian Martin argues they don't, and for a very good reason.
Leonard Maltin 2001
44. Video. Intern Do Not Disturb American Perfekt It’s The Rage 45. DVD. Magnolia Joan of Arc Looking for Alibrandi Stuart Little
Regulars. 05. Welcome to Woop Woop. 06. Newsfront Industry news. 10. Fresh Air. Letters and your email reports. 17. To Market To Market Columbia Tristar’s Suzanne Stretton-Brown. 21. Final Cut Richard Frankland. 28. The Box. Mark Woods. 35. Snapshot Leigh Whannell on Joy. 47. Supplement on the world wide web, digital and cable TV. 54. In Production. 58. The Sum of Us.
m ild - hi-speed, portable, precision motion control. Repeatable, scalable camera moves in stop-motion or real time for seamless, accurate composites. 10 axis control, slimline head with Mitchell S35 camera - stop motion to 125fps, eg data import/export. Complete package for studio or location including operators and digital video assist.
m a n t lS - portable, precision, pocket motion control, 4 axis control [camera/pan/tilt/focus] with Fries Mitchell 35R3 camera - stop motion to 125fps, CG data import/export. Complete package including operator and lenses.
illusion >
45-47 h u m e street crows n e s t
Sydney
m o v ie w o r ld s t u d io s , p a c if ic h i g h w a y o x e n fo r d
NSW 2065 QLD 4210
t e le p h o n e t e le p h o n e
**61 [21 9966 4211 facsimile **61 12] 9906 7911 **61 [7] 5585 9776 facsimile **61 [7] 5585 9775
photon vfx pty ltd www.photon.com.au
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
TONY CLARK HEADED THE LOCAL
DARBY HUDSON CARTOONS FOR
VISUAL EFFECTS TEAM WHO WORKED
MONASH UNI’S COMPASS, MELBOURNE
ON RED PLANET. HE IS CURRENTLY
UNI'S FARRAGO AND SELF-PUBLISHES
WORKING AS DOP ON TEMPTED WITH
ON THE BACK OF TOILET DOORS.
DIRECTOR BILL BENNETT IN NEW
ADRIAN MARTIN IS A FILM REVIEWER
ORLEANS.
FOR THE AGE AND AUTHOR OF
MARK WOODS RECENTLY COMPLETED
PHANTASMS [PENGUIN, 1994) AND
SIX YEARS AS SHOWBIZ REPORTER FOR
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA
VARIETY.
(BFI, 1998).
ALAN DUFF IS CO-WRITER OF ONCE
LEIGH WHANNELL IS A FORMER
WERE WARRIORS AND WHAT BECAME
PRESENTER ON ABC TVS RECOVERY. HE
OF THE BROKENHEARTED? HIS
IS CURRENTLY MAKING A SHORT FILM.
RECENTLY PUBLISHED NOVEL IS
ALISTER SHEW FUNDS HIS
CALLED OUT OF THE STEAM AND MIST.
BURGEONING CULTURAL
MADELEINE SWAIN HAS BEEN
CONSUMPTION HABIT WITH A DAY-JOB
MICHAEL BODEY, SHOWBIZ EDITOR
MEGAN SLOLEY IS FILM
ADDICTED TO SITTING IN DARKENED
AS AN OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR.
FOR THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, IS A FILM
CORRESPONDENT FOR INPRESS.
COMEDY WRITER WHO HAS WRITTEN
ROOMS DEVOURING LARGER-THAN-
RACHEL NEWMAN IS A POP CULTURE
JOURNALISM RARITY - HE DOESN’T
INSPIRED BY FORMAL CINEMA
FOR THE MICALLEFPROGRAM AND
MICHAEL WARD IS A FREELANCE
LIFE IMAGES SINCE CHILDHOOD.
CONTRIBUTOR TO ROLLING STONE,
HAVE ANY NOVELS, SCRIPTS OR TV
STUDIES, HER STEADY ATTACHMENT
BACKBERNER ON ABC TELEVISION. HE
GILLIAN BARTLETT IS NICHE
SMASH HITS AND THE HERALD SUN,
SHOWS IN DEVELOPMENT.
TO FILM CRITICISM CONTRASTS WITH A
HAS MADE MORE THAN 1000 FILMS,
WAIVCOM'S ONLINE EDITOR.
AMONG OTHERS.
LESS DISCIPLINED PASSION FOR
OFTEN WITH PLENTY OF TIME TO
SHANE STEPHENS IS DEPUTY EDITOR
ANDREW MAST IS TV REVIEWER FOR
FICTION WRITING, INCLUDING POEMS,
SPARE.
OF AUSTRALIAN MACWORLD.
ABC 702, AMONG MANY OTHER THINGS.
SHORT STORIES AND A FILM SCRIPT CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT.
ëlcome to Wood Wood
GROUP PUBLISHER DAVID MCDONOUGH
dmcdonoughidniche.com.au ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER STEVEN METTER
smetterfdniche.com.au
-> Welcome to our Critical Issue examining, among other things,
EDITOR MICHAELA BOLAND
whether Australia really does have a culture of art cinema. This
mbotandldniche.com.au
was an issue first touched on by BVI distributor Alan Finney in
COPY EDITOR MICHELE FRANKENI
his To Market, To Market column in issue 132. Now, coinciding
mfrankenifdniche.com.au GILLIAN BARTLETT
with the launch of Paul Cox's Innocence, Melbourne critic Adrian
gillianfdvraiv.com
Martin takes the debate one step further in a feature that’s sure
DESIGN ROB DAVIES
robdfdniche.com.au
to set tongues a-wagging.
ADVERTISING MANAGER LARRY BOYD TEL: (03) 9525 5566
an impassioned pen, taking issue with Hollywood's forays
New Zealand author Alan Duff is another who writes with
lboydfdniche.com.au
Down under (p.26).
MARKETING DIRECTOR ED GOUGH
Hopefully, 2000 has marked a turning point in Australian film
egoughfdniche.com.au
with a swag of local success stories, mirrored by the wonderfully
PRODUCTION STEPHANIE HALL
even distribution of this year's AFI Awards and healthy local box
stephaniefdniche.com.au
office takings.
SARAH TURNER
sturnerfdwaiv. com
Can those tired old critics whove been saying Australians just
SCANNING NICOLE FEIDLER CONTRIBUTING WRITERS EMMA SLOLEY, DARBY HUDSON, ANGUS FONTAINE. MICHAEL BODEY, ADRIAN MARTIN, ROBBERT SMIT, MARK WOODS, DINO SCATENA, RACHEL NEWMAN, MARIEKE HARDY. MADELEINE SWAIN EMMA CRIMMINGS, MEGAN SLOLEY, LEIGH WHANNELL. EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD NATALIE MILLER, ROSS DIMSEY SCOTT MURRAY, SALLY-ANNE KERR LYNDEN BARBER, TED GREGORY TRACEY MAIR
don't want to see Australian films please shut up now? Still, our international returns for features and TV drama remain low, as detailed by the AFCs annual production report (see newsfront p.8). But aided by the insight of the AFC’s development paper and recent re-examination of the role of that body, plus the FFC, the stage is set for the local industry to move gainfully into 2001 and beyond. Congratulations to the hard-working Eric Bana and Pia Miranda for their best actor AFI awards. Ditto Alibrandl producer Robyn Kershaw and Chopper director Andrew Dominik. Terrific to see support actors Greta Scacchi and Simon Lyndon's work applauded, plus ail Bootmen's craft recipients
SUBSCRIPTIONS TEL: 1800 806 160
receive recognition.
email: subscriptionsldniche.com.au
Actor Kane McNay was a deserving recipient of the young actor's award for his turn in Vince Giarrusso's Mailboy, opening in January, Gillian Bartlett caught up with the duo (p.22). Time now to thank all those who worked diligently to get Cinema Papers into mailboxes and onto
CINEMA PAPERS IS A PUBLICATION OF NICHE MEDIA PTY LTD ABN 13 064 613 529 A DIVISION OF WAIVCOM WORLDWIDE LTD ABN 53 006 031 161 LEVEL3, 165 FITZROY STREET, ST KILDA, MELBOURNE. VIC 3182 TEL: (03) 9525 5566, FAX: (03) 9525 5628 PO BOX 2043, ST KILDA, MELBOURNE, VIC 3182 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER NICHOLAS DOWER CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER STEVEN METTER
smetterHniche.com.au GROUP ART DIRECTOR GLENN A MOFFATT
gmoffattBniche.com.au FILM & PRINTING SOUTHERN COLOUR, TEL: (03) 9701 5544
newstands this year. Thanks to the Niche marketing and distribution team who carefully nurtured the title through its re birth. And to the publishers David McDonough and Steven Metter, plus the designers Glenn A. Moffatt and Rob Davies whose work continues to be praised and discussed. The sub-editing team of Michele Frankeni and Shane Stephens, well we'd have no magazine without them. Thanks also to indefatigable board member Natalie Miller, who continues to champion CP hither and yon, along with advertising manager Larry Boyd. And significantly, the many contributors, columnists and reviewers who gave their opinions so generously, come what may. And finally, happy holidays to Cinema Papers' readers. We thank those who have stuck with us through a massive change of guard this year and we welcome all the newcomers. Your comments; both positive and considered, plus those delivered with enthusiastic bile, have appreciatively been taken on board.
ISSN 0311-3639 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED. STORED IN A RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY OTHER MEANS. ELECTRONIC, MECHANICAL. PHOTOCOPYING. RECORDING OR OTHERWISE. V/ITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION IN WRITING OF THE PUBLISHERS. WHILE EVERY EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO ENSURE THE ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION. THE PUBLISHERS A SSU M E NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS OR ANY CONSEQUENCES OF RELIANCE ON THIS PUBLICATION. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS PUBLICATION DO NOT NECESSARILY R EPRESENT THE
Michaela Boland
VIEY/S OF THE EDITOR. THE PUBLISHER OR THE PUBLICATION. ® 2000 NICHE M EDIA PTY LTD.
Editor CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01 [05]
CEO for Cinemedia at last
He said directors and producers were divided, and producers could not even agree among themselves, on the issue which had arisen due to a
After almost a year of uncertainty, the Victorian Government has
landscape of growing multimedia sophistication, plus a determination
appointed a CEO to run the Victorian
saw the dessert coming ‘round.” An international guest (who declined to be named) at the recent ‘new era’ SPAA conference explaining his hasty grab for the last dinner roll.
film industry's peak body, Cinemedia. John Smithies was
which they are unlikely to use for the
appointed in November for 12
intended purpose.”
months, after acting in the position
International guests at SPAA 2000
since March, following the departure
included screenwriter Robert Towne
of Jennifer Hooks who held the job
film business strategist Jonathan
for under a decade.
Olsberg and producer Gary Levinsohn
The CEO announcement had not been
[The Patriot), plus acquisitions
expected for several months to allow
consultants including USA Film's
the state government time to prepare
Amanda Klein, Universal Picture’s
its response to a recent report into
Graeme Mason and Miramax's Matt
the Victorian industry. The report
by networks to reduce licence fees.
Brodlie.
advocated splitting Cinemedia into
Murray argued reaching a consensus
To them Murray demanded, “ Put up
two bodies, one responsible for
would, “Allow us to concentrate on
or shut up. Let's see something better
administering screen culture, the
more important commercial issues,
than the usual 'Send us your film when it's finished', we need more
other charged with funding film and
such as the terms of trade with
TV production.
Australian broadcasters and the
support than that."
The short-term of the appointment
attraction of international funding to
The loud applause which greeted
w ill allow the CEO to assist
our film and television projects” .
Murray's speech set the tone for the
Cinemedia's transition into two
Praising the federal government's
most energetic conference since
separate entities if the government
"interest" in establishing a high end
guest speaker George Lucas
accepts the report’s suggestions, as
broadband network to enable the
announced his intention to shoot Star
is expected.
post-production sector to better
Wars: Episode Two in Australia on the
service offshore productions, Murray
eve of SPAA '98.
said he was nevertheless disturbed
Dip in the SPAA
that, “this may be the sole focus of the government".
Annual Accounts
"The failure of the local industry to -> The key issues facing local screen
provide throughput to the post
-> The local film industry produced
producers are; directors’ copyrights,
production sector w ill ultimately
ten fewer feature films in the past
the need for a high-end broadband
render it uncompetitive in any event.”
twelve months, compared with the
network, and the pending
On that note, he praised the recent
previous year, but due to the mega
introduction of digital broadcasting.
Australian Film Commission (AFC)
budget for Fox’s Moulin Rouge (more
That’s according to the president of
report which advocated a “ smarter"
than $50 million], overall production
Feature budgets are continuing to
the Screen Producer’s Association of
approach to production investment.
grew by seven percent.
skew towards the lower end of the
Australia (SPAA), Nick Murray, who
Digital TV is due to launch in Oz on
News of the drop to a production slate
spectrum, all but Moulin Rouge were
welcomed 650 delegates to the 15th
1 January , 2001 but Murray joked
of 31 features, was contained in the
produced for $6 million or less, and
annual conference on November 15.
HDTV's arrival was as exciting as the
Australian Film Commission’s annual
13 of those were produced for less
Addressing a full auditorium, Murray,
introduction last decade of "new,
production report released in
than $1 million.
an independent producer and former
stereo AM radio” .
November.
Spending on international co
network executive, said SPAA was
"No one wants it and even if they did
It also found local televisual
productions rose from $87 million to
working towards an agreement with
want it, they can't receive it," he said.
production expenditure had risen only
$109 million, slightly offsetting the
the Australian Screen Directors
"Like the US, it's now generally
slightly to $570 million, aided by an
decrease in spending by foreign
Association (ASDA) on directors'
accepted that the networks here have
increase in TV drama production up
productions from last year's peak of
copyrights.
been granted a vast public resource
22 percent on last year.
$181 million, to $115 million.
[6 ] CINEMA PAPERS. DEC EM BER.00. JANUARY.01
Getting Scripts Right -> The local film industry is dogged by an abundance of poorly-financed scripts which are languishing too long in development. So says a report released by the country’s leading marketing and development agency, the Australian Film Commission (AFC). The study, which compared local funding and practice with other significant non-US industries, was presented to the federal government in November. It reveals Australia's development-to-production ratio, at 17-to-one, outstrips by double the European and Hollywood average of eight-to-one, revealing monies
Entertainer Nikki Bennett Walks the Talk \ at the opening night tíf the Brisbane. .. ! International Rim Festival in July. ¡¡¡|
wasted seeding too many projects which fail to materialise. Local features spend an average 4.8 years in development, double the usual US timeframe, and more than a third longer than Europe. With development budgets commonly hovering around $60,000,
Actor Bryan Brown was the well-suited winner of Queensland Arts Minister Matt Foley (I), Brisbane and PFTC CEO Robin James (r) S flfì|||l
local projects are twice as rich as their Canadian counterparts but receive, on average, just under a third of European project funding, and a quarter the UK average. The report establishes that low and declining overall development investment is resulting in elongated, fractured and impoverished projects plus stifled practitioner development. Our penchant for combining the roles of writer, producer and director equates to a further drain on the talent pool when an individual moves offshore. The AFC is planning to reduce the number of projects it invests in while fostering an environment which encourages sustained and concentrated practitioner development and separates the roles of writer, director and producer.
[8] CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01
Mailboy night out at MIFF 2000’s closing night for OOP Brendan Lavello (I) sound
In an industry so full of changes, w hat’s inside your cam e ra may w ell be the one certainty. Film . At the sam e tim e, we realize the world is not standing still And neither are you. Our imaging te c h n o lo g ies will always evolve because you evolve. Your ideas fuel the future. And we re all about giving you w hat you w ant. W hat you need. And then some. So you can help keep the world turning. And our hearts racing. t Make an informed choice when selecting your capture medium. Visit www.kodak.com/go/story for the whole story. E rm uiries 1 3 0 0 139 7 9 5
H i
M iM iSriS
Wmm « H i M mmm wm has multi-regional capabilities the RCE w ill not allow the altered player to play the disc: displaying a message
res air ■ fax Dear Ms Boland, 1am writing in response to your reference to Working Dog's The Dish in the
that the player is unauthorised to play
Newsfront section of your October/November edition.
the program.
Although there are many points with which I and my partners take issue, there is
The RCE program is designed to
one matter raised in your curious article that cannot be left unchallenged. Your
discourage the export of Region One
claim that Working Dog insisted on reviews for The Castle being submitted before
discs to other regions. As Hollywood
an interview was granted regarding The Dish is untrue.
staggers film releases around the
Michael Hirsh at Working Dog
globe (so that they don't have to make as many copies of the film), it is possible for people outside of Region One to buy DVD versions of films prior to the film being released at their local cinemas. The reasoning behind the proliferation of multi-region players in Australia is the lack of titles available, combined with the lack of extra features included on the Australian discs. With only 1000 Australian titles compared
Sounds Like?
to approximately 6000 titles available in Region One, the incentive to cross regions is great.
-> My Mother Frank, Me Myself I,
Siren Entertainment's licensing and
Angst and The Wog Boy dominated
distribution manager Paul Wiegard
the ASSGs Screen Sound Awards held
says "if Australian suppliers don't
in Sydney on October 13. My Mother
release with the same features as US
Frank collected best dialogue sound
discs, [purchasers] will go to the US or
and ADR editing, best foley and
UK."
soundtrack of the year, but none of the
Whether it w ill work or not is the big
films were among the AFI nominations
question. According to Wiegard,
for sound announced five days later. Those nominations went to Chopper, Bootmen, The Magic Pudding, and A Wreck, A Tangle.
Coded DVDs -> The regional coding of DVDs has entered the next chapter with the Regional Code Enhancement (RCE) program. The RCE is designed to overcome the proliferation of altered DVD players able to bypass the region code requirements. Shane Stephens reports retailers are currently openly
"people don't fully recognise the
marketing players as "region free"
advancement in this technology -
and "multi zone".
there were a lot of teething problems
The DVD market is broken up into six
early on. Certain hardware was not
separate regions - Australia is in
reading some discs, people were not
region 4. DVD players that play all
used to the technology. People are
regions are decrypted with DeCSS, a
still coming to terms with the
Windows program that can decrypt the
technology."
scramble system used in DVDs.
The RCE discs are scheduled for
The RCE is an additional embedded
release in the US market in late
code on the DVD disc that allows the
October. According to Wiegard, the
disc to detect whether a DVD player
first RSE disc introduced to Australia
has been manufactured, or altered, to
w ill be The Patriot [released in
allow it to play all regions. If the player
January 2001).
[10] CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01
Cinema Papers stands by its publication o f this item. The reviewer in question volunteered the information in the presence o f other members o f the film industry. - Ed
■ email ACS Victorian President, David Muir ACS BSC
-> 15th Victorian/Tasmanian Australian Cinematographers Society Awards The speech of Guest of Honour, the Aboriginal filmmaker, musician and songwriter Richard Frankland, was a highlight of our annual ceremony, held at the Carlton Crest Hotel in Melbourne on Saturday November 4. Richard moved the audience (a good cross-section of representatives of the two states' screen production industries} with stories from his experiences when he served on the Royal Commission into Black Deaths in Custody. “I make films to change attitudes” he said "and film is such a wonderful voice for change". With more than 150 cinematographers present at the ACS Awards, Richard's comments on their role as an important part of “the people who come together to make a story, to record the history of this great country of ours. We plant seeds with those thoughts and those very images and we shape the identity of the country”. Richard Frankland's most recent, multi-award winning film, which he wrote and directed, is Harry's War, a film about his Uncle Harry Saunders who fought for Australia in World War II. Harry’s War was named Best Short Film, 2000 Black Film Makers Hall of Fame; won Best Short Film at the Hollywood Black Film Festival and was voted Best Australian Short Film at Flickerfest 2000. His other award-winning films include After Mabo, on which he was Executive Producer, and No Way to Forget, which he wrote and directed. This film garnered four AFI Award nominations in 1996 and won Best Short Film for that year - along with other recognition, such as being in the official selection, Un Certain Regarde, at the Cannes International Film Festival. "When I’m working with my camera people, every time they ask me a question about my culture, we are bridging the cultural abyss. They'll go home and share with their children, their families and friends. I love sharing my culture and my heritage.” “I hope the wonderful images you catch of Australia for the rest of the world go on living forever, remembered by all. I hope you see this country as I see it, as a wonderful patchwork of multi-culturalism. It has the oldest culture in the world and the newest possible culture." On the almost as well known Who Killed Malcolm Smith? [about black deaths in custody) Richard was Associate Producer and Presenter. He is currently working on his next project - a feature film which he hopes to shoot next year. Richard Frankland presented the awards in the drama categories, including a Short Drama Gold to young Vincent Taylor, who won a Golden Tripod in the Student category at the ACS National Awards in Brisbane earlier this year. Another Gold in Short Drama was taken out by Chris Le Page from Channel Ten. In the Student Cinematography category, Victorian College of the Arts School of Film and Television student Chi Yen Ooi (better known in the ACS as “Yen1') scored a hattrick, winning Highly Commended, Silver and Gold - The Vern Wagstaff ACS Award. In Telefeatures, TV Drama and Mini-series, Brendan Lavelle ACS [Stingers] won Silver and Brent Crockett ACS [Halifax FP\ and Craig Barden ACS [Farscape] both won Gold, in the Cinema Features category Laszlo Baranyai ACS HSC won Silver for Soft Fruit, with David Eggby ACS gaining Gold for Pitch Black. Richard Frankland’s final words to the Australian Cinematographers Society members and their film industry guests, reflecting the spirit of the evening, were greeted with tumultuous applause. “When you work on my film, don't say that you work on it, say that you help make it. When you walk on the land of this great country, don’t say that you’re not a part of it, say that you’re helping to build it, that you will leave a great legacy with your images!"
I’ve only ever had “the red carpet treatment” once before, and that was when I got my living room steam-cleaned. I’m pretty sure there weren’t as many paparazzi around then, as there are now, crammed as they are along the entranceway to the Horden Pavilion at the 2000 AFI Awards. It’s damn lucky there is a red carpet to follow. Who knows, without it some of these confused looking starlets might mistakenly follow some other primarycoloured parade - say, a blue line on the macadam - and end up in Homebush.
Looking for An AFI Awards virgin virain. Michael Ward spent the entire, rain-sodden evening
But the red carpet and the treatment traditionally associated with it says to all those who walk its plush path - This is it! This is the big time! You've made it! To the foyer! take my turn to walk down this magical fairway of fame, immediately ignored by the assembled photographers and onlookers, although I got the feeling just for an instant that one photographer thought I was Ralph Fiennes (I get that a bit). Anyway, forget Alibrandi, I’m Looking For Pia. The parade of celebrities and nobodies continues unabated and unperturbed by the drizzling rain, but there is no sign of Best Actress nominee. There's actor Chris Haywood (looks cool). There's Guy Pearce (needs a shave). Catriona Roundtree nominated for Getaway?) looks a little too comfortable in the camera’s gaze. Rob Sitch is here for some reason, perhaps rehearsing his arrival for next year's awards. There's Eric Bana, but where's Mark Chopper' Read? Probably snubbed the awards in favour of his regular Saturday night jazz club gig. e plays clarinet, you know. Just when it looks like she's not coming, there she suddenly is, Pia Miranda, striding up the red carpet looking positively angelic. hate those damn paparazzi for making her stop and turn and smile, all the while screaming Pia! Pia! Pia! at her. At least they could scream her name politely, like I do. In the media centre, some journos have already staked out their places on the folding chairs by taping their business cards to the seats. Hetlo! is up front, and Woman's Day subtly in the second row. Penthouse Magazine had pegged the third row, but let's not go there. A table with four microphones sits on a small stage.
CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01 [11]
Features Looking for Alibrandi.
Best film for producer Best actress for newcomer
Looking for Alibrandi.
Best support actress for
Looking for Alibrandi. Looking for Alibrandi.
Best adapted screenplay for Best editing,
Looking for Alibrandi. Chopper.
Best director for Best lead actor for
Chopper. Chopper.
Best support actor for
Allanah Zitserman, Russian Doll.
Best original screenplay,
Bootmen.
Best original music score, Bootmen.
Best costume design,
Bootmen.
Best cinematography, Best sound, David Lee,
_
, Bootmen.
Bootmen.
Best production design,
Dan Jinks, American Beauty.
Best foreign film, producers
| Mailboy.
Young actor’s award,
Non-features for Grass Roots.
TV dram a episode, producer
Grass Roots.
TV dram a screenplay
Grass Roots.
TV dram a director
Grass Roots.
Lead actor in dram a series,
Something in the Air.
Lead actress in a dram a Series,
mmm
Halifax f.p.
Actor in a Telefeature or Mini Series, Actress in a Telefeature or Mini Series,
Waiting At The Royal.
Episode dram a series, All Saints - Valley of The Shadow (part 1), Seven Network Australia, ProducerMini-series dr Telefeature, On The Beach, Southern Star
in association with Coote/Hayes
Children’s television drama, Eugenie Sandler P I, Burberry Productions Documentary, Short fiction film,
The Diplomat. Confessions o f a Headhunter.
Direction in a documentary,
The Diplomat.
Cinematography in a non-feature,
•
_
La Nina.
I take my turn to walk down this magical fairway of fame, immediately ignored by the assembled photographers and onlookers, although I got the feeling just for an instant that one photographer thought I was Ralph Fiennes (I get that a bit).
This is where tonight's winners w ill sit and answer
harassment to a fine art. No wonder people drive at
asinine questions like 'How does it feel to win?' I grab
very high speeds through tunnels to escape them.
a glass of champagne and a canape and head back
The Who Cares awards are quickly dispensed with.
down the red carpet again, hoping to be mistaken for
These are the gongs handed out before the actual
Ralph Fiennes. No one buys it.
SBS telecast, and later shown as a highlights
Empire film magazine is launching in Australia and
package while everybody goes to the toilet.
they are having a pre-AFIs party in a small tent near
The actual awards are now called Lovelys. What a
the entrance to the Horden Pavilion.
bloody stupid name. They had a nationwide
The party is packed with surprisingly few celebrities,
competition to figure out this moniker, and it was,
unless you count Mikey Robbins. I figure the reason
unbelievably, the best they could come up with. It
might be in the small details.
doesn't really have the same ring as Oscar, does it? I
Full marks for the chilled champagne, but there’s a
doubt if the AFI are going to be in too much of a hurry
real problem with the olives and the pistachios. I
whacking a (tm) next to it. Myself, I would have gone
mean, you have to actually remove the pits from the
with the Pias.
green olives yourself! And the pistachio nuts still
The award ceremony itself is a pretty ho-hum affair.
have their shells on!
Where were the cutaways to the nominees squirming
I shake my head in dismay and wonder what Kate
in their seats as their names were announced?
