Bump and Grind. What’s with all the recent dancing movies? Entering Short Film Festivals. In The Realm of the Censors. Classifying pink bits SPAA 2000. Hilary Linstead: Producer. Kick Gurry. Rob Sitch. Madeleine Swain. Marieke Hardy. Adrian Martin. Dino Scatena. 9770311363019
The Bring It On Issue. October.November.00 $7.65incGsr NZ $8.00 inc GST
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Reviews 40.Film. Better Than Sex Russian Doll Shaft Walk the Talk Cherry Falls Million Dollar Hotel What Lies Beneath 46.Reading. Who Killed Hollywood...and Put the Tarnish on Tinseltown?
. . c o n t e n t s .
10
Dancing For Their Lives. Bootmen, Center Stage, Billy Elliot and Kick: Adrian Martin explores the red-hot rash of movies doing the bump and grind.
14
Digital Movie Emergence. With George Lucas leading the charge, the cinema industry is wondering who’s going to pay for the brave new world. Angus Fontaine reports.
18
Norman Lindsay’s Magic Pudding on The Big Screen. Animation director Robbert Smit details how the massive project came together.
24
Uncloaking Hilary Linstead. One of the film industry’s most enduring characters speaks to Michaela Boland.
26
In The Realm of the Censors. Des Clarke and Mark Spratt chat about classifying pink bits.
30
David Wenham profile. Michaela Boland discovers romantic comedies are a relatively new string to Diver Dan’s bow.
Action/Spectacle Cinema: A Sight and Sound Reader Bonnie and Clyde Blonde A Novel The Virgin Suicides High Fidelity 48. Video. Essex Boys Molly Pups 49. DVD. Snow Falling on Cedars Jaws The Bone Collector
Regulars, 05. Welcome to Woop Woop. 06. Newsfront. Industry news 08. Fresh Air. Letters and your email reports. 09. Final cut. Rob Sitch on the Australian sun. 23. The Getting of Wisdom. Kick Gurry. 33. The Box. Lisa Dethridge on improving scripts. 35. To Market To Market. Joel Pearlman on marketing Looking forAlibrandi. 51. Supplement. SPAA 2000 and entering short film festivals. 54. InProduction. 58. The Sum of Us. Local reviewers rate releases.
FOOTSCRAY CITY FILM & TV START SHOOTING 2001! GET • FILM TRAINING; SHOWREEL; PREPARATION-AFTRS; VCA; R USE • SUPER 16; DVCAM; BETACAM; AVID
Certificate IV / Diploma
no
FOOTSC
AMIEL COURTIN-WILSON / SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL CHASING BUD MATTHEW WOOD / A.T.O.M SHORT FICTION PRIZE REC MISTY FOX / ST KILDA FILM FESTIVAL FINALIST KIDS IN AMERICA
V.
[for the widest wide shot]
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t h e b i g g e s t • t h e q u i e t e s t • t h e h i g h e s t i n t o wn
elbourne film studio 117 Rouse Street Port Melbourne 3207 Victoria Australia
www.cascadefilms.cotn.au/mfs
Telephone.- 613 9646 4022 Facsimile: 613 9646 6336
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS MICHAEL BODEY IS THE DAILY
RACHEL NEWMAN IS A POP CULTURE
TELEGRAPHS SHOWBIZ EDITOR AND A
JOURNALIST WHO IS REGULARLY
FORMER FILM CRITIC FOR THE AGE.
PUBLISHED IN ROLLING STONE. SMASH HITS AND THE HERALD SUN.
ADRIAN MARTIN IS A FILM REVIEWER FOR THE AGE AND IS FASCINATED BY
MARIEKE HARDY IS A FREELANCE
DANCING MOVIES. HIS DAD USED TO BE
SCRIPTWRITER, 3RRR RADIO
A COMPETITION-WINNING TAP
PRESENTER AND, IN HER OWN WORDS,
DANCER AND HAS A GREAT LIBRARY
AN IRRITATING LOUDMOUTH GADABOUT
OF DANCE FILMS.
TOWN-ER.
ROBBERT SMIT WAS ANIMATION
MADELEINE SWAIN HAS BEEN
DIRECTOR ON THE MAGIC PUDDING.
ADDICTED TO SITTING IN DARKENED
PLUS THE ANIMATED FEATURE FILMS
ROOMS DEVOURING LARGER-THAN-LIFE
FOOTROT FLATS [ 1985], DOT GOES TO
IMAGES SINCE CHILDHOOD.
S P A C E im S ) AND BLIN KYBILL (1990).
I Va /EMT" o n a o 4 t£ S T K A T r c *M TO YHÊ;
FLlCj^S
ANGUS FONTAINE ONCE LIT JACK
DARBY HUDSON CARTOONS FOR
EMMA SLOLEY IS A SYDNEY-BASED
NICHOLSON’S CIGARETTE AND WHEN
MONASH UNI’S COMPASS,
WRITER WHO HAS WRITTEN ABOUT A
EMMA CRIMMINGS IS CO-EDITING A
NOT BEING SUED WORKS AS A
MELBOURNE UNI'S FARRAGO AND
WIDE RANGE OF FILMS, FROM BOYS
MARK WOODS REPORTS ON
BOOK ON AUSTRALIAN SHORT FILM AND
MERCENARY FOR VARIOUS TABLOIDS
SELF-PUBLISHES ON THE BACK OF
DON'T CRYTO CHOPPER TO SUPA
AUSTRALIAN SHOWBIZ FOR VARIETY.
WORKS IN ACQUISITONS AT CINEMEDIA.
AND PERIODICALS WHILE WRITING
TOILET DOORS AROUND
DUPA SANTA (HER PARTNER’S FIRST
SCREENPLAYS ON DEAD OR DYING
MELBOURNE UNI.
SHORT FILM).
DINO SCATENA IS THE DAILY
MEGAN SLOLEY IS FILM
TELEGRAPHS MUSIC EDITOR.
CORRESPONDENT FOR INPRESS.
GROUP PUBLISHER DAVID M CD O N O U G H
dmcdonough0niche.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER STEVEN M ETTER
AUSTRALIANS.
Welcome to W ood W ood
smetter0niche.com.au
Welcome to the Bring It On issue, which despite the identical
EDITOR M IC H A E L A B O LA N D
title, is not named in honour of the upcoming Roadshow release
mboiand0niche.com.au
(though some members of the Cinema Papers office are partial
COPY EDITOR M IC H E LE F R A N K E N I
to the occasional cheerleader). Rather, through October and
mfrankeni0niche.com.au
November we're saying 'bring it on- in celebration of so many
DESIGN G LEN N A M O FFATT
Australian films, and OS films featuring the work of Australians,
glenn.a0niche.com.au ROB DAVIES
slamming onto cinema screens.
robd0niche.com.au
-> It was difficult selecting a cover from eight strong films but
ADVERTISING MANAGER LAR RY BOYD
the very sexy Better Than Sex came out a winner. Low fuss and
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lboyd0niche.com.au
cheeky, Jonathan Teplitzky's debut feature proves strong
MARKETING DIRECTOR
direction, a focused script and a glimpse of David Wenham's bum
M A L JO N E S
cheeks equals gold, gold, gold for Australia.
PRODUCTION A U R O R A OLIVER
aoliver0niche.com.au
-> But readers will notice an omission from this issue's chock-a-
SCANNING
block review section (beginning p.40). Working Dog’s follow up to
N IC O LE F EID LER
The Castle, The Dish, is not reviewed, despite it releasing the
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
same week as publication of this issue. See Newsfront [p.6] for
E M M A SLOLEY, DARBY H U D S O N , AN G U S FO N T A IN E , M IC H A E L BODEY, A D R IA N M AR T IN , R O BB ER T SM IT , M A R K W OODS. D IN O SC ATENA,
an explanation and Final Cut [p.8] for director Rob Sitch’s take on shooting under the Australian sun.
R A C H E L N E W M A N , M A R IE K E HARDY, M A D E L E IN E SW AIN E M M A C R IM M IN G S ,
Working Dog is not among the nominees for AFI awards who will be attending the film industry’s
M EG A N SLOLEY, LEIGH W H A N N E L L .
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD N A T A L IE M IL L E R , ROSS DIM SEY SCOTT M URRAY, S A L L Y -A N N E KERR LY N D E N BA R B ER , TED GREGORY TRACEY M AIR
SUBSCRIPTIONS
biggest annual party at Sydney’s Fox Studios on November 18, allegedly because The Dish was not ready in time. -> The makers of Chopperwill definitely be in attendance, as will the team behind Looking for Alibrandi. Chopper lead Eric Bana has been a favourite for the Best Actor award since before the film was released but the question on everyone’s lips is 'will the real Chopper Read be invited to
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walk the red carpet after being snubbed at the film premieres’? If Read does get a bait (which is extremely unlikely) last year's post referendum brouhaha will look like a punch-up at a B&S.
tCINEMA PAPERS
IS A P U B L IC A T IO N OF
N IC H E M E D IA PTY LTD A B N 13 066 613 529
-> If the AFI gave out marketing awards, and maybe its something they should consider, the team
A DIVISION OF W AIVC OM W O R LD W ID E LTD
behind Looking For Alibrandi would be deserving recipients. From the outside Alibrandi appeared to
A B N 53 006 031 161 LE VE L3, 165 FITZROY STREET, ST K ILD A , M E LB O U R N E , VIC 3182
be the slickest, most intelligent and well-funded campaign of the year. So we asked Roadshow
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distributor Joel Pearlman if that was actually the case (p.35).
PO BOX 20 63 , ST KILD A , M E LB O U R N E , VIC 3182
-> In this issue we thought it was time to meet the new head of the censorship board, former
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Melbourne Mayor Des Clark. Mark Spratt, the bloke who loves making headlines by challenging the
N IC H O LA S DOW ER
censorship board so he can distribute rude movies (Romance etc], also wanted to meet Mr Clark. CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER STEVEN M ETTER
smeUer@niche.com.au GROUP ART DIRECTOR G L E N N A M O FFATT
gmoffatt@niche.com.au FILM & PRINTING
Their (edited) conversation, spiced up by lots of suitable pictures, is on p.26. -> And Adrian Martin, bless his cotton socks, pirouetted with pleasure at our suggestion he write about the plethora of dancing movies being released at this time. Billy Elliot (UK), Center Stage (US), plus the homegrown features Bootmen and Kick, make for an extraordinary confluence of flounces,
SO U T H ER N CO LO UR . T E L : (031 9701 5566
minces and shimmys not seen since the era of greatness that delivered Flashdance, Footloose and
ISSN 0311-3639
time has come again to cut loose, footloose...
later Dirty Dancing. In Oz we had to wait until the early 90s for Strictly Ballroom but it seems the 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. WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION IN WRITING OF THE PUBLISHERS. W HILE EVERY EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO ENSURE THE ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION, THÉ PUBLISHERS ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS OR ANY CONSEQUENCES OF RELIANCE ON THIS PUBLICATION. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS PUBLICATION DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE
Michaela Boland
EDITOR. THE PUBLISHER OR THE PUBLICATION.
Editor
© 2000 NICHE MEDIA PTY LTD.
CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [05]
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access during filming and their photographs are likely to form an B lftÄ M S S Ä I
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exhibition released with the film sometime during 2001. -> Maynard explained in the first week. of filming on location in Melbourne,
^
the crew had been bothered by a freelance photographer working with
■ H ttV IM H lH l
a national daily paper who had staked-
Rh
out the shoot all day before being
Local Pay TV Enjoys S o u th ern Exposure
'called o ff by the publication. Additionally, according to Maynard, a TV crew camped outside the set. È&
4$gg§
The Dish. -> In Adelaide’s South Australia
Which star was generating the a reliable source says most
Museum on August 17, the Discovery
LaPaglia the producer mused?
distributors were keen to pick it up but
Channel premiered the results of its
-> Presumably Wenham was the hot
Working Dog was confident The Dish
Southern Exposure First Time
property, but then again The Bank was
interest? David Wenham or Anthony
Venice Triu m p h
k
would make $20 million at the local
Filmmakers Initiative - a joint venture
shooting inside the Supreme Court.
box office and sought commensurate
with the South Australia Film
Perhaps the assembled media were
terms. [The Castle and recently The
Corporation, funding six local
not interested in the film at all but
Wog Boy earned just over half that
filmmakers to produce Australian
rather just doing their job as court
figure). Roadshow took up the
themed documentaries for $60,000.
reporters covering any number of
challenge.
-> Six filmmakers were selected in
trials underway in the vicinity?
-> So there's a lot riding on The Dish,
February this year and the
We can all get a little ahead of
financially and egoistically, and
ourselves at times.
presumably a tightly controlled
documentaries were completed by August.
-> At the Venice Film Festival in
-> Though, if true, it wouldn't be the
release w ill give it the greatest chance
-> Megan Sloley reports there were
September, Cinema Papers' cover
first time Wenham has been pursued
for success. Or maybe possessing
two standout documentaries:
chick Rose Byrne won the best
by 'pap'. When making Better Than
your own weekly chat show is all the
Love.dot.com (Victoria Connors and
actress award for her red-haired role
Sex earlier this year an unauthorised
editorial one needs.
Mark Hanlin) and Utopia Revisited
in The Goddess of 1967. The Iranian
pic of Wenham getting out of bed was
-> At least one newspaper reviewer
(Cole Larsen and Robert Habel).
film Dayereh (The Circle] won the
published by a Sydney daily.
[that we know of) was asked to submit
Love.dot.com explored love and sex
his review of The Castle before an
via a fascinating deconstruction of an
Golden Lion Award for best film over 19 others. The US film Before Night
They Can Dish It Out
interview was granted for The Dish.
internet romance while Utopia Visited,
Cinema Papers is committed to
an unforgettable portrait of Aboriginal
celebrating Australian filmmakers and
artist Barbara Weir, was arguably the
received the best actor award for his
-> There is no review of The Dish in this issue because the film’s
film culture. Rigorous debate is
most potent work. It tapped into the
portrayal of dissident Cuban poet
production company, Working Dog,
integral to the health of any culture,
rich and quivering vein of stolen
Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls.
refused to screen it for magazine reviewers.
so it's disappointing to be shut out of freely analysing 2000's most
generation issues with respect and creative flair.
Goddess in April 2000. As far as
-> It was screened at Toronto where
anticipated local release. But if the 20
-> Ironically, the Discovery Channel
Cinema Papers can confirm the other
audience members voted it second
million dollar mark is not reached, the
titles do not have Australian
favourite. The Dish was screened in
launch occurred just days before a discussion paper highlighting the low
distribution.
August at the exhibition and
filmmakers won't be able to blame the media this time.
-> In Goddess Byrne portrays a 17-
distribution convention in BrisVegas
Falls won the runner-up grand jury prize. Spanish actor Javier Bardem
-> Palace is releasing Clara Law's
level of new Australian content on
year-old blind girl who leads a
but reviewers were not invited.
Japanese bloke on an unusual journey
-> While The Dish is a better looking
through the outback in search of the
film than The Castle it doesn't have
seller of a 1967 Citroen.
the endearing caricatures and sharp
-> The Silver Lion for the best short
comedy of its forerunner. The story
With a record number of films (25) lining up for AFI award nomination,
film was awarded to A Telephone Call
and script are firmly middle of the
entries have closed for the AFI’s name-the-gong competition. Official
for Genevieve Snowwritten and
road, in terms of intended audience
entries needed to be sent to The Australian newspaper but AFI staffers
Oscar, Cesar, Madge
directed by Melbourne-based Peter
and effect achieved. The pace is a little
report at least 10 faxes were received by their office suggesting the gong
Long and produced by Beth Frey. It
slow but The Dish is definitely no
stars Beth Buchanan.
stinker. It should review rather nicely
should be called a ‘Chips’ after Chips Rafferty. No comment there - no comment here.
and play solidly to its intended
S afe As Banks -> The producers of The Bank did not
multiplex audience. No surprises, no outstanding performances, a few laughs - why not screen it for
permit media set visits during their
magazine reviewers?
recent shoot in Melbourne. Producer
Possibly because Working Dog
John Maynard explained a small
financed and produced The Dish
number of stills photographers were
independently of a distributor. Upon
given more or less unrestricted
completion it was hocked around and
[06 ] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
visual effects editing compositing digital m atte painting
ambience entertainment 1 1 5 W illoughby rd crows nest, nsw, 2 0 6 5
N otable Q uote “All men! There should have been at least ©me woman up there. We’nemb ones who do the w a llin g up!” Distributor Natalie Miller querying why only male film d is trib u to r were invited on stage to smash plates to celebrate the opening o f the annual movie convention on the Gold Coast.
HHM
I email Dear Ms Boland, Just a quick note to say that, as an occasional purchaser of CP, I was pleased to see its jump in quality and approachability since you’ve arrived. Sometimes I used to read the damn thing and feel completely out of it, like I needed to go to Rusden to read it. It was interesting but dense with facts and seemed too ‘industry’ for the more casual reader - so congrats!! Troy Hunter, Melbourne. IVeVe decided to print just one of the many kind notes received over the last two months. While we appreciate the ongoing support and welcome the congratulations, we are also keen to receive mail taking up issues published in the magazine. - Ed.
■ email from Venice Peter Long, director of A Telephone Call for Genevieve Snow, which won the Silver Lion for best short film at Venice in September. Beth Frey the producer, my partner Kate Ellis and I are sitting in the audi torium watching the live TV broadcast of what is going on outside, celebrities we don’t know being interviewed by an obsequious reporter as they strut down the catwalk into the theatre. It’s all in Italian but it’s amazing how much you understand from the body language and the fact that you’ve seen this sort of thing before on TV and know pretty much what the questions and the answers are. Rod Steiger is talking half in English and half Italian about how if you want something done in Italy on Friday you tell them to do it on Tuesday. He seemed irritated at first at having to stop and talk, but now the reporter can’t shut him up. After we’ve seen these people on the screen, suddenly
local Pay TV documentary channels
between 6pm and 6am daily.
was released.
-> If the enforceable local expenditure
-> Prepared in response to a brief
requirement for pay TV doco channels
from Communications Minister Alston,
is introduced here, at least one
the paper examined the possibility of
channel director believes the quality of
introducing lower limits for the
programming may suffer. Discovery
amount of new Australian product
Networks' director Ann Love says,
screened on pay TV doco channels.
"having to spend a percentage of
Similar industry protectionism -
budget on new Australian made
pegged at 10 percent - currently
product w ill result in lots of smaller,
regulates pay TV drama channels.
low budget documentaries... which is
-> The compliance rate of the drama
not a good thing if you want to get
channels for the last financial year will
international producers involved on
be made public in early November but
higher budgets."
only two out of 17 channels complied
-> The ABA is due to report to Senator
in 98/99 when the requirement was
Alston's office by December 18, 2000.
voluntary. -> At the end of March there were 1.2
A G reat T im e To Shoot
million pay TV subscribers shared between Austar, Foxtel and Optus. Seven million Australian homes have
While everyone else was enjoying the Olympics, Becker Films
televisions.
commenced production on the
-> Before 1997 The Discovery Channel
feature Subterano in the centre of
was the only documentary option for
Sydney. Starring Alex Dimitriades and
Australian subscribers but there are
Tasma Walton and helmed by Esben
now five doco channels: Discovery,
Storm, Subterano is about a virtual
National Geographic Channel,
holographic game in which a killer
Odyssey, Animal Planet and The
hunts his victims through a
History Channel (part of Fox Kids).
subterranean maze.
Combined, they broadcast over 30,000
-> Spokesperson Amanda Huddle
hours of documentary product each
explained because Subterano was a
year. Discovery and National
'high concept project' shot
Geographic are both part of global
underground, it would be relatively
networks; Animal Planet is owned
unaffected by the Olympic goings-on.
and operated by the Discovery
She added that while TV crews
network; Odyssey is fully Australian
were earning big Olympic bucks,
owned and operated and The History
feature film crews were not
Channel is part of Fox Kids, airing
necessarily as busy.
[0 8 ] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
they’re walking down the aisles next to us and sitting in the next row - an unnerving conflation of television and reality. -> We have been told privately a few hours before that A Telephone Call for Genevieve Snow has won the silver lion for best short film. We had planned to have pre-ordeal drinks with some of the other short filmmakers in the bar at the Excelsior Hotel, but I cancel because I don’t feel like I can pretend to the others that I don’t know who’s going to win. It must be obvious to them though when we get into the theatre, because we have been seated on the aisle and the TV steadicam guys are practising finding their frame on us and pulling back. Not really even the pretence of secrecy. Annalisa from the festival kneels down next to me to tell me where I have to go when I hear my name. Being the short film award and therefore the least interesting I am first. I am surprised by how heavy the lion is. I manage to get through my thank-yous all right but then I am not prepared for the dozens of photographers yelling to me instructions about where to stand from the front rows on one side of the theatre. -> The rest of the ceremony goes by in a bit of a blur. Barbet Schroeder holds up his Golden Medal of the Italian Senate in its case for the photographers and it falls out. Rose Byrne wins best actress for The Goddess of 1967 but is not there to collect it. Milos Forman talks about fist fights in the jury room over which films will be awarded prizes. Rod Steiger awards the Marcello Mastroianni prize for emerging actor to Megan Burns, a 13-year-old English girl and gives her a congratulatory bear hug, almost lifting her off the ground. After the presentations there is a screening of the closing night film, Vengo directed by Tony Gatliff. I get whisked out of the cinema through the back entrance to the casino, through the kitchens and back corridors, feeling like I m in the big steadicam shot in Goodfellas, security guards wave us through, women I don’t know smile at me. Waiters with white gloves hand out glasses of champagne. In the press conference Javier Bardem (best actor] has his arm around the back of my chair so it looks like we’re best mates but in fact he is trying to hide the cigarette he has in his hand. Listening to a simultaneous translation of what is being said on headphones creates that strange feeling again of being a part of something but distanced from it at the same time. Someone from the press stands up and wants to make one of those long-wind ed intellectual comments disguised as a question but gets howled down by the other press. Julian Schnabel has obviously done this before, he handles ques tions really well and asks Jafar Panahi (the Iranian director who has won the golden lion for his film Dayereh) really good questions that no one in the press seems to have thought of. I hear later that director Tony Gatliff has been so incensed by the prizewinners, jury and press disappearing after the award ceremony, leaving the cine ma half empty for his screening that he refused to allow the gypsy musicians (whose trip to Venice he’d funded) play at the party.»