Fischer would think of having to remove the shell of a
Where were the split screen reaction shots as the
pistachio like any common nut eater.
winner was read out? It's even duller in the media
This lack of attention to detail has probably cost
room with the sound turned down on the TV half the
Empire a Terry Norris or a Tom Long.
time while the award winners face questions from
Back in the media room, the paparazzi hover like
the assembled media.
camera-toting vultures. These guys have honed
The Television Lovelys are through first, and
predictably there is much concern for the future of the ABC and the state of local drama. Again and again the same theme comes up - the phenomenon of Reality TV is killing locally produced comedy and drama, like some Crown of Thorns starfish choking the life out of the local industry as if it were coral (although of course coral forms over
After midnight I bump into schoolboy Kane McNay, winner of the AFI Young Actors’ Award. I commiserate with him over Mailboy’s lack of award nominations, consoling him with my opinion that the films nominated in this year’s Best Film category are all exactly the same anyway.
thousands of years while television in this country hasn't been running for anywhere near as long). I
The latter continent seems the most popular.
After midnight I bump into schoolboy Kane McNay,
considered putting this analogy to Noni Hazlehurst,
Perhaps everyone has had enough of celebrating
winner of the AFI Young Actors' Award. I
but in retrospect it's perhaps best I didn't.
ourselves - as a consequence the Australian food
commiserate with him over Mailboy's lack of award
I catch another glimpse of the delightful Pia Miranda
stalls are barely attended. I opt for African myself,
nominations, consoling him with my opinion that the
when she fronts the media after winning for Best
tucking into some tasty little ball things.
films nominated in this year's Best Film category are
Actress. She looks exquisite in an outfit designed by
Sated, it's on to the serious business of schmoozing
all exactly the same anyway. Looking For Alibrandi is
Morrissey, which explains what he’s been doing since
and Looking For Pia. The latter is especially difficult
basically about a young girl coming of age. Bootmen
his last solo album.
to achieve, given she is one of about a million people
is about a pair of tap-dancing brothers coming of age. Chopper is a film about a violent criminal
I'm primed to ask Pia a question when somebody
at this party, but I give it my best shot.
else - I think it was Angela Bishop - beats me to
If only I had some sort of Global Positioning System
coming of age. And of course, Better Than Sex is a
the punch with 'How does it feel to win, Pia?'.
(GPS) where I could pinpoint the exact position of the
film in which there's just a lot of coming.
Sharp.
elfin actress at any given time via a global satellite
-> The after-party is held in a huge hall that
government for funding in this area.
Bastoni 27 times, Kate Langbroek three times, and I
network. Perhaps the AFI could lobby the
By the end of the night, I've caught sight of Steve
resembles the insides of a dirigible. Down one end is
A few laps of the hall and no sign of Pia, but I do spot
think I might have caught a glimpse of Chopper
a dance area and a DJ. To the right there’s a closed
Matthew Newton, another actor featured in Looking
director Andrew Dominik - although it was dark and
off area full of corporate VIP tables. All over the floor
For Alibrandi. In the film, you’ll remember, he plays a
it could have been Steve Bastoni.
are free bars stocked with beer, wine, and those
high-achieving teenage schoolboy who kills himself
The DJ is packing up. It’s 2am. The dirigible is
sickly sweet Vodka drinks that I'm happy to drink all
because his father hosts Good Morning Australia.
emptying out. The taxi rank is filling up. There's word
night when they're nix.
I ask him if he's seen his co-star and he says no, but
of a must attend party at Potts Point (you Sydney
And there's the food. Stalls are set up all around the
he agrees a GPS that could pinpoint the exact
people are wild!) but for this writer, the AFIs are over
hall specialising in various regional dishes from
position of the elfin actress at any given time via a
for another year.
Europe, Asia/South Pacific, Australia and Africa.
global satellite network might be a good idea.
Oh, and I never did find Pia. •
CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01 [13]
j
Planet Red
When the Warner/Roadshow Val Kilmer feature Planet decided to shoot at Sydney’s Fox Studios and in outback Coober Freely, they also required some local digital effects expertise. Tony Clark led a team charged with creating animated helmet sequences. Based in Adelaide, Clark’s team was one of 12 digital effects units who worked on the mammoth task of creating 900 different effects shots. The other units were all based in LA. One company did all the robot animations, one did the colour grades, and another did the matt paintings. In addition to the animated helmet sequences, there were a number of shots where actors had helmets on, but the visors were left out presumably due to "camera and lighting reflections. Those shots needed to have the visors created and added back in. Sounds like no big deal, but let me assure you, from an effects perspective, it is. Especially for a fight
-> The helmet animation sequences, where the helmet retracts into nothing, required further work
elements and dispatched them on data tape in return, which meant we never got to see the final
sequence (where the actors are moving around a lot) and the camera is hand-held. All the shots we worked on required the creation of
again, as the only thing that existed on the actors was the collar ring. Everything from there up was created
shots before the visual effects crew in LA. In fact, as I write this, I’ve only ever seen two very short shots on
3D elements that would be attached to and blended with the live action background plates.
in 3D. This was trickier again, as the shots had some parts of the real helmet in shot along with parts of the 3D helmet, so matching was critical.
film, which we'd shot at AAV in Melbourne. About two years ago, I came up with an idea on how
In the fight scene, the helmets were already on the
One of the shots in this sequence was particularly
actors and red tracking marks had been placed on them to allow us to follow the motion of the helmet.
tricky because when we received the live action elements, we found that the collar ring was hanging very low and it was obscuring the front of his space
on our computer screens with the final look on film. We set our in-house programmers to the task of
On slow shots, it’s possible to use these marks to find out how the helmet is moving (using 3D tracking
to solve the problem of matching the images we see
developing software which we tested on our own work. The resulting product (which we called
suit. So we ended up re-building the collar ring and the front of his suit in 3D to get around the problem.
'cineSpace'l has now been released commercially.
The shot has an actor standing in a field of algae, and his helmet animates on followed by the visor. It’s at
allow us to colour correct the images and QuickTime movies that went up for preview on the internet,
night, so reflections in the visor were tricky, but we were supplied a frame from a matt painting in an
allowing the LA-based visual effects supervisor, Jeff
helmet is not tracked into the shot correctly, it Looks as if it is sliding around, and big film close-ups leave
adjacent shot providing visor reflections of the
no margin for error. Once the helmet was tracked, several 3D elements
landscape and another actor in the foreground.
software), but in this case the helmet and camera were moving so radically, they weren't much help. The motion ended up being tracked manually, using a stand-in model of the helmet for reference. If the
were created to produce the effect of the glass on the visors. The elements included scratch elements, a layer to show the surface angle to camera, transparency layers, highlights, etc. The finished look
Generally, with Australian films where we've
For Red Planet the software was further modified to
Okun, to view them in roughly the correct colour. This was a major factor for us in working remotely, as it meant we could be sure we were all looking at the same image. As the US production was all based around NTSC, we
been required to do anything complex, we'll insist
also were required to deliver temp shots on NTSC
upon having one of our people on set to supervise the
SP. Due to the courier delay (best case: two days), this was ultimately foregone in favour of the internet
was created in compositing, by combining these
shooting. In this instance, we were bought in once shooting was complete, so didn't have the
layers. Creating the look in the compositing phase,
opportunity to do so. This left us without a whole lot
provided more freedom to explore and refine the look.
of information about lenses, exposures, camera
delivered QuickTime movies, which offered faster turnaround and equivalent quality.
A number of rotoscope passes were also created to
position, etc that we'd normally collect on set. This
give the illusion of the helmet moving behind
generally hired by the producer or production
foreground objects, such as when arms passed in
was overcome by spending more effort in the post production.
front of camera. Rotoscoping was also required to
Plus, the production had contracted the scanning and
editor. We’re also responsible for supervising the
ensure that the visor fitted perfectly into the hole in
recording of the digital images to a single contractor
the practical helmet.
in Los Angeles. We received data tapes of the
shooting, and possibly supplying motion control or camera equipment.
[14] CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01
When working with Australian films, we are manager and deal directly with the director, DOP and
Original background plate
Original plate with 3D visor frame superimposed
Finished film frame
The downside of the distance was the lack of face-to-face communication, the fact we never saw our shots on film or the film, as a whole, but I’d expect this to become less of an issue once technology advances and bandwidth become more affordable. In this instance, all that was taken care of, and the
complete shot. For really specific detail, we'd put up
The downside of the distance was the lack of face-
production managed all the visual effects with the
high resolution still frames, so they could be seen in
to-face communication, the fact we never saw our
crew headed by the visual effects supervisor - Jeff
the same level of detail as we were seeing.
Okun [Deep Blue Sea, Sphere). From the beginning of production, we ran two 3D
This process worked very well, but could be better if
shots on film, or the film as a whole, but I’d expect this to become less of an issue once technology
there was greater access to affordable bandwidth out
advances and bandwidth become more affordable.
teams on the project; one doing the animated
The process could be made better if the tools had
helmets and the other doing the visor replacements.
of Australia. Due to our differing timezones (9am in Adelaide was
Quite early in that process, we worked to lock down
4.30pm in LA], we could also work late in our day,
feature is under development at one company that I
the look of the various shots, which involved us posting test QuickTime movies and high resolution
prep material for them to see, upload it to our server
know of. We’re also developing cineSpace further to
and advise them. Okun would look and comment on
permit remote interactive colour grading (where
stills up on the internet for Okun to review. As these
it, providing feedback early in his day. We'd then have
two parties are seeing identical image at different
shots had been colour corrected using cineSpace,
a phone chat in the morning our time and review any
locations and each controlling the grading of that
we were confident the colour and density of the
changes, which would be implemented through our
image). Faster, cheaper bandwidth is the enabler
shots would appear the same on the production s
day ready for him the next morning. This was less
behind these sorts of applications, but needs to be available at both ends (US and Australia). A number
the ability to show work on a remote screen. This
monitors in LA as on ours - thereby eliminating one
effort on the supervisor's part than driving across
variable from the mix. Rising Sun has a fast internet link as does the
town in LA to review the other companies’ work as
of US companies are rolling out fast networks for
Okun could look at our work from his office at the
film applications, and Australia is well behind in
Studio, so it took only a minute or so to download the
studio or home depending upon the time of day.
this area. • CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00JANUARY.01 [15]
T R A N S P O R T & LO G ISTIC S
S h a n e M c K e c h n ie
Specialist Courier & Freight Services to the Film & Television Industry •
L o c a l • In t e r s ta te • In t e r n a t io n a l (A ir, R o a d , S e a , R a il) • T r u c k H ir e , C o n t a in e r H ir e • C u s t o m s C le a r a n c e • P a c k in g , C r a t in g & S to r a g e • C a r n e t s • O n S ite C o -o r d in a tio n & A f t e r H o u r s A s s is t a n c e
PROUDLY
M AND SOUNÔ HERI1AG E
check out more than 400,000 items in the National Collection on-line
K www.screensound.gov.au Sç r e e n So u n d A u s tr a lia NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE
From silk to celluloid Screening Asia
to market to market, Suzanne stretton-brown -> Australia is a market where movie
increasing the box-office potential for
on-line presence to ensure the media
Hidden Dragon w ill receive a 'buy one
goers embrace Hollywood features,
each of them.
and the public was able to access
get one free' ticket to the gallery presentation.
and local films comprise only five
It was then that we came up with Silk
information on the new program.
percent of box office, so is there a
Screen. The idea was to collectively
We proceeded to segment the market,
In November, Crouching Tiger Hidden
demand for Asian films?
market a group of quality Asian films
targeting the arts media, educated
Dragon premiered at the re-launch of Pay TV's "World Movies" channel. The
We asked ourselves this question
under one banner and make them
cinema patrons and local Asian-
earlier this year when we saw an
available to audiences over a clearly
Australians. The campaign was then
purpose of this screening was to
increase in our slate of Asian films.
defined season of six months. We
executed in stages commencing with
generate further media exposure and
We can attribute this product increase
knew the success of the program was
a June media launch in Sydney and
positive word-of-mouth.
to Columbia TriStar’s film production
reliant on good quality product and
Melbourne. This was followed by a
Of course, interview access to the
house in Hong Kong and the efforts of
the support of premier cinemas
national publicity and promotion
directors and stars provided the
our New York acquisition division
across the county. We were fortunate
campaign and the introduction of print
foundation for our publicity campaign.
Sony Pictures Classics.
to receive both.
advertising two weeks prior to launch.
Beyond that my team did a wonderful job generating feature stories on
For us to determine the commercial
Silk Screen launched on July 6 with
One of our main goals was to capture
potential of each film we investigated
The Road Home, the winner of the
the elusive Asian Australian audience
'fashionable' Asia and promoting Silk
the market and raised questions such
Berlin Film Festival Silver Bear prize.
which is relatively new to us and for
Screen to Asian culture study groups
as: do discerning filmgoers embrace
The program concludes on January 4
this reason we hired the services of
and student press.
Asian language films? How were
with Ang Lee's Cannes festival hit
ethnic marketing consultancy group.
To date we consider Silk Screen to be
previous Asian films distributed and
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.
This company helped us gain a better
a wonderful success. As the campaign
what were the box office results?
We made a commitment to deliver to
understanding of the local
gains momentum and we continue to
Which are the cinemas that perform
cinemas quality product, solid
marketplace as we made contact with
promote one film off the next, Silk
best with foreign language films
marketing support and geographic
the Asian media and opinion leaders
Screen has made it possible to
and who are the patrons these
exclusivity. This won us the support of
within the community.
elevate the profile of each film and
films attract?
11 cinemas with all locations agreeing
We then translated and printed the
give them the attention they deserve.
Our inquiry uncovered some
to host the six-month program and
communication material and under
I would have to say Silk Screen has
interesting details. For example, Asian
support the films in-house. Once the
the guidance of the ethnic marketing
been particularly work-intensive for
films are seen by discerning filmgoers
line-up was confirmed and the
group executed a press and radio
our marketing team but then it has
but Asian-Australians account for a
partners were on board the next
advertising campaign through the
also been so rewarding; not only
very small percentage of the audience.
step was to fine-tune the marketing
Asian media.
personally for our team but at the
We also realised that while most
strategy.
The good news is it would seem our
box-office as well.
foreign language films receive a
While the advertising and publicity
efforts have paid off with our partners
After four months the program had
national release, they have historically
budgets for these films are small
reporting a dramatic increase in
grossed over $1.2 million. The Road
been staggered across the country
relative to the big Hollywood
movie attendance by Asian
Home had grossed over $630,000
diluting the impact of a national
blockbusters, they absolutely required
Australians.
after 13 weeks, placing it among the
marketing campaign. A staggered
a strong publicity and promotion
Our core target has always been the
top five grossing Asian language films
release can put additional pressure on
campaign. Of course this project has
'discerning filmgoer' and to capture
released in Australia. While The
the sales and marketing team.
been active for five months and I
this somewhat broader market we are
Emperor and The Assassin tracked
Finally, the research uncovered how
could spend pages detailing the
running considerable publicity and
just as well, grossing over $400,000 in
little continuity there was with
activity. Rather than do that, I'd like to
promotional activity.
the first weeks.
cinemas presenting these films which
take you through the development of
Another partnership of note is the
We have been asked many times if
means the films struggle to receive
Silk Screen's campaign with the
NSW Art Gallery. Currently we ran a
there w ill be Silk Screen 2001. The
benefit from customer loyalty or
inclusion of a few promotional
promotion for Silk Screen's Japanese
answer to that question is: if we can
in-house marketing and cross
highlights.
film Kikujiro in association with the
deliver the quality of Asian films next
promotions.
The first stage involved creating a
Japanese "Hang" exhibition. In
year and with continued support from
With this information at hand we were
logo so we could in turn establish the
December, we launch a cross
our partners, you bet there will. •
convinced there was a viable and
brand and produce communication
promotion and ticket incentive for
untapped market for Asian titles. Our
material. Once the image was
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon in
MARKETING MANAGER FOR COLUMBIA TRISTAR
goal was to find an effective way of
finalised it was time to commence
association with the Chinese "Masks
FILMS. THE SILK SCREEN FILMS WERE THE ROAD
managing the release of five Asian
production of an internet site. We
of Mystery". Over the opening
films we had on our books, while
believed it was important to have an
weekend patrons of Crouching Tiger
SUZANNE STRETTON-BROWN IS NATIONAL
HOME, SHOWER, THE EMPEROR AND THE ASSASSIN, KIKUJIRO AND CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.
CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01 [17]
■ ■■
MÊÈmÊàÆamllSÈÊÊKM W ÊÊRÊl
MM I t ill m m M ÈÊÊÊËm m tm m m M m i
Four Feathers H
¡8É|§|jÿâ
Director. Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth) Production commences: March 2001 Scheduled US release: October 2001 War film about a British officer who resigns his post just before battle and subsequently receives four white feathers from his friends and fiancee as symbols of what they believe to be his cowardice. Cast: Heath Ledger, Kate Hudson
In an,increasingly global industry, a g a | o f Australian film makers are working internationally. [a m ^ J ^ ^ tra js c a n n e « international production lists .to uneai the following discoveries:*.
Legally Blonde
Swordfish
Director: Robert Luketic [Titsiana Booberini, short) Filming began in October Scheduled US release: 2001 Comedy about a sorority queen dumped by her boyfriend who follows him to law school for revenge. Cast: Selma Blair, Reese Witherspoon
Director. Dominic Sena Filming began in October Scheduled US release: 2001 The world's most dangerous spy is hired by the CIA to coerce a computer hacker to help steal $6 billion in unused government funds. Cast: John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry
In the Cut
The Others
The Panic Room
Director. Alejandro Amenabar A woman named Grace retires with her two sick sons to a mansion on an island near the English Coast, towards the end of the Second World War. Filming in Spain Cast: Nicole Kidman
Director. David Fincher Filming w ill begin after Nicole Kidman finishes shooting The Others in Madrid Scheduled US release: 2001 Thriller Cast: Nicole Kidman, Forest Whitaker
Giant Director: John Frankenheimer World War II story of a soldier who saves disabled children from the Nazis. In development Scheduled US Release: Unknown Cast: Russell Crowe
Director. Ron Howard The story about Nobel Prize winner Josh Nash. Scheduled US Release: 2001 Cast: Russell Crowe
The Husband I Bought
Director: Steven Spielberg Scheduled US release: 21 June 2001 Sci-Fi about artificial intelligence. Cast: Jude Law, Frances O’Connor
Jurassic Park 3 Director: Joe Johnston Filming began in August Scheduled US release: July 2001 Action and horror-filled sequel to the other Jurassic Parks. Cast: Sam Neill, Tea Leoni, William H Macy
Director. Stephan Elliott (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) Production commenced in October Scheduled UK/US release: 2001 Drama based on the Ayn (Fountainhead) Rand novel.
Haa [Î8 1 CfNEMA*PAPERS DECEMBER 00 JANUARY.Ot;
Director. Tony Goldwyn Scheduled US release: 2001 A jilted late night TV talent booker embraces theories of bovine behaviour to understand why her latest relationship went awry. Cast: Ellen Barkin, Ashley Judd, Hugh Jackman
Director. Jane Campion (NZ) Erotic thriller Scheduled release: Late 2001 Cast: Nicole Kidman
A Beautiful Mind Russell Crc
Animal Husbandry
Last Orders Director. Fred Schepisi Filming began in October Scheduled UK release: 2001 Comedic drama based on Graham Swift's international best seller. Cast: Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren
I W as Am elia Earhart Director. Fred Schepisi In development US release Fictional biography of aviator Amelia Earhart Cast: Julianne Moore
Simon Baker-Denny
Tempted Director: Bill Bennett US release Story of a bloke who decides to find out if his wife is cheating on him. Cast: Burt Reynolds
M e and My Shadows (TV) Director: Robert Allan Ackerman Scheduled Canadian release: 2001 Dramatisation of Judy Garland's life. Cast: Judy Davis
Bride of the Wind
Talk of the Town
Director. Bruce Beresford Scheduled US release: 2001 Cast: Vincent Perez, Sarah Wynter
Director: Bill Condon Scheduled US release: Mid 2001 Cast: Glenn Close, Toni Collette
Cold Mountain
Valentine
Buffalo Soldiers Director: Gregor Jordan [Two Hands) Scheduled US release: 2001 Comedy/drama set amid a criminal subculture of US soldiers stationed in West Germany just before the fall of the Berlin wall. Cast: Kick Gurry
Director. Anthony Minghella Cinematographer: John Seale US civil war drama
||P
>
bollette |
Director: Jamie Blanks (Urban Legend J Filming began in July Scheduled US release: 2001 Horror wherein four friends receive morbid Valentine's day cards from stalkers. Cast: David Boreanaz, Denise Richards
B
IS
A t last, the cast and the crew can join the one super fund t e
N O T
t E
O R
TO
BE
JUST S U P E R
JU ST S U P E R is open to
has been the industry fund
people who are making
for actors for more than
their own superannuation
ten years. Now, everyone
payments, as well as
working in Australia's film,
people receiving
television and multimedia
employer contributions.
industries can join JUST SU PER.
As an industry fund, JUST S U P E R is
JUST SU PER is now listed as an eligible
owned by its members. Any profits made
super fund in the key film and TV
by the Fund are returned to members,
production agreements.
not shareholders.
If you're looking for a Super Fund with: Excellent returns and strong performance
t
Low fees, no hidden costs Investment Choice options for more flexibility
JSUPER
Free financial advisory service Competitive insurance rates Super Members’ Home Loans
The Trustee of JU S T S U P E R is JU S T Pty Ltd
Call
US
ACN 006 457 996 Licensed Dealer in Securities
on 1300 362 672 for a brochure and application form,
or visit our website - www.just.com.au
Black Perceived and Interpreted.
-> Five hundred tribes or nations,
know that attitudes control the access
hundreds of different languages,
points to wealth and power that
thousands of hours of celluloid, even
contribute to shaping symbol and
more sound and even more written
image creation. Kiddie stuff hey!
about black Australia. How much of it
So who controls these access points?
controlled, conceived, owned or even
Not me and certainly not my people.
produced by black eyes and hands?
Who controls my voice and how my
Bugger all. This is the way it is.
people are portrayed to the rest of the
We have several feature films with
world? Not Aboriginal Australia, that's
black subject and content matter
for sure. We all know that minorities
coming out of Australia in the next
are made, not born. Through our own
year or so. Black producers? Nope.
tenacity we have contributed to it but
Black directors? One. Black writers?
only in a small and seemingly
One. Great that it's being done, that
controlled fashion.
our stories are being told. I only wish
I do know one thing for certain. I am
they could be told more so through
sick of being portrayed as the noble
our eyes and by our hands.
savage, the angry activist. I am not a
My opinion is this: Given the
victim. I am a survivor.
renaissance of indigenous film
I want a go at controlling how I’m
making, any film with indigenous
looked at and portrayed. Aboriginal
subject or content matter, unless
people come in all shapes and sizes, a
clearly stated that it is an
variety of colours, work histories, and
interpretation only, should have an
as stated earlier, from lots of different
Aboriginal person in a key power
tribes and languages. There cannot be
Image Photodisc
final cut. richard j. frankland
“We study the day before yesterday in order that yesterday may not paralyse today and today may not paralyse tomorrow.” F W Maitland
position over the creative and artistic
one genre of Aboriginal filmmaking.
implementing broad industry support
can do all these things around or with
side of the production.
I believe that our diversity is an
so that indigenous directors, writers
my Aboriginally - my heritage.
We already have highly professional,
untapped and unknown (to non-
and producers can get to the next
In my opinion the only true historians
internationally celebrated indigenous
indigenous Australia) strength that is
level where we can be the owners or
are the artists of the day. Let's stop
writers, directors and producers, for
yet to be unleashed on the rest of the
contributors to the access points of
being paralysed by the past. Let's
example, the Sand to Cetluoid, Shifting
world. There are many people who are
wealth and power. We need help in
cultivate indigenous filmmakers as seeds of the present so that they can
Sands series, thanks to the Indigenous
black, with stories ready to be told.
telling our stories through our eyes.
Branch - now unit - of the AFC.
I am extremely grateful for the
We need to collaborate with all levels
use their stories to shape the future
So where is the true and
opportunities I have received with the
of the industry.
for us all. Let us tell stories of
demonstrated reconciliation process
AFC, Film Vic, SBS, ABC and other
We need active financial, institutional
Australia together, in the spirit of true
in the other areas of the Australian
state agencies. But what is expected
and personal commitment to achieve
reconciliation. •
film industry?
of an indigenous filmmaker? What is
what can be the greatest example of
What the hell is wrong with real and
the attitude towards us?
reconciliation in this country. We have
RICHARD J FRANKLAND IS A FILMMAKER WHO HAPPENS TO BE ABORIGINAL - GUNDITJMARA
true collaboration between the races
An example: I assess scripts for some
the oldest living culture in the world,
on productions? Why aren’t there
state and national agencies. I am only
surely we can collaborate across the
more films being made with real
sent ones with indigenous content.
cultures to achieve a world statement
Aboriginal producers, directors and
Why? Am I not a filmmaker as well as
in reconciliation and film industry
writers? Why do we have so many
being Aboriginal?
renaissance.
Aboriginal consultants?
What I want as an indigenous
Perhaps this is impossible at this time
Surely the film industry is one of the
filmmaker is a fair go. I want
in Australian society. Perhaps I ask
most powerful communication
acceptance of my ability without
too much.
mediums we have in this country that
prejudice. I want acceptance of my
I don’t stand on one leg pointing to the
can change attitudes.
Aboriginal heritage but also
sunset [although I have been known to
We all know that attitudes perpetuate
recognition of what I can do.
do it). I am a writer, director,
legislation and policy, (see mandatory
In essence I am speaking about
musician, father, uncle, labourer,
sentencing in the NT and WA). We all
creating, developing and
human being, who is Gunditjmara. I CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00JÀNUARY.01 [21]
■ Better known as the founding member of Melbourne rock band The Underground Lovers’, first-time feature film director Vince Giarrusso is hoping to strike a chord with the forthcoming release of Mailboy. ■ His story of a tough, self-reliant teenage boy, coping with chaos in a broken home in Melbourne’s north-western suburbs caught the attention"of producer Fiona Romper Stomper Eagger. ■ With Kane McNay (Laura’s son in Seachange) as the 15year^old Shaun, Mailboy was the only Australian film honoured with selection at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, despite being largely ignored by the AFI awards. Australians can make their own mind up about the film, which Vince Giarrusso. About five years started life as a poem, when it comes to a shopping mall nearby in January, ago I sent off for guidelines on how to write a script and managed to get Fio na (Eagger) interested in the project.
Cinema Papers: How did you get from there to directing your first feature film? Vince Giarrusso. I'd had no real experience behind the camera. I’d done video clips (but] l had no experience working with actors, so once the money came through it was a question of setting up a mini film school. I’d never been on set, so Fiona organised a director's attachment for me on TV shows and I watched the MTC rehearse. I went on set with Ana Kokinos, Rowan Woods and Fred Schepisi. CP. Why was it so important for you to direct the script? VG. Because the subject is difficult. More often than not, working class people are caricatured or depicted in a derogatory way and we were really aware of that. I had a real feeling for the characters as people who have a lot of outlooks that you don't see anywhere else. There was always that risk someone who hadn't had my experiences would get the tone wrong. CP. And the characters from Mailboy are based on your experience as a youth worker? VG. Mostly yeah, from working closely with street kids and people like (lead character) Shaun. [22] CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01
¡ ¡ y iiM I
“We cut the film to the music, rather than the music to the film, which is the way it’s usually done, so you’re hearing the performance.” (Vince Giarrusso) CP. Why do you think audiences will be interested
started shooting, so we could block the party with
in a bleak film set in Melbourne’s north-western
the main actors. But yeah, it was chaotic and tough...
suburbs?
CP. Why do you think Mailboy was picked up for the
VG. As a teenager I would love to have seen a film
Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes this year?
which I could relate to, where kids spoke to each
VG. Having spoken to the people who selected it,
other the way they really speak, instead of some
they responded to the characters and the
marketing idea of how kids talk.
universality of it, the separation of the mother from
CP. Was your experience as a musician helpful in
the son and the rejection of the father, they were
the directing process?
moved by it.
VG. A lot of the processes were similar, although on
CP. You’ve already started work on a new project?
a different scale. I could express myself with rhythm.
VG. Yes, Fiona and I are working on Orange, which is
I could tell [the actors] I want it to go at this pace
at second draft. Basically it's a teenage love story
and beat it out for them. I also found being a
set in a wholesale fruit and vegetable market. It's a
musician very helpful in post-production.
journey through the life of a 15-year-old girl as she
CP. You also wrote the film’s soundtrack. How did
navigates her way through the whole construct of
you approach it?
love.
Vince Giarrusso
VG. Well, we recorded the music without reference to the film. We improvised pieces of music, then cut
-> Still only 16, recent AFI young actor recipient,
and chose our favourite bits which were texturally
Kane McNay graduated from playing a minor
and sonically compatible with the sounds in the film.
character in a television series to starring in his
We cut the film to the music, rather than the music
first feature film with Mailboy.
to the film, which is the way it's usually done, so you’re hearing the performance.
Cinema Papers. What’s the major difference?
CP. How did you deal with challenging scenes like
Kane McNay. In Seachange I sort of hang around the
the party?
main plot... I'm not really in it. It's all rush and you
VG. Well, we had a five-week rehearsal period, plus
don't really have time to go into what you want to do,
a two-week director's workshop. So there were a lot
because there's no focus on your character. But with
of rehearsals. For the party scene we had the
Mailboy, you're it and if you have ideas they get
opportunity to go to the house the day before we
heard by everybody. •
Makers of Documentaries and Short Films
380 lygon street Carlton 9347 5331 • www.cinem anova.com .au OFFERING MELBOURNE'S BEST CHOICE OF FILMS FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON
The Internet has created a unique forum in which to showcase your Films:
O PEN IN G IN DECEMBER From the Aardmon studios
Chicken Run
HART & SPIRA
Paul Cox's award winning
Seek award-winning fiction and non-fiction Films on behalf of a North American client for streaming to the rapidly growing North American Internet audience.
O ' Brother, Where A rt Thou?
Innocence The Coen Brothers' From the producers of Microcosmos
Himalaya Lars Von Trier's
Dancer In The Dark
Interested Filmmakers please contact Kathy by 1 December, 2000 at:
Ang Lee's
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Ralph Fiennes in a film by Istvan Szabo
Sunshine
HART ENTERTAINMENT
i
SPIRA &
MEDIA
LAWYERS
Level 2, 88 George Street The Rocks NSW 2 0 0 0 Tel: (0 2 ) 9 2 47 50 08 Fax: (02) 9 2 47 5 8 5 8 E-mail: mail@hartspira.com.au
A N D IATER IN JANUARY Woody Allen's
Small Time Crooks Malkovich and Dafoe in
Shadow Of The Vampire The Italian gem
Bread And Tulips The acclaimed Australian film
Mailboy
-> D o p e
u|p^m|ay makes his lipppf^ortraying Russell. ¡ ¡ ¡ g il te a ': ■; BaaaiaB
In three parallel stories Dope explores racism, the unending chase for drugs and money, and ultimately, the need to find love amid harshness. The film’s characters consist of a young Aboriginal soccer player, students and street kids who prostitute themselves, use smack and get involved in crime. Some of the characters, including the young prostitute street kid Tara Bear, are based on the real life participants in a 1993 doco called Fred’s Van. The rough, but honest film followed a Christian mobile soup kitchen through Adelaide bringing food and friendship to people living rough. It was directed by a very green newcomer called J Harkness.
-It’s 2pm in a back lane in the centre of Adelaide and the cast and crew of a lo w budget indie film, Dope, are settling into their groove. There’s no 5am set calls on this shoot because it’s not until after dark that the script really arcs up. Patterson 1/nnocence] was brought into the mix.
anonymity espouses the benefits of rolling matches
When they sought the guarantee of a local
in one's ear-wax. They burn longer in windy
distributor, Palace Films was coaxed on board.
conditions - don't you know.
But scan the cast list and you may not recognise a
Finally Russell lights his spliff, luxuriates in a toke
single name. NIDA graduate Nathan Ramsay, who
and the shot is in the can. The 22 crew members exit
portrays Russell and Travis McMahon, who plays the
for the meal room.
Fast-forward to 2000 and 30-year-old Harkness is
third key character, Jack, have some stage and TV
straddling the three key roles of writer, director and
experience but Dope is their feature film debut.
Over dinner Harkness is quietly spoken but very firm in his opinions. He refuses to position Dope
producer on Dope. He's been honing the script for nine years.
Maria Damerò as Tara Bear with Sc ^paupf^^^psp^ of Dope is loos MËtëÊÊÈBÈÊÊÈÊSffol Tara Bear.
Beanie-clad, McMahon is leaning against a
alongside other Australian releases.
His company, Gorilla Films also consists of associate
spray-painted brick wall in a lane way. In the scene
producer and Dope co-star, Anastasia Seis and
being filmed, he's lighting a spliff but the wind keeps
because I wanted to separate it from other
executive producer Paul Teisseire.
extinguishing the matches. Five, six, seven, eight
Australian films. I didn't want it to be pigeon-holed
Seis came on board early, after reading the script:
exasperating times.
as that sort of hip, cool Australian version of Pulp
"It just bit me so hard and fast,” she enthuses.
J Harkness is kneeling on one knee beneath the
Fiction. That wasn't why I wrote it or what I wanted
"It had everything in it I ever believed in to do with
camera watching McMahon intensely. Talking him
to achieve," he explains.
racism, media, the whole concept of universities,"
through the frustration.
Nevertheless, "I wanted to communicate a story the
she says. Then adds that having had personal
"Last shot before dinner” the second AD calls out
way people my generation communicate." He confesses Dope is pitched directly at the key movie
“ I really wanted to do this film with an unknown cast
exposure to the damage wreaked by heroin gave the
signalling a break in the tedium is imminent.
script added poignancy for her.
"A bit of green on the top," another call and ‘pot
going demographic of 24 to 30-ish year olds and
Originally planned for a much smaller budget, it is
wrangler’ Andrew Gibbs reaches for more 'green'
describes the narrative as "'channel-surfing style'
being made for $1.6 million. When investors wanted
from the container behind his feet.
where you miss out all the boring bits."
the expertise of an experienced producer, Mark
Another crew member who would surely prefer
Harkness also hopes his unknown cast w ill bestow
[24] CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01
“Beanie-clad, McMahon is leaning against a spraypainted brick wall in a lane way. in the scene being filmed, he’s lighting a spliff but the wind keeps extinguishing the matches”
Director J Harkness gives instructions to lead actress Anastasia Seis and Nathan Dean Ramsay.
the film with added authenticity. "I wanted
but they need to feel very secure and very nurtured
characters that you could believe and be involved in."
continuously. Any form of video split gets in the way
But that factor makes a film harder to sell.
and they direct themselves and I’m not trusting what
"Definitely, but it's a stupid thing. I think in Australia
I see and they're not trusting what they see," he
there's more of a phoney star system than there
explains.
appears to be anywhere else in the world. I really
Harkness rejects any attempts to compare his script
don’t believe people my age, especially, pay their
style with any of the current indie masters, insisting
money to go see a film just because (with all due
instead that the script has been in development years
respect to the people I’m speaking about) a well-
before that crowd wowed cinephiles with their
known actor is in it. I think the exact opposite is so."
innovations. Robert Altman and similar 70s films are an influence plus Harkness' experience making
-> Harkness has elected to shoot Dope with
Fred's Van just won't go away.
minimal gear and without a video split, primarily
"That doco gave me insight into street kids longing
because over five weeks they’ll visit an exhausting 37
for family, the same things everybody wants. People
locations. Plus he puts a lot of trust in the actors, “and I like
always talk about common experience but I think
them to put a lot of trust in me. I always spend a lot
and specific but the things we want are common. So
of time on my writing and the biggest frustration for
talking to the street kids, they weren’t cool and
human experience is always very precise and unique
a writer is actors basically screw up your words. So
detached like in Trainspotting or whatever. They were
developing a love and affection for actors was the big
very open-hearted and warm and I just let them tell
breakthrough for me".
their story, so there’s that element to this film."
“I love actors," he repeats enthusiastically. "They give me things that are far better than what I wrote
• MICHAELA BOLAND
CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00JANUARY.01 [25 ]
I’m a novelist converted to the movie business. Got the bug. Though as much for reasons of accepting reality than it is a passion for movies. The challenge of wearing several hats, from a producerpartner to the screenplay writer to even, at times, a co-director role, is what I relish. Of course telling a good story is the heart of it, a skill I happen to be born with. But I’m less than excited about Hollywood activity Down Under. Are Australia and New Zealand the next Canada? Used by Hollywood, as they use anyone, from individuals to tax departments to entire nations. I mean to say, do they really care that they’re creating a film industry here?
Move over Hollywood and stop buggering-up the local film industry - Alan Duff has arrived. originality and instead give all the credit where it’s
of fight scenes." Bullshit, who writes this garbage?
definitely not due: to the director and the actors)
-I’d challenge Mr Crowe to come with me to any bar
'Lord of The Rings’ is several hundred million
full of my Maori bros and see how much of a
mouth-watering bucks the Kiwi film industry is
gladiator he is there. Front up to the real Jakes. Or
getting a share of. Not the lot, but plenty. But what is
else go to a good old-fashioned rugby league pub
it doing for our own filmmaking? Um, nothing.
anywhere in the Big Country where, mate, even I
Feature film budgets in New Zealand are even worse
would talk in respectful whispers!
than Australia, which now averages $4 million each.
No true stars, no good stories. Or so few, compared
Our feature films have budgets that wouldn’t pay for
to special effect, super-hero garbage, you can’t
Hollywood stars’ little extras, never mind the mega
remember the good tales. No morality, no wisdom to
pay and share-of-gross deals now the norm. Which
be gained. No insights, no life-influencing
is not to say I don’t accept market forces at work, I
experiences. No intellect, no nothing, except super-
The hell they do. They're here because it's cheap.
do. Audiences go to movies chiefly to see their
paid posers pissing us off with their look-at-me!
Not because they love us. Hollywood's the game of
favourite stars. They don’t go to catch a glimpse of
antics on screen. Oh, and don’t forget yet another director with a beard. (My theory on bearded men is:
Great White Sharks. Except they ain't appealing like
the w riter now do they?
Greg. And, unlike the legendary Mr Norman, who
So, no begrudging what the stars get paid, what
insecurity, arrogance.)
has to make the shots to keep his place, in
anyone gets paid. Just not getting excited at the
The sheilas, mind, look bloody terrific. Especially
Hollywood it's not for a moment about talent, or
thought Hollywood loves us. Mate, Hollywood can’t
Julia Roberts. Talk about the camera loving
passion, or creative genius. It’s about who's the
spell even love, except when it’s applied to money.
someone. I’ve seen Erin Brokovich ten times in
toughest kid on the block. So let’s get it straight who
Though this novelist ain’t no leftie who has disregard
planes, without the headphones, and I still can’t take
and what we’re dealing with in all this dizzy, hand-
for money. (Love the stuff.) He’s a realist, he says yet
my eyes off Julia. And they're giving her quite good
waving, thank-you-thank-you clamour.
again, who accepts the market for what it is. Here's
scripts. Which can only mean they’re getting to her
In my home country [I've temporarily forgotten the
the reality I’m talking about.
un-touched by the destructive literary hands of the
name as it's so long since I was there for any more
No true matinee idol stars, not for many years.
executives because she’s a big star. But still, the
than five days at a stretch) they reckon director
Hardly any truly superb actors, they all play ego-
lovely ladies are only doing marginally better than
Peter Jackson walks on water. His trilogy adaptation
inflated comic book hero roles. And don’t believe a
the blokes in the good script stakes. In other words,
of Tolkien’s epic fantasy novel (yes, someone
word of what Russell Crowe is reported as saying,
Hollywood has killed itself. And what is emerging
thought of it before Hollywood and Jackson, just in
how he "fought on" in Gladiator despite having
from the grave is a monster called Mediocrity. Which
case you’re another who can’t acknowledge creative
"serious physical injuries incurred during rehearsals
is when / arrive!
[26] CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01
The lovely ladies are only doing marginally better than the blokes in the good script stakes. In other words, Hollywood has killed itself. And what is emerging from the grave is a monster called Mediocrity. Not kidding. The movie industry needs some good writers. Not good writer wimps, but writers who believe in themselves. Writers prepared to smack the posers in the mush if they try and muscle us out of the way. That’s what I mean about a certain kind of w riter arriving in the nick of time against this enemy called Mediocrity. The film industry needs another kind of hero. Yay, bring ‘im on, bring 'im on! Well, only in your fantasies, Duff. Quite right. Except you can make a fantasy come true. By becoming an independent producer/writer with brilliant mates who can access private finance. And get a legitimate tax deduction. Of course it means no high-budget projects, but then who says everyone wants a big budget? Give us small to medium and we’ll hand over, most times, [no-one gets it right every time] a bloody big picture, a bloody good one that people w ill remember. Hey, I’m proud to say I’m the originator of Once Were Warriors. And What becomes of the Brokenhearted? (I stole the title from the song of the same.) Wrote the novels and the screenplays. No-one can take on Hollywood except Rupert. But then he’s become part of it. The rest is not the stuff of movie moguls of old. They’re executives now, who can and do get fired by higher-up executives, unless they make a shipload of money. Even then they’re still subject to being fired by a nastier executive type who has managed to out-manoeuvre them. Can’t stand the type myself. They
above: “I still can’t take my eyes of Julia.” Alan Duff is upfront about his affection for Tinkerbell. 'above right: G ladiator Russell Crowe may have grown up in New Zealand but Alan Duff reckons he wouldn’t last a minute on its mean streets these days.
bite cigars in half and yell at writers before firing yet another one off a project. (Except this w riter’ll punch anyone in the snout who yells at me, I promise.) I’m saying the obvious: Aussie, and to even lesser degree New Zealand, is not going to enjoy a sudden burst of film creativity inspired by Hollywood working down here. I aim to work in both countries, New Zealand and Australia. We’ve got the talent, without question. And Australia has the attitude; New Zealand, I’m less sure about. But there’s always hope. Hollywood is never going to come to our countries and finance our own stuff. Except, aha, if they can see a buck in it. But watch for the fine print: it looks like two legs running off with your money. Before I finish, here’s what I admire about Hollywood: they’re 70 years ahead of the rest of the field when it comes to thinking big. They have access to an endless gold seam of hungry, ambitious, hard-working wanna be stars and talent. They’re not afraid of anything, not budget-size, not scale of set construction, not even the silliest, fantastic story-setting which costs zillions to build. They invented SELF-BELIEF, spelt like that. Which is why they are the best at what they do. (So can’t the rest of us aim that high, and higher, too?). •
Alan Duff’s recently published book Out of the Steam and Mist is reviewed on p. 42). His fee for this story was donated to the charity Books in Homes, Australia.
Locally If s Been A Good Year Now for the rest
the box. mark woods -> While it’s not uncommon for
own films. Other negatives included
reminder that bigger budgets
workable definitions for what
filmmakers to look back 20 years to a
deep funding cuts to the ABC, which
guarantee nothing, early sales of
comprises Australian content.
reputed Australian film heyday
should be a crucial training ground for
Noyce's Kenneth Branagh starrer
It’s worrying that many filmmakers
comprising the likes of Picnic at
screen practitioners, while early
Rabbit Proof Fence are encouraging
must now rely on overseas sales
Hanging Rock, Newsfront, Breaker
corporate mayhem in the Pay TV
and change is sure required when
agents (whose appetites for films from
Morant and generous tax concessions,
sector perhaps limited its potentially
even the FFC itself admits much of its
any particular nation w ill vary over
I too find myself recalling better times
positive impact for younger producers.
output resembles TV movies rather
time) since we only have one major
when I started writing for Variety six
But probably the industry's biggest
than features.
agent left here - Beyond.
years ago. Then, everyone was abuzz
shock was the election of the
There’s a new influx of European
While there are always fortunate filmmakers working happily with
with the global success of Strictly
conservative federal government,
money, led by France (with France
Ballroom, followed by Muriel's
which, apart from encouraging a more
TV/President Films' backing Better
foreign companies, think Luhrmann
Wedding, Priscilla and then Shine
restrictive censorship climate, slashed
Than Sex, Gaumont funding Me Myself
with Fox, Shirley Barrett with
elevated the industry to a critical and
direct screen subsidies by about 30
I and TF1 backing Bill Bennett’s latest
DreamWorks and Jane Campion with
commercial high.
percent and staged numerous
effort Tempted) and Germany (with
Miramax, not every foreign embrace is
Along the way came global critical
inquiries, while several government
much of Beyond's activities funded by
productive. Witness the terrible missed
acclaim with Shirley Barratt's Palme
agencies turned themselves inside out
MBP, Becker having a development
opportunity that was Fox-Icon, which,
d’Or-winning Love Serenade, while
perhaps at the expense of tending to
pact with MBM and both major local
in turn, recalls Rupert Murdoch's and
Love and Other Catastrophes provided
development. All the while the
animation houses falling under
Robert Stigwood's similarly
inspiration to a generation of local
locations business went from strength
Germanic charms), as the three
unproductive R&R Films in the 1980s.
credit card filmmakers and TV
to strength and, while providing great
integrated film and TV majors move
Still, it seems something's gone right
programs walked off the shelf at
employment opportunities for many,
away from risky deficit financing in
and the first important steps of
major overseas trade markets. But
also allowed for obfuscation on serious
favour of presales and foreign
recovering the industry confidence
between then and now, much has
issues for indigenous production.
financing. Holland's Endemol has joint
have been taken with the local box
changed for Australia's screen
While some modestly successful or
ventures with Southern Star, Britain's
office successes of Chopper, The
industry, which has weathered serious
important films were made during the
Granada owns Artist Services and
Dish, etc. After all, if Australians don't
decline as Britain re-energises with
past six years, including Head On, The
Channel A and Carlton are producing
watch Australian films, who else will?
the likes of The Full Monty, Brassed
Road to Nhill, Kiss or Kill, Feeling
dramas here, just like the local office
Sure, the trick is balancing
Off, Billy Elliot and Lock, Stock...
Sexy, Angel Baby, The Boys and
of Columbia TriStar. The UK's Working
commercial and artistic vibrancy,
Local box office for Australian films
(overseas) Cut, the industry had to face
Title is also eyeing an Australian
while building a diverse industry
collapsed, substantial foreign sales
the harsh realities of a rapidly
office, led by Tim White.
supporting both cultural and
became elusive and the collapse of
changing international environment
But while such foreign engagement is
competitive imperatives, like the
European demand for independent
and redefine and reorganise itself so
positive and welcome, it's not a cure-
theatre sector, which, while
fare combined to see returns to
its films might follow its directors,
all and some of the recent link-ups
addressing serious challenges, staged
federal funding agencies plummet and
actors and technicians in finding global
look suspiciously like shot-gun
memorable - and successful - pieces like The Sunshine Club, Stolen,
the likes of Beyond, Southern Star
acclaim and prosperity once more.
marriages that may not produce happy
(which has now mothballed its film
A recent pact between FLIC company
creative offspring. A battle wearied
Cloudstreet and Small Poppies, not to
activities) and Becker's time as stock
Macquarie and UIP suggests
industry with a battered currency,
mention the $60 million grossing
market darlings quickly pass.
something good might come from the
probably makes Australian outfits
musical The Boy From Oz. And
Along the way, the screen industry had
thus far under-active FLICs initiative
bargains for cashed-up Europeans
wouldn't it be something if our
other shocks, including an exhibition
after all, while TV players SBSI and
seeking cheap English language
existing output also included those
consolidation that saw screens
*Showtime have become important
product as they prepare for bigger
sharp, fresh, wildly original and
become ever harder to obtain and
sources of part-financing films,
things in Flollywood. While Australians
globally appealing AFI foreign film
hold. A shakeout in distribution saw
between them backing more than 30
can't ignore this process, foreign
nominees American Beauty, Being
not only the demise of several
films into production in the past few
companies don't pretend to nurture
John Malcovich and A ll About My
supportive local distributors, but also
years. The FFC and others are making
new Australian talent (but they sure
Mother? •
of traditional foreign supporters of
good on plans to back somewhat
like to spot it) and it presents
Australian film like Polygram and
higher budgeted films to lure back
challenges for creatives to maintain
AUSTRALIAN FILM, TV, PAY TV AND THEATRE FOR
Ciby, while mini-majors like Miramax
successful expatriates, including Fred
the individual distinctiveness that
VARIETY, IN MID-NOVEMBER MARK WOODS
and Fine Line moved away from
Schepisi, Bruce Beresford and Phil
often attracted foreign attention in the
acquisitions and into producing their
Noyce. While Oscar and Lucinda is a
first place, not to mention devising
[28] CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00JANUARY.01
AFTER SIX YEARS COVERING ALL FACETS OF
BECAME THE ACQUISITIONS AND INVESTMENT MANAGER FOR ‘ SHOWTIME AND ENCORE AUSTRALIA.
AAV Australia
DVD a t AAV. C all Jim en a H isco ck on 0 3 9251 1600
At regular intervals since the 1970s, Australian filmmakers have been getting the bright idea to make a small, jazzy, uniquely local movie with a ‘French New W ave’ flavour, following the handy formula once prescribed by Philippe Garrel: “By showing a man and woman in a single room, the cinema can say everything.” One can chart a little sociology of ‘countercultural’ life in our major cities by watching in rapid succession Inside Looking Out (Paul Cox, 1977), Third Person Plural (James Ricketson, 1978), Apostasy (Zbigniew Friedrich, 1979), Sweet Dreamers (Tom Cowan, 1982), Sweethearts (Colin Talbot, 1990) and Fresh Air (Neil Mansfield, 1999). The lifestyles, political slogans and smart buzzwords change slightly, but it’s still pretty much the same parade of inner-city bohemians, proud eccentrics, social ‘marginals’, and self-important artists scratching away at their new painting, novel or film, and navigating the confusions of new sexual mores, while cruising between their bare, dishevelled rooms and outdoor cafés rather like New Wave icon Jean-Pierre Leaud did in The Mother and the Whore (1973), And the manner of all these Australian films is also roughly e q u ivalen t^ long, intimate dialogue scenes broken upfgj by surreal inserts, games with the speed and grain of the image, bursts of music, colour and montage. All very Godardian.
Blake and Charles Tingwell in Innocence.
But hang on - what were those Local films I just mentioned? You can be excused for not being au fait with much on that list, because these movies have fallen into every conceivable kind of cinematic oblivion. Inside Looking Out, Third Person Plural and Apostasy belong to a lost age of Australian 'independent' filmmaking associated with the Sydney
finds much ado about nothing in Australia’s purported art cinema scene.
and Melbourne Filmmakers' Co-Operatives; some of the celluloid traces of that era can be found among the 16mm holdings of the National Library's film collection, but nowhere else. Sweet Dreamers, briefly released theatrically in its time, seems entirely inaccessible now. Sweethearts, as I write these words, is having what could well be its second-ever screening - on a commercial TV channel at 1.30 in the morning. Fresh A ir was exhibited in a few places thanks solely to the efforts of the filmmakers themselves; at least this one is currently in plenty of video shops. Beyond the fact that most of these films are quite hard to see these days - which is not their fault - one other thing needs to be said about them all: they are
[30] CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.OOJANUARY.01
Paul Cox (right) directing Innocence.
Kristine Van Pellicom and Kenny Aernouts (above) and (top) in Innocence.
not very good, and this is at least partly their fault.
That smug unawareness of what is best in world
Even the bravest and most dedicated cinephiles or
cinema, for instance, has now been virtually
The answers are simultaneously industrial, cultural, historical and aesthetic. As with so many kinds of
archivists of local film would baulk at having to see
institutionalised by our major arthouse distributors
filmmaking here, what we survey is a scattered,
them twice. Australian art cinema seems to be such
and exhibitors: apart from on SBS and the World
always broken line of experiments. Like most
a delicate flower with such a precarious existence
Movies cable channel, it is not easy to keep pace
comparatively small countries, we stumble from one
that criticism of it is often held off, or gently,
here with the truly exciting, innovative artistic
fragile ’high hope’ - the movie that the industry prays
circuitously phrased - as if we are all meant to be
developments happening in world cinema, such as
will make money, grab an audience and kickstart a
grateful for such ‘brave’ mediocrity. One glaring
the extraordinary films of Abbas Kiarostami in Iran
trend - to the next, with many disappointments and
exception to this rule is a 1982 review of Sweet
or Hou Hsiao-hsien in Taiwan. Forget, fora moment,
abandoned projects along the way. The astoundingly
Dreamers by Meaghan Morris, reprinted in An
the arguments that most movies made in this
high attrition rate noted above - whereby most of our
Australian Film Reader {Currency, 1985). Ironically,
country are (certainly to American eyes) small,
art films end up as rare videotapes, mere rumours
this critique is nowadays much easier to access than
independent, art films; or that some of Australia’s
or citations in scholarly essays - is proof enough of a
the film itself. "The gallant mistakes of Sweet
very best film art is to be found in the too-often
lack of available history in this area to learn from
Dreamers are only possible in a culture which
overlooked ‘underground’ of experimental cinema.
and build upon.
actively discourages critical reflection on film by
Put aside, too, the philosophical objection that art is
So, a ’critical mass’ of artistic work is never reached
filmmakers, which is smugly unaware of all that is
wherever you find it in cinema, no matter its cultural
in this country, and no momentum builds; there is
most dynamic in other new cinemas of the world and
pedigree. The art film, internationally, is a particular
little sense of a dialogue between films, or makers
which is so technocrat in orientation that it produces
form - feature length, narrative - with an easily
and viewers linked in an ongoing exploration. To
some students who boast that they never read books
recognisable history and a now flourishing world
claim that Australia lacks a strong art cinema
and rarely watch films.”
market. In Australia, we face the sad evidence of a
means that we are bereft of a recognisable, vital,
Eighteen years later, Morris’ critique of the
paralysis in this area of filmmaking. Why does our
self-generating tradition of such work.
Australian film scene still has the bitter ring of truth.
art cinema still seem in a fitful, embryonic state?