There’s no light like Australian light How The Dish became the biggest reflector board in cinematic history.
final cut.rob sitch I’m fascinated by Australian light.
felt to the eye. It reproduced what I
young cinematographer called Joanne Donahue. Her version of this nod,
love about our light without giving a
kinda weird but there’s definitely
often given from the other side of a
hint of the fight we have to have to
something about it. You know the
river valley, was two thumbs up and a
avoid squinting eyes. That combined
second you get off the plane you’re
big broad smile that raised lighting
with a second unit that seemed to live
back home. Well it’s either the light
conditions a half stop. We shot all over
in the first and last light of the day
or seeing airport workers in shorts.
the world and the conditions at every
gave us so much of what we wanted
-> We shot our most recent film
location managed to produce Joanne's
without having to extend the shoot. I’m
smack-bang in the middle of the
big smile and yet Australia was always
sure there’s a thousand ways to skin
winter solstice and I swear it still looks
different. Somehow the knobs here
this cat, so I guess, in the end, this
like it's high summer. I can’t get over
are turned to eleven.
was just one way that seemed to work.
that. It’s the lowest that the sun ever
-> That’s fine for programs that
There’s an interesting postscript to
drops and you’d swear it’s a day of
emphasise landscape but people don’t
this. We were always going to go back
total fire ban.
look great when they're bathed in the
-> I enjoy fishing shows, not
white light you see in near-death
When I say that, people look at me
surprisingly. One of the things you
experiences. We were originally going
notice about them is that the host's
to shoot The Dish in late summer. This
eyes are usually concealed behind
fact worried me. Our schedule meant
sunglasses-cum-radiation shields. If
that we’d have to shoot in the middle
you're shooting anywhere in Australia
of the day and in those conditions
that’s almost essential, especially if
people either look like they’ve had
you want your retinas to accompany
dermabrasion or they’re wearing that
We shot all over the world and the conditions at every location managed to produce Joanne’s big smile and yet Australia was always different. Somehow the knobs here are turned to eleven.
you into your 60s. Since the eyes are
mask from Scream. Not that there’s a
the window to the soul, we’d do our
shortage of solutions. At one point I
to avoid the worst of the day. Then he
to shoot an extra day. Wouldn't you
best to shoot with our sunglasses off.
was intending to put up a scrim over
smiled and said, “ It can be pretty
know it. It was the one day that we
We attempted this one day on a far
an area roughly the size of Taiwan.
brutal can’t it."
needed to set up some fill lights... and
north Queensland beach known
Unfortunately all these things take
-> In the end we were blessed by a
then the penny dropped. We were
throughout the world for the
time and there’s one undeniable fact
number of factors. Magnificent
filming in front of the largest radio
whiteness of its sand! Did I say that
about Australian filmmaking; we have
weather in the dead of winter is just
telescope in the Southern
Australian light is brutal! Eyes may
plenty of light, but very little time.
plain wonderful. You’d find us all
Hemisphere, it could be moved to
indeed be the window to the soul but
-> I asked John Seale about it one day.
warming our faces with the morning
point in any direction you wanted...
not when they look like they’ve been
I hadn't intended to but it was one of
sun. I guess that’s not a bad gauge; if
and it was painted white! I think it’s
sprayed with tear gas. -> Having said that, the shots were
those clear blue days in Sydney when
your instinct is to seek the sun rather
fair to say it became the largest
you need sunglasses made like a
than the shade, conditions are good.
reflector board in the history of
quite magnificent. Making A River
welding mask. He smiled, shook his
Also, we built a bunch of scale models
cinematography.
Somewhere was a good way to come
head and said, “ It is pretty brutal."
that had pointers to where the sun
-> At one stage the telescope rotated
at the problem. You can be nimble
He’d just got back from shooting in
would be coming from for all the
too far around and we got hit with the
with a tiny crew. Cinematographer and
Italy. Personally, I find the light there
outside locations. This simple sense of
full power of a 210 feet diameter white
filmmaker Terry Carlyon shot our first
lousy to the eye and magnificent to the
direction was something John Seale
reflector board on a bright sunny day.
episode. It was through his eyes that
camera. Someone described it as
suggested. That paid big dividends.
We had the look of Richard Dreyfuss
our obsession with Australian light
diaphanous. I’ll take them at their
The biggest factor was our
at the end of Close Encounters. I
began. He didn’t just shoot the light,
word. Australian light would be
cinematographer’s love of natural
couldn’t help smiling at Graeme Wood
he seemed to stalk it, always looking
described by a German word;
light. I can't remember Graeme Wood
with the comment, ’’It is pretty brutal
for an angle or a change that made
something like spritzenfricksmack.
pulling out a light during daylight hours.
isn’t it?" •
the composition special. Occasionally
-> Since Sam Neill was in our film, I
-> I’ve no doubt it requires a
he’d look up at the sun and then
thought I’d ask him what they do on
cinematographer at the top of their
ROB SITCH IS A PRINCIPAL AT WORKING DOG
around him and give a nod, as if to
the big sets. He felt that it was never
game but if it can be done, this is a
PRODUCTIONS. HE DIRECTED THE CASTLE AND
say. "It’s on, if you want to do anything,
quite the problem that it is in
wonderful way to shoot a scene. It
do it now." -> We shot the next 12 episodes with a
Australia. Apparently Fred Schepisi
gave a lovely natural look to the
programmed his shoot of Evil Angels
exterior shots and captured the way it
THE DISH AND HAS WRITTEN, PERFORMED IN AND UNDERTAKEN ANY NUMBER OF OTHER ROLES IN TV SHOWS INCLUDING FRONTLINE AND THE LATE SHOW.
CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [09]
At every m om ent, film is close to dance. And not just in musicals, either. All it takes is a spark of rhythm in the image or on the soundtrack, coupled with the slightest trace of a stylised body movement. John (‘Stayin’ Alive’) Travolta turns his stride down a Brooklyn pavement into a dance at the start of Saturday Night Fever (1977). In David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992), a besotted teen stumbles backwards through a schoolyard after his girlfriend has smiled at him - and, for a few magic moments, the sympathetic motion of all the other kids walking through the frame, plus the sudden, subtle, walking-bass beat in Angelo Badalamenti’s floating score, transform the action into a fragment of a Stanley Donen musical like The Pajama Game (1957) or Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954). -> In Leos Carax's Mauvais Sang (Bad Blood, 1986), the punk-acrobat Denis Lavant begins to limp down the street, accompanied by the sound of David •Bowie's "Modern Love" on a nearby radio - but then he w 'Iks, and then he runs, faster and faster, the ¡©¡ralera framing his entire body in an unbroken, shurtf inq rnovem e nh as the song detach es itsetf f f.om
- - - :v
hunrtbte 'reality' and fills the whole film. Even in the days of silent c in e m *:this feeling jof ever-potentiaP^^g dandeSexisted: Eric Rohmer (An Autumn Tale', 1999) has celebrated [the way in which German cinema's
*,
old master, F. W. MurnaujNosferatu, 1922;),'could turn the slightest passage of a character through an architecturally Defined space - a vampire cruising
Our ^
^
‘awaSiSr H
P
v ie s a n c i ^
according to Adrian Martin
^
hat to Ginger Astaire.
^
under an archway, a man searching for his beloved
from the UK, Center Stage from America, talk of a
Minnelli's classic The Band Wagon (1953).
in high, wild, billowing reeds - into a lyrical and expressive ballet.
Dirty Dancing sequel. And two new Australian films,
-> Once the initial w ill to dance has been
Dein Perry's Bootmen and Lynda Heys' Kick.
acknowledged by the hero, other, larger obstacles
-> Cinema is always close to dance, but the
-> In Hollywood's studio era, stars like Fred Astaire
start to complicate the dream: class conflicts (the
historical relationship of the two has been, and
and Gene Kelly developed their dance craft in and
working class men in Bootmen and Billy Elliot
remains, sadly fractured. Every major form of dance
through film; their choreographic and directorial
regard dancing as a bourgeois affectation); changing
has found its own, discrete ghetto’ in film, robbing
ideas helped shape the musical genre itself, while
cultural styles (virtually all modern dance films
us of the pleasure of their unforeseen combinations.
the possibilities of the cinematic medium influenced
make the obligatory, respectful, awestruck nod to
Popular dance forms, from tap to the macarena, are
how they chose to dance. Nowadays, the situation is
Astaire and Ginger Rogers in Top Hat [1935], but
the province of the musical - which has long
very different. Dance needs to be imported into film
Sean in Bootmen realises the need to go beyond that
experimented with the integration of plot, characters
from outside - a popular fad, a prominent stage
model and be 'modern'); technological challenges
and spectacle. 'High art' dance forms such as ballet
career, or an already established troupe. In a
(Sean, like Gregory Hines in Nick Castle's wonderful
once formed the basis for concert films, and now
relatively small film industry like Australia’s, this
Tap [1989], makes his breakthrough by finding a way
hide out in slots on 'quality' television channels - too
kind of cultural importation of a neighbouring
to electronically amplify tap shoes); and that ever
often shot in an unimaginative, 'proscenium arch',
medium and its personnel can be canny and
present split between the 'high' and Tow' arts of
documentary mode, as if Michael Powell’s sublime
revitalising. Such was the drive behind Strictly
dance, which few films manage to mend
The Red Shoes (1948), with its central ballet rated by
Ballroom (1992): the mingling of the suburban
satisfactorily, although most fitfully try.
one veteran critic as "the peak of cinema” , had never
ballroom dancing tradition with the rising star of
Then there are the problems of dance in relation to
existed. Finally, modern and avant garde dance
Paul Mercurio and the playful artifice which director
the building (or unbuilding) of the dancer's personal
forms, often partnered with the formal risks of
Baz Luhrmann had developed on stage. And
identity. “Why can't dancing be just fun?,” laments
experimental cinema (as in Raul Ruiz's dazzling
Bootmen is transparently an attempt to take the
Jody (Amanda Schull] in Center Stage - and her
Mammame, 1986), take refuge in specialist, 'fringe',
elements of Perry's successful Tap Dogs stage show
teacher affirms that it is, while gradually inculcating
artworld events like the local Reel Dance festival.
- with its the mostly male, very hetero, 'blue collar'
in her the way to balance spontaneity with hard
-> Yet dance is making a concerted comeback right
energy - and somehow coin a character-based
work, inspiration with discipline. The dance movie is
across the cinematic board at present. Lars von
narrative from it.
a close cousin to the sports movie - as cleverly
Trier's already much-debated Dancer in the Dark,
-> Musicals that not only feature dance but actively
avowed in the opening, slow motion shot of Kick,
starring Bjork, is a hybrid of European art film and
explore it as a subject (by centering on auditions,
where a balletically twisting hand against a clear sky
Hollywood musical. Claire Denis' Beau Travail, a hit
training, benefit concerts, comeback performances,
finally catches a football - because it involves a quite
on the Australian Film Festival circuit, ends with a
and the like) tend to select between a small number
similar set of issues: the generational clash of young
flamboyant dance sequence - again featuring the
of dramatic or comic premises. The stories are often
talent and mature coach; the testing of the human
amazing body of Lavant - and subtly infuses stylised,
about the discovery of the dancing vocation - the
body as 'instrument' and the ever-present threat of
choreographed group movement into seemingly
case for the young boy (played by Jamie Bell) in Billy
its physical injury; the limited time span in which the
'normal' scenes of daily life in the Foreign Legion. In
Elliot - or the refinding of that lost vocation, as much
dance or sports star can truly shine’ in their chosen
the commercial realm, there is a sudden crowd of
for Sean (Adam Garcia) in Bootmen and Matt
profession; and, most profoundly, finding a workable
movies about Tow' and 'high' dancing: Billy Elliot
(Russell Page) in Kick as for Astaire in Vincente
relation between those moments of fantastic
facing page: Billy Elliot, above: (left and right) Center Stage.
In a relatively small film industry like Australia’s, this kind of cultural importation of a neighbouring medium and its personnel can be canny and revitalising.
CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [1 1 ]
intensity in the spotlight (on the stage or the field)
the best intentions and citations, have lost the secret
and the entire remainder of one's lifetime.
of animating rhythm (for that, we need to open our
-> Dance thus becomes a dramatic crucible in which
eyes to the still flourishing traditions of Hindi and
the hero works through his or her flaws and
Egyptian musicals). Too often today, numbers simply
limitations. Where, for little Billy Elliot, dance is a
start and end, rather than building up and dying
way to release the inner fire of frustrated rage, to
away. Those movies that lead up to a big showbiz
literally smash through the walls of social
finale often seem suddenly scared of boring us, and
confinement, Aussie dancers tend to have a
so whisk the song and dance action away after a
somewhat more matter-of-fact, less romantic
cascade of edited 'highlights' - this happens in both
approach to personal overcoming. In Bootmen, the
Billy Elliot and Bootmen.
hero and his older, now crippled, mentor (played by
-> Most damaging of all is the adoption of a
William Zappa) argue mainly over whether or not a
widespread, MTV-derived editing and post-
dancer should ever 'improvise'. This is a homely,
production technique. No longer are the dancers'
scaled-down version of Strictly Ballroom's guiding
gestures allowed to work in a synchronous, dynamic,
theme, encapsulated in its repeated motto, "a life
unified way with the music, the moving camera and a
lived in fear is a life half lived". Dance in these
precise, pre-visualised sequence of edit points.
Australian movies is about individual courage, not
Rather, the dance is reduced to a random bunch of
social revolution - as it was, for instance, in the
pictorial flourishes or swirls (slowed down, sped up, shot from half a dozen angles and then frantically
floridly modernist and fiercely political dance
intercut], and the editing takes its cue from the
spectaculars from Latin America, China and
40s and 50s devised a fine art from the many ways
Hungary during the 60s and 70s.
and means of getting into and out of a song and
metronomic beat of the music - which, for all its
-> Above all, dance movies like to explore issues of
dance number. Walking leads to dancing which
technologised splendour, seems awfully removed
sexual identity, and the influence of family. Bootmen,
resolves itself ultimately in a graceful exit from the
from the real space in which the dancers move and
Kick and Billy Elliot all deal with the taint of gayness
scene by tramcar or skateboard; humble 'diegetic'
interact. Strictly Ballroom, Bootmen, Kick and Billy
that attaches itself to a man who chooses to dance
music (as played or heard within the plot itself] is
Elliot all fall prey to this terrible stylistic temptation;
for a living (Perry's film seems even uptight or
quickly taken over by an other-worldly, 'extra-
itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s certainly fun to hear rousing pop tracks like John-Paul Young's "Love is in the Air" (Strictly
defensive on this point). All these heroes struggle
diegetic' orchestra, and finally returned to the bare
with the problem of having an overly stern father and
bones of its original setting. However it happens, the
Ballroom} orT-Rex's "Ride a White Swan" [Billy
a deceased mother - although (as in Strictly
crucial thing is that we feel and experience the birth
Elliot} yoked to a story of dance - but where is that
Ballroom and Billy Elliot} grandmothers who still
of a rhythm, the swelling of a song and the explosion
truly exciting, intricate fusion of sound and image?
possess the soul of rhythm come in handy as
of a dance in synchrony as a primal, animating force:
-> Center Stage, set in a New York ballet school, is
nurturing, maternal figures and plot resolvers.
it includes everybody and everything, colour and
my favourite of the current dance films. Director
-> Perhaps even more important than the plot
camera movement as well as characters and plot,
Nicholas Hytner stages a splendid confusion of free
elements in such stories is the style in which they
and it remakes the whole world as it catches alight.
dance, rigorous training and everyday activities - in
are rendered. Hollywood's classic musicals of the
-> Many contemporary dance films, even those with
the busy plot line, and in the multi-planes of many
shots. Carol Heikkinen’s script absorbs elements of
more strongly - the ‘utopia’, the perfect world or
theatrical spectacles is often portrayed in grey
melodrama, 'backstage musical' and comedy of
heaven on earth embodied in singing and/or dancing
terms, as an utterly passive pastime. But viewing
manners, creating a smooth patchwork that is all
is merely fleeting, ephemeral, illusory, impossible.
and listening are never passive: the body is always
at once (and without too much camp) reminiscent
At its extreme, this thought gives rise to the Dennis
engaged by rhythms and energies, always caught up
of 42nd Street (1933), Fame (1980), A Chorus Line
Potter [Pennies From Heaven, 1981) lesson: the
in an infectious wave of transmitted or
(1985) and The Turning Point [ 1977).
musical ideal is just a dream, and a bad, foolish
communicated feeling. That’s what these riskier
-> Like The Red Shoes, Center Stage evokes the
dream at that.
films about the confusion of art and life are all
delightful imbrication of art and life (power
-> At the other extreme, there are radical musicals
about: grabbing that energy - which may simply
intrigues mirroring classic operatic situations,
in the Jacques Demy (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,
manifest itself at first in a tapping of toes, the
lovers who move together both on and off stage),
1964) tradition, in which the singing and dancing leak
humming of a tune, the excited movement of eyes or
while also addressing the fateful problem of how to
out everywhere, permeating every word, decor,
the quickening of a heartbeat - and taking it along
ultimately untangle them. The film takes on two
gesture, every passage of a body through space:
with you to somewhere else, investing it in the
dominant dance styles - a strict form of classical
Chantal Akerman’s Golden Eighties (1986), set in a
actions and movements of daily life, and thereby
ballet, with its grand tradition, and a looser, free
shopping mall, or Jacques Rivette’s sublime Up
transforming them. Bootmen at least gives us one
version of it inspired by salsa dancers in nightclubs
Down Fragile (1995), whose complicated, Center
terrific set-piece on this theme: the dancers
- and maps this distinction onto two powerful and
Stage-like intrigue is set in motion by a team of
practising their moves and banging out their
treacherous teachers: Reeves (Peter Gallagher,
couriers zipping around a barren Paris-in-August on
rhythms on the industrial, factory machinery they
never better) and Cooper (the charismatic Ethan
mopeds... At least one Australian musical conjures
operate every day.
Stiefel). When it comes time for the final show, it’s
this sort of reverie: Gillian Armstrong's Starstruck
-> The philosopher Gilles Deleuze, on an especially
Cooper's wild and sexy soapie-in-dance that really
(1982), on the cusp of classic Hollywood and MTV
happy day, once proposed: "The cinema is always as
sparks Hytner’s cinematic imagination: like in a
modes, conjures for critic Stuart Cunningham an
perfect as it can be". He was almost right. There is
Busby Berkley number, the stage limits of time and
extended utopia where "life aspires to the condition
only one major problem with cinema as a social
space are magically dissolved and transcended.
of music" in everyday scenes which are "as
institution: audiences are not encouraged to dance
-> What is most wonderful about Center Stage is
exhilarating as any formal production number".
while they watch films. If they were, we would all
its ceaseless flow, its movement, its rhythm - its
-> The 'consumption' of music or movies or
understand movies much better. •
sense of all things as infused with dance (like the wonderful detail of a dancer butting out a cigarette with a classically arched foot). This is what I miss in our MTV-influenced era, when song’n'dance routines burst forth as isolated 'numbers’, rigorously separated as spectacle from the rest of a movie's world. In a way, this disconnection chimes in with one of the chief intuitions of film theory devoted to the musical genre: that the
Where, for little Billy Elliot, dance is a way to release the inner fire of frustrated rage, to literally smash through the walls of social confinement, Aussie dancers tend to have a somewhat more matter-of-fact, less romantic approach to personal overcoming.
intense, ecstatic, emotional release, and - even
CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [1 3 ]
In a cinema not so far away There’s a brave new world of digital broadcasting just * “ around the corner but Angus Fontaine reports as far as the cinema industry is concerned, everyone just wants to know who’s going to foot the bill. They say cinem a is up fo r grabs. But the fate of 21 st century filmmaking was probably decided a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. It was June 1,1977 and George Lucas was sitting in a diner on Hollywood Boulevard morosely picking over a cooling burger and fries while over the road, at Mann’s Chinese Theatre, Star Wars was having its premiere. Having endured a mutinous shoot and harrowing edit, Lucas was dreading the reaction to the film he had taken to calling “a $10 million dollar trailer”. At best, he thought, Star Wars would gross “eight, maybe ten million”. But one thing, he thought, was for sure: mass humiliation was in the post and his reputation as a director in ruins. -> Five months and US$193.5 million later, Lucas
Hollywood's ongoing belief in the power of
2002 w ill form the insipidly twinkling showpiece for
technology over poetry.
the bold new era of digital projection.
-> Lucas's contemporaries were appalled. Robert
-> For many in the industry digital broadcasting is a
Altman called it "the death of film ” . Martin Scorsese
natural progression. In a world where the new Sony
railed against Lucas’ claim that Star Wars' success
Playstation 2 comes equipped with a phone line,
subsidised smaller filmmakers. "They're not
internet access, and a DVD video player with high
subsidising everything else," he said. "They're
resolution graphics, the imminent arrival into
smothering everything.”
cinemas of digital projectors controlled by a central
-> As William Friedkin [The French Connection} told
broadcaster shouldn't surprise anyone. It's a
journalist Peter Biskind in his book Easy Riders,
wonderful life but it's a wireless world.
had changed his tune. His vapid space opera - which
Raging Bulls, Lucas "swept all the chips off the
-> The advantages of digital are manifold. To a
as he initially put it, was “the story of Mace Windu, a
table. What happened with Star Wars was like when
director, one of the prime attractions is that it allows
revered Jedi-bendu of Opuchi who was related to
McDonalds got a foothold, the taste for good food
pronto playback (no more 'waiting for rushes'),
Usby C.J. Thape, padawaan learner of the famed
just disappeared," he raged. "Now we're in a period
thereby allowing filmmakers to view footage
Jedi" - had surpassed Steven Spielberg's Jaws to
of devolution. Everything has gone backward toward
immediately it is recorded and alleviating the need to
become the biggest money-maker of all time.
a big sucking hole."
-> Lucas quickly became arguably the most
-> Twenty-three years on, everything still sucks. But
recall crews to re-shoot the same scene weeks or months later at cost.
powerful man in Hollywood, capable of demanding -
nowadays there's a new pie in the sky. It's called
and getting - an unprecedented 77 percent of the
‘digital broadcasting'. This 'floater' looms larger
gross of all sequels, not to mention the
than Darth’s Death Star and once more it is piloted
and width of lense, critical stuff when you’re putting
merchandising and video rentals. Even when it was
by George Lucas, the man who once said that
a film together and which until now has been laboriously taken down by hand.
Digital cameras also have special built-in channels for recording data, such as focus position
re-released in 1997, the Star Wars trilogy grossed
“emotionally involving the audience is easy... get a
another US$250 million and today it is estimated to
little kitten and have some guy wring its neck."
have earned upwards of US$3 billion dollars, most of
-> The digital ship of industry was until recently
represents a further dilution of the filmmaker's art.
it syphoned into George's geek wonderland in the
hovering over Fox Studios Australia, where Lucas
Animated movies aside, the digital imagery we’ve
California foothills - a sprawling totem to New
was shooting Episode II - which when released in
seen so far has been criticised by many
[ U ] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
However, for some directors the loss of celluloid
Still, it’s early days. And you’ve got to make Plan 9 From Outer Space before you can attempt 2001: A Space Odyssey.
cinematographers as being "too clean’ and ‘cold to
and pretty soon we’ll see a lot of merging between
some studios are progressing. Some are not.”
the point of sterile'. -> Lucas's use of digital imagery in Star Wars:
the two mediums."
-> Hoyts has begun investing heavily in studies into
-> While he admits digital images at this stage tend
different types of projectors, their longevity and
Episode I drew widespread criticism from not only
to look “too clean and crisp", Giles says that both
maintenance, says Johnson. "But taking into account
purists who saw their craft being eroded by
filmmakers and audiences will adjust. "You've got to
the number of screens around the world and the
machines but by audiences who craved the comfort
remember that this is first generation technology
that comes with watching a large man in a Wookie
and it w ill get better very fast. The resolution will
| number of exhibitors, particularly in the US, who are
suit rather than a clunky animation like Jar Jar Binks.
improve, the confusion over pixilation ratios and
| who's going to pay for it?"
-> Still, it's early days. And you've got to make Plan
aspect ratios of film w ill get ironed out and the skills
| -> At the moment it's a Mexican stand-off between
9 From Outer Space before you can attempt 2001: A
used on film cameras and digital cameras w ill cross
j the chicken and the egg. A digital projector is
Space Odyssey. -> "One of the main disadvantages at this stage is
over. People said that radio was going to die when
j expected to retail for upwards of $250,000 compared
television came in, too.”
| with a traditional projector which costs $30,000. The
that digital film doesn't have the resolution of
-> But as sure as good w ill triumph over evil in Star
35mm," says Peter Giles, Head of Digital Media at
Wars, digital cinema is coming - and fast. Disney
the Australian Film, Television and Radio School.
Studios have already committed to 100 percent
in financial trouble, the biggest question is still
price of the equipment won’t come down until the number of people buying them goes up. However, i after that initial expenditure, the projected savings in
"With such a low resolution and high rate of
digital content by the end of 2002 and all the major
compression, the high definition images on digital
Australian exhibitors are beavering away on re
salivating into their popcorn.
are going to be inferior. And if you were shooting a
search estimating what it w ill cost to implement the
-> Studios w ill win in production costs and
very sophisticated FX sequence today you’d have no
digital systems while duelling with the studios and
development and a central broadcaster w ill negate
choice but to shoot on 65mm to achieve that look."
distributors as to who's going to cough up the cash.
the need to supply multiple prints to worldwide
-> Giles says the AFTRS w ill be conducting trials
-> "There is no question that the technology will
distributors. They, in turn, w ill win on freight costs.
later in the year where students shoot the same
come about," says Paul Johnson, managing director
The estimated savings involved in shipping six DVD
switching to digital are enough to have everyone
scenes using digital technology and traditional film
of Hoyts, "but there are so many factors that need
discs weighing 200g compared with six canisters of
and then matching them up. “A lot of people on the
to be considered. One is that all the studios have got
film weighing 30kg are clearly stupendous. And just
cinematography side w ill remain committed to film
to make a unified decision that they’re going to
as a medium but I think people w ill adjust and adapt
release their films in digital format. On that front
wait until they’re beamed in via optical fibre cables j or satellite. Then there’s the longevity of digital film CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [15]
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“ It’s an expensive transition and while there are going to be huge reductions in transport and shipping, in the end it’s the pre sentation that matters. No one is going to go down the digital road until it’s watertight.”
Canada which was recently acquired by Electrohome. Qualcom, a satellite communications company at the cutting edge of inscription, compression, decompression and transfer via satellite, struck a deal late last year with Kodak, which after many years "in denial” has realised that change is imminent and so invested significant time and resources into the new hardware. -> Lucas’ approach to film-making fits nicely with the Canadian tech company Christie, which fell over itself to supply the director with a Roadster X4 digital projector for the shooting of Episode II. -> To Lucas, the Roadster X4 digital projector fit
Robert Slaviero, Managing Director, Twentieth Century Fox.
perfectly with his vision of the digital cinema of the future. For an obsessive post-production guru like Lucas, this is perfect. He can view dailies immediately and move on with minimal interaction with his actors or crew - the two components of filmmaking he is least comfortable with. -> Lucas may be a ’pioneer’ in the digital age but he remains an insular man who, it is easy to forget, has only directed four feature films in 30 years - TFIX 1138, American Graffiti, Star Wars and The Phantom Menace. -> Famous for his habit of plunking the camera down on sticks and shooting what goes on in front of it, Lucas’ kit-bag of moves for actors reputedly contains just two instructions: "OK, same thing, only better" and "Faster, more intense." And as a writer, Lucas falls somewhere between Barbara Cartland and The Jetsons. The "inexorable mumbo-jumbo" endured by the first ObiWan Kenobi, Alec Guiness, must surely
which allows longer runs in cinemas.
the introduction of films on
-> “We're watching the US very closely,” says Robert
DVD may open the floodgates to
Slaviero, MD of Twentieth Century Fox distributors,
mass piracy.
“and from what we’ve seen it looks like we’ve got
-> “ It’s a very serious concern," says
about two years to put the pieces in place. From our
Scott. "If I can send my Visa details
perspective, the timing has got to be right. It’s an
down the line to conduct an
expensive transition to make and while there are
ecommerce transaction and feel safe in
going to be huge reductions in transport and
doing so then there will be better minds
shipping, in the end it’s the presentation that
than mine capable of transporting movie
matters. And no one is going to go down the digital
content with a high level of security".
road until it’s watertight.”
-> Slaviero concurs. "With the amount of piracy
now be wearing thin with the second, Ewan McGregor. However, it was Harrison Ford who famously summed up Lucas’s idea of poetry in cinema: “George, you can type this shit, but you sure can’t say it.” -> Yet, it is the fact that Lucas is not a director’s director - like his generational nemeses Scorsese and Coppola - that the success of digital broadcasting rests on his shoulders. Ideas haven’t been currency in Hollywood since Brando was buff. And if you want
-> Central to the issue of digital broadcasting is
taking place in Asia at the moment, anything is going
to get the folks into the cinemas you’ve got to go big
achieving an equilibrium between studios,
to be an improvement. At the moment there are big
- big stars, big budgets, big explosions, big tits, big
distributors and exhibitors as to who subsidises who
leaps being taken in equipping digital discs with
concepts.
and by how much.
different methods of inscripted coding that w ill go a
-> It’s like Lee Marvin said - money talks and
-> "It’s a matter of the wealth being distributed
long way to protecting a film ’s distribution."
bullshit walks. The general consensus is that within
correctly,” says Russell Scott, head of Entertainment
-> While Lucas has chosen us as his testing ground
the next 12 to 24 months we can expect digital
Technology Imaging Systems at Greater Union.
for digital filming, Australia is far from a pioneer in
projectors in cinemas for, at least, advertising and
-> "The biggest challenge to digital broadcasting is
this field. Most of the action is in the US, Europe and
corporate presentation purposes. Greater Union has already made the moves in this direction by
going to be getting the infrastructure right. There
Japan. In the past 12 months there has been a frenzy
are a lot of people in the cinema industry food chain
of dramatic acquisitions as big companies snap up
installing 4x3m screens in metropolitan railway
who have their own agendas but you’ll find the bottom
small-time manufacturers capable of delivering
stations in Sydney carrying advertising sent down the
line is most people are only going to be keen to
digital projectors for the boom they see as imminent.
line from a unit in Sydney’s west.
embrace technology if it’s going to save them money.
-> The biggest mover has been the Toronto-based
-> From there expect a t-commerce revolution.
-> "The studios and distributors w ill make big
firm IMAX, which, according to Forbes magazine,
Multi-screen sports events allowing you to flick to
savings initially and it w ill be the cinema owners
now owns the company that has the strongest
any player or zone on the field. Interactive lifestyle
incurring all the costs. Now, until they get the cost
relationship with Texas Instruments, maker of the
shows where Bert Newton tells you the only way to
structure right there w ill be a lot of cinema owners
chips that are becoming “the most accepted by
acquire that exquisite porcelain china dildo is to
reticent about adopting a new form of technology
Flollywood". Texas projection systems are currently
press a button on your remote and enter your credit
when it's ten times more expensive than the tech
being trialled in 30 cinemas across the US.
card details. And cinemas worldwide premiering films that within 24 hours w ill be seen from Berlin to
nology they already have in place. So there has to be
-> Among the other companies planning to begin
a re-distribution of savings so it works for everyone.”
marketing production units before the end of 2000
Bermagui and West Hollywood to Wangaratta.
-> Also pertinent is security. Most industry insiders
are Barco of Belgium which has teamed with
-> But by then we’ll be ready for the comeback of
believe that with the black market for films thriving,
German firm Peniton, and Christie Systems of
Beta VCRs anyway. •
[16] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
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ST KILDA FILM FESTIVAL CALL FOR ENTRIES • MAY - JUNE 2001 SHORT FILM COMPETITION plus
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EMuVi - Electronic Music Video Competition & FUSION - live perform anee+film Closing date Friday 2 February 2001 • Phone (03) 9209 6699 Fax (03) 9209 6634 St Kilda 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
Australian animation history will be made this Christmas with the release of Norman Lindsay’s The Magic Pudding. Animation director Robbert Smit details how the much loved children’s book came to life in celluloid.
It w as no surprise Norman Lindsay’s much-coveted book The Magic Pudding was packed full of drama. An Australian classic with many layers of public acceptance and individual interpretations, it was a wild beast just waiting to be realised for the cinema. One October morning in 1997 the giant oak doors to the Sydney’s Mitchell Library were opened and the film’s key creatives and me were asked to be seated in a room reminiscent of another age. A pristine young librarian walked in carrying a book [18] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
that could have anchored the Titanic. Deliberately she placed it on the table before us and with white gloved hands she slowly started to turn the pages to hundreds of original Norman Lindsay drawings. From that moment we knew we had something big to consider and evaluate.
Zwicky, a working animation script and a new villain were developed. -> Unlike most animated scripts, this script was scrutinised by storyboard artists and animators who massaged and developed the characters before passing notes and scribbles back to the writers, who then re worked the written version. This was a time-consuming but essential part of the script pre-production process.
-> Popular children's author Morris Gleitzman’s
In addition, we animators compiled an animatic tape
script adaptation started the ball rolling. It was a
of the entire 82-minute film, a complete storyboard
masterful interpretation of character and dialogue,
edited to dialogue, and rough song sequences. It
modified to please a modern and discerning public.
was an invaluable tool to check story points, character
With the help of additional writers headed by Karl
development and dramatic content.
-> So many times I have seen adaptations of well-
character profiles became an essential part of the
by computer rather than the more traditional hand-
known public properties totally changed from their
painted style. Sceptical at first of this decision, I have
original intention. But why change something the
"model packâ&#x20AC;? . -> A rigorous schedule of more than 1200 complex
to admit my initial fears quickly disappeared when I
public knows and loves? We ensured the established
layouts had to be produced. A team of 12 people took
saw the results that were emerging. The paint
characters remained true to their origin, and any
six months to produce the layouts detailing camera
palettes and subtle light sources that were achieved
new characters were treated in a way that could
moves, directorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notes and SFX instructions, in
in digital camera and paint box soon outshone the
plausibly come from a Norman Lindsay drawing. We
addition, the background stylisation and design work
more traditional ways in both quality and time.
used many of Lindsay's other works as inspiration to
commenced. Headed by the highly creative Kelly
-> We used Energee's E-Paint and the Toonz
finalise the exhaustive process of final character,
Wallwork and Helen Steele the team sought to
platforms for this production. Every drawing had to
prop and background design. A new character, the
capture accurately the light and subtleties of the
be scanned, painted and composited to 300 DPI
villainous Uncle Buncle went through many changes
Australian landscape. Beautiful backgrounds
resolution. Keep in mind that our images had to
emerged. -> It was decided that backgrounds should be created
withstand enlarging to a wide screen cinema format
and finally came into being using some of Lindsay's anti-establishment inspired characters. Well-defined
- ah, the unforgiving large screen. Each scene in one CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [19]
Smit’s team created a character for the film, Incle Buncle, which didn’t exist in Norman Lindsay’s book. above: Uncle Buncle started out as a human character, below: By March 99 Uncle Buncle had morphed into a giant, one-shoe-wearing dog-like beast.
Finally Uncle Buncle might consider pulling up his dacks.
With character’s voices and Chris Harriet’s music recorded, and all pre-production in place, the massive task of animation started. With all our available local talent already engaged elsewhere we had difficulty staffing this production.
way or another had special effect requirements -
techniques can be created but are time consuming
deadline requirements, something we did not want
The Magic Pudding's transitions, Uncle Buncle’s
and costly. A production of The Magic Pudding's size
to do. Fil-cartoon and Akom did most of this work,
underground light sources, rain and mist effects.
has no alternative but to consider all these digital
not an easy task with language and cultural
Many of these were developed by an in-house
requirements, as they have a big impact on budget
differences in interpreting Australian
special effects team. All 3D components were
and timing. At times there were more than 30 levels
characterisation and lip sync requirements. 1spent
created by Digital Pictures using their inferno
in a single scene to composite, unheard of or largely
many months overseas briefing animators. Line
facilities with an uncompromising and dedicated
impossible in more traditional methods.
tests were sent back and forth via the web and
team.
-> With character's voices and Chris Harriet’s music
edited to dialogue for final adjustments and
-> Mostly 1love the new digital media although 1
recorded and all pre-production in place, the
approvals.
sense a visual uniformity. Often line variations or
massive task of animation started. With all our
-> The pressures of producing more than 8000 feet
styles so easily achieved in traditional hand painted
available local talent already engaged elsewhere we
of animation were enormous and pushed a lot of us
methods now suffer from having to be computer-
had difficulty staffing this production. Overseas
to the limits. Kylie Andrews and Ed Trost carried
friendly. The broken line look or soft pencil
animation companies had to be employed to meet
most of the production brunt, daily monitoring and
[20] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
Albert the magic pudding emerges...
The many faces of Possum, Wombat and the dreaded Uncle Buncle circa 98.
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In all his glory
below left and right: First the back drop then... featuring town mayor Dobson Dawkins, Bunyip, Sam Sawnoff and Bill Barnacle, this scene was left on the cutting room floor.
frustrated by the lack of funding and conservative film strategies (but that's another story). -> I even notice a large gap between the traditional animators (myself included] and the digital breed of scheduling were an essential part of keeping the
this production started to come together.
animators. It seems not much interaction has
production on course. Approved animated scenes
-> Credit goes to Energee Entertainment's Gerry
occurred. The Magic Pudding has opened some eyes
were then scanned and digital ink and paint
Travis for acquiring the rights to The Magic Pudding,
and a greater understanding and appreciation has
commenced.
raising the capital and trusting the abilities of his
emerged. There are so many people I would like to
-> Excitement mounted as we saw our first coloured
selected team. Not many animated feature length
mention that have contributed to this massive
rushes with backgrounds intact. Compositors and
films are made in this country. Consequently
project. Steven Doric, Cindy Bower, Danny Fowley, Tim Pieman and Jo Boag, are among the people with
editors were now in full swing, screenings at Atlab,
production teams and personnel do not get the
film printing at Cinevex, track laying with
opportunity to get formulated with a cohesive and
exceptional skills and have made what we now see
Phil Sound and many other integral processes of
ongoing industry network. Cohesion is further
as The Magic Pudding. • CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [21]
How good are our digital to film transfers? The proof is in the pudding.
At AAV, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very proud to have completed the digital to film transfer for the new animation epic The Magic Pudding. It was a transfer that ensured that the beautifully detailed images that the animators saw on their monitors, were completely identical to what they saw on the big screen. But please donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take our word for it. Go catch The Magic Pudding and see the evidence for yourself.
AAV Australia
Money changes everything Even history
the getting of wisdom, kick gurry viewers were at the filmmaker’s mercy
renewed interest in the Holocaust and
our boys’ were mowed down? I know
Andrew Dominik’s Chopper raises a
and they worried about the "thought
made the world aware of Oskar
only what I’ve seen in Peter Weir’s
serious question to those of us in the
reshaping potential" of the film even
Schindler. But where should the line
film, so a great responsibility lies with
-> The popular release of director
film industry: is truth a critical part of
though Stone did not place a
be drawn? The film does not claim to
Weir to protect the truth of the story.
filmmaking? The film is great,
disclaimer on the film claiming that it
be a documentary, it is an
Or should I just be more discerning,
(Eric Bana you rock), but it is an
was a true story.
interpretation of a novel based on a
and see it as an interpretation? But
interpretation of a real man’s life and
-> JFK stimulated considerable
true story. The changes do not alter
doesn’t this lessen the impact of the
thus must be judged as more than a
discussion about the obligations of
the central premise of the film; the
story for me as a viewer?
filmmakers in recreating historically-
central story of this man’s fight against
->The Holocaust is a fascinating
the injustices taking place. Is it just the
example, because soon there w ill be
great film and brilliant propaganda...
premise of a true story that is
no living survivors. The memories w ill
all film artists create works with points
important, or is it the finer details?
be passed on to family descendants,
of view and should be judged as such,
-> Shine - pianist David Helfgott’s life
historians and artists to be kept alive.
fiction. I think it was Charlie Chaplin who once said, “there are more valid
I based works. Some argued it was a
facts and details in works of art than there are in history books". -> Many films claim - for different reasons perhaps - to represent the
j They argued that controlling a
truth, but when I looked closely at
filmmaker’s point of view is
some of my favourite films I learned
censorship, basically arguing that art
that maybe I need to be a little more
and journalism do not share the same
discerning when sitting in my favourite
obligations. But why not? This is where
red velvet seat.
the filmmaker’s dilemma lies. Most
-> World cinema today has split in two.
viewers without knowledge of the
There are many films, particularly in
subject matter are going to take on
the US studio system, which are purely
board the filmmaker's view. This, I
commercial ventures, only concerned
guess, is both a blessing and a curse
with box office. Then there are those
for filmmakers. Stone obviously
Also of importance is our own sorry history of a “stolen generation” of Aboriginal children. Either for legal or moral reasons the current ignorant and racist federal government won’t apologise, and continues to play down the issue.
films made by the people who consider
believes the US government killed
themselves artists and storytellers.