This doesn't mean that there aren't individual CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00JANUARY.01 [31]
examples of strong or intriguing art films here. A
üaaaaa
Hómaysmmhe Yarra River
¡¡schizophrenic fact that, while Cox’s latest film
range of examples gives a sense of the diversity of
Innocence wins awards on the festival circuit
international art cinema styles that have been
overseas, it is passed over for a nomination in most
sampled and mixed. Ian Pringle's work, from
categories (including Best Director) in the AFI
Wronsky (1979) to The Prisoner of St Petersburg
Awards. Is Cox - as novelist Thomas Keneally said
(1988), is moody and mannered in the Wenders road-^
when comparing him to Patrick White - “a bit of a
movie vein. Rowan Woods' The Boys (1998) evokes
genius and something of an Elijah?"
the finely-chiselled pessimism of Abel Ferrara, Larry
I don't think so. The one remarkable aspect of Cox's
Clark and Mike Leigh. Clara Law's Floating Life
career, to my eyes, is how little it has changed,
(1996) reimagines the themes, moods and pictorial
evolved, developed or deepened over the past two
sensibility of Antonioni for the disconnected,
decades. Innocence is, in so many ways, exactly the
postmodern world. Leo Berkeley's Holidays on the
film that Cox has always made. In one sense, this is
ié á J te d River Yarra (1991) brings a certain ‘poetic realism’ to1
“an admirable sign of consistency - just the sort of
bear on the lives of troubled teens, reminiscent of
between high and low, old and new, classical and
‘signature' we demand from art cinema auteurs. But
French directors like Jacques Doillon. In his more
modernist art. Above all, our art films lack the really
a signature can be a prison, if it leads to stasis.
frenzied passages, Geoffrey Wright [Metal Skin,
vital interrelationships between form and content, or
Cox's films, from one to the next, catch themselves
1996) pushes Oliver Stone-style pyrotechnics to arty
between style and 'personal vision', which
in a facile loop: they all start with vague malaise,
disintegration. And John Hillcoat's equally violently
characterise the work of this cinema's masters,
churn through a dark night of the soul, and end in a
fractured Ghosts... of the Civil Dead (1989) once
from Ingmar Bergman and Akira Kurosawa through
redemptive flourish (Innocence, for instance, ends
earned a memorably snobbish Parisian compliment
to Leos Carax and Alexander Sokurov.
with the bald exhortation to “love the world"). Even
from Cahiers du Cinéma magazine: “It is interesting
Let’s take a contentious test case: Paul Cox. The
more grievous, to my eyes and ears, is the matter of
to see how Godard's style has been spontaneously
audience for Cox's work is sharply divided these
Cox’s filmmaking style. I remain unconvinced by
'reinvented' by an Australian filmm.aker who has
days. For every respectful homage in a reference
assertions of Cox's "formal subtlety", "restrained
probably never seen a Godard film!"
book (such as The Oxford Companion to Australian
ingenuity” or “inspired craftsmanship". To me, his
But, on the whole - including in a number of the
Film) or from a high-profile critic such as David
films have a sometimes shocking air of
films just cited - Australian art cinema lacks a
Stratton (who regards Cox as a "deeply committed,
amateurishness and off-handedness - as if 'near
sophistication, a maturity, a real intelligence. Such
sometimes misunderstood and neglected artist"),
enough’ a particular effect, mood or meaning is
words can carry an excessively middlebrow, old9B
there is an equally intense expression of distaste or
always good enough. Innocence displays the self
fashioned connotation. But I mean to point to
indifference from a younger generation of arthouse
same clumsiness with respect to establishing a
something that cuts across spurious distinctions
filmgoers. There are many ways to interpret the
coherent fictional world, laying out the terms of a
plot line or creating psychologically plausible characters that were operative when he was a fledgling experimental filmmaker in the 60s and 70s. What seemed striking and personal in Cox's first features (such as Kostas, 1979] can now seem tired and calculated, a species of cliché - especially those grainy, step-printed, Super 8 flashes of birds,
The one remarkable aspect of Cox’s career, to my eyes, is how little it has changed, evolved, developed or deepened over the past two decades. Innocence is, in so many ways, exactly the film that Cox has always made.
streams and naked bodies. The long dialogue scenes are often inert, unimaginatively staged and framed:
Chayko's City Loop. And, although Morris in 1982
industry support and development but that true
Cox may have given up his penchant for the
found much to criticise in the sort of culture
measure of film culture - an ongoing, in-depth
meandering pan-and-zoom shots that once
inculcated in students by the major filmmaking
relationship to everything significant within world
pulverised Man of Flowers (1983), but now he seems
schools (such as AFTRS and VCA), a lack of such
cinema, present and past, and everything important
to have settled into the evenly lit, stodgily centred,
training is not necessarily the magic key to artistic
that is talked, taught and written about it.
glacial mode of mise en scène announced in Lust
creativity or skill - as films by honoured novelists
Until our film scene begins to instil that sort of
and Revenge (1996). His films betray a tin ear for the
with little or no prior film experience [such as
fluency into its would-be artists, many of our
properly cinematic soundtrack - unsubtle
Sweethearts and Richard Flanagan's The Sound of
attempts at art cinema w ill look, to the rest of the
noisescapes (like the thundering clocks in Golden
One Hand Clapping, 1998) have shown.
world, like strange reinventions of films by Godard,
Braid} alternate with reams of quoted and
The latest low-budget, first-timer, Australian art
Bresson, Angelopoulous or Kiarostami - by people
composed music. As for the acting in these films, it
movie is Vince Giarrusso's Mailboy. Like some of
who appear never to have seen the originals. •
is no fault of the performers that they must struggle
those just mentioned, Giarrusso came to directing
with such unutterably miserable, clunky dialogue
sideways, via his already well-established career in
(from Innocence: "We shared a lot of lust") and
music and songwriting. His inexperience shows.
the sorry lack of any 'ensemble' effect blending the
Mailboy is a downbeat, observational film in a realist
entire cast.
mode, reminiscent of John Ruane’s early work
Cox’s closest auteurist cousin in the annals of
[Queensland, 1976, and Feathers, 1987). It adopts a
Australian art cinema is Rolf de Heer. It would
type of art-film narrative which is often a trap for
probably be better for these two filmmakers if they
unwary devotees of Robert Bresson [Mouchette,
were not so often acclaimed on their native turf as
1967) or Roberto Rossellini [Germany Year Zero,
masters or visionaries. It would be more fitting to
1947): a story centered upon a largely passive,
describe them as practitioners of a form of 'naive'
inexpressive youth (played here by Kane McNay) who
art cinema, akin to the genre of naive painting - a
silently absorbs and 'reflects' his miserable milieu.
terrain they share with Werner Herzog and the
Giarrusso's direction has a flat, overly literary,
recent adherents to Lars von Trier's dubious
distanced feel. The film never achieves a successful
'Dogma' manifesto. De Heer's films are, in the naive
level of subtle stylisation (especially on the level of
mode, excessive, declaratory, over-reaching, and
imagery and mise en scène] to lift its material out of
earnestly sentimental. He embraces the figure of the
the kitchen sink.
naive visionary with a vengeance, by centring
As a result, it slides into a soft, social-worker
successive films upon the subjective
sentimentality: this mailboy would be fine if only
consciousnesses of a mute child [The Quiet Room,
he had a Mum and Dad who gave him more
1996), an exiled alien (Epsilon, 1995), a 'pre-social'
'quality time'.
misfit [Bad Boy Bubby, 1994] ora disabled outsider
Mailboy is a typically flawed Australian art film. Like
(Dance Me To My Song, 1998). The disconcerting
many genuinely sincere and artistically ambitious
rawness of de Heer’s film language - handheld
movies, it seems to be grasping towards something
camera chaos, ugly lighting, grating sound - has
beyond itself: a certain cinematic fluency, a shared
been justified in terms of a punk aesthetic;
community of interests, a greater knowledge of
unfortunately, since the rude blast of Bad Boy
possible aesthetic models. Art cinema, more than
Bubby, his movies have been (like Cox's) offering
any other kind of cinema, needs not just stable
diminishing artistic returns. Although neither Cox nor de Heer have developed very much as filmmakers, at least they have cannily worked out ways to keep making exactly the films they want to make, cheaply and prolifically. When we come to the realm of the first-tim e art cinema maker in Australia, we encounter a truly gloomy graveyard - since so few of these directors, since the late 1980s, seem to have won another chance to improve their craft. Solrun Hoaas (Aya, 1991), Tracey Moffatt [Bedevil, 1993), David Perry [The Refracting Glasses, 1993), Susan Murphy Dermody (Breathing Under Water, 1992), James Clayden [With Time to Kill, 1987), Martha Ansara (7T7e Pursuit of Happiness, 1988), Susan Lambert ( Talk, 1994) - these are just a few of the many names, often distinguished in the areas of short or experimental or documentary film, or in other art forms, that have effectively disappeared from our merciless film culture ledger. But one has to take off the critical kid gloves when dealing with these films, too. Many are simply too ambitious, too layered - as if a linear story could not possibly be engaging without the extra trappings of an 'essay' ora mind-bogglingly convoluted structure, of the kind we see once more in Belinda CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01 [33]
The range o f S u p e r F-Series from F u jif ilm have p la y e d a m a jo r r o ll in t h e s u c c e s s fo r so m e o f t h e w o rld 's l e a d i n g DOP's, w a n t to know m ore? C o n t a c t A Li Peck a t Film S u p p o r t on 0 4 1 1 8 7 1 521(24hrs) or ( 02) 9 9 7 9 5 7 0 1 . T he
WOLFF1085
c o m p l e t e
S u p e r
F - S e r i e s
R a n g e
-
F - 6 4 D,
F - 1 2 5 ,
H i f u j if il m
PROFESSIONAL. MOTION PICTURE PRODUCTS
F - 2 5 Q r
F - 2 5 0 O,
F - 4 0 0
&
F - 5 0 0 .
2000.16mm colour.9min DIRECTOR CATE SHORTLAND W RITER CATE SHORTLAND PRODUCER RACHEL CLEMENTS CINEMATOGRAPHER ROBERT HUMPHREYS COMPOSER KIRKE GODFREY EDITOR YOOL CHUL CHUNG CAST DEBORAH CLAY, TA NIA SEGURA, MEG EVANS, ARI MATTHEWS, MATT BAKER, LOUIS WESTGARTH
snapshot, leigh whannell -> Joy, directed by A.F.T.R.S graduate
mall to terrorise boys and
Cate Shortland in her final year, is a
shopkeepers. Joy steals sunglasses,
rare thing indeed: a short film which
fantasises about all the boys wanting
seeks to be mysterious, disturbing,
her and then gets into a fight. When
funny and sexy - all at the same time
she returns home that night to the
and within its nine minute running
furious cries of her parents, we realise
time - and actually achieves it.
she is the way she is because of her
Additionally, Shortland has made things
home environment. It’s a simple story
triply hard for herself by making a film
covering well-trodden ground but the
about teenagers and their problems, an
beauty is not the story itself, it is the
area where filmmakers who aren’t
way in which Shortland tells it.
teenagers themselves anymore must
First of all, Shortland obliterates the
Her parents, like so many others, don’t really talk - they just spout the rote crap parents think they should, trying to shape and mould their daughter into a decent young girl, rather than really attempting to understand her.
tread on eggshells not to make it look
problem of having to write teenage
contrived, and yet she pulls this off too
dialogue, which for one reason or
with aplomb. Rarer still, Joy is an
another so often comes off sounding
A.F.T.R.S film, so it looks beautiful and
fake or forced. Trying to cram wit and
is the sound design which truly makes
are the security guard who chases her
the actors are great... but among the
realism into the mouth of any
it what it is.
for stealing, they are the security
slickness is a story, with a character we
character who is Australian and under
The main card Shortland has up her
cameras who record her every move.
care about. It is a huge victory for
25 years old - a species whose
sleeve in the storytelling though, is the
We’ve all heard these statements from
Shortland because watching Joy you
favourite word is ’fuck’ (I know mine is)
slices of text which scroll across the
our own parents before so they have a
sense this would have been a very easy
- is a task that in my mind requires
screen at various times during the
particular resonance. We think we
film to get wrong - very wrong.
massive talent to conquer properly.
film. When we see Joy applying make
understand why Joy is rebelling - she’s
Imagine a remake of Larry Clark’s
(Angst anyone? I mean, who do you
up in the mall toilets in the film ’s
being told not to go out looking like a
Kids with the focus changed from boys
know that talks like that? Big, long
opening scene, the words 'You Should
slut but she does it anyway. It is not
to girls, and for financial reasons, the
Kevin Smith-ish speeches about why
Take A long Hard Look At Yourself In
until she returns home that we realise
location is switched from New York to a
the Evil Dead films are "a lot like life"
The M irror’ slide across the screen.
she is not rebelling against her
shopping mall in Parramatta, Sydney.
do not work in an Aussie accent. OK,
At first the device is jarring, and feels a
parents but copying them. Her
Then imagine a less pretentious effort
bitch over.)
bit hokey - like an arty type saying
parents, like so many others, don’t
that runs just nine minutes.
Shortland obliterates this problem
"wouldn’t it be cool if we had these
really talk - they just spout the rote crap parents think they should, trying
No? OK, I’ll explain. Joy is a film
simply - there is practically no
words slide across the screen right at
people w ill say centres around a
dialogue. All but one of Joy and her
this one moment”. Shortland, however,
to shape and mould their daughter into
Lolita-like lead character, which is
cronies’ adventures is played out with
sticks to her guns and repeats the
a decent young girl, rather than really
what anyone says when a film shows a
their dialogue muted. We see them
device throughout, making it an
attempting to understand her.
female younger than 18 taking charge
laughing, talking and being teenage
intricate part of the story. After getting
Joy is the best kind of short drama - a simple one, which doesn't attempt too
of a sexual situation rather than just
girls but we do not hear them. What
used to this device we realise it is the
yelping ‘I’m not ready for this' as their
we do hear is Joy’s inner turmoil about
voice of her parents berating her in
much emotional depth for its length
breasts are groped.
how she should behave, represented
the typical way a parent would a
and wraps itself up concisely. Comedy
Joy does centre around a teenage girl,
by the stark, spooky sound design and
teenage girl.
is sometimes too easy a thing to do
Joy (played exceedingly well by WAAPA
occasional bursts of energetic drum
Statements like ‘Don’t think you’re
with short films because you basically
grad Deborah Clay, especially since
and bass.
walking out the door dressed like that’
only need to tell one joke. As evident in the huge number of ‘sting in the tail’
she’s well past 16 years old) but I
It is refreshing to see a short film
and 'No man in his right mind would
wouldn’t say she’s Lolita-like. I’d
where such care has been taken with
touch a girl like you’ remind us of the
joke films entered into festivals. It is
say she’s pretty much a normal
the sound design, instead of being left
parents back at home she is rebelling
short films of dramatic or
teenage girl.
behind in the struggle to have a
against, until we realise that her
experimental content that are much
Joy is heading to the local shopping
‘beautiful looking film ’. From the
parents are everywhere. Always
harder to do without falling flat on your
mall for a bit of frivolity with her two
incessant giggles of the girls, which
watching to make sure a young lady
face and in this case Shortland has
nameless followers. The three of them
have been woven throughout, to the
’behaves in the proper manner’.
managed to stand tall. Joy won’t
drink alcohol in the girls' toilets, put on
drone of the shopping centre security
Her parents are the shopkeepers who
change the world or get her a three-
lots of make up to look older and
cameras that are constantly watching,
watch her suspiciously when she
picture deal with Dreamworks... but
this is a beautiful sounding film and it
spends too much time in a shop, they
who really cares? •
sexier, and then venture out into the
CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01 [35]
film. DIRECTOR PAUL COX CAST JU L IA BLAKE. CHARLES TINGW ELL, TERRY NORRIS, ROBERT MENZIES, MARTA OUSSELDORP, CHRIS HAYWOOD, KRISTINE VAN PELLICOM, KENNY AERNOUTS PRODUCERS PAUL COX & MARK PATTERSON DISTRIBUTOR SH A R M ILL FILMS COUNTRY OF ORIGIN AUSTRALIA RATING M DURATION 95 MINUTES
Since 1996’s broad satire about the art world, Lust and Revenge, things have been pretty quiet in the Cox camp. Until now. Though we are still yet to see his intriguing foray into the possibilities of Imax (1997’s
graphic scenes of exploding bodies or
three dimensional The Hidden
rampant Hollywood-style sexual
Dimension), our regular screens are
encounters without batting an eyelid,
in for quite a flurry of Coxian activity.
begin to squirm in their seats at the
Due in the not-too-distant future is
sight of a bit of no-longer-quite-so-
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien
firm flesh. But this is an extremely
- following its successful run on the
gentle film from Cox, with surprising
festival circuit - and his long-
dashes of humour and beautifully
cherished Nijinksy project is
judged performances from Julia
currently in post-production. In the
It's a tale of twilight love, a theme that
satisfying films have explored different
Blake, Bud Tingwell and also Terry
meantime though there is this crowd
is always guaranteed to get the
aspects of aging. Think of the
Norris (Blake's real-life husband) as
pleasing romance, which has already
romantics smiling wistfully. Half a
loneliness and isolation of Norman
Claire's husband, John. Claire has
picked up an impressive shelf-full of
century after falling for each other in
Kaye's character in Man of Flowers
been married to John for 30 years but
awards at various international
post-war Belgium, Andreas (Charles
(1983) or Sheila Florance’s acceptance
the physical side of their relationship
festivals.
Tingwell) and Claire (Julia Blake) meet
of her approaching death in the
has long since died.
Of course Cox has long maintained
again and renew their relationship.
brilliant A Woman's Tale (1991). But
While sensitively executed, the
that he is far better appreciated
Starring two of Australia's best-loved
examining a passionate sexual
screenplay does have problems -
abroad than here at home, but could
mature actors, the film is already way
relationship between characters we
some of the dialogue has a stagey and
this be the film that restores his
ahead in the audience-friendly stakes.
would normally only see on our
unconvincing ring to it. That this isn't
reputation in Australia? The signs are
But it's more than that. There is a
screens playing lawn bowls or
the overriding impression of the film is
good. Especially at the box office
genuine warmth, compassion and
pottering in the garden is a whole new
a tribute to Cox's deft touch and
where the sentimental factor is bound
understanding at work here.
ballgame. And it's one that is
dedication to the material and, above
to benefit from the film ’s Christmas
Cox is now 60 years old. He says he
undeniably confronting for viewers.
all, Blake’s wonderfully centred work
release. Because Innocence scores
finds that hard to believe. Yet many of
But what a telling discomfort it is -
in the pivotal role of Claire.*
highly on the "ahhhhh!” factor scale.
his most accessible and, indeed,
that audiences who can sit through
MADELEINE SWAIN
[36] CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00JANUARY.01
“Not only does Crow e’s art imitate his own life, but the writer/director has gone to great pains to make each scene faithful.”
Almost Famous DIRECTOR CAMERON CROWE CAST BILLY CRUDUP, FRANCES MCDORMAND, KATE HUDSON, PATRICK FUGIT, JASON LEE, A N N A PAQUIN, NOAH TAYLOR, PH ILIP SEYMOUR
Young and others also make cameos
this is the film 's moral conscience and
throughout the film.)
real-life legend, rock w riter Lester
As Stillwater makes its way across
Bangs. Played by Philip Seymour
America in a bus, the circus picks up
Hoffman, he warns William of the
the ‘band aids' - sympathetically seen
dangers in getting too close to the
as a group of female music fans
band. Cautions him that the band w ill
rather than groupies - and the utterly
lure him into thinking they're his
engaging William. Together, they
friends, drain him of his objectivity.
confront the usual rock hang-ups: on-
Then there's the girl. The 'band-aid'
HO FFM AN , ZOOEY DESCHANEL, FAIRUZA BALK
the-road monogamy (or lack thereof),
girl. The wonderful Kate Hudson plays
PRODUCERS
egomania, trusting the enemy (ie, the
the main 'band-aid', Penny Lane. In
press), making friends with your
love with the music and lead guitarist,
CAMERON CROWE, IAN BRYCE SCREENW RITER CAMERON CROWE DISTRIBUTOR C O LU M B IA TRISTAR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN US RATING M DURATION 123 MINUTES
subject (ie, the band] and drugs.
Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) - or
But more pertinent than any of this
is that the same thing? - she is
pulp is the story of a little boy coming
vulnerable in this tough-girl world and
of age. Albeit a very, very clever little
winds up providing William with his
boy, but still just a little boy. This
biggest life lesson.
backstage, tour-bus environment is
In his first US role, Noah Taylor
completely foreign to him, and on the
portrays a very odd little band
other side of this tug-of-war is his
manager named Dick Roswell.
overly-protective and equally
Afforded little dialogue and even less
-> In demystifying the greatest rock
intelligent mother (played brilliantly by
character development, there’s not
true). You don't have to be a rock
‘n’ roll cliché of all - the on-the-road
Frances McDormand), who injects
much scope for him to (ahem) shine.
journo, in a band or even be a big
funny, very funny (because they're
story - ex-Rolling Stone journo-
Almost Famous with some of the
But through each of the very individual
music fan to get into this film,
turned-filmmaker, Cameron Crowe,
funniest moments.
characters, there’s a great rock story
although it w ill help. •
portrays the reality of such
But William's true guide through all of
being told. And most of them are
RACHEL NEWMAN
adventures as far more amusing and ultimately more rock than any
Almost Famous
glorified send-up or tail-tale from backstage will have you believe. Almost Famous authenticity is its most striking attribute and "keeping it real" is also one of its main themes. For a start, the very nature of the subject matter is close to Crowe's heart. Like the lead character -15year-old William M iller (Patrick Fugit) who's been assigned to write his first feature for Rolling Stone - Crowe made his start with the same legendary magazine, only he was 16 years old. Not only does Crowe's art imitate his own life, but the w riter/director has gone to great pains to make each scene faithful. Set in 1974-, Crowe has littered genuine 1970s musical artefacts throughout the film, and has even drawn upon bona fide 70s rock greats like Peter Frampton to coach the ‘almost famous’ band, Stillwater. (Actors dressed as David Bowie, Neil CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01 [3 7 ]
Cunnamulla DIRECTOR DENN IS O'ROURKE CAST THE TOW NSFOLK OF C U N N A M U LLA PRODUCER
Mailboy
FREE ENTEPR/Slm RECYCLERS OF^K |fCOPPER. * BRAS& * ALUMINIUM LEAD
DIRECTOR VINC EN T GIARRUSSO CAST KANE MCNAY, N E LL FEENEY,
E R O P - J i. A ’ c V iz /if/c U u tt
BRETT SWAIN, BRETT TUCKER
DENN IS O'ROURKE
PRODUCER
DISTRIBUTOR
FIONA EAGGER
RONIN FILMS
W RITER
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
VINC EN T GIARRUSSO
AUSTRALIA
DISTRIBUTOR
DURATION
BU EN A VISTA INTERNATIO N AL
83 M INUTES
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
Cunnamulla
AUSTRALIA DURATION
-> Sobering to say the very least, the
but the living conditions are fairly
mention has a point: serving to
latest documentary from Dennis
basic for all concerned. Without
highlight the differences between his
O’Rourke [The Shark Callers of
preamble, O’Rourke introduces us to a
life and that of, say, Herb the scrap
Kontu, Cannibal Tours, The Pagode
fascinating cross-section of the
metal merchant.
-> An aspiring screenwriter is often
da Tia Beth] sees him returning to
townsfolk and then just lets the
Having said this, you can’t help
advised to ‘write what you know’ and
Australia to continue doing what he
camera roll - the interviewees
wondering what the townsfolk of
Melbourne writer/director Vincent
does best: prising the sores on the
seemingly needing very little prodding
Cunnamulla will make of O’Rourke’s
Giarrusso has elected to do exactly
underbelly of society and having a
to let us in on some of the most
view of their lives. Maybe they’ll be
that with his debut film, Mailboy.
good old poke around underneath.
personal and complicated details of
glad he took the time to get to know
Giarrusso is best known as lead singer with Melbourne rock outfit
85 M INUTES
His most notable lor infamous,
their lives.
them and film them, or maybe sections
depending on your point of view)
And this is where O’Rourke really
of the community w ill feel the town as
Underground Lovers. However, he was once a youth welfare worker, an
endeavour in this direction to date
excels. Like Nick Broomfield [Kurt &
a whole has been woefully
was 1991’s The Good Woman of
Courtney, Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood
misrepresented. Surely life there can’t
experience he has obviously drawn
Bangkok - an utterly downbeat and
Madam] he has an extraordinary ability
be that bleak for everyone? Or can it?
on heavily for his tale of a teenage
unavoidably distressing biography of
to communicate with people and get
The film was made in the pre-
boy battling to escape the ambit of a
Aoi, a young Thai woman forced by
them to open up on camera. But unlike
Christmas period, but the picture
welfare-supervised family living in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
circumstances to work as a prostitute
Broomfield, the viewer doesn’t get the
O'Rourke paints is not a remotely
in Bangkok.
sense that his success is simply due to
festive one. Perhaps most jarring of all
In Giarrusso’s film, characters do
Thankfully Cunnamulla isn’t quite as
an overdose of pushiness on his part.
are his conversations with Cara and
everything that Neighbours characters
desperate a show - indeed there are
There seems to be an extraordinary
her best friend Kellie-Anne. Cara at
don’t. They go to the toilet; they veg in
several moments of undisguised levity
amount of trust too - even when the
only 13 years old is a school dropout
front of the telly; they smoke and get
- but it's pretty formidable material all
subject doesn’t understand why they
whose lack of concern about the
drunk and swear. And then there are
the same. O'Rourke seems to be
should be subjected to such scrutiny
possibility of pregnancy lies in the fact
issues of unemployment, drugs,
determined to make films that w ill
(as in The Good Woman of Bangkok],
that she’d just "dump the kid on the
spousal abuse and petty crime.
’shake the bastards up a bit'. It’s as if
O’Rourke is also much more
father and let him deal with it” . We last
Giarrusso clearly aspires to a kind of
he’s deliberately targeting his work at
successful at keeping himself out of
see the duo packing their bags and
Ken Loach-style gritty realism, while
members of the smug middle class,
the film than Broomfield. In
heading off for Brisbane - doing
recalling local efforts like Moving Out
sitting in their North Shore or eastern
Cunnamulla his interviewees refer to
whatever it takes to get away from
and The Year My Voice Broke in its
suburbs polished-floor apartment,
him only once or twice and then the
Cunnamulla and the endless parade of
teenage rites of passage theme. In a
pondering life’s big decisions: stir fry
oversexed males. But you can’t help
social context, there are also parallels
or pasta for dinner? and saying, hold
feeling life in the state capital won’t
with The Boys and Nirvana Street
on a minute: let’s take a look at how
offer them much either. The end of the
Murder, among others.
other people are living their lives.
line indeed. •
Shaun (marvelously played by Kane
In Cunnamulla, the town 'at the end of
Cunnamulla will screen in Sydney
McNay) spends most of his time down
the railway line’ deep in outback
Valhalla and Canberra's Electric
at the local mall. If he’s not shoplifting
Queensland, the population is divided
Shadows from December 14, with
or dining out in the food court (where
into white Australians and Aborigines,
Melbourne to follow in January.
his mother works as a cleaner), he
[3 8 ] CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01
Ma d e l e in e s w a in
“The American dream of everything being possible for everyone without burdening taxpayers for study or artistic grants is still alive.”