JFK. His role as a moviemaker gives
story, based on a book written by his
In this case, it is important to remain
Most films sit somewhere in the
him a powerful tool to promote his
wife, was deeply criticised by David’s
as close to the facts as possible, to
theory.
sister. She argues the film completely
ensure the reality of the Holocaust is
middle, maybe leaning to one side. However, the question remains: should
misrepresents their family, particularly
passed on truthfully.
film - it combines fact with fiction.
their father who the film, in part,
->Also of importance, is our own sorry
Steven Spielberg did this to great
blames for many of David’s problems.
history of a "stolen generation" of
Is David’s wife’s story truth enough to
Aboriginal children. Either for legal or
[ -> JFK is sometimes called a “faction"
a film compromise its original vision for commercial gain? -> The studios creating entertainment
i effect in Schindler's List. Based on a
for financial success are usually
i
true story by Australian writer,
base a "true story" on? I believe
moral reasons the current ignorant
dealing with subject matter not unlike
Thomas Keneally, who interviewed
essentially yes, it’s her story of what
and racist federal government won't
fairytales, usually putting an average
nearly 50 survivors of the Holocaust
happened, although does anyone doubt
apologise, and continues to play down the issue. We have a people here who
person into an extreme situation
| saved by Schindler, Spielberg’s film
that David, after shitting in the bath,
(.Armageddon, Con Air, Die Hard, Star
i did not stick directly to the book. The
was whipped with a wet towel by his
have been treated shamefully and
Wars, Lethal Weapon, MJ-2]. But it is
character of Itzhak Stern, Schindler’s
father? I don’t, and I base that entirely
white Australia hasn't formally
the other true storytelling genre that
Jewish accountant (Ben Kingsley), is
on the film.
apologised or acknowledged it. This
presents the more important moral
actually a collection of real characters
-^Another interesting type of film is
must be done soon or we may lose the
challenge. Does a filmmaker have a
rolled into one, an invention of the
that which tells a fictional story yet is
truth of what really happened - in my
responsibility to stay true to the story
screenwriter, Steven Zaillian.
set against a real, historical backdrop.
view, a government policy of cultural
when recreating it for the screen? Or
Spielberg used this character as
Hugely successful in Australia,
genocide.
is the story open to the filmmaker’s
Schindler's conscience; he used his
Gallipoli won nine AFI awards and is
->We must know the facts and we
interpretation?
directorial licence to make the story
now used in schools and universities
must stick closely to them, ensuring
-> One of the best examples is Oliver
more appealing to the viewer.
as a representation of the Gallipoli
all Australians know what really
Stone's JFK. Stone acknowledged he
Although only minimal, it is a distortion
landing. Did Australian soldiers have a
happened.
took dramatic licence with JFK. Due to
within a film dedicated to maintaining
stronger ’mateship’ with each other
the audience’s naivety about the facts
the memory of the Holocaust.
than the British and were the British
surrounding the case, critics argued
Through his film, Spielberg sparked
really sipping tea on another cove as
AFTER MAKING HIS BIG SCREEN SPLASH EARLY THIS YEAR, ACTOR KICK GURRY IS STILL LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI.
CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [23]
P h o to g ra p h y b y P h ilip Le M a s u rie r
■ Her name is synonymous with the Australian film industry. For more than 25 years she ran the representation and management agency Hilary Linstead and Associates. Having sold the company, re-named HLA, these days she works there as a consultant in a reduced capacity with a few key clients. One of those clients is Dein Perry, founder of the Tap Dogs dance troupe, creator of the stage show Steel City and co-creator of Tap Dogs and recently director of the feature film Bootmen, on which Linstead acted as producer. ■ Bootmen is not Linstead’s first producer’s credit on a feature film but it’s the credit she’d prefer everyone remembered. ■ In 1983 she number-crunched director Ned Lander’s children’s film Molly. Starring Claudia Karvan, Ruth Cracknell and Garry McDonald, Molly was about a singing dog. Before that there was Phillip Noyce’s Heatwave which was accepted into director’s week at the Cannes Film Festival. ■ Linstead says the early 80s was a very long time ago, “I didn’t know what I was doing in those days. With Heatwave all I did was package and cast it. I did raise the money but it was 10BA days when it wasn’t that hard. The kids’ film called Molly I had a soft spot for, but it didn’t really work.”
CP: So creative input is the key? HL: Absolutely, that's the only interesting part of it. Raising money’s not fun. CP: So how did you come to suggest Dein Perry make Bootmen? HL: I had a hunch he would be a filmmaker, that he would make a film film, that it wouldn't be talking heads. The fact that he’s a choreographer, movement and rhythm are essential to his work. I think it’s really important in films and I also know he sees pictures. CP: Who actually penned the script? HL: Dein, Steve Worland and I wrote the story and Steve wrote the screenplay. CP: How did that collaborative process work? HL: Dein was mostly away with Steet City for the first two years that we were working on the script, so it was difficult. I had to keep ringing him up in the States. It wasn't until the last six months that he actually became very active and he knew where we were at. CP: What was your input? HL: Just the story and editing. CP: Is Bootmen your first script? HL: With a story credit, yes. The thing is there were 12 people in front of the camera and behind the camera that had never done a film before. CP: Well, how did you, as the producer, get
Cinema Papers: So that was enough already?
[2 4 ] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
$8 million dollars to put the project together?
Hilary Linstead: I thought (producing) was too hard
HL: You've got to make the script and the package
and I also thought it wasn't much fun. People want
attractive enough that investors think they have a
producers to be business people sitting there
shot at making a profit.
number crunching and I didn't want to do that. I'm perfectly prepared to do the job of raising the money
CP: What were the key elements to the Bootmen project?
because that's what you've got to do but I didn't
HL: The key element was unequivocally Dein’s
want to stop there. I wanted to be part of the
(reputation). It worked both for and against him. He
production in a real way with some reasonable
had a track record of success with Tap Dogs which
expectation of being a creative producer.
was one positive. However, the fact that he'd never
directed anything was an extremely big negative. So there was a lot of persuading required but I suppose I thought there've been other first time directors who’ve brought it off, why not him? And this is at least something where the territory was very familiar. I knew the dance would be spectacular, i had a hunch that he could do it and he really wanted to direct it and we had wonderful help in terms of the actors. I have been a casting director for a very long time so people tend to trust me about talent, so maybe that’s a help. CP: Your long history in the industry must have accounted for something.
^ONEW I N OF 10 COPIES
HL: Maybe. I can’t tell you what hard work it is, it doesn’t matter you could just be a tired old number and be put out to grass. (A history] doesn’t
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necessarily work for you. -> You asked me how did I convince investors. Steve Mason who shot Strictly Ballroom seemed to be a likely person to shoot the dance. (Editor) Jane Moran I picked because she was a protégé of Jill Bilcock’s and had worked
Over 300 new entries
with her a great deal. So it’s the whole package with you as the conduit saying I'm convinced the sum of the parts - though it contains weaknesses, they’re balanced by strengths. For example, Kerry Walker, our drama coach,
Over 15,000 videocassette, 8,000 laserdisc and 2,000 DVD listings
who worked with the boys. When they said 'None of the boys are actors’. So you say 'Well, they’ve got to be excellent dancers, we w ill work with them and I think it w ill be fine’. Of course I was nervous but I thought 'nothing ventured, nothing gained’. You never get anywhere if you just do what people have done before. CP: After working together for many years you must have a very close relationship with Dein. HL: I wouldn’t have agreed to produce it if I hadn't. CP: How did you keep the other side of your business going when you were working on Bootmenl HL: I took a sabbatical. I don’t own the agency anymore and I haven’t for some years. (These days) I look after Wendy Harmer and I sort of take more
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of a manager role with Dein now. As far as the film was concerned we talked
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The thing is there were 12 people in front of the camera and behind the camera that had never done a film before. Hilary Linstead te the co and post v H fe p i| i Leonard Maltin Promoti ox 2043 St Kilda West VIC 3182
about this a lot and we did it as a partnership; I couldn’t move without him and he couldn’t move without me. CP: How did you secure a partnership with Fox Searchlight? HL: I went to America and saw Lindsay Law (president, Fox Searchlight) and invited him to a Tap Dogs performance. (The show) was a huge success in Los Angeles so that was the first thing but then when I took the treatment to them
Q: How many new entries are in Leonard M altin’s 2001 Movie & Video Guide?
they didn’t like it, so that sent me into a decline. That’s what I always used to tell clients ‘don’t go to the studio, don’t go to anybody until you’re good and
A:__________________________________________________________________ __
ready because you only get one go.’. I knew I’d gone too prematurely. CP: So why did you go?
MR/MRS/MS
HL: Because I made a mistake. The show was on and I wanted to follow it up and so you make the mistake of going too soon. So then I went away and I didn’t go back for 18 months. I didn’t go near anybody until we worked and
COMPANY
worked and worked on the screenplay and (completed) many, many, many drafts and on and on and on trying to refine it down. Then you put it out there
ADDRESS
and I did get good feedback from not just Fox, so we had a little flurry happening. The Film Finance Corporation came on at that stage with 50 percent of the money. • Michaela Boland POSTCODE
STATE
PHONE (BH)
Bootmen is currently screening. See Michael Bodey’s review in Cinema Papers 134.
EMAIL Entries dose 5pm Wednesday December 7. The firs t 10 correct entries drawn w ill win a copy of Leonard M altin's 2001 Movie & Video Guide. W inners w ill be notified by m ail and announced in the Feb/March 2001 issue of Cinema Papers.
Mark Spratt, the director of independent distribution company, Potential Films, is awaiting the outcome of an appeal to the censorship board. With a decision due any
«Égil
moment he is anxiously checking his watch and reaching for his mobile phone. ■ No stranger to controversy, Spratt made front page news in January with his attempts to release Catherine Breillat’s sexually explicit film Romance. Originally banned by the censors, Romance was given an R rating on appeal. ■ Spratt’s latest release The Color of Paradise, an Iranian film from the director of Children of Heaven, was classified M but Potential’s release strategy depends on a PG rating. This is the decision he is waiting for. ■ Spratt is attending the Krnnual Movie Convention for r distributors and exhibitor^on Queensland’s Gold C oa|t while the 1 censorship board deliberates in I Sydney^notherlconvention guest just happens to be the bbardji recentlfiippoint|d chairman Des Lciark. ■ Aiformer Mayo||of Melbourne and former Chair of the Melbourne Film Festival, Clark an<t Spratt have never met. ■ Cinema Papers thought it might be interesting to introduce them and Michaela Boland recorded the following exchange. -> Spratt: When you came to the job in April i remember reading an interview with you in The Sydney Morning Herald and it sounded to me like you wanted to stay out of the limelight. -> Des comments that he doesn't believe he should enter public debate about contentious censorship issues because, as a bureaucrat, his job is at board level where he casts the deciding vote. -> Spratt: That worries me a little bit and it was also worrying me at the time because there were so many new and inexperienced people on the board. There were a lot of people who really had no knowledge of the history of films, how films like that had been classified and how they'd fit in to the general scheme of things. I think following guidelines, as some of the classifiers obviously did with Romance, is just not an approach you can take. There’s got to be a broader understanding of the placement of the film within the film-going community. Certainly there's all sorts of church groups and people who write letters and so on with very strong agendas but they’re not necessarily filmgoers. {The board members) might think (these people) represent community standards which is not necessarily the case. Clark: Everyone has an opinion about censorship,., let me assure you, but (it's a debate) I'm not part of w because I’m the person applying the act. (My personal
PAPÈRS.OCTOBER. NOVEMBER. 2000
I've been there and I've observed their level of experience but they're there because they represent the broad spectrum of the community, not the film industry. They come from every state and territory, they have a broad range of life experience and they are there because they’ve been appointed to do community service. -> Spratt: I think they always were like that but there was this feeling when the Howard government came
There are too many inexperienced people in your office trained to apply these increasingly prescriptive guidelines and I think they might forget the common sense approach of ‘Where does the film generally sit?’
Mark Spratt
in that the OFLC needed to (be) purged. Somebody said somewhere that we don’t need all these film experts on the classification board. What I’ve been worried about is that there’s this expectation that classification represent the community but it's coming from some community that I don’t know. It’s an idealised, very conservative community with a religious base. I think there’s an expectation from the government that they should be far more restrictive. -> Clark: That's not my experience of members of the
opinion is irrelevant). By law the application of
be getting longer all the time. There are too many
Board or of any experience of the office's relations
guidelines is what I’m required to do. As the
inexperienced people in your office trained to apply
with the government because we're an independent
guidelines change of course I'll vote differently. So you
these increasingly prescriptive guidelines and l think
society who have been charged with the job. The
can’t say, well, there’s a film buff community and the
they might forget the common sense approach of
members of the Board are certainly not political in any
other community' because that wouldn’t be right. At
‘Where does the film generally sit?’
way and they are from the community. They have a
the end of the day it’s our leaders who are going to
For example, a new action film comes along to UIP
range of ages; some of them are quite young in their
make the decision about that.
and there’s some level of violence they might think
20s and 30s. The majority are female and I think that
So that’s the tough part of it because in a sense you
(deserves) an MA. I don’t know why I’m arguing about
makes a bit of a difference in that they take quite a
don’t bring a personal position to the job, although
UIP. Whereas if they look back at other films that
strong view of (gender issues).
have been released in the last few years and people
-> Boland: So there is bias?
are quite happy with that kind of film as an M.
-> Clark: I don't think it's a bias. I would think their
prevail. This takes into consideration a film’s artistic
-> Clark: Well, on the issue of inexperience they're
attitudes are usual for women.
merit and the rights of adults to chose to see and
actually experienced now. -> Boland: How recently would that ‘inexperienced’
-> Spratt: So far in your experience you haven’t felt
tag have been justified? -> Clark: Up until three months ago. That’s only since
Senate to act in any particular way or take a
everyone has their own life experience and values. Spratt: But your classifiers can allow section 11 to
hear what they want. Clark: Well that’s what some of them w ill do. Spratt: There must be guidelines but they seem to
any pressure coming from the government or the particular stance? CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [2 7 ]
-> Clark: I consider it to be part of the professional development for the Board. We have regular standards discussions so if there’s an element in films or magazines then everybody decides where it’s going to fit. So everybody has a debate around common experience regardless of where they personally sit. Same with particular issues that come up. Some of the ethnic communities, particularly the Arabic Council, are concerned with stereotyping of Arabic people in movies, especially American movies. That’s a big issue for the community so we’ll have someone
The members of the board are certainly not political in any way and they are from the community. They have a range of ages; some of them are quite young in their 20s and 30s.
Des Clark
Baise-moi
¡s the story of two marginalised French prostitutes (one of them has been raped), who go on a destructive tour of sex and violence. It breaks norms and shatters the complacency of polite cinema audiences. Known as a Thelma and Louise for the next generation, the title translates to 'Rape Me’. It stars Raffaela Anderson and Karen Lancaume.
from the Ethnic Communities Council come in and talk
banning it subsequently restricted their capacity to
about those stereotyping issues and how they fit in
sell it.
with the classification process. When (making] a decision you say which line in the guidelines applies
Spratt: No, it’s been sold to a lot of European territories. I haven’t got it yet but I am planning to
but yes, personal values can influence. The
re-release In the Realm of the Senses. I don’t know if
expectation (of board members) is that you remove
you’ve seen that.
your values and actually apply what is in the book.
-> Clark: I saw it in the 60s I think, or the 70s, but it
-> Boland: But Mark’s arguing for greater personal
was heavily cut apparently.
interpretation.
-> Spratt: I know the film quite well because I saw it
-> Clark: Obviously people have their life experience
overseas uncut and I've seen the Australian video
that they bring into bear with classification and it has
release that came out a few years later. There were
to be recognised as there but my task is to make them
three cuts made but there is still a lot of explicit sex
as objective as possible and I’m doing that through the
in it, more so than Romance. This got an R rating and
training process.
it’s still available. We’re going to look at it and make
-> Clark: The Senate Estimates is where the elected
-> Spratt: The other thing about the guidelines is
a decision, we could make the same cuts as were
members have an opportunity to scrutinise what you
community standards are a shifting sand and as
previously issued and just put the thing out without
do and what you’re doing; how you spend your money,
someone was saying the other night on network
any reference to the OFLC but probably we shouldn’t
what the proper democratic process is about. All
television now the movies are shown without the
do that. The film’s 25 years old with acknowledged
proper and healthy stuff but that's not pressuring us
fuck language and that cut out of them and it’s
artistic worth and so on, so it’s probably worth a
or making us be accountable.
caused very little stir. Likewise I think one of the
fight. Not just for the publicity campaign but just on
-> Spratt: (Tasmanian independent) Senator
reasons I went as far as I could with Romance. (It
the principal that it’s a very valid work.
Harridine does make very strong demands of officers
contravened the guidelines with the explicit sex and
-> Boland: In terms of a publicity campaign, you can’t
from the OFLC saying, ‘No, I do want this information.
all those kind of things) but I felt this film has
buy the kind of publicity you got free for Romance,
Why isn’t this happening. Can we expect more films
actually been accepted all over the world. This kind
especially if you’re a small distributor.
to be banned?’ He does ask these questions.
of standard in cinema has not so much reached that
-> Clark: I started getting letters of complaint about
-> Clark: Well, that’s his legitimate and proper right to
level it’s actually come back to that level where it
Chopper before it was released. ’How can you possibly
ask those questions and to make us as accountable
was some years ago. I thought this does seem to be
allow this film to be released?’
and open as we should be but that causes me no
accepted by communities and I don’t think Australia
-> Spratt: I certainly never thought the publicity for
problem because that’s why he’s there. He’s doing his
is different to any of these other communities all
Romance would be as big as it was. Certainly I
job and he happens to represent some particular
over the world and well, luckily we sort of achieved
wanted to make the announcement, I thought a few
points of view in the community but we continue to do
the result we wanted.
film critics would say they’d seen the film already
our job as we are compelled to do by the Act of
-> Boland: Des Clark was not part of the
and it should be shown but editorial writers picked
Parliament and from time to time the Senate might
Classification Board at the time of the Romance
up the whole issue.
make some suggestions but they're literally that. They
debate. Have you seen it?
-> Clark: They love it. It's everyone’s business.
have to go to the ministers and the Attorney General
-> Clark: No, I haven’t seen any of your movies (laughs).
-> Boland: How do you feel about everyone telling
to be applied in law but there aren't these informal
-> Spratt: I’d like to distribute (Coralie and Virginie
you how to do your job?
networks of people pushing the Office around at all -
Despentes’) Baise-moi. They're only showing it in
-> Clark: That’s all right that’s why 1like the job
it’s a very open process.
festivals at the moment. Myself and some other
because you've got to manage a whole community of
-> Spratt: The guidelines are open to personal
distributors have asked for tapes but they don’t want
expectations and cut a path through it and that’s
interpretations so in your role if you felt some Board
to send them because of two things: they’re scared of
occasionally complex and difficult.
members were taking an excessively strict view of
the thing being pirated and also that it might get
those guidelines over a period of time is there
seized by customs somewhere.
The Color of Paradise? Spratt heard later that
anything you would say?
-> Clark: But I thought the French government’s
afternoon the board had re-classified it G. •
Wintersleepers
[2 8 ] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
Sex: The Annabel Chong Story
The Color of Paradise
C lient:â&#x20AC;&#x201D; T ie : Agency: Producer:
Rentio Largescreen M&C Saatchi Fiona McGregor
Director: Dogboy
Sunday night after Sunday night they sat
Two years after Diver Dan consumateci his never-ending courtship on SeaChange David Wenham returns to the big screen in Better Than Sex. Michaela Boland observes his latest character is getting it on before audience members have relaxed into their seats.
[3 0 ] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
glued to their tellys in Balwyn, Lindfield, Scarborough and every suburb in-between. ABC viewers in their hundreds of thousands watching the drama of SeaChange unfold. David Wenham was the kinda goofy, detached Diver Dan and Series One focused on his relationship with neurotic judge, Laura. It took an entire season, and lashings of speculation in the women’s magazines, for them to become (te he) romantic. But let’s face it, Pearl Bay hasn’t showcased such electricity since. -> Jump cut to November 2000 when two feature films starring Wenham are theatrically released. The titillatingly titled Better Than Sex and director Stavros Kazantzdis' latest feature Russian Doll. In both of them Wenham's getting, well, quite a bit of action. -> More on Russian Doll later because it's in Better Than Sex that Diver Dan goes down in the first few minutes and more or less stays there, in various permutations, for the duration of the film. Starring opposite Australia’s favourite sex kitten,
Teplitzky. Taking on a role which required six significant sex scenes, very little interaction with other characters and which was staged more or less in a single room, meant both stars needed to be confident in the other's acting ability. Plus "it was a role where both of us had to expose ourselves, literally. So you have to work with somebody you felt comfortable with,” Wenham explains. -> Wenham says they stayed closely with the script, which Porter had helped workshop, and which director Teplitzky confides is based on his own courtship with his partner and mother of his children. -> Despite being personally attached to the story, Wenham says Teplitzky did not attempt to graft his own personality onto Wenham’s characterisation
In Better Than Sex Diver Dan goes down in the first few minutes and more or less stays there, in various permutations, for the duration of the film.
of Josh. -> Teplitzky describes the fast, four-week shoot on a minuscule budget (approx. $1 million) as "a masterclass in acting” and praises his lead actors' performances and good humour off camera. “ David's subtlety and nuance is in keeping with the
Susie Porter, Wenham delivers a funny, fresh and energetic performance and is obviously bouncing off
while Porter was still a uni student. Over a cab sav in St Kilda s Fitzroy street, after
camera. He understands what the camera does in close-up, the point (at which acting) stops being a
Porter's equally laudable characterisation. She's Cin
wrapping for the day on his latest movie (one of five
physical thing and becomes an emotional thing,"
(of course) and he’s Josh. -> He's in town for a few days, they meet and get it
h e ll shoot this year), Wenham explains he didn't see
Teplitzky explains.
on but when he tries to say goodbye he finds himself
period she attended NIDA.
-$■ The other romantic comedy releasing in
unable to leave her apartment (or her bed, bath tub
-> Then "I saw her graduation piece and it amazed
November featuring Wenham is the similarly low-
etc). The duo hold the tension.through the film's 90
me. She played a woman much older than she was
budget feature Russian Doll, co-starring Hugo Weaving and newcomer Natalia Novikova. Wenham’s
Porter for more than 10 years. During some of that
minutes in more or less one room.
at the time and she was astonishing. I thought you
-> Wenham and Porter, natural blood nuts who both
are a really bloody good actor."
character Ethan is a middle class, yamulka-wearing
‘blonded up' for their roles, first met years ago at the
-> Which was just as well because Porter was
father who is cheating on his wife. Ethan further
Hunter Valley Theatre Company, not long after
attached to Better Than Sex before Wenham was
threatens everyone's happiness by dragging his
Wenham had graduated from drama school and
approached by first time w riter/director Jonathan
single best friend into the mess by asking him to CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [3 1 ]
marry the mistress (visa-style) so she can stay in
Wenham also found himself in Cuba later that year,
as well (and) Rob w ill produce,” Wenham explains.
Australia.
so he "sent Laura a postcard".
Yet, in The Bank Wenham is again a romantic lead,
Russian Doll is director Kazantzdis' (nee Andonis
Portraying Father Damien was closer to Wenham's
this time with a twist.
Efthymiou) second feature after his critically panned
usual roles than the romantic leads which have
While not committed to making any particular film
debut, True Love and Chaos, and though it makes for
garnered him the most attention in recent years.
yet, Wenham says he w ill not combine directing with
good viewing, Wenham doesn’t want to talk about it.
"I'm playing characters in a narrower range than I
a starring or feature role. He w ill not produce but he
" Russian Doll was just a little film that I agreed to
have done in the past, which is actually quite new to
might have a hand in developing the script.
appear in and I did,” says the actor of his third
me. I used to be far more of a character actor which,
And no, "it probably wouldn't be a romantic
billing.
strangely enough, is something I feel much more
comedy".
“ It’s Hugo and Natalia's film. I pop up in it,” he
comfortable doing. But this stuff over the past
says and then describes his character as
couple of years, which people associate me more
"unlikeable” and possessing few redeeming
with, is the much sort of straighter stuff.”
qualities.
The David Wenham Project is still some way off because after The Bank he leaves to join compatriot Cate Blanchett in New Zealand on Peter Jackson's top-secret Lord of The Rings trilogy.
-> Refusing to be drawn on how Russian Doll came
But who could forget his menacingly violent
Unlike the Star Wars shoot in Sydney recently,
together, Wenham says, “ it's just sometimes the
portrayal of Brett Sprague in the AFI-winning film
where cast members were denied full shooting
experience can affect your judgment, that's when
The Boys? A role he developed on stage in Sydney
scripts, Wenham has read The Rings script.
you go away..." he shakes his head and doesn't finish
before helping make it into a film.
Presumably secretive plot twists are not a factor of
the sentence.
Wenham co-produced The Boys and his recent
the shoot because, well, the books on which the
project in Melbourne, The Bank, comes from the
films are based have been available for a while now.
An experience he w ill discuss is anchoring Paul Cox's big budget Belgian-funded feature Molokai:
same creative group including producer John
-F Shooting over several years, Jackson is making
The Story of Father Damien, which, after a handful of
Maynard and director Robert Connolly.
the three films concurrently in a production of
successful festival screenings may achieve local distribution.
"This is Robert's film now and in a handful of years it w ill be my turn, I w ill direct for the company
massive proportions. “ I think it w ill be the biggest production I’ll ever be involved with. I don't think you
Making Molokai was a heart-breaking process for
can ever get a bigger budget
director Cox (see Cinema Papers 133, p.22) and an
than that," Wenham says.
experience Wenham found "challenging but
And by now he'd know.
eventually rewarding".
Along with everyone else he
Fresh from the SeaChange set he led a cast
worked long and hard on
including Derek Jacobi, Kris Kristofferson and Peter
Moulin Rouge, slated for a
O'Toole, as he portrayed Belgian national hero and
Christmas release that is
Catholic priest Father Damien. He didn't feel
looking increasingly unlikely.
nervous about leaving SeaChange because he had
He also spent the middle of the
already committed to Molokai and in fact, only heard
year working alongside Joseph
about the series' ratings coup much later, during
Fiennes on Dust.
filming in Hawaii.
Directed by Milcho
Wenham laughs recalling how Diver Dan left
Manchevski, Wenham is back
Pearl Bay ostensibly to work on an island off Cuba.
“Do you think they’ll release this film?” Wenham asks Peter O’Toole in Molokai.
in comfy territory with Dust.
Molokai.
Hands on. Wenham and Porter in Better Than Sex..
T play a pretty rough nasty cowboy, which was refreshing. It was good to get a bit more dirty," he explains. Dust is a kinda boysy film with clever elements
Wenham laughs recalling how Diver Dan left Pearl Bay ostensibly to work on an island off Cuba and Wenham also found himself in Cuba later that year so he “sent Laura a postcard” .
Wenham is hoping w ill come through. “ I call it an eastern western - or a Balkan western as opposed to a spaghetti western. It's a film I don't think has a parallel because it has two narratives in it. An historical narrative which I'm involved in, it's set in Macedonia a 100 years ago and a contemporary story that's set in New York and both of them intertwine throughout - they eventually Russian Doll.
meet up towards the end. "I know no film, the structure of, that's similar. It’ll be a hard one to pull off, I think, but if it achieves it, it w ill be interesting." If it's as interesting as Wenham's career, well, I guess we’ll just have to keep watching. •
[3 2 ] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
The screenplay’s the thing
address this problem. Those who
-> The second important quality
on screen. Our actors, crews and
Australian films usually look great
whinge about stricter guidelines
control device in the Hollywood system
audience and the distributors. The
locations are all world class. So why
governing grants from the public purse
is the existence of conventions or rules
writer is less likely to wander off in a
which govern the script development
new direction that may depart from the
is our share of the local and international box-office dropping?
elsewhere. Until they've established a
process. For instance, there is a
initial concept. Everyone can then be
Locally produced films represented
serious track record, a writer in Los
vocabulary in place which relates to
sure they are making the same movie.
eight percent of home box office
j Angeles receives no such support, and
the structural elements of the
-> This all requires immense
receipts in 1996 but this figure
yet has a very different attitude to their
screenplay: the three acts, the turning
discipline on the part of the writer, who
dropped to three percent of receipts
role within the system.
points, the premise and protagonist.
must endure the sheer labour of
in 1999. Pundits within the industry
-> With their iron-clad work ethic,
These terms provide the basic
constant polishing and re-writing.
complain that the problem lies in the
American writers move quickly to
technical language of the industry and
However in my experience, the best
quality of our scripts. They complain
master the complex technical
ensure that writers and producers can
professionals understand clearly why
our screenplays often go into
requirements of screenwriting and
share ideas while referring to a
they must persevere and toe the line.
production without being fully
remain open to the kind of constructive
developed or polished. In short, our
critique applied by nit-picking studio
scripts are often 'half-baked' and no amount of stars, stunts or sexy camera work can save a half-baked script.
executives and producers. Why? j Because all players recognise their roles within an industrial model that's
The tough laws of Hollywood survival dictate that only the fittest writers survive.
-> I trained in Hollywood as a
been thriving since 1917.
development executive and 'script
-> Compared to our own, the Hollywood
common framework of industry
doctor for studios like Fox and
script selection and development
standards. Without this technical
Warner, as well as for 'boutique'
I process is extremely rigorous. Within
-> The recent joint report by the : Australian Film Commission and the
framework, the screenwriting process
Film Finance Corporation recognised
production houses like Working Title,
the Hollywood system, several
is reduced to an intuitive, playful mess;
Australia spends insufficient funds on
and institutions such as the American
procedures are in place to ensure the
the technical equivalent of finger-
script development. Recent initiatives
Film Institute. Within this system my
highest quality script-writing process.
painting. But what sells tickets is
; from the AFC and the South Australian
usually a finely-honed masterpiece.
; Film Corporation may help, directing
role was to select, edit and develop
| Firstly, the selection of screenplay
screenplays; to shepherd a writer
material is limited to work which has
-> A further quality-control
through anywhere between six, 15 and
been submitted to the producer by
mechanism is the close working tie
even 30 drafts.
I literary agents. These agents efficiently
money into script development and providing tougher selection guidelines i to sort the sheep from the goats.
between the writer and producer,
sort out the duds from the real thing,
which includes a step-by-step plan for
technical precision contributes to a
: identifying writers with a track-record,
the writing and re-writing process. The
much finer screenplay. In this country
j from eager wannabes who have not yet
writer may first offer a detailed
however, three drafts is often the
| ‘paid their dues.'
-> There is no doubt that this level of
upper limit. There is not the same degree of focus on the script as the
f
I might consider the situation
staying focused on the interests of the
-> The tough laws of Hollywood survival dictate that only the fittest
-> While hoping to score these hotly contested funds, Australian writers j may learn from their Hollywood
synopsis or outline of their story which the producer may approve. This
counterparts. We may need to I immerse ourselves in the study of
process is repeated at the completion
genre, of structure and of what it is
primary key to production excellence.
j writers survive. The writer will support
of a first draft at which point the
This is partly due to a lag in funding.
| him or herself with a day job and still
producer (often using the script
-> A survey of feature films backed by
I manage to boast several attainments,
executive as mediator) may offer notes
-> Global and local audiences are
the FFC over the last three years
j To 'get in touch' with their audience,
to guide the writer toward a certain
attracted to Australian films because
reveals Australian filmmakers are
I they educate themselves in genre,
direction or away from a problem area. j of their solid on-screen values. One
that draws people to the screen in the | first place.
currently operating without proper
structure and technique and are as
script-development support. An
adept at writing for film as they are for
on this outline which is re-submitted to
attention is to ensure that the
average of only 1A percent of the total
TV, for series, for sitcoms as well as
the producer who offers another set of
| glittering surface of our films is
budget of recent films was spent on script development. This compares
for features. Until the writer gets an | agent and their first jobs start to
The writer then produces a draft based S way to recapture their flagging
notes. And so the screenplay is honed
supported by screenplays that are
and crafted over many drafts.
equally polished.
materialise, most of this work is done
-> This lengthy development process
on development in the UK, five percent
at the writer's own expense (‘on spec').
allows production staff to keep tabs on
in Canada and 10 percent in the USA.
There is no series of government
the basic structure of the screenplay.
-> Government bodies like the AFC are
grants to pay the way for this creative
The w riter and producer can then
currently rearranging their budgets to
research.
negotiate creative differences while
with an average of two percent spent
j
MELBOURNE-BASED WRITER AND SCRIPT-EDITOR
j
DR LISA DETHRIDGE WORKS ACROSS FILM, TV, PRINT AND MULTIMEDIA. SHE TEACHES SCREENWRITING AT RMIT AND THE AUSTRALIAN
j
FILM, TV AND RADIO SCHOOL.
CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [33]
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O CRITERION
Terms and conditions. 1. The S40.000 Apple Studio promotion is conducted by Niche Media ABN 13 064 613 529. 2. The promotion can be entered by subscribing to Australian Macworld, marketing & ebusiness. Desktop. Cinema Papers. Franchising & Own Your Own Business Magazine. Architectural Review. Inside Interior Review, and TECPRINT magazines between 1st October and 29th December 2000. 3. First prize is an Apple G4 computer and monitor, plus 49 hardware and software products making up the Apple Ultimate Home Office. 4. Total prize value is $42.542.06. 5. The prize is not transferable or exchangeable for cash. 6. There are no second or third prizes. 7. The winner w ill be decided by barrel draw at 5pm on Friday 19th January 2001 at Niche Media. 17/303 Pacific Highway. Lindfield NSW 2070. 8. Winner w ill be notified by telephone and m ail and published in The Australian Newspaper on Wednesday 24th January 2001 and in all participating magazines on sale from March 2001.9. The promotion is not open to staff members of Niche Media, participating sponsors or their agencies. 10. The promotion is open to Australian residents only. 11. Your subscrip tions) w ill start with the next available issue, and only once payment has been received. NSW Permit No. TC00/7253. Vic Permit No. 00/3451 Issued on 24 July 2000. SA Licence No. T00/2881. ACT Permit No. TP00/0311. NT Permit No. NTQ0/2676.
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with FileMaker databases.
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71 YOU COULD WIN ALL THIS when you subscribe or renew your subscription to Cinema Papers, Australia’s most respected film magazine. For news and reviews on the latest in Film, Books, Video and DVD, you should be reading each issue. Cinema Papers keeps you up to date by offering you a fresh, vibrant and extremely well informed insight into the local and international film industries.
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->Enter now! Just complete your details in the space below and return it by • FREEFAX to 1800 802 326, or • POST FREE to our reply-paid address or • http://enter.cinemapapers.com.au
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Releasing Alibrandi
to market to market, joel pearlman When a film, regardless of its
holidays hit, allowing us to get the
origins, turns out to be a hit it’s
extra boost that this holiday period
tremendously satisfying for everyone
would provide. So the real work began
involved in bringing it to the market
- we started to develop ideas for the
place. In the case of Australian films,
key art (the image to be used on the
this satisfaction is amplified an extra
posters as well as the press ads and
notch for the marketing and sales
book cover for the Looking for
team and, of course, even more so for
Alibrandi re print) and decided on an
the local producers, investors, cast
innovative sell utilising Pia Miranda
and crew who are so eager for their
and Kick Gurry. We thought Matt
work to be seen and appreciated by
Newton would have been terrific too
an audience. Just as Looking for
but Kick's character had a rebellious
Alibrandi was an incredibly personal
edge which we wanted to tap into and
story from Melina Marchetta’s
we felt would provide a compelling
wonderful book, the film's campaign
look for the film. We could have gone
became a personal one for all those at
for the three of them but we wanted to
Roadshow as well as the exhibitors
steer away from looking like an
who became a key part of the film ’s
American teen comedy and we wanted
success - but more about that later.
to celebrate the Australianness of the
Looking for Alibrandi was a film
film and didn't want it to be derivative
Roadshow always believed in. A
in any way.
terrific script coupled with a fantastic
-> We wanted every image of the film
production team and cast. We knew
to strike a chord with the target
the movie had the potential to be a hit
audience and while the cast included
from the earliest rough-cut, not just
other terrific actors including Anthony
because we loved it but from the
LaPaglia and Greta Scacchi, we
earliest screenings it was connecting
wanted to focus on the younger
We knew that if we were able to build an audience from opening day we would still be on screens by the time the June school holidays hit, allowing us to get the extra boost that this holiday period would provide.
with audiences. We knew if we could
members of the cast with a clear,
our screening program involved
set to be a fantastic launching pad for
get the message out there effectively
clean and simple sell which would
exhibition as we wanted to ensure that
the theatrical careers of stars Pia
the film would become the best selling
make it clear to all those who saw it -
Looking for Alibrandi had an impact in
Miranda, Kick Gurry and Matthew
tool possible, as audiences related to
this was Josie’s story - it was about
cinemas. In February 2000, we
Newton as well as director Kate
the characters and story on a strong
her and it was for people who wanted
screened the film to exhibitors and
Woods. It also heralds producer Robyn
emotional level. The first thing to do
to find out more. Almost immediately
cinema managers to ensure it would
Kershaw’s first film and the success
was to set the release date. One thing
it created an impact, with our offices
become a core part of their marketing
of the release is due in no small part to her clear understanding of how to
we wanted to avoid was rushing the
receiving many requests for copies of
campaigns and to allow the cinemas
film out just to get it released. We
the poster. A big part of our job was to
to develop marketing programs which
make the film a hit and what it takes
wanted to take the time to get the
get the film seen by a large audience
would make them key participants in
to break out from the competition. If
campaign right and to figure out a
to build a strong core of word-of-
the campaign. Looking for Alibrandi
Looking for Alibrandi had released in
strategy that would have the best
mouth to complement our aggressive
opened very wide on 173 screens on
1999 it would have been the highest
chance of making an impact. We
advertising schedule. As such, we
May 4. In its opening weekend the film
grossing local film that year by a
decided upon May 4, 2000 - a date
developed a two-tiered program to
grossed $1,248,052 for a per screen
significant margin. So far this year it
which was outside of the school
bring the film to local communities.
average of $7214. Looking for
follows The Wog Boy in terms of box office gross - which just means that
holidays to avoid the traditional
Toward the end of 1999 we began to
Alibrandi didn’t open to number one -
confrontation with the large number of
screen the film for high school
that honour went to G/ad/aforwhich
Australian cinema is having a better
cast driven films that traditionally aim
teachers in each state and we
became the highest grossing film of
year all round than last year and local
for the same audience we were
developed an intricate study guide
the year. Alibrandi has now grossed
audiences ARE responding - which is
chasing for Alibrandi. We knew that if
which tied back to the Looking for
almost $8.3 million - a truly fantastic
the best news of all for the entire
we were able to build an audience
Alibrandi web site in order to assist
result that saw it spend nine weeks in
industry. •
from opening day we would still be on
teachers in developing programs for
the Top 10. We could not be more
JOEL PEARLMAN IS MANAGING DIRECTOR OF
screens by the time the June school
the classroom.The second stage of
proud of its success and the film looks
ROADSHOW FILM DISTRIBUTORS.
CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [35]
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O C R IT E R IO N
Terms and conditions. 1. The $¿0,000 Apple Studio promotion is conducted by Niche Media ABN 13 064 613 529. 2. The promotion can be entered by subscribing to Australian Macworld, m arketing & ebusiness. Desktop, Cinema Papers, Franchising & Own Your Own Business Magazine, A rch ite ctu ra l Review, Inside In te rio r Review, and TECPRINT magazines between 1st October and 29th December 2000. 3. First prize is an Apple 64 computer and monitor, plus 49 hardware and software products making up the Apple Ultimate Home Office. 4. Total prize value is $42,542.06. 5. The prize is not transferable or exchangeable for cash. 6. There are no second or third prizes. 7. The winner will be decided by barrel draw at 5pm on Friday 19th January 2001 at Niche Media. 17/303 Pacific Highway, Lindfield NSW 2070.8. Winner will be notified by telephone and mail, and published in The Australian Newspaper on Wednesday 24th January 2001 and in all participating magazines on sale from March 2001.9. The promotion is not open to staff members of Niche Media, participating sponsors or their agencies. 10. The promotion is open to Australian residents only. 11. Your subscription(s) w ill start with the next available issue, and only once payment has been received. NSW Permit No. TC00/7253, Vic Permit No. 00/3451 Issued on 24 July 2000, SA Licence No. T00/2881, ACT Permit No. TP00/0311, NT Permit No. NT00/2676.
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elements and clip art.
MAUSI complywithit.www.maus.com.au
FileMaker
www.filemaker.com.au
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71 YOU COULD W IN ALL THIS when you subscribe or renew your subscription to Cinema Papers, Australia’s most respected film magazine. For news and reviews on the latest in Film, Books, Video and DVD, you should be reading each issue. Cinema Papers keeps you up to date by offering you a fresh, vibrant and extremely well informed insight into the local and international film industries.
system with payroll functions, www.myob.com.au ^-Helping you and your Mac shape and
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-^Enter now! Just com plete your details in the space below and return it by • FREEFAX to 1800 802 326, or • POST FREE to our reply-paid address or
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S U B S C R IB E A N D W I N
TH E $4 0 ,0 0 0 Apple Studio
cinema
• h ttp ://s tu d io .c in e m a p a p e rs .c o m .a u
\ U f YES PLEASE! Start my subscription to Cinema Papers and enter me in the draw to WIN. |
| 12 months only $40 (inc GST) |^J 24 months only $75 (inc GST) SAVE $16.80 1 entry into the draw 3 entries into the draw
Name
This is a renewal
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[ My cheque to Niche Media is enclosed
— Signature
HURRY entries close Friday 29th Dec 2000
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What makes Aardman's animation so unique and appealing is their ability to treat the puppets as if they were actors. The humour is sophisticated and accessible to children as well as adults. The idiosyncrasies of each of
DIRECTORS
PETER LORD AND NICK PARK
the hens is both charming and
CAST
original. One of the hens knits,
MEL GIBSON. JULIA SAWALHA, JANE HORROCKS, MIRANDA RICHARDSON, PHIL DANIELS,
another is a crazed Scottish escape artist, another a boisterous jukebox
LYNN FERGUSON,
dancer.
TONY HAYGARTH, TIMOTHY SPALL. IMELDA STAUNTON, BENJAMIN WHITROW
-> Gibson's character, Rocky, is a brash and arrogant American, while
PRODUCERS
all the hens are typically British. A
PETER LORD, DAVID SPROXTON, NICK PARK
joke which w ill be lost on most
DISTRIBUTOR
UIP (DREAMWORKS]
American audiences, is when one of
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
the hens suggests that perhaps
UNITED KINGDOM
Rocky's American accent is a bit 'put
DURATION
on'. What really engages the story for
86 MINUTES
adults are the references to other films and pop culture. Rocky does a -> Chicken Run is a fascinating and
dramatic jump over the chicken fence,
satisfying piece of plasticine cinema
Steve McQueen-style, except he is on
and a hand-crafted piece of artistry
a tricycle and not a motorbike.
that treads a fine line between
Another chicken is clearly modelled
fantasy and reality. While computer technology has revolutionised most
The characterisation of the chickens and their evil owners is superb
of the animation industry, the
on Scotty from Star Trek. -> It is not surprising that Chicken Run took over four years to make at a
painstaking techniques of stop-
as Saffron from Absolutely Fabulous.
motion or clay animation - though
Set in a chicken concentration camp
(bankrolled mostly by Mr Spielberg
refined over the years - have
Chicken Run is a fast-paced and
and co). Every single item in the film
rumoured cost of $50 million,
remained virtually unchanged since
clever comedic take on the classic The
had to be constructed in miniature,
the genre’s inception. In many ways
Great Escape. The chicken inmates
from the chicken's eyeballs to the
clay animation is closer to live action
are all egg layers for their evil
eerie English skies. Each chicken's
than to other forms of animation
masters, Mr and Mrs Tweedy. They
movements were made a tiny
because its characters and sets are
battle constantly to abscond from their
increment at a time, 24 movements to
all physical, not drawn or computer
barbed wire confines. The threat of
make a second, 1440 to create a
generated. It’s a sort of 'live action’ in
being turned into chicken pies if they
minute, 123,840 to complete the
miniature.
don't keep up their egg count is
feature. Some days in the Aardman
-> Chicken Run is the first feature film
forever looming
studios 28 sets and teams of
from the Aardman Animation Studios,
-> The characterisation of the chickens
animators were in full operation
producers of the hugely popular
and their evil owners is superb,
simultaneously just to complete only
Wallace and Gromit (3x30min) trilogy.
supplied by voices including Miranda
10 seconds of completed film.