The film has Violet (Piper Perabo) as a
Coyote Ugly
wannabe songwriter moving from the clutches of her nice but boring life in New Jersey (where Kiwi native Melanie
DIRECTOR DAVID M CNALLY
Lynskey gives a great turn as Violet's
CAST PIPER PERABO, ADAM GARCIA,
quintessential New Jersey friend
MARIA BELLO. M ELANIE LYNSKEY, IZABELLA
Gloria) and protective father Bill
MIKO, BRIDGET MOYNAHAN. TYRA BANKS, DEL PENTECOST, M ICHAEL WESTON. JOHN W RITER
There, she finds that her night job
GINA W ENDKOS
providing cheap thrills for guys on the
PRODUCERS
prowl in the racy Coyote Ugly bar,
JERRY BRUCKHEIM ER, CHAD OMAN EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
owned by the cliched iron maiden Lil
M IKE STENSON, SCOTT GARDENHOUR
(Maria Bellow), overshadows her
CINEMATOGRAPHER - AMIR MOKRI
“In Giarrusso’s film, characters do everything that Neighbours characters don’t. They go to the toilet; they veg in front of the telly; they smoke and get drunk and swear.”
[played well by Roseanne's John Goodman) to a seedy life in Manhattan.
GOODMAN, LEANN RIMES
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
aspirations and budding romance with
US
the elusive Kevin (Garcia), making for
DISTRIBUTION
some of the obligatory jealous
BUEN A VISTA INTERNATION AL (BV!)
boyfriend scenes. In a hugely Adam Garcia gives a competent co
surprising turn of events, Kevin helps
leading performance in Coyote Ugly,
her overcome the stage fright she
one of the latest song-and-dance films
feels about performing her own works
to grace our screens, in which almost
at the very last possible moment,
every frame feels faintly familiar.
which unlocks the key to success.
and his mates are selling drugs to
experience as a youth worker through
It’s a bit Fame meets Flashdance
However derivative it seems, there are
other school friends, sniffing glue or
the character of Darren (Brett Tucker),
meets any other film that has a nice,
enough nice moments, a spicy tone
simply killing time. Shaun's mum
then he's not giving much away.
sweet girl with a caring but over-
and great music and art direction that
(Nell Feeney) meanwhile struggles to
Darren is sketchy at best, merely
protective family in New Jersey (or
make this film more than watchable
make ends meet, anticipating her
functioning as an authority figure that
anywhere vaguely outside of
for its target audience of teens and
estranged husband's return home
pops in and out of the film when
fashionable Manhattan) moving to the
young adults, most of whom w ill be
after a stint in jail.
necessary.
Big Apple to confront various hurdles
too young to compare it to
Creating sympathetic characters and
The direction is rather prosaic and the
in her quest for fame, fortune and - of
producer Bruckheimer's previous
unearthing humour in this sort of
narrative overly simplistic. The film is
course - love.
hit Flashdance.
material can be tricky - ever present
set over three days and only Shaun's
is the risk of condescension (an
father's imminent homecoming and
accusation levelled at the writers of
the party prepared in celebration of
The Castle).
the event offer any semblance of story.
Giarrusso luckily has first-hand
The rest of the time the film often
experience on his side. He knows his
seems like 'scenes from a m all’.
characters well and is able to portray
It must be remembered, however, that
them honestly in both their failings
this is Giarrusso's first film, and
and their small triumphs. It is the
judged on this criterion, Mailboy is a
truth in his characters and the
modest success. The casting is
director's finely wrought observation
excellent and the ambient-electronic
that are Mailboy s strengths.
soundtrack [which Giarrusso
But the film has its faults. We actually
composed with fellow Underground
learn little of Shaun's aspirations
Lover Glenn Bennie) is always
beyond his clear desire for a male role
interesting.
model. Hope is offered at the end of
Not a dazzling debut by any means,
the film - but hope of what, exactly?
but certainly one filled with promise.
And if Giarrusso is projecting his own
• MICHAEL WARD
CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00. JANUARY.CU [ 3 9 ]
And Like Rashdance, it w ill probably
themselves in. We simply find women
inspire a whole new generation of
owning and operating a bar full of
wannabes, while, in America at least,
oafish men leering at them in wet T-
their parents w ill probably applaud a
shirts without questioning whatever
film that celebrates the maxim that it
happened to the feminist ideals, or is
doesn’t really matter what you do to
simply that the struggle was merely
succeed or realise your dreams, or
to empower women to be equally
how much you spurn the person you
base and exploitative of basic human
once were in getting there. This very
desires? One can’t help feeling if
American film celebrates women in a
Bruckheimer or Garcia had stopped to
post-feminist environment, where
consider such things in anything other
catering to humanity's base desires is
than a superficial manner, the film
fine so long as you’re saving the
would have been richer for it, in the
money for law school or to press your
way Billy Elliot manages to make its
own CDs along the way. No doubt
characters, story and central
middle-America w ill be relieved to
performances both more engaging
The Magic Pudding
films are extremely costly and labourintensive. Gross's Dot And the Kangaroo, for example, isn’t even fully
DIRECTOR KARL ZWICKY PRODUCER GERRY TRAVERS W RITERS [ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK BY NORMAN LINDSAY] HARRY CRIPPS, GREG HADDOCK, SIMON HOPKINSON
animated - the cartoon Dot is overlaid on a 'real' bushland background. So here is a rare example of a fulllength animated Australian film, as Aussie as you can get in fact. Alas, The Magic Pudding is not the apogee of
DISTRIBUTOR
animation one might have hoped for.
TW ENTIETH CENTURY FOX
A trio of screenwriters have adapted
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN AUSTRALIA VOICES OF JOHN CLEESE, SAM NEILL, HUGO WEAVING, GEOFFREY RUSH, JACK THOMPSON. TONI COLLETTE DURATION
Lindsay’s book and chosen to diverge from it rather drastically. In recounting the adventures of Bill Barnacle (man), Sam Sawnoff (penguin) Bunyip Bluegum (koala) and
know that, based on what you’ll see in
and even entertaining for being so
this film, the American dream of
informed by its politics. Indeed, while
everything being possible for everyone
Ugly, Bootmen and Billy ad. have that
without burdening taxpayers for study
artistic triumph over adversity theme,
or artistic grants is still alive.
the first two shirk serious
explored by filmmakers - in fact, this
familiar and at odds with the source
Garcia’s main contribution to all this
considerations of their socio-political
loose adaptation of Norman Lindsay's
material’s colonial charm.
is to look cute (often by disrobing at
contexts, while the last two have
perennial children’s favourite (first
We now have the entirely new idea that
key moments and occasionally tap-
almost identical plots (right down to
published in 1918) is the very first
Bunyip is an orphan who discovers his
dancing a bit while showing off his
deceased mothers and battling the
attempt in this country at tackling this
parents are still alive and sets off on a
80 MINUTES
Albert (pudding), the screenwriters have chosen to replace the book’s rather episodic nature with a narrative
The cinema of puddings is little
structure that is disappointingly
beautifully buffed body), smile a lot
shocking perceptions that dancing is
most risible of genres.
ho-hum quest to find them. It turns out
and every so often be a tiny bit
only for poofs, which the Oz film
Apart from Grendel Grendel Grendel
they have been imprisoned by the
mysterious about his past. We get no
handles with all the sensitivity of a bull
(1981), Blinky Bill (1992), Yoram Gross’
monstrous, Oliver Reed-like Buncle
hint of what sort of Yank accent he
in a china shop), but the difference is
Dot series, and one or two others,
(wombat; not found in the book) who
has either, as, no doubt in an attempt
in the execution, making Billy’s 11-
Australian animated feature films have
lives in an underground dungeon that
to accentuate that theme of outsiders
year-old lead 20 times the character
been relatively scarce.
stirs ancient memories of the
trying to crack life in the Big Apple, he
of Bootmen s young man.
It’s a budget thing of course. Animated
Australian animated TV series King
is cast as a drifting Australian. Like
While each of these films tries to be
the film, his performance is
The Full Monty meets Brassed Off
formulaically passable, and based on
with dollops of The Commitments
this and Bootmen, it’s hard to say
thrown in, only Billy Elliot comes close
what sort of an actor Garcia is, except
to the mark, while Bootmen
one that w ill no doubt find
mysteriously even manages not to tell
commercial success Stateside and
its audience just how big the Tap Dogs
allow him to join the growing army of
phenomena became and Ugly ends
successful Australian-born actors
up being a plain old American
across the Pacific pond. But the
popcorn movie.
question is about as moot as trying to
Still, as for young audiences in the
analyse Ricky Martin’s singing - with
mood for pointless fun, a bit of toe
that smile and those looks, it simply
tapping and a fair bit of leering at
doesn’t matter.
gyrating flesh, this rather formulaic
Also sim ilar to Bootmen is the feeling
number, which at 101 minutes is about
that the film could have been better if
15 minutes too long, might be just the
it made more of the politics of the
ticket.
situations the characters find
•
[ 4 0 ] CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01
MARK WOODS
The Dish is the antithesis of the Local Hero period of filmmaking that came out of Britain during the early 80s
A rthur and his Square Nights of The Round Table [ 1966).
The Dish
The Dish is the antithesis of the Local Hero period of filmmaking that came out of Britain during the early 80s. In
It has become commonplace - at least in the latest efforts from the Disney
DIRECTOR
those films the Big Bad American
studios - to pitch animated classics at
ROB SUCH
would swing into the backward British
two levels. Usually there's one level for the kids, and one for everybody else over the age of 11. There's nothing of the sort here. No wit, no surprises, no good jokes (unless you think a rooster with a voice oddly similar to that of Joh Bjelke Peterson is either funny or relevant). The songs - de rigeur in animated films these days - are largely
CAST SAM NE ILL. KEVIN HARRINGTON, PATRICK W ARBURTON, TOM LONG, GENEVIEVE MOOY, TAYLER KANE, BILLIE BROWN W RITERS SANTO CILAURO, TOM GLEISNER, JANE KENNEDY, ROB SITCH PRODUCERS SANTO CILAURO, TOM GLEISNER, JANE
village and be won over by the local charm. In The Dish the Big Good Americans come to the bush and win over the simple townsfolk. It's moonwalk time, in this based-ontrue-events period piece, and the small
KENNEDY, ROB SITCH, M ICHAEL HIRSH
New South Wales hamlet of Parkes has
DISTRIBUTOR
found itself at the centre of this history
ROADSHOW COUNTRY OF ORIGIN AUSTRALIA
making event. The town's sheep paddock-located satellite dish is to
forgettable.
relay pictures of man's first step
The best part about The Magic Pudding
among the craters. The people of If Working Dog Productions debut
Parkes rally together to ensure they
the American lifeform. The satellite
to which character.
feature The Castle represented David
make their mark.
dish's manager (Sam Neill) is ready to
Geoffrey Rush, Hugo Weaving and Sam
defeating Goliath, its follow-up is David
So, out come the quirky characters,
kowtow to the gruff-but-understanding,
Neill are all excellent in the lead roles,
all grown-up and realising it’s best to
who seem only to exist to be patronised.
visiting NASA supervisor (Patrick
while Jack Thompson is terrific as the
sleep with the enemy.
The local guy charged with guarding the
Warburton) at every turn.
odorous Buncle. John Laws has a nice
The enemy in this case is the Hollywood
satellite dish is so dim he believes
The town’s only voice of anti-American
cameo as the poetry-spouting Rumpus
blockbuster that accounts for the
astronauts communicate from space
dissent, the mayor's hippyish daughter,
Bumpus, but Toni Collette and Mary
majority of ticket sales in our suburban
through his walkie-talkie (did the
is soon silenced as she too is moved by
Coustas unfortunately have less to do.
multiplexes. Working Dog wants some
Americans really not supply their own
the Parkes-relayed, sight of
International ring-in John Cleese is an
of those bucks kept in this country. The
security?). Hell, the whole town's so
humankind's giant leap. As with the
obvious choice for the obstreperous
micro-budgeted The Castle snuck up on
dim no one corrects the misspelling of
other female characters in The Dish,
pudding Albert and does his best Basil
the box office and toppled the
'ambassador' on the welcome banner.
she is allowed on screen for nothing
Fawlty impersonation.
unsuspecting big budget imports. It won
The film is steeped in plenty of flag-
more than a cheap laugh (Denise
The animation in The Magic Pudding is
us over with its gentle humour and little
waving patriotism. The exact type of
Roberts and Collette Mann, in other
certainly competent and the character
Aussie battler wile. But The Dish seems
filmic self-congratulating that has us
minor roles, are similarly wasted).
renderings thankfully remain true to
a far more cynical exercise. It flatters
wincing in our seats when it involves
The Dish also mimics the Hollywood
Lindsay's own wonderful creations.
its opposition by imitation. Perhaps with
stars and stripes. But every swell of
movie score. Every Important Moment
But while the whole exercise is
an eye on taking the battle into the
Aussie pride is matched with a scrape
is telegraphed far too often by what is
obviously designed to be good fun,
rival's home turf?
and bow to the higher intelligence of
possibly the worst soundtrack ever
is guessing whose voice has been lent
somehow the book's innocent nature
composed for an Australian film. So
has been left behind. In its place is a
overwhelming are the orchestral
very dubious recurring theme which
build-ups to sentimental scenes and
appears to actually celebrate greed
moments of folk wisdom that a John
and gluttony.
Williams soundtrack seems subtle in
But there is little point in exploring this
comparison.
notion further, nor dwelling too
One characteristic of The Castle has
studiously on the inexhaustible
survived through to this film. The Dish
pudding as a metaphor for an
is at least host to an easy-to-watch cast
economic utopia where there's always
that know exactly how to handle the dry
enough to go round for everybody.
humour and, more importantly, the
After all, this is just a kids’ film about a
often mushy script.
talking dessert. •
MICHAEL WARD
•
ANDREW MAST
CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER,00.JANUARY,01 [ 4 1 ]
-> Often it’s my job to encourage
Breaker Morant because he was
actors to talk about themselves, their
committed to the TV series Young
films, their doubts. Thankfully, and
Ramsay. Didn't matter. He was not
rightfully, I’m paid to do so. It’s some
only the first local actor to be paid
consolation. Just as journalists are
$1000 a week, but also the first to
arrogant, so are actors self-
work with Dennis Hopper.
obsessed.
-> Hargreaves was a fine actor and
So the prospect of reading John
advocate for Australian film. He might
Hargreaves... a celebration (Parrot,
not have had the temperament for
$30) was consternating. Thank
stage, as his peers Katherine
goodness the experience was not
Brisbane and Robyn Nevin note, but
only painless but joyful. Here was an
he did have the credentials and lively
entertaining actor who wasn’t overly
anecdotes to justify this celebration.
self-indulgent and who had greater
Yes, it can be fawning and the fonts
concerns than himself.
and design aren't the most attractive
-> In some regards, this was to be
but this book is a welcome addition to
expected of an amalgam of interviews
the Australian arts library.
and recollections conducted with
-> The published screenplays of
Hargreaves and his peers by
Looking For Alibrandi [by Melina
Genevieve Picot and Tony Watts in the
Marchetta, Currency Press, $17.95)
last year of Hargreaves’ life, 1996.
and The Sound Of One Hand Clapping
The authors have compiled a portrait
(by Richard Flanagan, Picador, $20.78)
of a charming, blunt man with much
will take different spots in the
to say about his career and his craft.
Australian film library. They crystallise
Disappointingly he has nothing to tell
why on screen the former worked and
of his personal life and sexuality
the latter bombed. Marchetta's writing
(other than choosing to act after
for Alibrandi is crisp and very
seeing Marlene Dietrich in 1965!) but
readable. More importantly, the
there is more than enough in a
welcome inclusion of deleted dialogue
professional life which began with an
or scenes shows exactly why this
(Flanagan) was hardened by the experience of directing - “I was to learn that film-making runs on terror, rewards mediocrity, and views everyone as expendable.” If only his screenplay was as incisive as his observation.
audition in the NSW town of
country is mad to encourage
Cracking stuff.
Mendooran in the early 1960s. His
writer/directors. Director Kate Woods
-> Both screenplays include
says "it breaks your fuckin' heart.”
recollections of the early years in
knew exactly what to delete - the
illuminating introductory essays by
-> It's a pacy and blunt memoir about
Sydney are fascinating and, at times,
unlikely, wordy or complex scenarios -
their authors, although Flanagan's is
grappling with two cultures, Maori and
embarrassing. One of Hargreaves'
to the film ’s obvious benefit. She even
a touch too prosaic. Unfortunately, he
English. Don't come here looking for
troupes interpreted the tragic The
delayed the first kiss between Josie
was hardened by the experience of
writing or cinematic tips, this one is
civility and his mother's aggro. As he
Dutch Courtesan as a comedy.
(Pia Miranda] and Jacob (Kick Gurry),
directing - "I was to learn that
purely personal, and it's all the
-> It didn't take long for Hargreaves
a crucial and proper call.
filmmaking runs on terror, rewards
stronger for it. In a boys' home aged
to attract the attention of Crawford
-> Flanagan, meanwhile, writes in an
mediocrity, and views everyone as
13, in gaol by 15, Duff was a troubled
Productions before his inevitable
airy, obtuse and overly descriptive
expendable." If only his screenplay
kid but he writes "I make no apologies for what nature has made me."
move to film (for which he wanted to
fashion. He produces the most literate
was as incisive as his observation.
change his name to Racy McKennel!).
scene descriptions I've ever seen in a
-> Alan Duff's memoir, Out Of The
Ronald Bergan's Coen Brothers
In retrospect, his choices of projects
screenplay, which is fine for a novel
Mist and Steam (Tandem Press,
(Orion, $49.95) is that worst kind of biography, the one where the author
looks shambolic but his recollections
but not for a screenplay. I'm sure he
$24.95), is bursting with incisive and
give a sense of the pioneering-
knew what an "odd, cold sound" was
emotional stuff. The New Zealand
thinks he has the talent and
through-bumbling spirit of the
but I doubt any other director on earth
author of Once Were Warriors and
wherewithal to trade wits with the
emerging early Australian film and
beyond David Lynch would have. At
What Becomes Of The Broken
stars. Bergan even quotes the Coens'
television industry. To think he
one point, he even has five pages
Hearted? tells of a rambunctious rebel
fictional editor, Roderick Jaynes. So,
rejected a role in Bruce Beresford's
(eight scenes] without dialogue.
growing up torn between his father's
so clever.
[ 4 2 ] CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00JANUARY.01
Ah! Summer time! one of 75 Double in Season Passes
M OVIE-&-VIDEO GUIDE MORE THAN 20.000 ENTRIES, INCLUDING 300+ NEW ENTRIES M PA A RATINGS FROM G TO N C-1 7 OVER t S,000 VIDEO AND 10,000 LASERDISC & DVD LISTINGS
Jo h n H argreaves ... a celebration an actor’s life as he saw it
-> This toadying, skittish bio Lacks
literary impact, but it's great fun. I'm
flow, Bergan's self-acknowledged skill
not up on the James Bond minutiae
allowing him to slip into stream of
but as a role model, I've found him to
consciousness writing full of tame
work quite well. This fabulously
similes, try-hard writing and bad puns.
irrelevant breakdown of the Bond
But the Coens are enigmatic, elliptical
persona, with categories such as
subjects and their quotes and
'single entendres', 'sadism' and
mannerisms sustain the book. They
‘mistakes can be fatal’ gave me more
re-tell how they had to fire some
than I needed to know. But now I feel
babies while filming Raising Arizona
fulfilled knowing Stanley Kubrick
"and they didn't even know they were
helped with the lighting on The Spy
being fired, that's what was so
Who Loved Me and Sean Connery
pathetic about it."
wasn't the first on-screen Bond [it
-> I put it down once I read the Coens
was stunt co-ordinator Bob Simmons
screened The Conformist, The Third
as the behatted agent in the first
Man and Mad Max before they shot
opening sequence). And there’s more
Raising Arizona. Three classics by
where that came from. Much more.
two outstanding filmmakers spawned
-> By the way, there's a Leonard
another classic. That's all I needed
Maltin’s 2001 Movie & Video Guide
to know. -> The Bond Files: The Unofficial
(Signet, $16.95) released. At 1648
MELBOURNE - December 15 to March 10 in the Royal Botanic Gardens SYDNEY - November 24 to February 17 in Centennial Park Amphitheatre ADELAIDE - December 8 to February 14 in Adelaide Botanic Gardens Gates open at 7.30pm Screenings begin at sundown (around 9pm). For complete programming ad screening details visit www.moonlighLcom.au
Or complete your details in the coupon below and post it to: Cinema Papers Moonlight Promotion PO Box 2043 St. Kilda West VIC 3182 8-E..................................................................................................................................... -2*8-
M R /M R S /M S COMPANY
pages, the binding w ill surely go on
Guide to the World's Greatest Secret
this one but I hope not. The Maltin's is
Agent (Andy Lane and Paul Simpson,
an indispensable and liberal pointer
Virgin Books, US$7.95] begins with a
to everything on screen. This one
caveat, an Oscar Wilde quote - “ It is a
includes 2000 DVD reviews and mail
very sad thing that nowadays there is
order addresses for the true buffs but
so little useless information." Indeed.
lamentably not the directors' lists.
Well, this collection of useless
One day he’ll get it perfect but until
information may be pulpy like an Ian
that day, this w ill do.
Fleming novel, and possess the same
•
ADDRESS
POSTCODE
STATE
P H O N E (B H )
| E M A IL
M IC H A E L B O D E Y
Competition open to residents of VIC, NSW and SA only. Entries Close December 2Dth 2000.25 Winners will be drawn at random from entries received from each state. Winners will be notified by mail and announced in the Feb/March 2001 issue of Cinema Papers.
::
Intern
Do Not Disturb
American Perfekt
It's The Rage
DIRECTOR MICHAEL LANGE CAST DOMINIQUE SWAIN. BEN PULLEN. PEGGY LIPTON. DAVID DEBLINGER. JOAN RIVERS PRODUCER RANDY SIMON DISTRIBUTOR 21 ST CENTURY PICTURES COUNTRY OF ORIGIN US RATING M DURATION 90 MINUTES
DIRECTOR DICK MAAS CAST WILLIAM HURT. JENNIFER TILLY. DENIS LEARY. FRANCESCA BROWN PRODUCERS HEINZ THYM. HEINZ LEHMANN DISTRIBUTOR 21ST CENTURY PICTURES COUNTRY OF ORIGIN NETHERLANDS RATING M DURATION 95 MINUTES
DIRECTOR PAUL CHART CAST ROBERT FORSTER. FAIRUZA BALK. AMANDA PLUMMER. DAVID THEWLIS PRODUCER IRVIN KERSHNER DISTRIBUTOR COLUMBIA TRISTAR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN US RATING MA DURATION 96 MINUTES
DIRECTOR JAMES D. STERN CAST JOAN ALLEN. ANDRE BRAUGHER. JOSH BROUN. JEFF DANIELS, ROBERT FORSTER. ANNA PAQUIN. GIOVANNI RIBISI. DAVID SCHWIMMER, GARY SINISE. BOKEEM WOODBINE PRODUCERS ADAM DEL DEO, TODD KING DISTRIBUTOR COLUMBIA TRISTAR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN US RATING MA DURATION 95 MINUTES.
Despite a ll the s trife and violence
•4 An actress couldn’t ask fo r a
Amanda Plum m er is Sandra, J
-> If the opening credits of It ’s the
m ore attention-grabbing debut than
going on around the globe,
driving through the Am erican
Rage rem ind you of the distinctively
Dominique Swain’s in Lolita. Even that
Am sterdam ’s reputation as one of the
w astelands tow ards Utah, intending
quivery hand-drawn letterin g of
film ’s detractors have to acknowledge
w orld’s most depraved cities seems
to pick up h er sis te r A lice (Fairuza
Pablo F erro ’s beautiful credits fo r
the mesmerising quality of her
to endure, and in Do N ot Disturb,
B alk) along th e w ay. Fate
D rStrangelove, it’s probably because
perform ance, embodying perfectly the
Dutch w riter/d irec to r Dick Maas
intervenes, in the form of Jake
they w ere designed by Pablo him self.
ambiguities of the role. So, does
keeps the myth alive. When drug
(Robert F o rster), a psychiatrist who
Maybe, in this ta le of 10 Chicago
Dominique Swain have more to offer
company executive W alter (W illiam
has adopted a sim ple guiding
citizens and th e ir firearm s, director
us? Intern would suggest she
Hurt) takes the fam ily along on a
philosophy - every decision is to be
Jam es D. Stern w as aim ing fo r an
certainly does.
business trip , his w ife Cathryn
made by th e toss of a coin. His
update of the Kubrick classic,
(Jennifer T illy) is m ore than a little
reasons fo r this a re explained w ith a
something th at m ight be title d H o w l
fashion industry cocktail party, then
anxious about the idea, especially
few ra n ts about the collapse of
Learned to Stop W orrying and Love
transforms midway into a
w ith th eir m ute 10-year-old daughter
society, the need to em brace chance,
the Gun. But fo r now, Kubrick and
choreographed musical number, is not
Melissa (Francesca Brown) in tow.
and so on, but never you mind
P eter S ellers can rest in peace.
■ >
A credit sequence that starts as a
H er fears are realised when Melissa
about th at.
It's the Rage feels as though thé
gets lost, witnesses a m urder, and
Road movie, psycho-thriller, with a
filmmakers intended to make an anti
that underpins this movie. In the midst
is pursued by evil guys who want
touch of philosophical musing... all
gun movie, but started getting heavied
of the high-camp, demented chatter
h er dead.
are apt in trying to describe this odd
by the NRA and eased off. This is
that comprises daily business at fashion
It’s bad enough that in this version of
little film. Constructed from the most
really a story about crimes of passion,
mag Skirt brews a sweet, simple love
Amsterdam, every character is straight
familiar of genre elements, there’s a
when jealousy and isolation Come to
story, between intern Jocelyn (Swain)
out of Hollywood central casting and
patchwork feel to the whole that will
the boil to create a moment of
and art director Paul (Ben Pullen).
goes about their predictable business
intrigue some viewers but leave
madness - a moment when guns don’t
Caroline Doyle and Jill Kopelman's
speaking an English of pure cliché.
others perpetually puzzled as to what
kill people, but people with güns often
screenplay is full of the expected barbs
What’s worse is that while the gist of
the gist of the thing is meant to be.
do. The screenplay tells several
about cosmetic surgery and bulimia,
the film is essentially Home Alone 2 in
Director Paul Chart's screenplay is
interlocking stories, but the devices
but doesn’t wear too thin as the satire
Europe, the violent, sometimes
rather erratic, and this is the film's
used to weave them together are
seems somehow affectionate. Joan
implicitly sexual threats made to this
major problem - the characters’
extremely contrived. Maybe it worked
Rivers has a few terrific scenes as
kid are really distasteful. I almost
actions don’t always make sense (and
better in its original version as a stage
doyenne Dolly Bellows, and plenty of
wished for Macaulay Culkin to appear
not just thé crazy ones). The lead
play; here the narrative lacks any
real-world fashion Stars get their faces
and make things riice again.
actors’ idiosyncratic performance
unified sense of purpose. The
into frame for cameos.