Entirely absorbing, the audience
Richardson [The Crying Game), Imelda
-> Although fashioned by a typical
spends 86 minutes with bug-eyed
Staunton, Benjamin Whitrow and Jane
Hollywood formula, the audience
talking chickens, (with lips and teeth).
Horrocks, [Bubble from Absolutely
should forgive the few predictable
The lead chicken's voice is provided by
Fabulous). In addition, Timothy Spall
moments and enjoy the clever and
a 'cocky' Mel Gibson, while the heroine
and Phil Daniels voice two profiteering
inventive scenarios and dilemmas the
of the film, a hen named Ginger is
rats whose scavenging skills prove
chickens face. The plot is full of every
voiced by Julia Sawalha, better known
invaluable to the chickens.
Hollywood cliché from love scenes to
[38] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
climactic twists, yet they are not
their enchanting worlds are obviously
disguised.
not real. The beauty of Chicken Run
Nick Park.
-> The clichés are deliberate and
(and of all stop motion animation], is
-> To me, Aardman’s true
totally entertaining. Even though you
that the characters are somewhat
masterpiece was The Wrong Trousers,
can tell there has been some
real; audiences enjoy the sense of
yet Chicken Run w ill thoroughly entertain most devoted plasticine
the Wallace and Gromit phenomena,
influence from an external
tactility and are reminded that as kids
scriptwriter Karey Kirkpatrick, the
how we all wanted our dolls or action
maniacs. The wait has been well
Aardman Studio's uniqueness is
figures to come alive. Chicken Run
worth it. Aardman has orchestrated a
clearly apparent. No other animation
captures the animators’ time-based
long-term agreement with
company could create such endearing
spontaneous performance somewhat
Dreamworks to produce several more
characters and absurdist plots.
lacking in computer animation, which
features. A full length, Wallace and
-> Part of the success and ultimate
is so often tweaked and fiddled till all
Gromit, is supposedly one of them.
charm of Chicken Run is that it has an
humanity and serendipity is sucked out.
Whatever’s next, it’s a shame we'll
edge over many other styles of feature
Financed mostly by Dreamworks
have to wait another four years for it
animation. Pixar’s Toy Story and A
Aardman has obviously been given
to be slowly put together.
Bug's Life, although hugely popular,
creative control on the project with a
lack that sense of tangibility. Everyone
co-direction by Aardman founder,
• ADAM ELLIOT IS A MELBOURNE BASED CLAY ANIMATOR, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
knows (like all Disney films], that
Peter Lord, and the three-time
HUGELY SUCCESSFUL ANIMATED TRILOGY -
although magical, the characters and
Academy Award winner and creator of
UNCLE, COUSIN AND BROTHER.
It is not surprising that Chicken Run took over four years to make at a rumoured cost of $50 million (bankrolled mostly by Mr Spielberg and co).
Better Than Sex
Russian Doll
W RITER/DIRECTOR
DIRECTO R/CO -W RITER
JONATHAN TEPUTZKY
STAVROS KAZANTZIDIS
CAST
CAST
SUSIE PORTER, DAVID WENHAM, KRIS MCQUADE, SIMON BOSSELL,
HUGO WEAVING, DAVID WENHAM, NATALIA NOVIKOVA, REBECCA FRITH, SACHA HORLER,
CATHERINE MCCLEMENTS PRODUCER
HELEN DALLIMORE
BRUNA PAPANDREA, FRANK COX
CO-W RITER/PRODUCER
DISTRIBUTOR
ALLANAH ZITSERMAN
NEWVISION
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
BRUNO CHARLESWORTH
AUSTRALIA
CO-PRODUCER
COMPOSER
HUGO WEAVING
DAVID HIRSCHFELDER
CINEMATOGRAPHER
EDITOR
JUSTIN BRICKLE
SHAWN SEET
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
AUSTRALIA
GARRY PHILLIPS
DISTRIBUTION
BEYOND/UIP
-> What is better that sex? A good
a wildlife photographer, lives in
direct to camera addresses. The
film perhaps? Think about it. From
London and is due to return in three
mockumentary-style address seems
pleasant opening for this year’s AFI
the moment the lights dim you can
days. Cin, a fashion designer, lives in
at first to detract from the main thrust
film industry screenings, Stavros
experience the range of corporeal
Sydney and inhabits an apartment with
of the narrative but soon results in a
Kazantzidis’ Russian Doll captures
emotions without having to remove a
a spatial configuration like the Tardis.
necessary space for the performers to
the light, upbeat magic of Love and Other Catastrophes and meets Green
A wonderful and surprisingly
single item of clothing. Further to
The audience is sanctioned to enter
stretch and play with their characters
this, your screen surrogate can be
the charged domain of Cin's inner city
and analyse their motivations.
Card somewhere along the way,
whoever you desire and you don’t
apartment and experience first hand
-> The chemistry between Wenham
peppered with the current fashion for
have to buy a single drink. Another
the escalating energy developing
and Porter is spectacular. Cultivated
comedy concerning Australia’s
crucial element is the exit factor, so if
between the fledgling lovers. Susie
and groomed by measured direction
immigrant populations as evidenced
for some reason you are not enjoying
Porter's Cin is at once brave and
from Teplitzky, they present
in The Wog Boy, Looking for Alibrandi
the experience you can leave through
beguiling, never once do we slip from
characters both vulnerable and
and the upcoming Beware of Greeks
illuminated exit sites with minimal
her grasp. Not unlike Sacha Horler’s
confident. A mix that produces the
Bearing Guns.
trauma either to yourself or the film.
character in Praise (coincidentally of
film's dramatic conflict. The arrival
-> Bubbling along at a peppy pace, the
Writer/director Jonathan Teplitzky’s
the same name], Porter imbues Cin
and exit of Cin's friend, Sam, played
film has trashy Russian mail-order
debut feature Better Than Sex is
with a sexual confidence and
with delicious predatory appeal by
bride Katia (Natalia Novikova) arrive in
among the list of more pleasurable
assertiveness rarely captured on
Catherine McClements is skilfully
Australia only to discover her intended
experiences at the cinema. Shall I say
Australian screen.
deployed by Teplitzky as the
has died, but she quickly bounces into
it performed. As a partner in the
-> Similarly, David Wenham illustrates
narrative's catalyst for action and
the arms of the married Ethan (David
audience/film encounter, Better Than
with each role he embodies the ability
eventual resolution.
Wenham). Captivated by her nubile
Sex was in every sense a good score:
to contribute to the visual vocabulary
-> Another interesting device is Kris
charms and desperate for her to stay
it was uncomplicated, attractive and
of the much-maligned Australian
McQuade’s meddling cabbie. While a
in Australia, Ethan convinces the
most importantly funny.
male. Cin and Josh's mutual desire for
humorous and cogent character, one's
chronically unlucky-in-love Harvey
-> Better Than Sex is essentially about
unfettered sex unwittingly leads our
ability to suspend disbelief is surely
(Hugo Weaving playing a private eye by
a one-night stand but contrary to what
romantic duo beyond their initial
tested, as the reality of meeting a
day and a frustrated w riter the rest of
the phrase might suggest, very little
expectations and comfort zones into
considerate, let alone understanding,
the time) to marry her once he’s
standing actually occurs. Josh (David
an emotional terrain that could prove
taxi driver in Sydney is hard to
gotten over the shock of Ethan’s
Wenham) and Cinthia (Susie Porter)
to be better than sex. And while the
imagine. All things considered, Better
betrayal of his charming, but pushy,
meet at a party, share a few drinks,
amorous protagonists are dancing
That Sex may not, in fact, be better
wife Miriam (Rebecca Frith), who, in
some common interests, a cab and
around one another with their peacock
than sex. However one could certainly
turn, insists on organising a huge
finally a bed. The climate for their
feathers fanning, the audience is
consider it 'foreplay'.
wedding.
unencumbered liaison is perfect. Josh,
afforded the luxury of insight through
• EMMACRIMMINGS
-> Like Strange Planet, which
[4 0 ] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
Russian D oll fires on all cylinders to have the ensemble working well together with a punchy script to produce a light and enjoyable package.
Russian Doll (left to right): Natalia Novikova as mail-order bride Katia; Hugo Weaving; and the ubiquitous Sacha Horler hamming it up as Liza.
Better Than Sex. And film newcomer
Russian Doll's affectionate laughs at
Natalia Novikova, a Russian-born
the tribalism of Russian Jews living at
NIDA graduate who’s worked mainly
Sydney’s Bondi Beach complete with
in theatre until now, announces
their love of tacky music, bulky jewels,
Kazantzidis produced, and his first
herself as an important new talent
gauche clothing and plentiful food and
directing effort True Love and Chaos,
with a standout performance as Katia.
drink is one of its best assets. What
this film boasts a stellar ensemble
Rebecca Frith, a most talented
could so easily have been in bad taste
cast. Unlike those films, Russian Dolt
thespian who is too rarely seen on
somehow works delightfully.
fires on all cylinders to have the
Australian screens, gives her best
To be sure, the film ’s ending is a trifle
ensemble working well together with
performance since Love Serenade,
saccharine and w ill disappoint some,
a punchy script producing a light and
while the ubiquitous Sacha Horler
but it's all in good fun in a film that
enjoyable package. And like Love and
clearly relishes hamming it up as
won’t change your life any more than
Other Catastrophes, which Kazantzidis
Katia’s lusty friend Liza, whose
Love and Other Catastrophes did, but
also produced, it’s helped along by a
designs on Harvey force Katia to re
delivers what it sets out to do.
great soundtrack.
evaluate her feelings for him. Indeed,
•
What Lies Beneath DIRECTOR
ROBERT ZEMECKIS CAST
HARRISON FORD, MICHELLE PFEIFFER, DIANA SCARWID, MIRANDA OTTO PRODUCERS
JACK RAPKE, STEVE STARKEY, ROBERT ZEMECKIS W RITER
CLARK GREGG CINEMATOGRAPHER
DON BURGESS COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
US DISTRIBUTION
MARK WOODS
20TH CENTURY FOX
-> Indeed, Kazantzidis seems to work best under pressure because Russian Doll, like Love and Other
-> It’s impossible to say when the
Catastrophes, was made on a
first heart-clutching moment comes
shoestring budget and in a hurry in
in Robert Zemeckis’ What Lies
order to secure Weaving's services.
Beneath. It could be the opening
That was clearly worth the trouble as
credits (in accordance with the music,
the Film Finance Corp. and Beyond
I was hands-over-eyes pre-opening
Films later stepped in during filming
line). It could be when Michelle
with completion funds for what was
Pfeiffer first has a creepy vision’.
then a promising work in progress.
Or it could just be the entire film.
-> Weaving, who gets a co-producer
All things considered, this is one
credit for his efforts, gives a wonderful
scary movie.
performance and anchors the
-> Pfeiffer portrays Claire, the
sometimes screwball comedy’s
impossibly gorgeous and highly-
almost out-of-control antics, while
strung wife of university research
Wenham, whose well-known TV face
scientist Norman. Previously a concert
w ill doubtless help the film 's box
cellist, she has given up her playing
office chances, proves his talent for
after a serious automobile accident a
comedy here, as he does in the
year ago, and has just relinquished
equally enjoyable forthcoming film
her only daughter to college life. It's CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [4 1 ]
Walk The Talk DIRECTOR
SHIRLEY BARRETT CAST
SALVATORE COCO. SACHA HORLER. NIKKI BENNETT PRODUCER
JAN CHAPMAN WRITER
SHIRLEY BARRETT
time for husband and wife to spend
CINEMATOGRAPHER
MANDY WALKER
some serious Time Alone. Until 'the
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
voices' begin to manifest, and Claire
AUSIRALIA
begins to have visions of dead women
DISTRIBUTION
20TH CENTURY FOX
underwater... somewhat hampering any ideas Norman may have of romance. -> Director Robert Zemeckis (Contact]
-> As Australians, we’re slightly
goes to town on the suspense factor
fascinated by Queenslanders. When
here - it seems like every five minutes
logic fails to explain Pauline Hanson,
the audience is waiting for the next:
Joh ‘n’ Flo and Warner Brothers
'OH GOD, IT'S BEHIND YOU!' moment.
Movieworld, how do we put our
deny any similarity between Walk the
Burgess and a brilliant Robert Coleby.
With a brilliant use of mirrors, he
northern brothers into some
Talk's Nikki Raye and singer Fairlie
A notable effort from relative
teases and taunts us. Only the
perspective? Life ‘up there’ really
Arrow, who staged her own
newcomer Bennett as Nikki Raye,
slightest amount of special effects are
may be bewdiful one day, perf-ick the
kidnapping hoping for a publicity coup,
whose CV reads as adequate
required; the magic is all in a fantastic
next - but meanwhile the rest of the
the story definitely gives a nod in her
character background - appearances
score by Alan Silvestri and the slow,
country’s writing the population off
direction. Focusing the attention on
on Star Search, Midday and Hey Hey included. Her sneering Gold Coast-
creeping camerawork.
either as gun-toting thicko hicks or
Salvatore Coco's character rather
-> Pfeiffer holds herself well in a part
Muriel-esque screeching
than Nikki Raye helps to distance us
babe is nicely underplayed and
which requires a great deal of gasping
hairdressers with frosted lipstick.
from what may otherwise have been a
possibly closer to the real Bennett
and terrified staring into space - her
-> It's interesting territory, and even
rather sad tale of a woman desperate
than one might think.
only downfall is a badly directed
more so when director Shirley Barrett
to become famous. Instead, the
-> DOP Mandy Walker has captured
moment where she appears to be
delves into it. Following up the
journey of our characters is more one
the Gold Coast perfectly - the soft
'possessed', and starts giggling
Camera D'Or-winning Love Serenade,
of self-fulfillment - even if their idea
greys, pinks and aquas of the streets
wickedly as though doing a bad Linda
Barrett has created Walk The Talk, a
of nirvana may be a little misled.
and bowling clubs bring to mind the
Blair impersonation. In her first
film bearing little resemblance to its
-> Coco, best known for his role as
cool crime backgrounds of Miami
feature release since The Thin Red
predecessor.
Con in the early days of Heartbreak
Vice... but instead of a strutting Don
Line, Miranda Otto has a small role as
-> WTWis the story of Joey Grasso, a
High, pulls off a suprisingly solid job
Johnson, we've got a sweating Grasso.
the wife of the lurking presence next
wide-eyed optimist fuelled entirely by
as the over-zealous Grasso. It's his
-> Walk the Talk isn’t a comedy -
door to Claire, small being the
self-help manuals and 'Follow Your
first lead role in a feature, and while it
Barrett has never been one for
operative word - Otto spends the
Dream'-type seminars. His life is
must be said his performance doesn't
overplaying gags. The gaudier
majority of her scenes partially hidden
turned around when he meets Nikki
roam too far from the beaten track -
characters are left to their own
behind a fence, a la the neighbour in
Raye, the has-been nightclub singer
Coco can see the finish line and works
devices and our leads move from one
Home Improvement.
who, in all truth, never-was. Struck by
doggedly towards it - there is no sign
morally bankrupt moment to the next,
-> While it's possible to say Zemeckis
a 'calling', Grasso decides to reinvent
of the goonish, smart-arsed Con,
redeeming themselves only through
tries to cover a little too many genres
himself as a talent manager and
suggesting this young actor may have
their naive world-view and determination to succeed. It's a slow,
in the time provided, he's still
catapult Nikki to stardom. He'll do
more to give.
managed to hold audience attention
whatever it takes to get her there...
-> Of course, his supporting cast are
dawdling film, just taking its time to
with a slow-burning, twisting story
whether it means exploiting his long-
exemplary. Sacha Horler is reliably
tell a very basic story in a clear and
that, when all is said and done, gives a
suffering paraplegic girlfriend Bonita -
excellent as the wheelchair-bound
pleasant fashion. Not at all unlike
thoroughly decent scare.
or even breaking the law.
Bonita, and there are some wonderful
Queensland itself.
• MARIEKE HARDY
-> While Barrett and co apparently
cameos from Jon English, 'Baby' John
• MARIEKE HARDY
[42] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
Isaac Hayes’ original music has not been modified or updated and lives on here in full, glorious, twanging splendour. How can you resist?
Shaft DIRECTOR
JOHN SINGLETON CAST
SAMUEL L JACKSON, VANESSA L WILLIAMS, CHRISTIAN BALE, BUSTA RHYMES, TONI COLLETTE, JEFFREY WRIGHT, DAN HEDAYA, RICHARD ROUNDTREE, RUBEN SANTIAGO-HUDSON EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
PAUL HALL, STEVE NICOLAIDES, JOHN SINGLETON PRODUCERS
SCOTT RUDIN, MARK ROYBAL, ADAM SCHROEDER. COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
US RUNNING TIM E
100 MINUTES
Dangerous waters: remake territory. Especially when you head
(in an enjoyable extended cameo). -> His nephew, the Shaft of the title is
back to the 70s for your source
played by Samuel L Jackson with such
material. Things have altered a lot
gusto and unrestrained delight you
since then and unless you’re using
can't help but imagine back in 1971
those changes for some good old
the 23-year-old megastar-to-be sat in
post-modern chuckles at the
a darkened cinema writhing and
original’s expense, a la The Brady
grimacing while softly crooning to
Bunch movies, you can easily find
himself, "It should have been me..."
European thrillers of some twenty
yourself bogged down in a mess of
Now, as luck would have it Singleton
years earlier [The French Connection
economy - cops that go from Juicy
political, sexual and cultural no-nos.
has given him that chance and boy, he
say), Singleton takes the best bits of
Jonathans to very bad apples on the
And then, of course, there’s the
doesn't waste a moment of it. Jackson
the previous era and buffs them up a
toss of a coin and less than fully-
whole question of why you’re even
is so cool the frame nearly freezes
bit. Check those natty diagonal dagger
fleshed roles for the supporting
doing a remake in the first place.
over. His Shaft is still attired in the de
effect dissolves or the way we plunge
players. Which brings us to Toni
rig u e u rturtle neck, but Roundtree's
straight into the action with no
Collette - well the "with" credit at
has skated clean over most of the
wide-lapelled brown leather coat has
messing. Despite running out of steam
the head should alert you to the fact that she isn’t going to be around
Thankfully director John Singleton
-> OK, there are downsides to the
pitfalls and come up with a Shaft for
given way to Armani, a seriously sexy
in the latter stages Singleton's tight
2000 that is downright entertaining.
bald head and shades.
direction means it all rattles along
much. But as the witness with the
In fact - taking a deep breath - here
-> And “the ladies” ? Singleton smartly
really well and doesn't waste any time
power to send Wade down for the
comes the heresy: in many ways Shaft
gets all that over with in the opening
on peripherals.
murder of a young African American
2000 beats the (chequered] pants off
credits, where undulating expanses of
-> This is very economical story
man, she makes the most of her
Shaft 1971 (directed by Gordon Parks],
flesh tell us all we need to know of
telling: sparse dialogue is
limited screen time to put the
First Singleton has wisely decided to
Shaft's appropriate surname, without
accompanied by plenty of car chases,
haunted fear from The Sixth Sense
go the sequel route rather than the
getting in the way of the rest of the
shoot-outs and some simply delicious
to very good use once again.
straightforward remake.
plot or disappearing into the murky
villain acting from Jeffrey Wright
-> Convinced yet? Well, here's the
-> In his film the original John Shaft is
depths of the very dodgy sexual
(as the neighbourhood dealer Peoples
clincher - Isaac Hayes' original
still doing his private investigator
politics of Shaft 1971.
Hernandez) and Christian Bale
music has not been modified or
schtick, still loving "the ladies" (to be
-> But style-wise the film is
(reprising his yuppie scum from
updated and lives on here in full, glorious, twanging splendour. How
pronounced in sonorous and
wonderfully old-fashioned; in much
American Psycho, but here giving
suggestive Barry White tones) and
the same way John Frankenheimer's
him a violently racist edge as Walter
can you resist?
still played by Richard Roundtree
Ronin (1998) felt like one of his
Wade Jr).
• MADELEINE SWAIN
CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [-43]
same name, it follows the path of a deranged psycho who kills virgins. Thankfully a large portion of the local high school - aptly named George Washington High School (that President had a penchant for cherries) - are ripe for the picking. Lead virgin Jody Marken is played by the fresh-faced Brittany Murphy (note this name - Murphy is a cult celebrity in the making). Jody is the daughter of town Sheriff Brent Marken, who Michael Biehn portrays as a very nervy, odd, beady-eyed man. -> As more virgins are savagely killed and an attempt is made on Jody, the plot unravels to reveal a buried town secret that comes - quite literally back to haunt the place. -> As predictable as this story sounds, Wright gives the genre a major twist: Cherry Falls is completely character driven. Where the lead teens in Scream ran around wearing Gucci, and those in / Know What You Did DIRECTOR
Last Summer professed that it was
WIM WENDERS
"all about the hair", Cherry Falls is
CAST
MEL GIBSON, JEREMY DAVIES,
laden with very real kids. Except most
MILLA JOVOVICH, JIMMY SMITS, PETER STORMARE,
are virgins.
AMANDA PLUMMER, GLORIA STUART, BUD OORT PRODUCERS
DEEPAK NAYAR, BONO, NICHOLAS KLEIN, BRUCE DAVEY, WIM WENDERS W RITER
NICHOLAS KLEIN (FROM A STORY BY NICHOLAS KLEIN AND BONO) DISTRIBUTOR
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
US RATING
MA
ready to go along with the joke, revel in everyone else’s insanity, you’re
Cherry Falls
undertone here, it’s also very much
quickly slapped with glimpses of the dark side inherent in this state of being. This toying with clichés occurs on several levels. You've got Mel Gibson playing FBI special agent Skinner all deadpan. His character's got lots of quirks too. And they should all be
DIRECTOR
GEOFFREY WRIGHT CAST
BRITTANY MURPHY, JAY MOHR, MICHAEL BIEHN, GABRIEL MANN
/T" Wim Wenders films are
the gags fall intentionally flat. After
occasionally powerful enough to
all, Skinner is as genuinely deranged
change the way people view their
and pathetic as the rest of them.
world. I can provide a couple of
This isn't to say The Million Dollar
the overtone. While the purest loins in town are out giving it up to save themselves from harm, the parents aren’t quite as open with their desires.