In his handling of action sequences,
styles are all given full rein -
performances aré either too much or
But it would all be pretty pointless
Maas appears capable of directing a
sometimes a little too much - but it's
too little, but a couple of points of
only a pleasant surprise, but also a _ _good indicator of the strange, loopy vibe
without Swain and Pullen, who
competent thriller. For his upcoming
Balk who gives the most interesting,
interest are David Schwimmer in a gay
transcend the predictability of the plot
film about lifts going haywire in a (view
complex performance. With its flaws
-role and Anna Paquin as, well, jailbait.
with a genuine warmth too often
York highrise, let’s hope he sought
just outweighing its virtues, American
lacking in romantic comedy. Keep an
some help with the script.
Perfekt is a frustrating near-miss.
eye on this girl.
[44J CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00JANUARY.01
• ALISTER SHEW
Sfu,
11
Stuart Little
Magnolia
Looking for Alibrandi
Joan of Arc
DIRECTOR ROB M IN KO FF CAST HUGH LAURIE, GEENA DAVIS,
DIRECTOR P A U L THOMAS ANDERSO N CAST TOM CRUISE, HENRY GIBSON, P H IL LIP
DIRECTOR KATE WOODS CAST PIA M IRANDA. GRETA SCACCHI.
DIRECTOR LUC BESSON CAST M IL L A JOVOVICH, JO HN MALKOVICH,
JO NATHAN LIPN IC KI
BAKER HALL, P H IL LIP SEYMOUR HO FFM AN,
AN THO NY LAPAG UA, ELENA COTTA,
FAYE DUNAWAY, DUSTIN HO FFM AN
PRODUCER DOUGLAS W ICK DISTRIBUTOR TRISTAR PICTURES COUNTRY OF ORIGIN US RATING G DURATION 81 M INUTES PRICE $39.95
W IL LIA M H MACY, J U L IA N N E MOORE,
KERRY W ALKER
JASON ROBARDS
PRODUCER ROBYN KERSHAW DISTRIBUTOR ROADSHOW EN TER TAINM EN T COUNTRY OF ORIGIN AU STR ALIA RATING M DURATION 99 MINUTES PRICE S3A95
PRODUCER PATRICE LEDOUX DISTRIBUTOR TRISTAR PICTURES COUNTRY OF ORIGIN US RATING M A DURATION 152 M IN UTES PRICE $40
PRODUCER JO AN N E SELLAR DISTRIBUTOR ROADSHOW EN TER TAINM EN T COUNTRY OF ORIGIN US RATING MA DURATION 189 M INUTES PRICE S39.95
In the vein of Braveheart, although
-> A pleasant children’s film that
-> Paul Thomas Anderson’s follow up
-> Looking for Alibrandi is a
adults w ill also enjoy, Stuart Little
to his successful Boogie Nights is the
delightful Australian film about teen
is the story of an orphan mouse
daring and spectacular Magnolia.
angst, first love and cultural identity.
epic film based on the life of the teenage peasant French girl who rallied a nation to victory over the
not quite as polished, Joan of Arc ls an
adopted by a human family. The
Magnolia explores the decisions we
The film revolves around Josie
cast, headed by the rubber-faced
make and their effect on our lives, no
Alibrandi, played by the talented Pia
comedian Hugh Laurie, includes
matter how far we try to run from
Miranda, and her attempts to find her
English (boy the English are getting a
Geena Davis and Michael J. Fox
them. Interweaving nine stories,
father and ultimately herself.
rough deal in cinema lately). Only to
(who provides the voice for Stuart).
Anderson once again tests his skills
Looking for Alibrandi covers delicate
be betrayed by the man she foretold
There are plenty of extra features
as a director while gaining wonderful
issues of multiculturalism, cultural
as, and aided in becoming, King of
included on the DVD, mostly aimed
performances from his cast.
change through generations and the
France who handed her over to the
The DVD package consists of two
divisive nature of feeling alone in
English to be subsequently burned as a witch. Milla Jovovich puts in a
at the younger audience, but some of
separate discs - the film and the
the world.
adults and those interested in the
bonus features which are the most
The DVD's special features include
good performance as the strong
nuts-and-bolts of animation work.
extensive and interesting I have seen
storyboards and working scripts,
yet delicate, confident yet
the features are specifically for
The extra features section includes
on a DVD presentation thus far.
including rewrites and changes of
overwhelmed, Joan.
'Stuart's Central Park Adventure
The bonus section features a 72-
direction, which proves quite
The extra features on this DVD
Game’, a children's game in which
minute fly-on-the-wall documentary
interesting. This section is revealing to
presentation are the usual fare -
you have to answer questions
of the making of the film entitled
the point you almost feel you're
talent profiles and movie trailers for
relating to the film in order to make
'Magnolia Diary'. This includes
working through the problems with
the film. What stands out in the
interviews, filming of production
the production team.
bonus section is 'The Messenger: The
the Littles’ house. There is also a
meetings, scene rehearsals, day-to-
The audio commentary, becoming a
Search for the Real Joan of A rc’, an
‘Read-Along’, which is a reading of
day problems of budget blowouts and
regular feature to DVD, is done
extensive historical account of the
the virtual book.
deadlines, and general tomfoolery of
extremely well. Kate Woods (Director),
plight of Joan of Arc, narrated by
Also included is a making-of
cast and crew. It is a frank doco as
Robyn Kershaw (Producer) and Melina
Jovovich. The extent of research
featurette, which is a funny take on
we see Anderson go through the
Marchetta (Writer) are very
conducted for the film is highlighted
Stuart Little being an actual mouse
emotionally draining task of putting
informative and entertaining,
by this involved, documentary-style
and a real actor: Geena Davis goes
together a complex, difficult film.
conversing thoughtfully and
account of the history behind Joan of
into great comic detail about why
Also included is a 'Frank TJ Mackey
intelligently on the film. They highlight
Arc's legacy. ‘The Messenger' is a
Stuart's scenes were cut from the
Seminar' and 'Seduce and Destroy
the film 's virtues (without being
history lesson on the extraordinary
film A League of Their Own.
Infomercial', with the sleazy Frank,
sycophantic) and point to its shortfalls
journey of a peasant farm er's
In a section entitled ‘Basement
played by Tom Cruise, explaining how
(which is almost unheard of in film
daughter who took on the burden of
Treasures' there is a ‘Visual Effects
to 'romance’ women by using immoral
culture). There is also an interesting
leading a nation at the tender age of
Gag Reel' - a mock-up bloopers reel
tactics. A number of different
discussion of the Italian culture -
17 to reclaim her country, standing
of the animated characters - which
commercials that ran for Magnolia,
which is the background to the story -
up to the tyranny of an entire English
both kids and adults w ill find very
including ‘Enlightened Reviews' which
with Marchetta, the w riter of the
army, literally by herself.
amusing. Also included is a large
are the more favourable reviews of
original novel.
Well worth it if you're interested in
section devoted to visual effects and
the film, are also part of the package.
The DVD also contains two music clips
the incredible story of Joan of Arc.
modelling for animation, in which the
A great film with fantastic extra
- Killing Heidi's Weir and Teenager of
visual effects team explain their craft.
DVD features.
the Year from Australian band Lo-Tel.
it through Central Park, New York, to
• SHANE STEPHENS CINEMA PAPERS. DEC EM BER.00. JANUARY.01 [4 5 ]
Extrem e N itro . Digital Film Recording
: Digital Film Recûrding 2K&4K to 35mm Intermedi * :
_
J;
♦
plus Eastman Colour Neg & High Contrast
Ssiy---*;. _
iljm fg n r a Title Design and Production, 12 bit ScanningSDigit^i^^^^
• —■
- — - '•••** _
-,
n ■
dt
H• r
' ^
*
G
_ r "
C
'•
2o
c / ■*
\ ' v i^g-â
«i
J ,
*
> *} %
pSÉSs |§|
i ii
5 Chuter St McMahon’s Pt (North Sydney) NSW 2060 Tel: 61 299223144- f §3
-
1
*
T. ,
' _
^ l
WINNER - Palme d‘or. CANNES 2000 b
« ED
jork
I
Catherine uuuiennu
deneuve
'*
3am@og.com.au ................. - .........
a film by LARS VOW TRIER
★ ★ ★ ★ "Amazingly powerful... Bjork is marvellous... There's simply nothing else like this around!" - Kim Newm an, Em pire j f BIÖMM g i f BEST F E S m P ;^#PERF0M«T :1%,CANNES:J
from th e director o f BREAKING THE WAVES and THE KINGDOM
^
loriginal soundtrack by björk “SelmaSongs1
-.ìyÉ.'j
o u t now thro ug h Un ive rsa l .M u sic A u s tra lia
PALACE FIL M S
AUSTRALIA’S PREMIER NATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION
ST KILDA FILM FESTIVAL CALL FO R E N TR IE S • MAY - J U N E 2001 SHO RT FILM CO M PETITIO N plus EMuVi - Electronic Music Video Competition & FUSION - live performance+fiim Closing daté Friday 2 February 2001 • Phone (03) 9209 6699 Fax (03) 9209 6634 St. Hilda Film Festival • City of Port Phillip » Private Bag No 3 • PO St Kilda • VIC • 3182 • email: filmfest@portphillip.vic.gov.au • www.stkildafilmfest.com.au
WORLD WIDE HOLLYWEB
The movie industry is working hard at co-opting web surfers into cinemas and Karl Quinn reckons it makes perfect sense. Exterior, night. The camera tilts down from a full moon to reveal a barbed-wire
first seven minutes of footage online at www.apple.com/trailers any time you
fence. A guard and his dog patrol the perimeter, stopping midway to check the
like. -> The internet has finally arrived in Hollywood, and the marketing of movies w ill
huge padlock on a forbidding gate. Somewhere in the shadows a pair of eyes track the guard’s movement, waiting for the perfect moment to make a break.
never be the same. Virtually every film released these days - and certainly any
The guard passes, the escapee makes a dash for it. He's carrying a teaspoon. He
film aimed at the all-important male-14-to-25 demographic - has an official web
starts digging. He's a battery chicken, and he's about to fly the coop.
site dedicated to it, and in all likelihood a host of unofficial links to boot. -> Most studio-generated sites offer the sort of information that used to be the
-> The scene is from Chicken Run, the first feature movie from Aardman, the
province only of movie reviewers and those in the publicity loop: cast and crew
British animation team responsible for the Academy Award-winning Wallace and
biographies, behind-the-scenes snippets, quotes from the stars and directors about
Gromit shorts. It opened in the US in June, but in Australia we've had to wait until
how working on the latest Adam Sandler film totally, like, changed their lives.
the Christmas school holidays for the comic caper to hatch. That is unless you've
-> Some offer games, chat rooms and even competitions (sadly, the trip-to-
got a computer and an internet connection, in which case you can check out the
Hollywood prizes are only on offer in the US]. Some, like the site for New Zealand director Peter Jackson's top secret Lord Of The Rings, allow you access that would be all but impossible in the real world. -> And all you need to access Hollywood's most intimate public moments are a reasonably fast modem, enough memory on your computer to handle all the image files (they can be pretty hungry beasts), and some free downloadable multimedia software, usually Quicktime, Flash, Real Player or Shockwave. -> It may have taken Hollywood a while to cotton-on to the full potential of the web, but savvy studio executives realised years ago that chat rooms could be an effective way of reaching a younger audience that had turned its back on more traditional media such as newspapers and television. Rumours, gossip, leaks from the set - all could contribute to the crucial "word of mouth” that can make the difference between a so-what and a must-see movie. -> They also realised that even if this beast couldn’t be controlled, it could be fed a healthy diet. So they began to co-opt fan-based sites such as
That Hollywood should have fallen in love with the web is hardly surprising, the movies and the internet share a similar demographic - the young, the m edia-sawy, the novelty-hungry. CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER-00.JANUARY.01 [4 7 ]
WORLD WIDE HOLLYWEB
WEB CHANGES FILM MARKETING AND INTERNATIONAL RELEASE PATTERNS
-> Buena Vista International has recently appointed trendy Melbourne publicity company Spin Communications to the job of publicising their film promotion web sites. -> through SPIN, BVI is urging reviewers to print the URLs for official web sites at the bottom of reviews. The initiative appears to be designed to direct web traffic along official channels* making it difficult for web surfers to visit -> That Hollywood should have fallen in love with the web is hardly surprising, as
roTTofficial s it e s . .
If successful, it will also validate the (estimated average) $40,000 spent
the movies and the internet share a similar demographic - the young, the media-
by local distributors for the now compulsory web site for each film.
savvy, the novelty-hungry. The net delivers visuals at far less cost than TV, and
-> Distributors contacted would hot confirm whether www. spends came
allows anyone who feels so inclined to download, replay and pass on trailers and
from increased or existing marketing budgets, thus taking money away
stills.
from traditional media advertising.
-> And while TV is a broadcast medium, which means that advertisers pay for the privilege of sending their message to a lot of people who simply aren't
MICHAELA BOLAND
interested, the internet is far more user-directed. -> In theory at least, anyone interested in finding out about the film Titan AE can search for it online, visit official and unofficial sites, and send the URLs to anyone else they know who shares their interest. -> The net effectively allows Hollywood to park its trailers in cyberspace and sit back as a community of interest (people keen on science fiction, say, or romantic comedy] does the hard work of distribution for it. It’s cheap, it's targeted, and it's effective. And you can bet it's only going to get bigger. •
S M Ili
darkhorizons.com.au - launched by 22-year-old Sydneysider Garth Franklin in 1997 - and countingdown.com - which Lincoln Gasking in Melbourne, Phillip Nakov in Los Angeles and Tim Doyle in Toronto, launched in 1998 at the height of Phantom Menace fever - as de facto marketing organs. You won’t find much by way of a maverick voice on these sites, but if you want to find a trailer or an
S GHT THE SITES
exchange of views on a forthcoming piece of mainstream cinema, they're excellent places to start. -> It wasn't until 1999 that the bulk of Hollywood started to take notice of the
-> http://w w w .m ovie-list.com
web. What prompted the change was a low-budget horror film that virtually
As the banner promo has it, this one consists of “no forums, no polls, no
turned its back on conventional marketing techniques in favour of photocopied
chat-rooms, movie trailers, period”. What else do you need to know?
handbills posted on lamp posts and a network of official and unofficial web sites that spread rumour, information and misinformation that all contrived to blur the
-> http://m rshow biz.go.com /features/phantom m enace/lab.htm l
lines between fact and fiction. The film was, of course, The Blair Witch Project
Mr Showbiz is a great source of news, rumours, gossip etc. It also has a few
and its phenomenal success ensured that even the most committed Luddites in
games. This one allows you to play Beverly Hills plastic surgeon to the
Los Angeles paid attention.
stars, “slicing and dicing" facial bits of Ewan McGregor, Carrie Fisher,
-> Television and newspaper campaigns are still with us, of course, but these
Harrison Ford and Natalie Portman to create your own mix- and-match
days there's barely a film released that doesn't have a dedicated web site. With
star. Scarier than Jar Jar Binks.
shorter cinema seasons and the overwhelming importance of the "opening weekend” , building a sense of expectation is now seen as key to the success or
-> http://hollywoodmovie.about.com /m ovies/hoUywoodm ovie/msub13.htm
failure of a film.
An A-Z listing of 2000 films. Each page has a synopsis, a still and a link to
-> So it is that up to a year before a movie is scheduled for release it can be
the official site for the film. A quick way to get where you're going if you have a particular movie in mind.
making itself felt online. Sony Pictures' fully digitally animated sci-fi feature Final Fantasy is slated for a theatrical release some time in 2001, but already you can check out sneak footage and get details on the back story and characters at
-> http://w w w 4.freew eb.ne.jp/com puter/ahohasse/starw ars.htm l
www.finalfantasy.com.
Thought you’d seen everything on the Star Wars phenomenon? Think again. This site renders the whole of Star Wars (episode four, ie the first film) in “stunning ASCIIMATION" - in other words, standard computer key strokes. It sounds ridiculous, and it is. Amusing for about 30 seconds, but you’d have to be a complete freak to sit through the whole thing. -> w w w .apple.com /trailers
Movie trailers in Quicktime format. This is where you’ll find the first seven minutes of Chicken, Run in all its glory.
[ 4 8 ] CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01
M ission Im possible I I
Sydney Olym pics Opening Cerem ony
Lunar Lighting Balloons has provided glare-free lighting and effects for some of the biggest movies, events and rescues. B IG G EST M O V IE S :
Mission Impossible II, Star Wars III, Crocodile Dundee III
B IG G EST EVENTS:
The giant pink Box Jellyfish that astounded live and TV audiences during the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games
B IG G EST RESCUES:
The Thredbo landslide and the Glenbrook train crash rescues
Lunar Lighting Balloons are the indoor or outdoor, glare-free, uniform lighting system w ith virtually unlim ited use, including civil & construction work, emergencies, entertainm ent, special events, movies, TV shows and com m ercials. „
For fu ll details on Lunar Lighting Balloons, visit our website:
w w w .lu n arlig h tin g .co m .au
^
Lunar Lighting Balloons Australasia Pty Ltd, trading as LUNAR PRODUCTIONS Contact: PO Box 626, Strathfield NSW 2135 Tel: [612) 9763 5065 Fax: (612) 9763 5064 Email: lunar@lunarlighting.com.au
By Megan Sloley The Australian Broadcasting Association (ABA) and the local television industry are confident networks Seven, Nine and Ten will commence metropolitan digital broadcasting on January 1. But the general manager of TV retailer Harvey Norman, Don Clift, says only three digital receiver products will be available to consumers by that date.
be required for consumers to fully appreciate the signal. Pay TV operators and equipment manufacturers need to work together to develop STUs able to receive satellite and digitised cable signals but so far the going has been slow.
STANDARD DEFINITION INTEGRATED TV SDI TVs have built-in digital receivers to deliver a sharp image in genuine wide screen. But according to Clift the difference between a good analogue and standard definition picture is “ minimal at best".
HIGH DEFINITION TV PLUS STU To obtain the benefits of high definition digital broadcasts, consumers w ill
-> SET TOP UNITS (STUS)
need a high definition TV monitor plus specific STU and audio equipment.
The cheapest option, STUs are computers that convert digital signals
-> THE NEXT TWO YEARS
for analogue TVs and in doing so
TV networks w ill not broadcast continually either in high definition or utilising
provide a higher quality picture, free of
the other features of digital. Free-to-air broadcasters are not obligated to
-> STUs can also be programmed to receive multichannelling, datacasting and
transmit anything but a standard definition signal for two years after commencing digital output.
surround sound which could be broadcast by networks which chose to utilise
-> After those two years each broadcaster w ill be required to output 20 hours
their digital bandwidth in this way. However, extra audio equipment may also
per week of high definition. Clift estimates a standard definition integrated
interference and ghosting.
[50] CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01
DIGITAL TV 2001
television set w ill retail at Harvey Norman for around $3000 and a HD monitor
the m arket u n til A pril 2001 when NEC is due to launch its first STU. This has
for $6000. He predicts "rapid price de-escalation” if the market becomes
been the impetus fo r networks Seven, Nine and Ten to jo in tly underw rite $6
flooded with products.
m illion worth of STUs fo r the launch, but they may not find a m anufacturer to produce these. Alex Streeter confirm s that SONY was approached by
SHOW ME THE MONEY Brand manufacturers generally concur with Harvey Norman's prediction of
networks in October, but says the deadline and lack of financing details make the project untenable.
the digital TV consumer products range. NEC, Sharp and SONY are due to ro ll out these three main products next year. Philips is launching an SDI set only. Sony's national TV and video product manager, Alex Streeter, nominates the
WHY THE WAIT? Current lack of consumer product results from a complex interaction of
target pricing of the first SONY STU at $1499; its first SDI set at $4999; and its
relevant and interested parties in this market. Though the European DVB-T
first HD m onitor (imported) at $7999. He claims so far the media has
video broadcasting standard was selected by industry for the Australian
generally overstated the cost of the first digital TV receivers, with 4 Corners
market, the audio component - MPEG for standard definition and Dolby for
recently quoting a “ grossly inflated" figure of $20,000 for a high definition
high definition - is unique to this market. The audio standard was only
m onitor and STU.
approved for publication in October this year, leaving two months for
-> Nokia is one of the most proactive digital product players currently
manufacturers to finalise products with production lead-times of up to
developing a multimedia home platform to be priced around $2000. The
12 months.
'platform ' is being designed to download digital terrestrial transmissions to
-> Some manufacturers for this market are yet to finalise programming
TV, PC or mobile phone. According to Nokia's multimedia terminals manager,
formats for their STU and integrated sets. Programming w ill depend in
Bruce Webb, this product may also be used for satellite or cable transmissions
varying degrees on the decisions and capabilities of the broadcasters, eg,
using an encryption system that "works like sim card technology".
the networks are yet to decide on the programming interface for interactive
-> While Webb claims Nokia is "talking” to pay TV operators, Optus' head of
services (Nokia is hoping it w ill be MHP). The future of high definition is also
business affairs, Chris Keely, says "this proposal might be technologically
uncertain because it uses so much bandwidth, ie, the networks may not be
possible, but there are many other considerations for us".
able to transm it even the obligatory 20 hours of high definition by 2004. As
-> Nokia is also the first to produce an STU to Australian specifications with 32
Alex Streeter at SONY acknowledges, until the broadcasters are able to define
Nokia "zapping boxes” used to download Channel 7 test digital broadcasts to
and test their digital capabilities, it is still a risk for SONY and other
analogue sets at the recent Sydney Olympics.
manufacturers to produce and market expensive receivers.
-> The “ zapping box" enabled the receipt of a clear digital picture in this
-> Despite these issues, the DBA believes the lack of consumer product in the
instance, but Webb says that the unit is not ready for general use. "There
short term is not problematic. “The transition from analogue to digital
are s till changes to be made to the software,” he explains, "that w ill prevent
broadcasting is intended to take eight years,” says consulting member Peter
the units from launching with digital fre e -to -a ir. In fact, according to Nokia,
Webb. "The gradual introduction of receivers w ill eventually become a
SONY, Sharp, NEC, Philips, Panasonic and the Digital Broadcasters
wave of new sets and models, providing consumers with plenty of choice
Association (DBA), there w ill be no STUs or digital receivers of any kind on
and variety." •
For all film travel A short filmcompetition and showcase
and freight needs Call
Australia’s Centenary of Federation will be commemorated in Victoria with a series of celebrations including the Federation Festival from 9 to 27 May 2001. A short film competition and showcase will be held as part of the Festival and entries are now invited from interested persons or teams.
SYDNEY Contact: Ken O’Brien Stage & Screen Fox Studios Australia 28 Driver Avenue, Moore Park 1363 Ph: (02) 9383 4544 Fax: (02) 9383 4577 Email:
Submitted films must in some respect deal with indigenous-white rela tions in Australia. Entries should be submitted on PAL VHS and have a duration of ten minutes or less (except in unusual circumstances). Approximately ten films will be selected by an industry panel for a public screening in Melbourne during the Federation Festival. The winning person or team, to be announced following the screening, will receive professional development opportunities in the area of filmmaking or associated fields.
ih fo @ s ta a e a n d s c re e n .c o m .a u
Entries should be submitted by 31 March 2001. For further information and application forms, contact Vallejo Gantner at the Melbourne Festival:
MELBOURNE Contact: Tony Miles Stage & Screen Suite 4 8-12 Sandilands St South Melbourne Vic 3205 Ph: (03) 9682 6166
Telephone (03) 9662 4242 Facsimile (03) 9663 4141 Email v.gantner@melbournefestival.com.au or visit our website at www.melbournefestival.com.au
TR A V E L & FR E IG H T SERVICES P T Y L TD Centenary of Federation
& Scree
Email: in fo @ s ta g e a n d s c re e n .c o m .a u
By M egan Sloley
The Pay TV industry is facing a future dominated by digital broadcasting and, increasingly demands for consumer interactivity. Unlike free-to-air broadcasting, where existing channels received digital spectrum free of charge, Foxtel, Optus and Austar will need to substantially crank their budgets to fund looming digital ventures. ^ FOXTEL
-> WHAT’S ON OFFER
Currently operating in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Newcastle,
Foxtel and Optus each offer 36 channels, with six channels common to both. Foxtel
Canberra, Gold Coast and most of regional WA, Foxtel's subscriber base is split
owns Fox 8, Fox Kids and FX and has a stake in thecomedychannel, arena, Channel
evenly between cable and satellite. The cables are leased from part owner.
[V], and Nickelodeon, while Optus produces MTV, Oh! and Ovation in-house.
Telstra and the satellite platform is owned in conjunction with Austar and Cable
-> "Optus reflects the broader industry in that we have a series of different
and Wireless Optus. Kerry Packer's Publishing and Broadcasting Limited and
relationships with channels - some cost per subscriber per calendar month and
Rupert Murdoch's News Limited each own 25 percent of Foxtel with Telstra
some are revenue split", says Keely.
owning 50 percent.
-> Austar has 32 channels similar in range to Foxtel, but also offers the two 07 Sport channels (also available on Foxtel during the Olympics). It owns The
OPTUS
Weather Channel, a third of Main Event and has what Meagher defines as "a close
Cable only Pay TV in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Optus is owned 52 percent
commercial relationship with Foxtel, in that we jointly own XYZ Entertainment
by Cable and Wireless PLC, a UK telecommunications company, and 48 percent by
which produces and distributes Nickelodeon, Discovery, Channel [V], Lifestyle,
private and institutional investors.
arena plus we jointly own our respective satellite platform with Cable and Wireless Optus” .
-> AUSTAR
-> The three operators agree movies and sport are the most popular and
A satellite service with a handful of MMDS (microwave) customers who w ill soon
successful channel formats, but the broader distribution of channels like
be migrated over to satellite. Austar is 72 percent owned by United Global Com
Showtime and FOX 8 need to be factored into ratings.
Inc, 28 percent publicly owned and operates in all regional areas except for WA.
-> Foxtel's Crowley says reach is not the only measure of success. "The less than
-> SUBSCRIPTIONS
viewers of Pay TV". Interestingly, FOX 8 out-rated Channel 9 and 10 at various
Ninety thousand additional Australian households subscribed to Pay TV in the
times during the Olympics fortnight with its "Simpsons' Fanfest” according to
seven months to October this year. The figure is up on 1998 and 99, when,
Foxtel's head of marketing, Nick Nichles.
1 percent of subscribers who love racing" he says, "are amongst the most loyal
according to the ABA, Pay TV subscriptions increased by 150,000 annually.
EXPANSION OF SERVICES
-> At the end of October, 1.29 million Australian
Optus and Austar claim federal government legislation is hampering the
households received Pay TV. Foxtel had the
expansion of Pay TV. "Pay TV sports channels are denied the chance to screen
largest share - 650,000. Austar's customers
large sporting events, despite the fact that free-to-air cannot offer the same
numbered 420,000 with 220,000 household paying
breadth of programming,” says Optus' Keely.
for Optus.
-> Pay TV sport broadcasting was also the impetus for recent litigation involving
-> Foxtel’s head of programming, Ross Crowley,
Foxtel and Channel 7, according to Foxtel's Crowley. "The Supreme Court
says, ''Cable has reached as many homes as
eventually ruled that anyone, including Channel 7, could have access to the
Telstra and Optus want it to reach for now".
Telstra cable to create a Pay TV service".
-> Both Foxtel and Optus have merged Pay TV
-> "The Pay TV industry has been a sea of red ink since its inception - we should
with their other telecommunications products, offering such things as internet
have had the opportunity, like free-to-air, to ramp up Oz programming over a
and phone calls as part of cable subscriber packages. According to Crowley, Pay
decade," he says.
TV comprises a very small part of their businesses.
-> Austar's Bruce Meagher concurs with the view that Pay TV interests have been
-> Still, all three operators are keen to expand that side of their business. Foxtel
overridden in favour of free-to-air expansion: “The allocation of digital spectrum
is currently installed in only around 325,000 of the 2.5 million homes passed by its
to the free-to-air networks (by the federal government) at no charge, is an
cable; Optus in 220,000 of the 2.1 million homes on its cable run and Austar with a
unwarranted anti competitive decision."
potential satellite market of 2 million. -> The head of business affairs for Optus Television, Chris Keely, confirms his
DIGITAL AND PAY TV
company is looking at expanding its Pay TV penetration "with existing cable or
Satellite Pay TV already transmits digitally but it may be some time before
satellite". Austar is aiming for "60-70 percent market penetration" via satellite in the
operators offer digital features such as extensive interactivity, more pay-per-view
long term, according to the company’s head of corporate affairs, Bruce Meagher.
channels, enhanced vision and a much broader choice of programming.
[5 2 ] CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01
PAY TV 2001
-> Current set top units that convert satellite signals to users' analogue sets must
costs of digitalising Pay TV services w ill be passed on to the subscribers. The last
be programmed to enable these features. Austar and Foxtel maintain most of
is a critical consideration for all three operators.
their existing set top satellite converters are digital feature friendly, but the
"Looking at the European models,” says Keely, "there has either been a small
expansion of interactive and other digital services w ill require the purchase of
increase in rates or none at all." Bruce Meagher promises that Austar w ill make
additional satellite space. However, the scope and cost of digitising cable and
improvements to the service at no added cost to consumers". But Ross Crowley
upgrading conversion boxes appears to be far more substantial.
reckons that Foxtel is concerned about the limited economic ability of the
-> The Australian newspaper recently published an estimated figure of $369
Australian subscriber market to fund digital and interactive features. "There is
million for Foxtel to fully digitise its cable service. Chris Keely acknowledges "the
already a helluva lot of Pay TV that has to be paid for," he cautions.
significant capital operational expenditure involved in Optus cable digitalisation".
In the meantime, all three operators are looking at initiatives that can be
Although Keely also maintains that "digital Pay TV platforms is the future of
launched using existing technology like Foxtel’s home video delivery service
industry” he admits that Optus is unsure as to how this w ill enable Pay TV to
with movies downloaded via cable and more cross platform products like the
deliver a much broader choice of programming; how free-to-air channels will
Optus program "Space” which can be viewed via Pay TV, internet and WAP
interact with Pay TV services and importantly, whether the design and operating
mobile phones. •
FOXTEL
OPTUS
AUST
Basic Package
Satellite - $47.95
$39.95
Wireless - $34.95
M onthly Cost
Cable - $37.95
23 channels
14 channels
23 channels
Satellite - $38.95
Add Ons
Showtime, Encore-$10.00
World Movies - $7.20
Austar Delux - $12.10
M onthly Cost
World Movies - $6.95
Adults Only Channel- $16.30 - $21.90
World Movies - $6.95
Adults Only Channel- $14.95
Foreign Language - $27.40
Adults Only - $14.95
Entertainment Plus - $9.95
LBC + A r t-$38.40
19 channels
Movie Network - $12.10 Showtime, Encore - $12.10
Foreign Language - $9.95
16 channel digital music - $1.95 C7 Sport - $6.95 (wireless) Installation
Satellite-$199.95
$99.95 or free if subscriber
MDS - $19.95 - $99.95
O ne-off
Cable - $79.95
takes up local telephony
Satellite - $199.95
Pay P er View
Main Event - $16.40 - $39.95
Main Event - $16.40 - $39.95
$16.40 - $39.95
Prices and channels available are subject to changes
.
Roth Warren offers comprehensive legal services and practical advice for Film, TV, Multimedia, Music and Theatre, Financing and Production. We have expertise in * Entertainment • Media • Arts • Copyright • Intellectual Property Bryce Menzies • Shaun Miller
0 T H
W A R R E N
s o l i c i t o r s
en 5th Floor, 121 Flinders Lane Melbourne Vic 3000 Australia Facsimile (03) 9650 9440
^
Email; bmenzieswrothwarren. com. au 1 smillerwrothwarren. com. au
Telephone: (0 3 )
9 6 5 0
5 8 8 8
Feature Films
solve the mystery of a spooky theme park haunted by real-life demons.
-» EYE OF THE STORM Principal Credits
■ In production
Director: Aaron Ware Producer:'.Helen O'Malley Executive producer: Aaron Ware Co-producers: Krystal Pace, Joanne Grioli Associate producer: James Morgan Scriptwriter: Aaron Ware Based on the novel titled: Events from School Yard Director of photography: Aaron Ware James Morgan Production designers: Aaron Ware, Lauren Greive Sound recordist: James Morgan
-» ENEMIES CLOSER
■ In pre-production
Wardrobe Costume designers: Krystal Pace, Joanna Grioli
Pos,t Production Editors: Aaron Ware, James Morgan
Cast Ronald Grima, Stephanie Senior,’ John Grima, Joanne Grioli, Logan Fewster
.Synopsis EYE is a raw, off the schoolyard 'report' about three teenagers and. the struggles they face at school and at home. Bullying is the main subject as it is based on what has been seen in the schoolyard. The story revolves around Daryn, who after many weeks has reap ed he is gay but can't face it. So he goes to his best friend Bree-anna for help. 'Little does he know that a 'bitch' from school, Rebecca, overhears this and tells everyone at the homophobic school.
-» THE QUIET AMERICAN Mirage Entertainment
Principal Credits Director: Phillip Noyce Producers- William Horburg, Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack. Line producer: Antonia Bernard Production manager: Catherine Bishop. Scriptwriter: Christopher Hampton Based on the novel: The Quiet American By: Graham Greene
Synopsis G.O. Films
Principal Credits Director: Steven Aldridge Producer: Linda Fraser Director of photography: Mark Bliss
postproduction Editor: David Allan Assistant editor: Tim Lingard
Cast Kristy Wright, Jason Crewes, Ryan Moloney, Eric Oldfield, Robbie McGregor, Damen Stephenson, Tom Mason
Synopsis Moving in to your own place with three of your nest mates should be fun right? Not if you move in with a serial killer! Accusations fly and no one is quite sure who they can trust. Everyone must keep their wits about them and stay alive until the police reach the house. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.
-» EQUUS - THE STORY OF THE HORSE Mullion Creek Productfons/Beyond Entertainment
Principal Credits Director: Michael Caulfield Producers: Liz Butler, Michael Caulfield Scriptwriter: Michael Caulfield Director of photography: Tom Cowan ; Director of photography 2nd unit: • Peter Coleman Composer: Roger Mason
Production Crew Production accountant: John Russell
Animals Animal trainer: Evonne Chesson
Synopsis The large-format docu-drama follows the destinies of three young horses who are born on the same night.
-»FIRST MEN
Michael Caine, Brendan Fraser ;
Synopsis
Wardrobe : ■
I t tells the story of a British opium addictjflesentful of American colonialism in southeast Asia in the 1950s, who vies against a young American for the affections of a Vietnamese beauty.
Costume designer: Kashia Bylock
Onset Crew Stunts: Stunts Unlimited
Cast Daniel Chante, Kiran Donaldson, Sashia De Silva, Marianthe Sitzoukis
-» SCOOBY-DOO
Synopsis
Atlas Entertainment/Warneifi^ Roadshow
Science fiction story about eight astronauts who have lived on an alien planet for 13 years struggling to survive.
Principal Credits Director: Raja Gosnell Producer: Charles Roven Scriptwriter: Craig Titley
Crossing the genre boundaries of thriller, mystery and romantic drama, ‘Lantana’ centres oji.a number of characters at a crucial time in their lives. They are connected by a series of coincidences involving misperception, infidelity and false assumption. The search for meaning by Leon, the main character, drives the narrative and by learning about the pain of others he comes to accept his own.
-Production Crew
Synopsis;' Based on Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned - a modern-day vampire thriller t^acihg^the story of Lestat (last seen inlnterview With a Vampire] who has reinvented himself as a rock star.
=-» LANTANA
Synopsis
International Sales Beyond Films
The Mystery Ink team break up Beatlesistyle after solving yet another baffling mystery. Th||fjS famous five go their separate ways and lose oobtsfet, each pursuing their own tentative dreams Two years later Shaggy and ScoobyDooimstigate a reunion tOrhelp?, „
Principal Credits Dlrliptor: Ray Lawrence Produce® Jan:Chapmarf S f|i ptwfi|e|: And rew;gQ^ell B a s e d |n l ^ :original -;p.taf Speaking in-jjjpngues
¡154] CINEMA PAPERS DECEMBER OQjfJANUARY 01
Onset Crew Special fx make-up:; Pro FX Special fx- Kevin Chisnal|»
Art Department Art Director: Adam Head
Post Production
-» THE BANK
Editor: Brian Kavanagh CGI: Complete Post
Arenafilm Pty Ltd
Cast
Principal Credits
Joshua.-.Leonard, Belinda McClory, Amy Reti, Craig McLachlan
Director: Robert Connolly Producer: John Maynard Scriptwriter: Robert Connolly Director of Photography: Tristan Milani Editor: Nick Meyers
Synopsis
Planning and development
A family relocates from Amei ica to Australia and discovers that the house they’ve moved into js i f actually a gateway to Hell... and all of hell is about to break loos'e,®
-» LET’S GET SKASE Principal Credits
Casting: Mullinars Storyboard Artist: Tam Morris;®)
-» THE ENCHANTED BILLABONG
Director: Matthew George -Producers: John Tatoulis, Colin South Scriptwriters: Matthew George, Lachy Hulme Director of photography: Justin Brickie Production designer: Ralph Moser Composer: John Clifford White
Onset Crew
Cast Synopsis Anti-hero Peter DellasandriJiand his posse of boys become men in the process of bringing Skase back from Majorca. The forces of good overcome all obstacles to triumph over the bad guys and a lot of laughs are had on the way.
-» MY DRUG BUDDY Principal Credits Director: Lester Francois, Producers: Shirley Walter, Lester Francois Production manager: Emma Mulholland Scriptwriter: Lester Francois Director of photography: Martyn Taylor Editor: Alfred Wells Production designer: Kate Denny
Synopsis A young co-dependent couple reach the crossroads of their fkelationship when they can’t score and realise theiipives are going nowhere, i
-» PARADISE FOUND Principal Credits Director: Mario Andreacchio ¿Producers: Mario Andreacchio, George Campana Scriptwriter: John Goldsworthy, Mario Andreacchio
Synopsis Set in Paris.and TjSHi’ti in the 19th ce'ntury, examines a slice of life of the French painters Paul.Gauguin, in his attempt to create a revolution in paipting and thinking and his.obsession with theV-'-.r' questions of ‘Where,do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?'
-»¿QUEEN OF THE DAMNED PrincipalCredits 'jSirector: Michael Ryrner firodueer: JorgejSaralegui Scriptwriters: Scott Abbott, Michalp Petroni|Anpe Rices®
Cast Anthony jfa.Paglia', Geoffrey Rush,
Production designer:,Sean Callinan
■ In post-production
First Assistant Director: Phil Jones Production Manager: Elisa Argenzio Production Designer: Luigi Pittorino Sound Designer: Sam Petty
WeS;B:entley -
Prod. Com pany^EB P/lffi Imagine!! Productions - D & R Productions Distribution: Columbia Tristar Budget: 10.3 million Animated CGI feature fi:l8 B l i j l ! i l Imax film
Principal Ci?e'dits'
Cast David Wenham, SibyllatBudd, Steve Rodgers, Mitchell Butel
Alex Dimitriades, Lachy Hulme
PrincipalCredits Director: Rick Idak Producer: Rick Idak Scriptwriter: Rick Idak
Cast
Barbara Hershey, Kerry Armstrong, Rachael Blake, Vince Colosimo, Russell Dykstra, Daniella Farinacci, Peter Phelps;’..:^ Leah Purcell and Glenn Robbins
-» CROCODILE DUNDEE IN LOS ANGELES Principal Credits Director: Simon Wincer Producers. Lance Hool, Paul Hogan Co-producer: Conrad Hool Scriptwriters: Paul Hogan®»® Matthew Berry, Eric Abrams Director of photography: David Burr Production Designer: Les Binns
Director: David Waddington Producers Rob McKenzie,-iDavicL-.' Waddington Executive Producer: Jack Wegman Scriptwriter: Michael Wagner J3ased on the original si leenplay titled-: The Enchanted Billabong By: Michael Wagner, David ., Waddington .Production designer: Wayne Bryant EjJiitor: David Waddington Composer: Craig Bryam M Sound Designer: Juliett Hill
Planning.ai^d Development
Production Crew Unit Production Managers: Conrad Hool, Greg Ricketson
Onset Crew
Casting: Bedford & 1Peance Video Mastelirjby: FMTV
Cast Chjloe Lattanzi, Daniel DepalFs, Tommy Dysart,-iJpan Brokenshire, Suzy Cato1, Jenny Seesman, Mathew King, Rhona Rees
1st Assistant Direljor: Bob Donaldson
Wardrobe Costume Designer: Marion'Boyce
Synopsis
Cast
A boy learns to believe in an enchanted world and the characters that exist tfia S S S M M ^ doing so he learns to believerin ¿Himself.
Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski
Synopsis The story follows our hero Mick Dundee, who uproots himself from the rural Australian outback to accompany his partner, Sue Charlton [Linda Kozlowski], a journalist, to bustling, trendy Los Angeles. Sue has been assigned to run the LA bureau of her father's newspaper and jfnvestigate a major story. When Mick|,accidentally gets caught up ¡jn her investigation, the stage is set for an’extended series of comic jibes that poKja’fun at the Southern Californian lifestyle from an outsider’^point of view.
-> HILDEGARDE A Duck Film Pty Ltd Distribution: Providence Entertainment (US]
Principal Credits Director: Di Drew Producers: Heathe'ipQgilvie, David Hannay Associate producer: ColleenJCamp Scuptwriter Gabrielle Prenolegast Production manager: Elizabeth Symes Production desig'ner- Geprgina Grednhill
Art Department -» CUBBYHOUSE Principal Credits
Art directcns.Ken J a h fe j l
Post Production
Director: Murray jb hey Producers: Chris Brown, David Hannay ' Line producer: Tom Holfie Executive producjrafreiSry Ham ilton MikaehBorglund
K h iptyyriteril: 'MurrawFahey
.
DiifetWk of photography: PhiliplM. Cross ACS Soundipreg Burgmann
Editor:||uresh Ayyar
Cast Richard E rra n t, Tom Long, Tara®" Morice, Gezelle Byrnes, Sam Geer, Dane Hudson®®:
Synopsis) ilifdegarde, a much'-lPyed family
W I tset Principal Credits '
Director: Jonathan Ogilvie Producer: RobertjBrewer Scriptwriter: Jonathan Ogilvie Director of photography: Simon Higgins
MusicArtsDance films Distribution company: Sharmill Films and WTV (US) Budget: 1.2 million
Cast
Director: Paul Cox Producers: Paul Cox, Aanya Whitehead Executive producers: Kevin Lucas, William Marshall Scriptwriter: Paul Cox Based on the diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky Composer: Paul Grabowsky Planning and Development Researchers: Leonie Verhoeven, Margot Wiburd Dance Consultant: Alida Chase Shooting schedule by: Aanya Whitehead Budgeted by: Aanya Whitehead
Sam Atwell, Jane Borghesi, Beth Champion
Synopsis A series of flight delays gives a glimpse into the lives of a group of departing passengers.
-» LA SPAGNOLA Production company: Wild Strawberries Pty Ltd Post Production: Until November
2000
Principal Credits Director,: Steven Jacobs Producer: Anna-Maria Monticelli Co-producer: Philip Hearnshaw Scriptwriter: Anna-Maria Monticelli:
Cast .Lola Marceli, Lourdes Bartolomé, Alex Dimitriades, Alice Ansara, Simon Palomares, Helen Thompson
Synopsis A comical story of a Spanish mother/daughter relationship: their love, revenge, prejudice and survival in a small industrial town during 1960.
-» MOULIN ROUGE Production company: Bazmark Productions Distribution company: Twentieth Century Fox
Principal Credits Director: Baz Luhrmann Producers: Baz Luhrmann, Martin Brown, Fred Baron Scriptwriters: Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pearce DOP: Don McAlpine
Cast Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, Richard Roxburgh, John Leguizamo, Garry McDonald
Principal Credits
Cast Chris-Franklin, Gabriel Rossi, Dave Grant, MichaeLB’ishop, Margie Bainbridge, :Eric Mueck
Synopsis Scott is a builder’s labourer from Melbourne’s working class suburbs and a bit of a' larrikin. When he is ‘discovered’ and is a guest star on a prime time television soap opera, his life is thrown into chaos as he becomes an overnight success and a national star.
•» NIJINKSKI JU'uminatjori^Films and
. 1st assistant director: Emma Schofield 2nd assistant director: Deb Antoniou 3rd assistant director: Ross Fargher Unit publicist: Emma Cooper Catering: Evangeline Feary, Steve Marcus Films Catering Runners: Lucia Noyce
Art Department Art director: Laurie Faen Art department co-ordinator: Jocelyn Thomas Propsperson: Dean Sullivan Props buyer: Robert Webb Standby props: Dean Sullivan
On-set Crew
Wardrobe
Government Agency Investment Development: South Australian Film Corporation Production: South Australian Film Corporation, Australian Film Finance Corporation, SBS Independent
Synopsis Vaslav Nijinsky was probably the greatest dancer of all time - the God of the Dance - and his ‘Cahiers’ (Diaries) must be one of the most extraordinary and moving literary works ever written. The film uses the words of Nijinsky, written in 1919 in St Moritz where he had retired, suffering extreme mental agony.
■» RABBIT-PROOF FENCE
Director: Cameron Miller Executive producer: RussellWilliams Producer: Cameron Miller Scriptwriters: Roger Dunn, Cameron Miller Production manager: Ron Buch Director of photography: Alex McPhee Editor: Andrew Scott
Onset Crew
Choreographers: Alida Chase, Leigh Warren Unit publicist: Catherine Lavelle Wardrobe Designer: Jilly Hickey
Jabal Films Distribution company: Ocean Films
Global Television
2nd unit DOP: Ian Jones Key Grip: Robbie Morgan Gaffer: Nick Payne Best Boy: Glen Jenkins
Insurer: Cinesure Completion guarantor: Film Finances Ltd Legal services: Marshalls and Dent
Synopsis
Principal Credits
Camera Crew
Production Crew
A young man casts aside the shackles of his middle class society to become a writer and join the ranks of the free-living artistic underworld of Paris.
-> MR AVERAGE
Insurer: HW Wood Australia Pty Ltd Completion guarantor: Film Finances, Inc Legal servicesrNina Stevenson Travel co-ordinator: Linda Taylor Freight co-ordinator: AusFilm Transport: Logistics
I
Wardrobe supervisor: Ruth de la Lande Standby wardrobe: Julie Krogar Cutter: Judith Pritchard
Synopsis
Group
Subterano is a virtual holographic game in which Ektoman, a God like killer, hunts his victims through a subterranean maze.
Principal Credits
-» TEMPE TIP GIV Productions Distribution company: Becker Group Principal Credits Director: Michael Ralph Producer: David Rowe Line producer: David Lightfoot Executive producers: Richard Brezzo, Phil Davey, Johnathon Shteinman Scriptwriter: Michael Ralph Director of photography: David Foreman ACS Editor: Adrian McQueen-Mason Composer: Sean Timms Sound recordist: Toivo Lember Synopsis Everyone dreams of finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But you don’t expect to find it in Tempe. For Max Franklin the search started in a hole in the ground of his own backyard.
^ TILL HUMAN VOICES WAKE US
Construction manager: John Moore
Production company: DND Productions/ Key Entertainment Investors: AFFC, Key Entertainment, Film Victoria International sales: Key Entertainment/ Tomorrow Films Australia/NZ Distribution: Globe Film Co
Marketing International distributor: Hanway Films Publicity: Emma Cooper
Cast Kenneth Branagh
Synopsis Rabbit-Proof Fence tells the true story of three Australian Aboriginal girls who are forcibly taken from their outback families in 1931 to be trained as domestic servants as part of an official government policy. They escape and embark on an epic 1500-mile journey to get back home, with the authorities i chasing them all the way.
-» SUBTERANO
Director: Phillip Noyce Producers: John Winter, Phillip Noyce Co-producer: Christine Olsen Executive producers: David Elfick, Jeremy Thomas, Kathleen McLaughlin Associate producer: Laura Burrows Scriptwriter: Christine Olsen Director of photography: Christopher Doyle Production designer: Roger Ford Sound recordist: Bronwyn Murphy
Director: Esben Storm Producers: Richard Becker, Barbi Taylor Scriptwriter: Esben Storm Director of photography: Graeme Wood Production Designer: Chris Kennedy
Planning and development pasting: Christine King Casting consultants; Colin Murdoch Extras casting: Christine King, Colin Murdoch, Angela Hessom Dialogue coach: Rachel Mazar Production manager: Julie Sims Production co-ordinator: Suzanne Mallos Production secretary: Jessica Brentnall Location managers: Mark Evans, Maude Heath ; ¡Transport manager:;Linda Taylor Unit manager: Will Milne Production assistant: Lucia Noyce Production runner: Chris Taylor Production accountant: Jane Smith
-»TWO WELLS
Construction Department
Principal Credits
Production Crew
Publicity: Amanda Huddle Cast Alex Dimitriades, Tasma Walton, Chris Haywood, Alison Whyte
Production company: Becker Films Distribution company: REP Films
Principal Credits
Production Crew Director: Michael Petroni Producers: Shana Levine, Dean Murphy, Nigel Odell, David Redman, Thomas Augsberger, Matthias Emcke Executive Producers: Andrew Deane, Beau Flynn, Yoram Pelman, Stefan Simchowitz, Gareth Wiley Associate Producer: Justin Pearce Line Producers: Nigel Odell, David RedmanNIGEL Scriptwriter: Michael Petroni Production Manager: Lucy Maclaren Director of Photography: Roger Lanser Production Designer: Ralph Moser Editor: Bill Murphy Sound: John Wilkson, Perry Dwyer, Michael Slater,’Scott Findlay
Planning and development
Production company: GIV Productions Distribution company: Becker
Director: Michael Ralph Producer: David Rowe Line producer: David Lightfoot Scriptwriter: Rob George Based on an original screenplay by: Adam Head, Rodney Brennan Director of photography: David Foreman ACS Editor: Adrian McQueen Composer: Sean Timms Sound recordist: Toivo Lember
Planning and Development Casting: Actors Ink
Production Crew Production manager: Dale / Fairbairn Production co-ordinator: Rebecca Somerton Location manager: Nadine Schoen Production runner: Paul Lightfoot Production accountant: Deb Wilde Insurer: FIUA Completion guarantor: FACB
Post production Post-production supervisor: Ted McQueen-Mason Cast: Gary Sweet
Synopsis On the outskirts of the small outback town of Imyph, lies a tightly secured military compound. Twenty years prior a meteor crashed into the compound site unleashing an alien chemical with the ability to clone living beings. The clones are being sent back to the town while their original selves are kept comatose at the compound. Nobody suspects a thing. When security is broken at the compound the original | townsfolk escape and head back to town where they confront themselves and where no one knows who is the original and who is the clone.
WATERMARK J Potoroo Films Principal Credits Director: Georgina Willis Producer: Kerry Rock Scriptwriters: Georgina Willis, Kerry Rock Director of photography: Paul Kolsky
Post Production Editor: Kerry Rock
Cast
Casting Director: Maura Fay & Associates
Jai Koutrae, Sandra Stockley, Ruth McDonald, Elluise Rothwell, Mchelle Tristram
Planning and Development
Production Crew
Synopsis
Casting: Ann Faye
Production Co-ordinator: Anna Molyneaux
Life, like the ocean, is everchanging and deceptive. This film moves back and forth in time, between the 70s and the present, to reveal the elements of one man’s life.
Production Crew Production Manager: Jane Sullivan Production co-ordinator: Clare Shervington Location manager: Peter Hicks
Art Department
On-set Crew
Marketing
1st assistant director: Chris Webb Unit publicist: Amanda Huddle
Cast ■
Art Department Art director: Scott Bird Special Effects supervisor: Peter Stubbs
Wardrobe Wardrobe designer: Tess Schofield Wardrobe supervisor Katrina Pickering
Marketing -
Art Director: Adele Flere Costume Designer: Jeanie Cameron Unit publicist: Andrew Mackie
Telefeatures
Guy Pearce, Helena Bonham Carter
■ In pre-production
Synopsis
& THE ROAD FROM COORAIN
The story of a man (Guy Pearce) who is haunted by the presence of a dead childhood sweetheart (Helena Bonham Carter) when he returns to his rural hometown after a long absence.
Chapman Pictures Pty Ltd
Principal Credits Producer: Penny Chapman Scriptwriter: Sue Smith
Synopsis Based on Jill Ker Conway’s
CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01 [55]
celebrated autobiography, this is the story of a childhood. Set mainly on the western plains of NSW, The Road From Coorain is a witness to the relationship between extraordinary women over a lifetime of adversity.
■ In post production BLONDE Crawford Productions/Robert Greenwald Productions
Principal Credits Producer: Jacobus Rose
Synopsis A mini-series: about the life of actress Marilyn Monroe, based on the biography by Jill Ker Conway.
-»/HOPE FLIES Liberty And Beyond Productions Distribution Company: Beyond International Duration: 90 min
Principal Credits Director: Geoffrey Nottage Producers- Simone North, Geoffrey Nottage Associate Producer: Peta Lawson Scriptwriter: Tony Cavanaugh Director of photography: Philip Cross Production designer: Richard Bell
Brokers/ 1 Completion guarantor: Legal services: Roth Warren Solicitors Travel co-ordinaton’Stage and Screen Travel
Camera Crew Camera operator: David Lindsey Camera assistant: Andy Butt Camera type : Sony 790 Digital Betacam Camera maintenance: Lemac Key grip: Jamie Leckie Gaffer: Jim Hunt, Dave Lovell Best boy: Dave Lovell, Warwick Brown
Onset Crew 1st assistant director: Chris Page Assistant director: David Hart Continuity: Amy Barclay, Kay Hennessey Playback operator: Robert Hall Special fx producer: Rebecca Tolliday, Unreal Pictures Special fx: David Nelson, Unreal Pictures Still photographer: Suzy Wood
Art Department
Cast
Art directors: Marian Murray, Liam Siddell Art department co-ordinator: Art department runner: Penelope Laurence Set dresser: Denise Goudy Props buyer: Denise Goudy Props maker: Hamish Aldersòn " Hicks, Justin Dix, Ben Green Standby props: Michael Saunders
Rebecca Gibney
Wardrobe
Synopsis
Standby wardrobe: Fiona MacKinnon
Production Crew Production manager: Barbara Gibbs
IThe-stbry of Hope Flies focuses on Hope Fox, an ex-pat Aussie vet who lives with her husband and family in Glasgow, Scotland. At her father’s request, she returns to her hometown in outback Australia with her family in tow to help battle a mysterious virus which is killing the local horses.