PRODUCERS
The sexual frustration is evident
MARSHALL PERSINGER, ELI SELDEN
between Jody's boyfriend Kenny
SCREENWRITER
KEN SELDEN
(Gabriel Mann) and her mother Marge
DISTRIBUTOR
(Candy Clark); the Sheriff and his
funny - like the neck brace he wears throughout and the reason for it - but
-> Sexual tension is not only the
REP COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
USA DURATION
92 MINUTES
Deputy, Mina; school teacher Leonard Marliston (Jay Mohr) and Jody; Marge and Jody's friend, Sandy; and most disturbingly, Jody and her Sheriff father.
-> In the opening scene of Cherry
-> Thing is, none of the gazes,
friends’ mobile numbers if you won’t
Hotel isn’t a warm film. There are lots
Falls, there's a sustained shot of the
uncomfortable moments or harboured
take my word for it.
of salutes to the human spirit
first victim's car number plate. It
feelings go anywhere. Instead, they're framed in close-up moments that
-> But Wenders always makes his
throughout, just they're never followed
reads: Supa Nova.
audience work hard for its rewards.
through to a positive conclusion.
-> This is Australian director Geoffrey
resemble the icky, eerie
Who could ever forget his five-hour
In among all this, there's a murder
Wright's cheeky reference to what
cinematography of Twin Peaks.
director's cut of Until The End Of The
mystery to sort out, an art fraud to
should have been his American film
-> Left untouched, you imagine
World [ 1993)? For that matter, who
pull off. And there are other things to
debut. But Wright was sacked from
Wright's novel approach to the teen-
actually bothered seeing it?
contemplate too. Such as how does
the production of Supernova a week
slasher genre would have been
His art may often look all free-form
the lead character Tom Tom (the
before filming was due to begin,
completely compelling. But Hollywood
and cruisey, consciously breathtaking
aforementioned skateboarding
following disagreements with studio
pipped him at the post and Cherry
in its composition and flow, but
simpleton, energetically played by
executives over cast and script.
Falls copped more than a few
Wenders has his world on a tight
Jeremy Davies) manage to deliver the
-> So with that first US attempt
savage edits.
string, continually jerking it around,
film's narration in such a considered
forfeited, Cherry Falls might have
-> Most of the death scenes were left
very mindful about letting anyone ever
and educated tone?
represented a foreign director coming
on the cutting room floor. Reportedly,
land near a comfort zone.
The story behind The Million Dollar
to terms with the dollar-driven
at least five minutes was trimmed
Everything in The Million Dollar Hotel
Hotel was co-authored by Bono, and
Hollywood system. Wright even adopts
from just one death sequence. And
is set significantly off-kilter from the
his band's music is one of the stars of
a stock-standard formula to further
you can tell. Not only is the build-up
very start, and the whole thing bets
the film, alongside Milla Jovovich, who
suggest he's accepted this new work
big on quirk.
plays Eloise (the object of Tom Tom's
ethic. But then he goes on and
wasted but the edit points are jarringly obvious.
First, there’s the cast of characters: A
earthly desires).
mounts a rather subtle offensive
-> To Wright's credit, this super
virtual send-up of the troupe from
You get the feeling that, in his head,
from inside this enemy line. And with
black comedy horror flick delves into
Once Flew Over A Cuckoo's Nest, right
Bono envisioned The Million Dollar
some success.
the human condition more than any
down to the extra-large American
Hotel much in the same mould as one
-> On the surface, Cherry Falls -
recent counterpart. But after losing
Indian. Several border on cliché
of those tragi-euphoric anthems that
Wright's first feature since the awful
control of the film during editing, it
(there’s a simpleton skateboarder,
have become U2's stock-in-trade. But
Metal Skin, and eight years on from
never quite manages to hit a
another bloke is convinced he was in
this is not a love song. It’s a full-
his brilliant Romper Stomper - is a
crescendo, so all that character
the Beatles and is still waiting for his
length American feature film, and not
straight-up teen-slasher flick. Set in a
development ultimately leads you
royalties, etc). But just when you get
a great one at that. •
small, quiet American town of the
nowhere. •
[A4] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
d in o s c a t e n a
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Cinema Papers goes into the end of 2000 and opens 2001 with the most extensive coverage of the new media juggernaut.
I
Issue 136, due out in December, surveys the developments to date in new media and identifies the key Australian and overseas players in research and development. Th^Jissues facing the film industry are canvassed, with I
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A
commentary on the impact of development on the broad spectrum for film
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publicists and designers.
OPENChannel
Australia’s Centenary of Federation will be commemorated in Victoria with a series of celebrations including the Federation Festival from 9to 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. 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. Entries should be submitted by 31 March
2001. For further information and
application forms, contact Vallejo Gantner at the Melbourne Festival: Telephone ( 03)
9662 4242
Facsimile (03)
9663 4141
Email v.gantner@melbournefestival or visit our website at ww w.m elbournefestival.com .au
Centenary of Federation
A pplication s are invited fo r D igital Fast-Track, an exciting free nine day practical course fo r directors, w riters and producers to develop th eir skills in new interactive m edia at O P E N C hannel. Five participants w ill be selected to develop a one m inute piece each. This O P E N C hannel initiative w ill take place from D ecem ber 2 until D ecem ber 10. A pp lication s close on O cto b er 31. For fu rth er inform ation please co ntact C athy Jo hnstone at O P E N C hannel, em ail cathyj@ o pen ch ann el.o rg .au or phone 03 9419 5111 P ro d u c e d w ith th e a s s is ta n c e o f C in e m e d ia 's D igita l M ed ia F u n d
ACTION/ SPECTACLE
CINEMA^
BONNIE AND CLYDEi ______
LONDE lit iL
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ijYGE CAROL PATÉ
columns from both magazines
superbly, Action/Spectacle Cinema,
theme park ride simulators.
irrelevant. When you’re the Editor in
chronicles today's Hollywood - its
A Sight and Sound Reader, edited by
-> As Douglas Trumbull notes,
Chief of the film trade bible, Variety,
studios, creators and celebrities. And
Jose Arroyo [bfi Publishing, $19.95]
sometimes action cinema "makes no
people have to read you. Fortunately,
Hollywood isn't
weakens your case. It makes no
sense, but it looks great." Same with
Bart has a clean, informative style -
always pretty.
bones about the attractions and
this book. Even when the writing's iffy,
and he thankfully abandons the
-> Bart does Hollywood over with just
different landscape of today’s cinema.
the concept is grand. And that is, after
arsenal of “Variety-speak” now
the right amount of reverence, history
-> Why else would the British Film
all, spectacle cinema. A top read.
slavishly aped by some of Australia’s
and knowledge of the town's inner
Institute's publishing arm bother with
Peter Bart’s writing style is
more unoriginal writers. His ideas
workings, leaving the reader thinking
such twaddle as a critique of the
-> As is Lester Friedman’s Bonnie
and knowledge have import and he
they're in on the secrets without
Schwarzenegger canon? Simply
and Clyde, (bfi Publishing, $19.95).
doesn’t need to jazz them up with
feeling they're reading a poseur.
because big budget cinema has
I don’t know whether the BFI Film
fashionable words.
-> He says celebrity ''is a business
reached a critical mass without there
Classics series is improving, or by
that I fail to find very interesting. It's
being a critical capacity for it.
reading more they’re better
Times journalist and studio executive
also one that already is seriously
-> Film analysis, dealing in motif,
contextualised, but the last few, Taxi
during the tempestuous 70s, Bart has
getting in the way of a process that I
montage and mise en scene, is really
Driver, Titanic and now this, have
been a wonderfully readable
respect - making good movies."
too serious to be able to assess
been wonderful. Friedman's analysis
columnist for Variety and GQ
-> By covering American cinema so
visceral, vacuous spectacle. How often
of the film that holds its own among
magazines for years. Yet somehow it
well, Bart w ill depress those with the
have you thought to yourself, if only
the seminal 70s American cinema (and
didn’t translate to his 1998 book, The
same view about making good
that critic would get their hand off it
made critic Pauline Kael) is a more
Gross, which lacked the clout of his
movies. Film purists must lament the
and get into it?
linear, factual analysis than others in
columns. The Gross was a cool
fact the best chroniclers of today's
-> So it's a real hoot, and pretty
the series. And this style works, giving
Following stints as a New York
concept, tracking the stories behind
Hollywood are either business-centric
subversive, reading academics poring
the film a contemporary and historical
the US blockbusters of 1998, but
(Bart) or archly cynical [Premiere's
over dross like TW/sferwith vigour.
context worthy of its subject while
became only an interesting forum
pseudonymous Libby Gelman-
And the writing is apt for the new,
simultaneously grounding Friedman's
looking for substance.
Waxler). But isn't this what movies
current cinema - funky and alive.
thoughts.
deserve these days?
Witness J. Jacob name-dropping
Who Killed Hollywood...and Put
electro band Orbital and Jean-Luc
the Tarnish on Tinseltown?
Blonde A Novel by Joyce Carol
(Renaissance Books, $54.80) is a far
-> If you don’t accept that Bart
Godard in an appreciation of
Oates (Fourth Estate $28) is not
better work. This collection of his
chronicles the new Hollywood
Arnie. There's even an analysis of
worthy of its classic subject, Marilyn
[46] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
N ic k
H o rn b y H igo h F id e lityJ
NO W A MAJOR FJLM STARRING |O H N CUSACK
Monroe. Admittedly, I was uppity
novel is just too implausible on so
about this concept even before
many levels. Sure, it's fiction but it
picking it up. Blonde is another
tries to create it's own alternative
one of those bogus biographies
reality. It didn’t work for me. God
that presume to tell more about
knows how it w ill work on screen.
its subject by creating fictions around it. A film version of the novel is currently in production in
Of course, there are novels worth adapting for the screen. Both The
Melbourne.
Virgin Suicides (by Jeffrey Eugenides,
-> Not until ploughing through
Penguin, $19.95] and High Fidelity [by
Blonde though - and it helps to have
Nick Hornby, Indigo Paperbacks,
a sharp metal instrument to get
$18.50] deserved adaptation,
through its 600 plus pages - did a
although the former was a very
greater reality hit. There is now a
unlikely choice by Sofia Coppola.
whole generation of American
-> As both films were released, the
writers, from Norman Mailer to Philip
tie-in book for High Fidelity was re
Roth and many in between, who have
published and a new jacket was
the cred and ego to produce towering
slapped on Eugenides' paperback.
works but no longer the goods. They
Only two things need to be said about
all, including Oates, need to procure
both. Firstly, both are snappy,
gutsy editors, self-censorship and
engrossing reads, with Eugenides
humility before they become
well in control of language and
essential again.
emotion, while Hornby is well in
In attempting to turn Blonde into some sort of mystery, Oates has
control of pop culture and readable reminisces. Secondly, Coppola and
fallen into the trap of trying to be
High Fidelity's Stephen Frears both
James Ellroy. Even her style can
did sterling jobs in bringing to screen
wander into Ellroy's pithy territory.
these two very different worlds but
Ultimately, this bloated, unlikely
very sim ilar novels. • MICHAEL BODEY
/
unce upon a i ime
Jn China and America DIRECTOR SAMMO HUNG CAST JET LI. ROSAMUND KWAN. HUNG YAN . YAN.-CHAN KWOK BONG. JEFF WOLFE PRODUCER TSUI HARK DISTRIBUTOR SIREN ENTERTAINMENT COUNTRY OF ORIGIN HONG KONG RATING: M — ^ DURATION 95 MINUTES
ca 5 cA D uyS
r a u iiy
DIRECTOR TERRY WINSOR CAST SEAN BEAN. ALEX KINGSTON. CHARLIE CREED-MILES, TOM WILKINSON PRODUCER PIPPA CROSS DISTRIBUTOR 2TST CENTURY PICTURES COUNTRY OF ORIGIN UK
DIRECTOR JOHN DUIGAN CAST ELISABETH SHUE, AARON ECKHART. JILL HENNESSY, D. W. MOFFETT PRODUCER AMY HECKERLING DISTRIBUTOR WARNER HOME VIDEO COUNTRY OF ORIGINUS RATING M DURATION 99 MINUTES
DIRECTOR ASH CAST MISCHA BARTON. CAMERON VAN HOY, ADAM FARRAR. BURT REYNOLDS PRODUCERS SACHIE OYAMA, BORO VOKODINOVIC DISTRIBUTOR 21 ST CENTURY PICTURES COUNTRY OF ORIGIN US RATING MA DURATION 97 MINUTES
When we first see 13-year-old Stevie, he’s babbling into a video camera. In the next shot, we see there’s a noose round his neck. He doesn’t go through with it though - he's just bored, too smart for his own good, and a tiny bit hyper. When a kid like this finds a huge handgun in his mother’s closet* there’s bound to be trouble.
DURATION 103 MINUTES
-> The hardest-working man in Hong
Director Terry Winsor's CV comprises a handful of TV productions, and Essex Boys is his cinematic debut. Ironically, but perhaps not surprisingly, it feels like a project better suited to the small screen. Still, having missed out on a theatrical release in Australia, the sm all screen is exactly where we’ll be seeing it.
Kong cinema, Tsui Hark, has produced
-> Billy (Charlie Creed-Miles), a mini
-> Viewers may experience some déjàvu during the opening scenes of this film , in which neatly-coiffured advertising man Buck McKay (Aaron Eckhart) takes in his 28-year-old autistic sister Molly (Elisabeth Shue) and finds his cosy life turned insideout. The feeling of a Rain Man remake subsides, however, when Molly is taken into a radical treatment program and a new woman starts to emerge.
and sometimes directed five previous
cab driver on the mean streets of
->Molly contains potentially
hard-hitting commentary on the state
films in the Once Upon a Time in
Essex, starts doing 'special jobs’ for
fascinating subject matter, but it’s
of the nation. The bank siege that
China series, based on the true story
local hard man Jason Locke (Seann
also highly prone to being saccharined
ensues gives his characters plenty of
of Wong Fei-Hung, a 19th century folk
Bean), and quickly finds himself in a
to death, and that’s unfortunately what
time to spiel through his ideas on
Hero. In this sixth instalment, directed
nest of vipers. Slipping into a life Of
happens here. Instead of focusing on
guns, kids, violence arid the media.
by Sammo Hung (another industry
crime is too easy, but slipping out is a
Molly’s process of transformation, the
Maybe he felt this was the only way to
institution], Wong (Jet Li] and his
far trickier business. Essex Boys
film leaps abruptly from Before to
avoid the trap of just making another
entourage are placed amid the myriad
aspires to follow in the footsteps of
After, and this moment of unreality
violent movie, rather than making a
dangers of the Wild West, which in this
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,
really undermines everything that
statement about them. Despite a good
case have mostly to do with the
but doésn’t quite manage the same
follows. If I’d seen it in the cinema, I’d-
feel for incidental dialogue, especially
-> As one after another of Hong Kong's action-movie stars and directors take up new careers in Hollywood (with, so far, mixed success), this hybrid of classic American western and relentless kung-fu action flick is a curious example of what can happen when two well-defined genres are brought together.
-> Ash (he works under a single name) clearly intended Pups to be a
bigoted locals. Of course, where
level of merry mania. There 7s plenty
have thought the projectionist skipped
between the young leads, this
there's cowboys, there’s, usually
of double-crossing though, and the
a reel. The predictable and implausible
haranguing quality becomes slightly
Indians, and Wong also gets to live
elements of class conflict and sexual
screenplay makes it almost impossible
wearing. The most effective
among them for a while and wreak
infidelities tangled into the web add to
for Shue to fully realise her role, and
observations are made through action
havoc on their enemies.
the intrigue. Even between the
the supporting characters drifting
rather than words.
-> But let’s not forget what we’re
beatings, the acid-throwing and the gunfights, there’s quite a lot going on.
mysteriously in and out of the story
The film’s major assets are the two
don’t help much either.
young actors: Van Hoy overcomes the
about here - action. A conventional western spends considerable time building tensibn with long, leisurely
' -$• Sean Bean is an old hand at this sort of role, while Alex Kingston, as
The big mystery here is, what got John
limitations of the script-to present a
Duigan interested in such flawed
credible portrayal of youth gone
shots and pregnant pauses, but here
his wife, presents a very different face
material? As recently as 1997, in his
wrong, and Mischa Barton provides
everything seems compressed.
to her virtuous ER persona. Charlie
previous film Lawn Dogs, his
very capable backup as his girlfriend
Dialogue is always brisk, whether in
Creed-Miles seems a bit unsure just
sensitivity to the quirks of outsider
Rocky. They show up the old hands too
English or Cantonese (both are
how much of a tough he’s supposed to
personalities, and considered interplay
- while it seems that FBI man Dan
subtitled), rushing us from one
be. All in all, this is very watchable
•of çharactér and landscapè, were
Bender is supposed to be hard-bitten,
gravity-defying, bone-cracking
entertainment.
evident. In Molly, every interesting _
poor Burt Reynolds just looks bored.
sequence to the Jiext. To the
anglé is ground down, until there’s
unaccustomed, this can get a bit
nothing left but well-worn homilies.
exhausting, but it does make for strangely compelling entertainment. [481 CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
Snow Falling on Cedars
their dreams in the days prior to bluescreen. There is also an extensive discussion with John Williams (the
DIRECTOR SCOTT HICKS
musical conductor) who arguably
CAST ETHAN HAWKE, JAMES CROMWELL,
created the most memorable musical
RICHARD JENKINS, YOUKI KUDOH, SAM SHEPARD, MAX VON SYDOW
accompaniment for film.
PRODUCER KATHLEEN KENNEDY DISTRIBUTOR TRISTAR PICTURES COUNTRY OF ORIGIN US
The Bone Collector
RATING M DURATION 122 MINUTES PRICE $40
DIRECTOR PHILLIP NOYCE CAST DENZEL WASHINGTON, ANGELINA JOLIE PRODUCERS MARTIN BREGMAN,
Snow Falling on Cedars is based on
LOUIS A STROLLER. MICHAEL S. BREGMAN
David Guterson’s successful novel of
DISTRIBUTOR TRISTAR PICTURES COUNTRY OF ORIGIN US
the same name. It is an unconventional
RATING M
love story about an anglo-saxon
DURATION 114 MINUTES
American, Ishmael Chambers (Ethan
With a fantastic cast led by Roy
Hawke) and a young Japanese
Scheider and surprisingly realistic
PRICE $40
American, Hatsue (Youki Kudoh) set
looking special effects (given its age),
-> The Bone Collector is a murder
against the backdrop of World War II.
Jaws remains one of the great films of
mystery about a clever detective
-> The film is an amalgamation of
its genre.
(Denzel Washington) who becomes a
flashbacks but is set six years after
-> Jaws has an extensive DVD special
quadriplegic while investigating a
the war in a small fishing village in
features section including trivia games
case. Bedridden and without hope, he
which Hatsue's Japanese husband is
and screensavers: although
is asked to advise on a case and sees
the accused in a murder trial.
screensavers are only available for
potential in a young cop Amelia
Boasting beautiful cinematography
PCs. There is a fascinating
(Angelina Jolie), who plays a distinct
and strong direction from Scott Hicks
documentary featuring virtually
character from her off-the-wall parts
[Shine], Snow Falling on Cedars is
everyone involved in producing the
in Girl Interrupted and Gone in Sixty
ultimately a pedestrian courtroom
film. Using old footage, overlapped
Seconds.
drama.
with recent interviews, the
-> The Bone Collector is a step above
-> The DVD’s bonus matter includes
documentary serves as a retrospective
the usual murder mysteries, mainly
look at the making of Jaws and the
due to the performances and the
an essay-style explanation of the history of the incarceration of Japanese in the US, America's involvement in WWII and the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour. -> The bonus section also includes a discussion of the book with author, and co-producer of the film, Guterson who goes into depth about the research conducted for the book
Jaws DIRECTOR STEVEN SPIELBERG CAST ROY SCHEIDER, RICHARD DREYFUSS,
ROBERT SHAW PRODUCERS RICHARD D ZANUCK,
DAVID BROWN DISTRIBUTOR TRISTAR PICTURES COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: US RATING M DURATION 120 MINUTES PRICE $40
(which took 10 years to write). There is also an interesting discussion by
Released on DVD to mark its 25th
effects it has had on the director,
direction by Phillip Noyce.
actors and producers. Perhaps the
-> The bonus section features a
only thing scarier than the shark is
fascinating and informative discussion
Spielberg's 70s haircut.
with the knowledgeable Noyce who
-> The documentary details the knife-
discusses the importance of mentors
edge approach that the young
and how this relates to his own life
Spielberg took in order to shoot the
and career. He explains the continual
shark scenes entirely at sea. It also
theme of resurrection underlying his
highlights the risk he took in using an
films and tells intriguing tales of the
expensive, time-consuming
sources of his inspiration.
mechanical shark.