-» Ll’L HORRORS December Films Australia Disfnbutionieompahy: Beyond International
Principal Credits Directors: Chris Lahgman, Helen Gaynor, Declan Eames, Ralph Strasser Producers: Tony Wright, Stuart Menzies Executive producer: Tim Brooke Hunt Associate producer: Richard Mueck Story editors: Peter Hepworth, Jon Stephens Script editors: Jon Stephens, Adam Todd Script Assistant: Beverley McDonald Scriptwriters: Peter Hepworth, Robert Greenberg, Brendan Luno, Kevin Nemeth, Glen Dolman, Jamie Forbes, Nancy Groll, Claire Madsen, David Phillips, Hugh Stuckey, Anthony Watt, Annie Fox, Meg Mappin, Pepe Trevor, David Rapsey, John Thomson Director of photography: Jaems ' Grant Production designer: Otellp Stolfo Composers: Al Mullins and Janine DeLorenzo
Production Crew Production manager: Rachel Evans Production co-ordinator: Andrea Tulloch Producer’s assistant: Melphie Hailstone Production assistant: Bee Matthews Production assistant/Production runner: Anny Beresford Production accountant: Mandy Carter Insurer: Holland Insu ranee
Construction Department Scenic artist: Liam Siddell Construction manager. Ian (Kincade] Doig /-{ pleading hand: Lance Whitehouse
-> MY BROTHER JACK Samson Productions";;!’. Distributor: Granada Media International
Principal Credits /Executive Producers: Andrew Knight, Tony Virgo, Peter Beilby fplducers: Sue'Milliken, Andrew Wiseman, Richard Keddie ’Director: Ken Cameron Scriptwriters: John Alsop, Sue Smith Production Manager: Yvonne Collins Director fo photography: Russell Bacon ^Production designer: Jo Ford ¿Editor: Nick'Holmes, r.
Cast Matt Day, Simon Lyndon, Claudia Karvan, Angie Milliken, William Mclnnep:/.;
Synopsis 1 The story of two brothers between the wars in Melbourne,’ adapted from the book by George Johnston.
SOUTH PACIFIC Principal Credits Director: Dick Pearce Producer: Chris Sacanii Producer (Aust): Sue Milliken Executive producers: Michael Jaffe, Howard Braunstein, Glenn Close, Michael Gore Scriptwriter: Lawrence Cohen Based on the novel titled: Tales/of the South Pacific By:;l|iames A Michener Director of photography: Steve_ Windon Production designer: Patrizia Von Brandenstein Composer: Rodgers and Hammerstein Sound recordist Guntis Sics
Post production
Planning and development
Post-production supervisor: Sarah Harrington Fox Assistant editor: Maryjeanne Watt Sound transfers by: Soundfirm Sound editor: Paul Pirola Musical directors: Al Mullins, Janine DeLorenzo Music performed by: Ridgidigital Music Recording studio: Soundfirm Foley: Soundfirm Fx mixer: TBA Music mixer: TBA Assistant mixer: TBA Mixed at: Soundfirm CGIs: Unreal Pictures
Casting: Christine King Casting consultants: Mutlinars ' Casting Extras casting: Jane Dawkins Dialogue coach: Victoria Miewleska
Titles December Films Australia Grader: Noel McWhirter Screen ratio: 16:9 Shooting stock: Digital Betacam Video transfers by: AAV Australia Offline facilities: Mr Kali Editing Video special fx: Unreal Pictures Video master by: AAV Australia
Government Agency Investment Development: Australian Film Commission
Marketing International sales agent: Beyond International International distributor: Beyond International
Cast Voic'e cast: Rie Herbert, Paula Morrell, Ra'chel King, Richard Hart,, Abbe Holmes, Michael King, Matthew King
Puppeteèrs Richard Mueck, Imogen Keen, Richard Hart, S.imon Rann.jlfleath MclvOr, HugiiSimppQn
Synopsis A 52-part live action puppet sitc/om set in aiispooky gàthicBchool. run by a retired movie actress: It features lithe (mis-) adventures oFa group of children who just happen to be rather familiar,¡¡monsters as Well, f '
[56] CINEMA PAPERS DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.Q1
/
1
Production Crew Unit Production manager: Anne Bruning Assist Production manager: Jennifer des Champs Production co-ordinator: Paula j Jensen Producer's assistant Emanda[*j, Thomas Production secretary: Deb Alleck Location manager: Karen Jones Transport manager: Andy Matthews Unit manager: Will Matthews Assistant unit manager: Graedon le Breton Unit assistants: Nat Purdon, Christian McCollum, Richard Olsen, Kim Bostock, Ron Gladman Production assistant: Karl McMillan Production runners: Col Heidke, Ed Fitzgerald Production accountant: Angela Kenny Accounts assistantsl:„Deb Sutherland, Tammy Miller Paymaster: Kylie Wilkie Smith lnsurer:'iHW Wood Legal Services: Stevenson and 'Court, m*'. Travel co-ordinator: Kate Todd Freightco-ordinatdg§Danielle, Srour
Camera Crew A Camera operator: Marc;-Spicer ' / A Focus puller: Craig Philpo/tt’^ji A Clapper loadteBJasmine YuenCurracan B Camera’operator: John Platt B Focus puller: Jem Rayner B Clappensloader: Simon: W illia m S Additional FocusisDavidrDunkley Camera’tloader: Matthew Windon
Key grip: Warren Grieef Dolly grip: Toby Churchill Brown Assistant grips: Adam Kuiper, Craig Jackson,hJason Trews, Jason W e e |s ||i .Gaffer: Reg. Ga'rsJ|l.e Best boy: Alan Dunstan iOectrician:. ¡Colin. Wyatt, Mark Jeffries, Travis Magee, Mark / Watson
Onset Crew 1st assistant director. Mark p u r n llll 2nd assistant directohjJane Griffin 2nd 2nd!assistant director: Noni Roy :,3rd:dss|stalt director: Greg Cobain 4th|Sssistanf director: Eddie Thorn On Set PA: Marcus Levy . Continuity: Pam Willis •■: Playback operatonStuart WaUeij§j§ Boom Operator: David Pearson v Make-upi Supervisor: Deborah LanSjdf^y Hair Supervisor: MartiaitCornevilie Key make-up artist: NicoleiSpiro Make-up artispKylie O’Toole Key Hairdresser: Kerry-Lee Jury Hairdresser: Tina Gordon ’/ Special fx supervisor: Brian Cox Special fx: DaveiHardre, Walter Van Veenendaal, Angelo Sahin, Pauline Gerbert, David Goldie Special Carmiggelt, Aaron Cox . Choreographer: Vincent Patterson Assistant Choreographer: Tracie Moriey •Stunts co-ordinator: Lawrence ■ Woodward Unit nurse: Ron Houghton Still photographer: Carolyn Jones4 Catering:.Mighty Bjites Catering, Reza Mokhtar
Art Department Art director: Nick-McCallum. Assistant/art directonglmma. Lawes/v Art department co-ordinatorfflen O’Connell j PA to DesigneriiSallyTAnn. LoUissp’n Art depa'rtmenferunner: Kent / Sherlock Set decorator: Suza Maybufy Setcjdes.igner: Prisq ue ISa Ivi/i| Draftsman: Tim Kobin Draftihg/ModetspJodie Fried Graph/iCs: Ingrid:Weir Aircraftpo-brdinatSr: Ralph Simpson Propsperson.iLisa Brennan Props buyer: Mark Brimms . Props btiyer/d|esse® Jo Beikoff, Ip m es Watts, Andrew Short Standby props.- Murray Gosson Assist standby: Adrienne Ogle, Fiona Walker Armourer: Ken Jones Action vehicle co-ordinatprJPaul N a p p e '// Assist vehicles: Geoff Naylor
Wardrobe Wardrobe supervisor: Kerry Shornpson Wardrobe buyerlnratalie Gardner Standby wardrohefjH'elen Maggs, Andrea Hood Wardrobe asSistantBqhn Rower |Costumer: Julie Frahkhafn
Cast ■Glenn Close, Rade Sherbedizja, >. Harry Connick Jr., Robert PastorelltLori Tan Chinn, Jack'/Lj Thompson Remake of the RodgeFs andi Hammerstei,h] musical,;.Sputh
Documentaries
■ In pre-production -»DOLPHINMANIA ¡Singing Nomad Productions
=;
Principal Credits Director- Sally Ingleton1 Producer: Sally Ingleton Direeforj of photography: Philip B.utti
Post Production Editor: Ken Sallows
Synopsis A documentary about a. coastal town outside Melbourne wheTe;’a :;S$jia|,l n^mber|if:-boat operator;^® with differing philosophies compete to run dolphii'swim/touf&||;:
-» FOND MEMORIES/OF CUBA Frontier Films
PrincipalCredits Diriejetor: :[Oavid Bradbury Producers: David Bradbury,’ Mike;.: ;J Rubbo
Synopsis. When Australian filmmaker David Bra dbury;islsp onso red-by Jim Mitsos, an aging Australian commurtigMg travel miCuba and make a film, he is’faced with a moral:dilemma! sehfeto Cubafgn Sim's money, to bring back a positive story of the revolution, he can:t help but see th,e'- . contradictions.
li|Mn production -» FROM KOREk WITH LOVEF<*j ilris^ictures Pty Ltd
Principal Credits >> Director: Jerin'ifec Cummingj j Producer: J'bssica DouglaspJHenry Executive producer: Courtney .4 Gibson /Sc ri ptw.nit e r: Justine: Flyn n ®i|eetor of iphcitography: d b fis. ■ Thorbum Siurpd recoVdist||Leo SulSari^5'1 '
Production Crew Production manage^ C l|i|^ R Thorbu'iliiV;:-|'i ' Production acepun'ta'nt: ASTI MS .. •Insurer: HW Woods Pty Ltd 'Gomplaiibn guarantor: FACB Legal services Nina Stevenson & Associates I
Post production Editor: Liz Doran
-Synopsis Fallows an Anglo-Saxon Couple ’ going through the process of adopting a.Korean ifdby,, -
RETURN TO EDEN Network: AB;C|fl Production Company: Artemis International^®
’Construction Department
Principal Credits
/Construction supervisor: Geoff Howe Scenic artist:. -Steve Sally banks Construction manager: Eugene,, , Land'. Leading hand: Warwick Miller, Steve Keiil|M ichael Rout :/ Set finisher: Franki’Falconef; VRichard Baldwin Greensman .Grpgg Thomas
DireqtM CeliaffeMaB Producers: Brian |featpn^Celi®^f Tajt Executjyse Prod ucerss!|B ri a n Beaton, Peter Beilby, Dione ’ Gilmour Scriptwriter: Cefa Format Super16mm fjlm
Pbstproduction Assistant editor: ’J o h n jt|e ||| Editing assistantJDavid Birrell |N|tisical director: Paul Bogaev Music engineer: Joel Mo^sl/'/Vit;/ Recording studio:-Studio
Synopsis In the pristine lands'ca;nl| offihe Northwest of Aus|rSta a battle S i territory is being waged between two opposing forces: fatal yeS ||§jp ^native animCls M l
EARTH-i ‘ MAHATMA GANDHI /
Production company: Glass Box Distribution company: Glass Box Budget: $250,000
Principal Credits? Director Don Palmer Producer: iDon Palmer Scriptwriten'.Tom Weber, Don Palmer Based on the novel titled: On the .Salt March By: Tom Weber Director of photography: Michael Newling Composer: Carlo Giacco Researchers: Tom Weber
Production Crew Production accountant: CDH Chartered Accountants
Camera Crew
AUSTRALIANS AT WAR Series documentary Beyond Productions Pty Ltd in association with Mullion Creek Productions
Principal Credits Supervising Producer: Stephen Amezdroz Series producer: Michael Caulfield Directors: Geoff Burton, David Goldie, Steve Best, Tim Clark Writers: Geoff Burton, David Goldie, Steve Best, Tim Clark Synopsis Australians at War examines the effects of war on the lives of Australians and how this nation has been shaped by those experiences. 8 x 55 minutes
Camera type: DV-Pro
Post production Post-production supervisori^;;Michael Newling Venice Digital Sound editor: Hullaboloo Musical director: Carlo Giacco Music performed by: Purple Mixed at: Hullabaloo
Synopsis: '-Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Albert'Einstein and Aung San Suu Kyi have one thing in common: they were alLinspired by the vision, dedication and ideas of Mahatma Gandhi. He is a household;name but so few really understand why. ||fom Weber has spent 20 years finding out and now takes us on a journey to see why Gandhi still : rocks.
-»SMALL STEPS, GIANT STEPS Network: SBS 'Production Company: Emerald Films
Principal Credits Director: Sally Browning Producer: Browning Associate Producér: Paola Garofali Director of photography: Roman Baska alditor;: Emma, (fay Script writer: Sally Browning ¿Format: DVCam & DVC Pro
Synopsis Àu|ìsm H a disorder that affects One in every 1000 children born in Australia. Most children suffering autism are initially catagorised as “unreàèhable" and until recently institutionalisation was the favoured therapy. It has only been in recent years that alternative therapies have been ^explored5and startling breakthroughs made by the children who respond to these therapies. The film follow several children who are attending Giant Steps, a ■special school of holistic one-onone therapy for affected childrenlm Sydney, whose progress to communication has defied their initial diagnoses.
■ In post-produidtiòn ANIMAL X-SERIES 2 Series Documentary Storyteller Productions
Principal Credits Executive producers: Mike Searle, : Jennifer Wilson Producers: Mike Searle, Nigel Swetenhàrb, Jennifer Wilson, ¡Melanie Ambróse.jÉhda Searle, Caroline Bertram
-» BUNDY’S LAST GREAT ADVENTURE Production company: Gulliver Media Australia Pty Ltd Distribution company: Beyond International Budget. $300,000
Principal Credits Director: Larry Zetlin Producer: Larry Zetlin Executive producer: Larry Zetlin Scriptwriter: Frank Chalmers Director of photography: Craig . Lucas Sound recordist: Trevor Chalmers
Production Crew Productibffcmanager: Trevor Chalmers Financial controller: Andrew McSweeney, BJ Grace and Co Production accountant: Andrew McSweeney Insurer: Cinesure ’ Legal services: Goss Crane and Herd
Camera Crew Camera operator: Craig Lucas Camera type: Sony Hi Definition
Post production Narrator: Peter Wear Animation: Procam Studios Film/Video gauge: Hi Definition Screen ratio: 16:9 Shooting stock: Hi Definition
Synopsis The Australian Ballet Company is recognised as one of the world's best. This series examines the way the ballet company works and the personalities that drive it. One of the highlights is an international tour, including performances in the US. From its inception in the 1960s, the Australian Ballet has gone from strength to strength, with each new generation its character grows and charges. The metamorphosis guided by the artists whose life is ballet.
-»MALPA Production company: CAAMA PRODUCTIONS PTY LTD Distribution company: TBC Budget: $225,000
turning point in its life.
Recent
-» FORTYTHOUSAND BARRELS
funding
decisions
■ Feature Films -»BLOOD AND GUTS Wildheart Films Pty Ltd Producer: Al Clark Director/Writer: Scott Roberts Distribution: Alibi Rims International, Village Roadshow Three bank-robbing brothers have found a uniquely profitable way to spend their jail time. Crime does pay, and no one gets hurt - until they discover the catch. When sex and greed come between bad cops and good criminals, the strange consequences are both fatal and funny.
Principal Credits Director: Erica Glynn Producer: Priscilla Collins Executive producer: Priscilla Collins Scriptwriter: Kate Gillick Director of photography: Helen Barrow Sound recordist: Flavia Abdurahman
Planning and development Researchers: Kate Gillick Budgeted by: Priscilla Collins
Production Crew Production manager: Jacqui Bethel Producer’s assistant: Dena Curtis Financial controller: CAAMA Production accountant: CAAMA Insurer: HW Holland Completion guarantor: FACB Legal services: Roth Warren
Camera Crew Camera operator: Helen Barrow Camera type: Digital Betacam kStill photographer: Priscilla Collins
■ Adult Television Drama -» HALIFAXfp Series 6 (3 x 100 minute telemovies) Beyond Simpson Le.Mesurier Executive Producers: Mikael Borglund, Kris Noble Producers: Roger Le Mesurier, Roger Simpson Writers: Roger Simpson, Peter Gawler, Katherine Thomson Presale: Nine Network Distribution: Beyond Distribution Three new telemovies in the award winning "Halifax" series:
-»FLASHPOINT After a catastrophic fire at a back-j|| packers hostel, Jane Halifax works to recover the memory of one of the few survivors who might be able to help the police with their inquiries.
Post production
-»THE JUDAS MOVE
Editor: Denise Haslem Offline facilities:;CAAMA
Jane Halifax puts her career on the line when she turns against a former client to prove he should never have been acquitted.
.
Government Agency Investment Production: AFFC Marketing: TBC
Synopsis
-»DEATH BYFICTION
International sales agent: Beyond Distribution International distributor: Beyond Distribution
This unique documentary features the special working relationships between indigenous and nonindigenous women who work out on remote indigenous communities.
Jane Halifax is brought in by the police to advise on an investigation into the escalating antics of a serial killer who appears to be working in tandem with someone else.
Synopsis
MR STREHLOW’S FILMS
Marketing
This is a story of a final journey through stunningly beautifu^g i country, in a small, cantankerous train called Bundy. It is also about fulfilling the personal dreams of a dedicated band of drivers, who drove Bundy and loved it. (No matter how often it meapt off the tracks and forced them to jump for their lives).
-»• A FOXWITH TWELVE CHICKENS Director: Alan Carter Producer: Alan Carter Director of photography:Jan Pugsley Editor: Peter Pritchard Production Company: Alley Kat Productions Finance: ABC/FFC (Accord)
Synopsis; ’ "Following a veteran bush-lawyer as he prepares for a murder trial;.; ...defence in an outback town. Here the professional and the personal merge and blur adding fuel to an already explosive cocktail of small town emotions.
Synopsis As with series one, ANIMAL X SERIES 2 investigates animal stories from around the world. From ghostly phenomena to lake monsters and mysterious sightings to unknown creatures. 13 x 3 0 minutes
Producer: Bob Hardie Co-producer: Matthew Dow
-» INSIDE THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET .(60-minute documentary) , East Australian Film-Company
Principal Credits Directors: Bob Hardie, Matthew Dow
Production company: Journocam Productions Distribution company: TBC Budget: SBS/FFC Accord
Principal Credits Director: Hart Cohen Producer: Adrian Herring Scriptwriter: Hart Cohen Director of photography: Tony Wilson Sound recordist: Leo Sullivan Editor: James Bradley
Planning and development Researchers: Hart Cohen, Adrian Herring Shooting schedule by: Gohen/Herring Budgeted by: Herring
Production Crew Production manager: Dee Cameron Insurer: HW Wood Australia P/L Completion guarantor: FACB Legal Services: Michael Frankel &
li| Synopsis A documentary about the life and work of pre-eminent and controversial Australian anthropologist and Arrernte linguist TGH Strehlow (1908-1978). Tracks the challenges Strehlow set for himself as anthropologist and filmmaker, and the work currently underway to repatriate his collection to Arrernte communities in Central Australia.
■ Documentary
(52 minute Accord documentary) Alphaville Pty Ltd Producer: Christine Sammers Director: Jane Castle Writer: Paul Brown Presale: SBS Tells of a chemical company, local residents and local government in Botany, Sydney, who are all working together to find a way to treat a stockpile of toxic waste. A demonstration of a unique form of community participation.
-»MY LEARNED FRIEND (6x30 minute Accord documentary) Hilton Cordell Productions Producer: Ian Collie Director: Susan Lambert Presale: ABC TV My Learned Friend \s an observational series following a number of self-litigants on their journey through the labyrinthine judicial system. Many will lose their way, some will call it quits, while others will triumph against the odds.
-» SHIPWRECKDETECTIVES (3 x 55 minute documentary) Prospero Productions Producer/writer: Ed Punchard Director/writers: Peter Du Cane. Julia Redwood Presales: ABC TV, National Geographic Channels International Distribution: Granada Media International The Shipwreck Detectives are Maritime Archaeologists internationally renowned for the discovery and excavation of Australia's earliest shipwrecks. Three major expeditions will examine a graveyard of lost ships, sunken WWII flying boats and the victims of an ancient mass murder.
-» SURVIVINGSHEPHERD’S PIE (56 minute Accord documentary) Viva Productions Producer: Franziska Wagenfeld Director/writer: Diana Leach Presale: ABC TV An exploration and celebration of how Australian rural women's identities have been shaped by the land. Surviving Shepherd's Pie documents four cowgirls who live in rural Australia and ride the rodeo circuit.
-»THE COUNTRY INSIDE (52 minute Accord documentary) Snakewood Films Producer/director/writer: Frank Rijavec Writer: Keith Bradby Presale: SBS Tells the story of a group of wheatbelt farmers and other rural people who have taken risks and made sacrifices for the sake of "something before and beyond mankind". They have adopted values that regard country' not merely as breadbasket, resource or livelihood, but as an intrinsic element of their identity whose mystery, history and lessons are carried inside them, whose defilement is taken very personally.
-» FAMILY FOIBLES ;’[5 x 30 minute Accord documentary) Flying Carpet Films Producer: Steve Thomas Director/writers: Anne O’Casey, Katrina Sawyer, Veronica lacono, Michael Cummins, Celeste Geer Presale: ABC TV An intimate, entertaining and challenging series exploring the notion of family at the start of the new millennium. Each episode features a different family at a
-» AWEDDING INRAMALLAH (55 minute Accord documentary) Habibi Films Pty Ltd Producer/director/writer: Sherine Salama Presale: ABC TV A Wedding in Ramallah is an intimate observational documentary set in the West Bank town of Ramallah. It uses the dramatic events surrounding the wedding of a young Palestinian :. couple as a way of exploring life under occupation for ordinary Palestinians.
-» WHISPERING IN OURHEARTS (52 minute Accord documentary) Mayfan Pty Ltd Producer: Graeme Isaac Director/writer: Michelle Torres Presale: SBS The film follows the Nyikina/Mangala people from the Kimberleys as they return to the site of a massacre that' took place in 1916, to remember what happened there and to ceremonially put to rest the spirits of their dead. As the film travels back with them to Mowla Bluff it intertwines the oral account of the elders whose parents witnessed and survived the massacre with white archival records from the period.
CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00.JANUARY.01 [57]
The sum of us
n
The A verage
M ark Naglazas
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN
Richard W ilkin s
CHANNEL?
L aw rie Zion
FOXTEL CHANNEL 10
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
Sandra H all
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
Vicky Roach
THE AGE /C IN EM A PAPERS
A drian M artin
Sacha M olitorisz
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
Megan Spencer
TRIPLE J
A ndiee Pavoir
WHO WEEKLY
M ad elein e Swain
CINEMA PAPERS/THE MELBOURNE WEEKLY
M a rg a re t P om eranz
¡ 1
THE MOVIE SHOW
p p
Tom Ryan
THE SUNDAY AGE
The g u ru s rate recent releases.
Nf
:
7
8
8
6
8
•
8
•
4
6 .9
A ROOM FOR ROMEO BRASS
7
6
•
BETTER THAN SEX
7
7
6
5
4
8
5
8
7
4
7
4
6.0
BILLY ELLIOT
6
7
6
9
7
8
6
•
9
10
9
5
7.5
; BOOTMEN
6
5
5
5 5 fc üNilii - ■
•
5
2 wm
CENTER STAGE
6
3
5
6
6
6
•
5.2
5
•
8
4
•
7
•
5
5.5
■
-,
:..C,TTTTVT.
8
6
MR ACCIDENT
3
4
2
1
3
SAVING GRACE
4
6
6
6
7
4
7
SNATCH
7
. •
THE DISH
7
9
7
L O
5
5
7
7
7
6
•
9
•
9
8
*
7 .8
5
8
2
5
2
5
•
3.6
4
6
7
•
6
5
7
CO
8
5 .5
6
7
6
y
7
•
7
7
3
7
6
3
7
5
5
•
6
8
7
6
3
9
5
9
8
9
9
5
•
8
•
6
7
8
1
9
00
■m
00
6
.:
CHICKEN RUN
• SHAFT
' A
7
6.2 L:-v: ' '-T'jpl
1 '"
TV .
6 .0 :
V THE EMPEROR AND THE ASSASSIN TIMECODE
ERRATUM 135
•
5 I..:'- L
—
6
7 .2 L.0’
•
•
•
6
■
6 .0
6.5
■.
■ A lis te r S h e w w a s not c re d ite d fo r p e n n in g th e 's tra ig h t to vid e o ' re v ie w s . ■ In The S u m of Us R ic h a rd W ilk in s w a s c re d ite d as w o rk in g f o r The A g e and
C in e m a P a pers. The A g e has no re c o rd of W ilk in s ' e m p lo y m e n t b u t C h a n n e l N in e 's Today s h o w a re e a g e r to c la im th e N e w Z e a la n d e r as t h e ir ow n. C inem a P a p e rs fa ile d to re tu rn c a lls fro m E rra tu m and W ilk in s re fu s e d to c o m m e n t, th o u g h he did send th ro u g h his s c o re s fo r th is issu e. ■ M e a n w h ile , C ool P a u lte r's c e le b rity g ro w s .
^VO X
P O P --------
'■ l GOT NOfMNAiED fdft AN O S c A ß B K OH AN E x T ftA 5 0 KILOGRAMS, LOSING IÖÖ KKÖ&RAAS DK/NG MKSElF BLONDE, TfieN W fA ftlN G N0TW/NG-. I OM-l IT METHOD OSCAßlNG-'.' p s y c h o l o g ic a l
............... i / p R K
ALL .VEAK
PS>rcWLOG\
CA
t
mm DARBh
[5 8 ] CINEMA PAPERS.DECEMBER.00JANUARY.01
Beyond Fi scores
Best Film Looking for Alibrandi, fr|pd|cer
n Kersjü
Best Achievement in DireJlllIn Andrew Dominik, Chopper Best Actor in a Leading Role Eric Bana, Chopper Best Actress in a Leading Role Pia Miranda, Looking for Alibrandi
Best Adapted Screenplay Melina Marchetta, Looking for AliWrWfdi Best Original Screenplay Stavros Kazantzidis & Allanah Z i R u s s i a n
Doll
Best Performance by an Actor in a ¿Supporting:Rol^. Simon Lyndon, Chopper Jff Best Performance by M P M M K s s Greta Scacchi , Looking -fot W
u
Suppor
Role
Best Achievement in Editi Martin Connor, Looking foBillilo Young Actors Award Kane McNay, Mailboy Beyond is proud to represent the international rights of the above films.
-
-
-
BEYOND FILMS
BEYOND FILMS HEAD OFFICE Sydney: 53-55 Brisbane S t r e e t Surry Hills NSW 2010 Australia Telf 61-2§9281 1266 Fax: 61-2-9281 9220
)NY CHANT
I I I
I I
NICKELODEON SOCCER
r« m «
I II 01
DESIGN
02
VISUAL EFFECTS
KPMGI