-> Noyce also discusses in detail how he shoots, casts and researches
Guterson, Hicks and screenwriter Ron
anniversary, Jaws still stands up as
-> The extra features section also
Bass of the transition from novel to
one of the all-time scary ‘monster’
contains original storyboards and
projects, and the use of camera in
film, highlighting the difference
films. For anyone living under a rock
discussions with Spielberg, Peter
capturing mood and emotion.
between the mediums.
for the past quarter of a century,
Benchley (screenwriter and writer of
The extra features included in the
Jaws is the story of an enormous
the original novel), and co
DVD presentation w ill prove extremely
presentation promises much but
shark that terrorises a small coastal
screenwriter Carl Gottlieb about the
engaging for anybody remotely
delivers little.
town and its summer holiday-makers.
problems associated with realising
interested in film. •
Much like the film itself the DVD
SHANE STEPHENS
CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [49 ]
TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS
Shane McKechnie
Specialist Courier & Freight Services to the Film & Television Industry •
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ERITAGE
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ScreenSo u n d A ustralia NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE
AUSTRALIAN SCREEN PRODUCERS' ASSOCIATION
acknowledges the glamour of feature film production, “ but the reality is most of Australia's export income comes from TV, by miles” . He says a strong film industry
New President for SPAA
requires a strong TV industry, but the reverse is not necessarily true. -> At SPAA 2000, in Sydney from Novem ber 16-18, an estimated 800 members of the screen industry w ill gather at the Hilton Hotel. -> Murray’s contribution to the confer
Parallel importing, tax incentives for film investment, and intellectual property rights are the key issues facing local screen producers; that’s according to the incoming president of the Australian Screen Producers’ Association (SPAA), independent producer Nick Murray.
ence's agenda has been limited, because he was not officially appointed until last month but, as in 1999, he w ill chair some panel discussions. While a session has not been dedicated to the current parallel importation threat faced by the local film industry, Murray says the issue looms large for producers.
-> In September Murray took over from producer Tom Jeffrey, and he follows his
-> Addressing the issue of tax incentives, Murray says, “ it remains to be seen
former Artists Services boss, Steve Vizard, into the job of heading up SPAA, which
what the FLICs (Film Licence Investment Companies) are actually doing” . He
boasts between 250 and 300 members.
says the scheme has so far not been a success and now "the industry needs
-> Murray is managing director of Jigsaw productions. Established at the end of
some certainty as to what's going to happen” .
1998, with offices in Sydney and Melbourne, Jigsaw has produced two series of
-> Intellectual property rights were discussed at SPAA 1999 and w ill be on the
O'Loghlin on Saturday Night, a business education series for The Business Skills
agenda for 2000. Murray says that for producers the issue is two-sided: they need
Channel on cable TV, plus two Sydney Comedy Festival specials. The company is
to know their rights when dealing with the TV networks, plus their rights when
currently seeking capital for its first foray into feature film production.
negotiating with directors.
-> Murray started his career in network television, before joining Artists Services
-> Murray adds that the influx in recent years of offshore TVCs shooting in Aus
as the business affairs manager. He later set up thecomedychannel, before
tralia must be nurtured, because the benefits flow through the entire industry.
resigning to launch Jigsaw in 1998.
SPAA’s members are vigorous competitors for television space and feature film
-> He has long been a critic of the Australian feature film culture, which he sees
funding. Murray says that as the competition increases, producers are less likely
as geared towards producing art films that "no-one wants to see” . He promises
to discuss issues, which in turn weakens the sector. "Part of what SPAA offers is
Jigsaw's first film w ill be commercially driven.
advocacy with the government and semi-government bodies (but) it's also worth
-> Though the majority of Murray's experience has been in the TV sector, he
bringing the industry together.” »
As the Australian film industry enters its second generation of filmmaking and television renaissance we are conscious of the need to look forward to future successes and assess new ways of doing business in the changing world economy. In keeping with this objective, and aimed at both the emerging and experienced producer, the chosen theme for this year’s SPAA 2000 conference is A New Way Forward. . ■ _ ' Crucial issues facing producers today will be canvassed in longer sessions involving greater delegate participation. These include: ■ broadening the funding base p building a business in the entertainment economy ■ the creative producer ■ new marketing - new media ■ uncovering the truth about domestic distribution ■ playing the casting game ■ maximising relationships and creating strategic partnerships
We are also pleased to announce that the last day of the conference (Saturday, 18 November) will coincide with the first day of the Australian Writers’ Guild Conference, an initiative aimed at strengthening the working relationship between writers and producers and, ultimately, improving the quality of the finished product. / The conference has moved to the Hilton Hotel in Pitt St, Sydney. As a conference venue with in-house accommodation, we are confident this will allow delegates to maximise opportunities to network, conduct business and socialise all under one roof. Almost 800 delegates attended last year’s conference, including film, television, documentary and television commercial producers, broadcasters^ post production experts, financiers, directors, writers, film lawyers, government organisations and local and international distribution and acquisition executives. As in previous years, over 60 percent were active in film, television or documentary and video production. SPAA is committed to providing a stimulating and productive industry conference that is a genuine forum for business and creativeexchange.
CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [51 ]
SHORT FILM FESTIVALS
Desperately seeking an audience You’ve made the short film, now you need an audience. Em m a S lo le y has some advice for entering the short film festival realm. Short film festivals provide new and established filmmakers with a valuable forum for getting their product noticed but for first-time filmmakers especially, entering competitions can be a bewildering process. The number of festivals worldwide is growing and with each festival offering - or requiring - different things it can be difficult to know where to start. -> One of the most significant changes to short film festivals over the years has been the availability of
above: Director Michael Frank puts Sarah Berger through Purgatory. left: Catherine Tysoe lapsing time in Michael Frank’s Autist.
the internet. While prospective festival entrants once had to fax or phone around the world for information about festivals, a vast array of information is now available online, considerably reducing the expense
and can provide invaluable advice on what works
^CHOOSING A FESTIVAL
and time involved in researching and entering.
and, perhaps more importantly, what doesn’t.
With so many festivals around knowing which one is
short film industry is thriving, with new Australian
^STRATEGY
selected is difficult but again it comes down to
success stories popping up all the time. Success on
The wisdom on how to market short films varies but
research. Most festival web sites will state their entry
the circuit requires a high level of organisation, with
it's agreed filmmakers should have some kind of
criteria and conditions so finding the appropriate one
an emphasis on marketing and circulating the films
strategy in place. Budgeting is paramount and
requires reading all the fine print. Certainly genre is a
for optimum exposure. There can be many benefits
should take into account the cost of producing the
consideration and many festivals specialise in
to entering short films into festivals, not the least of
film plus the cost of entering festivals (which
particular genres or have sub categories.
which is the prospect of having your film seen by as
includes freight and administration).
large an audience as possible. The key is to form a
-> Australian filmmaker Michael Frank (whose
paramount, saying, "You've probably got about two
strategy and take advantage of the resources
shorts Purgatory, In Memory of Laura, and Auteur
years to exploit the film and it's not something you
available, both on the internet and through film
have been successful locally and abroad] says "I find
should rush into. It really is a matter of doing the hard
bodies such as the AFC.
many short filmmakers spend a fortune completing
work of finding the festivals that will lead to bigger
going to give your film the best chance of being
-> The general consensus seems to be that the
Richards sees choosing which festivals to target as
their projects but don’t bother to make the effort to
festivals". And if you do get selected he advises, "You
^RESOURCES
submit them to anything but the most obvious
should hype the hell out of it, to attract the people who
The internet is the most comprehensive resource
festivals. I'm the opposite - I make cheap films but
go to festivals” . Frank has a slightly different approach;
available for finding out about and entering short
put most of the money into submissions and
"I send them to everything. This usually takes a couple
film festivals. The Australian Film Commission's
marketing” .
of years and a lot of money but it's worth it.”
web site contains plenty of useful links to festivals
-> The AFC offers an excellent guide, Marketing
-> Richards adds “ (filmmakers) really need to go
and other film-related areas, while filmfests.com
Short Films Internationally, which advises films
beyond Australia to look at international festivals as a
provides a complete rundown of festivals both in
should be “ under 15 minutes in length, 35mm and
tool to get both local publicity and international
Australia and overseas. Also the AFC can assist in
distinguished by conceptual boldness and strength
exposure” . It is considered wise to enter both
accessing some of the several publications
of vision”. The Young Filmmakers fund Marketing
Australian and international festivals; although the
dedicated to festivals.
Guide, available from the NSW Film and Television
locals ones may be smaller and lower-profile, they
-> Tim Richards, the founder of filmfests.com, is
Office, also contains great advice on marketing and
also tend to be made up of Australian productions
understandably a big fan of the net for sourcing
selling short films.
therefore making the chances of being selected
festival info and he advises filmmakers to "sit down INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS
with a coffee and trawl through it" to find the
...... ! ■
festivals that will most suit their needs. Richards’ site offers alphabetical listings of festivals with comprehensive information on each, as well as web site links (containing online entry forms). -> There are plenty of other online directories [see below], which present information in various ways; some list festivals in alphabetical order, some by country or region and others by searchable database. -> Richards believes "people are taking advantage of technology to get their films out there” , which in turn is making it easier and more accessible for filmmakers to get the information they need. “Another good option is to network with other filmmakers, find out what they’re doing," he says. In his experience, established filmmakers are more than happy to share their experiences and knowledge [52] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
-> Bilbao International Festival
of Documentary & Short Films (Spain)
Deadline: September Screening: November www.fic-bilbao.com • -> British Short Film Festival (UK) Deadline: June Screening: September http://www.britishshortfilmfest.com -> Chilean International
Short Film Festival (Chile) Deadline: October Screening: February www.arcos.cl/festival -> Clermont-Ferraud Short Film
Festival (France).
Deadline: October c'Screening: February http://www.clermont-filmfest.com
-> Cork Film Festival (Ireland) Deadline: July Screening: October www.corkfilmfest.drg/ciff/ -> Sao Paulo International Short
Film Festival (Brazil)
Deadline: May Screening: August http://www.kinoforum.org/shorts
-> Tampere International Short Film Festival (Finland) Deadline: December Screening: March http://www.tampere.fi/festival/film
-> Uppsala Short Film Festival (Sweden) Deadline: July Screening: October www.shortfilmfestival.com
-> Oberhausen Short Film Festival (Germany) -> Hamburg Short Film Festival Deadline: January (Germany) Screening: May http://www.kurzfilmtage.de
-> Palm Springs International Short Film Festival (US) Deadline: June Screening: August http://www.psfilmfest.org
Deadline: March Screening: May http://www.shortfilm.com -> Aspen Shorts Fest (US) Deadline: Dec/Jan Screening: April http://www.aspenfilm.org
SHORT FILM FESTIVALS
ONLINE RESOURCES
greater. There are plenty of quality Australian festivals and as evidenced by past Tropfest winners, the ensuing publicity can be extensive. While it's tempting to restrict your film to the high
festival, it’s common for other festivals to invite the
-> Filmfests http://www.filmfests.com
film to screen at th e irs free of charge.
-> 1World International Film Festivals
-> There are plenty of encouraging examples of local
http://www.1worldfilms.com/lnternational/Film/Festivals.htm
profile international festivals like Cannes, Berlin and
-> Similarly, once a film has been selected by one
-> Filmscouts
filmmakers who have had well-received short films.
Sundance, anecdotal evidence suggests the chances
http://www.filmscouts.Gom/r0pms95/library/festdbc2.asp
Adam Elliott, with his widely acclaimed (and
of being selected cold are pretty slim. Says Frank, "I
-> Film Dependent Festival Guide
awarded) animated shorts Uncle, Cousin and
http://www.filmdependent.com/sffests.html
focus mainly on Europe and Canada and usually
Inside film Online
Brother, producer Kath Shelper, who has produced
avoid the US festivals for about a year until the film
http://www.insidefilms.com/calendar.htrhr
three AFC funded films; Gregory Godhard, whose
picks up a few screenings elsewhere. The Americans
-> Screen Network Australia
latest short Mind's Eye has screened at over 30
www.sna.net.au/diary.html
are only interested in films with hype and awards". -> As well as using the world wide web for research, exhibiting films. See the feature in Cinema Papers
-^Melbourne
-^Sydney
your film on the web won't jeopardise your chances of entering your film elsewhere. (Many festivals, particularly American ones, have very strict
international festivals; and Rob Luketic, whose short
AFC http://www.afc.gov.au
it is also beginning to be a platform in itself for issue 134 and note it pays to check that launching
~— *
150 William St Woolloomooloo Nsw 2011 > Ph: 02 9321 6444 Email: marketingOafc.gey.au
Level 2,120 Clarendon St Southbank VIC 3006 Ph: 03 9279 3400 Email: infoOmelb.afc.gov.au
been screened, some require first screening rights).
^CUTTING COSTS/FUNDING There is not a great deal of funding available locally
-> Brisbane Level 15,111 George St QLD 4000 Ph: 0732244114 Email: ojohnstonOpftc.com.au
to assist filmmakers in entering festivals, although various grants can include a marketing component.
with Miramax (which has not yet borne fruit). -> Of course there are the bad luck cases as well, like the anecdote from a local email newsletter which described someone entering an Irish film festival, paying the entry fee and having the film rejected, only to realise that the festival was
Young Filmmakers
guidelines on when and where your film can have
Titsiana Booberini helped secure a three film deal
By Hugh-Short Available from the NSW Film and Television Office Level 7,157 Liverpool St. Sydney NSW 2000 Ph: 02 9264 6400 Web site: http://www.fto.nsw.gov.au
specifically for Irish filmmakers. -> Frank describes "flying to Melbourne on my last pennies to attend a hyped festival which was screening my last three films. Only about 15 people turned up, half of which were my guests". He then discovered that the shorts section wasn't competitive anyway. -> Still, the majority of stories convey a sense that the short film industry is at an exciting stage with
The AFC offers travel grants, generally worth $3000, for directors and producers whose work has been
-> "If I’m just making a little experimental film", he
festivals providing short filmmakers with the
selected in competition at key international festivals.
says, "I’d prefer to spend a couple of hundred bucks
opportunity to show their work, win awards and
Frank was a recipient of an AFC travel grant when
and do it myself rather than wrangle through red
possibly even launch a successful feature film
tape” . He also suggests a good sob story can be
career. And as Tim Richards says, the bottom line
swag of awards, but his requests for production
effective: "If you tell them you’re a poor, broke
tends not to be about the money at all: “ It’s a
funding have always been rejected.
filmmaker they’ll usually waive the fees anyway".
labour of love". •
Purgatory blitzed the international circuit and won a
380
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InProduction Feature Film s ■ In p re -p ro d u c tio n THE EDGE OF THE STREAM Principal Credits Director: Geoffrey Nottage Producer: David Rapsey Scriptwriter: Geoffrey Nottage Cast Charles Tingwell, Bill Kerr, Vincent Ball Synopsis A story of redemption between three 75 year old comrades who flew together in World War II. The men were survivors of a plane crash in which four out of the seven crew died. A film about how the past haunts the future and a salute good-bye to a generation. LANTANA Principal Credits Director: Ray Lawrence Producer: Jan Chapman Scriptwriter: Andrew Bovell Synopsis Crossing the genre boundaries of thriller, mystery and romantic drama, 'Lantana' centres on 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. LETS GET SKASE Principal Credits 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 Cast Alex Dimitriades, Lachy Hulme Synopsis Anti-hero Peter Dellasandro and 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. MR AVERAGE Global Television Principal Credits Director: Cameron Miller Executive producer: Russell Williams Producer: Cameron Miller Scriptwriters: Roger Dunn, Cameron Miller Production manager: Ron Buch Director of photography: Alex McPhee Editor: Andrew Scott Cast Chris Franklin, Gabriel Rossi, Dave Grant, Michael Bishop. 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. -> 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 cross roads of their relationship when they can't score and realise their lives are going nowhere. 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.
■ In p ro d u ctio n THE BANK Arenafilm Pty Ltd Principal Credits Director: Robert Connolly Producer: John Maynard Scriptwriter: Robert Connolly Director of Photography: Tristan Milam Editor: Nick Meyers Planning and development Casting: Mullinars Storyboard Artist: Tam Morris Onset Crew First Assistant Director: Phil Jones Production Manager: Elisa Argenzio Production Designer: Luigi Pittorino Sound Designer: Sam Petty Cast David Wenham, Sibylla Budd, Steve Rodgers, Mitchell Butel 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
[5 6 ] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
Production Crew Unit Production Managers: Conrad Hool, Greg Ricketson Onset Crew 1st Assistant Director: Bob Donaldson Wardrobe Costume Designer: Marion Boyce Cast 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 investigate a major story. When Mick accidentally gets caught up in her investigation, the stage is set for an extended series of comic jibes that poke fun at the Southern Californian lifestyle form an outsider's point of view. DOWN AND OUT WITH THE DOLLS Principal Credits Director: Kurt Voss Producers: Matt Hill, Nanda Rao Executive producers.- Peter Hill, Stephen Hill Scriptwriter: Kurt Voss Director of Photography: Tony Croll Editor: Mick Erausquin Production Designer: Nalini Cheriel Post production Musical Director: Howard Paar Cast Storm, Kinnie Starr, Shauna Hall Synopsis 'Down and Out With The Dolls' is the raunchy, wry and in-your-face comedic tale of the fast rise and fall of a four-piece, all girl Portland rock and roll band, 'The Paper Dolls'. ENEMIES CLOSER G.O. Films Principal Credits Director: Steven Aldridge Producer: Linda Fraser Director of photography: Mark Bliss Post production Editor: David Allan Assistant editor: Tim Lingard Cast Kirsty 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. Know thy friends close but your enemies closer. -> EQUUS - THE STORY OF THE
HORSE Mullion Creek Productions/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. -> EYE OF THE STORM Principal Credits Director: Aaron Ware Producer: Helen O'Malley Executive producer: Aaron Ware Co-producers: Krystal Pace, Joanne Grioli Associate producer: James Morgan Based on the novel titled: Events from School Yard Scriptwriter: Aaron Ware Director of photography: Aaron Ware, James Morgan Production designers: Aaron Ware, Lauren Greive Sound recordist: James Morgan Wardrobe Costume designers: Krystal Pace, Joanna Grioli Post Production Editors: Aaron Ware, James Morgan Cast Ronald Grima, Stephanie Senior, John Grima, Joanne Grioli, Logan Fewster Synopsis EYE is a raw, off the school yard '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 school yard. The story revolves around Daryn, who after many weeks has realised 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. FIRST MEN Principal Credits Director: Rick Idak Producer: Rick Idak Scriptwriter: Rick Idak Wardrobe Costume designer: Kashia Bylock Onset Crew Stunts: Stunts Unlimited Cast Daniel Chante, Kiran Donaldson, Sashia De Silva, Marianthe Sitzoukis Synopsis Science fiction story about eight astronauts who have lived on an alien planet for 13 years struggling to survive. N IJIN K S K I
Illumination Films and MusicArtsDance films Distribution company: Sharmill Films and WTV (US) Budget: 1.2 million Principal Credits 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 Production Crew Insurer: Cinesure Completion guarantor: Film Finances Ltd Legal services: Marshalls and Dent On-set Crew Choreographers: Alida Chase, Leigh Warren Unit publicist: Catherine Lavelle Wardrobe Designer: Jilly Hickey 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. PARADISE FOUND Principal Credits Director: Mario Andreacchio Producers: Mario Andreacchio, George Campana Scriptwriter: John Goldsworthy, Mario Andreacchio Synopsis Set in Paris and Tahiti in the 19th century, examines a slice of life of the French painter, Paul Gauguin, in his attempt to create a revolution in painting and thinking and his obsession with the questions of "Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?'. -» QUEEN OF THE DAMNED Principal Credits Director: Michael Rymer Producer: Jorge Saralegui Scriptwriters: Scott Abbott, Michale Petroni, Anne Rice Cast Lena Olin, Vincent Perez, Aaliyah Synopsis Based on Anne Rice's 'Queen of the Damned' - a modern-day vampire thriller tracing the story of Lestat (last seen in 'Interview With a Vampire-) who has reinvented himself as a rock star. -> RABBIT-PROOF FENCE Jabal Films Distribution company: Ocean Films Principal Credits 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 Planning and development Casting: Christine King Casting consultants: Colin Murdoch Extras casting: Christine King, Colin Murdoch, Angela Hessom Dialogue coach: Rachel Mazar Production Crew 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 Insurer: HW Wood Australia Pty^Btd Completion guarantor: Film Finances, Inc Legal services- Nina Stevenson Travel co-ordinator: Linda Taylor Freight co-ordinator: AusFilm Transport-Logistics Camera Crew 2nd unit DOP: Ian Jones Key Grip: Robbie Morgan Gaffer: Nick Payne Best Boy: Glen Jenkins Onset Crew 1st assistant director: Emma Schofield 2nd assistant director: Deb Antoniou 3rd assistant director: Ross Êargher 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 WaFdrobe Wardrobe supervisor: Ruth de la Lande Standby wardrobe: Julie Krogar Cutter: Judith Pritchard Construction Department Construction manager: John Moore 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 chasing them all the way. SUBTERANO Production company: Becker Films Distribution company: REP Films Principal Credits Director: Esben Storm Producers: Richard Becker, Barbi Taylor Scriptwriter: Esben Storm Director of photography: Graeme Wood
Production Designer: Chris Kennedy Planning and Development Casting: Ann Faye Production Crew Production Manager: Jane Sullivan Production co-ordinator: Clare Shervington Location manager: Peter Hicks On-set Crew 1st assistant director: Chris Webb Unit publicist: Amanda Huddle Art Department Art director: Scott Bird Special Effects supervisor: Peter Stubbs Wardrobe Wardrobe designer: Tess Schofield Wardrobe supervisor: Katrina Pickering Marketing Publicity: Amanda Huddle Cast Alex Dimitriades, Tasma Walton, Chris Haywood, Alison Whyte Synopsis Subterano is a virtual holographic game in which Ektoman, a God-like killer, hunts his victims through a subterranean maze.
■ In p o s t-p ro d u c tio n CUBBYHOUSE Principal Credits Director: Murray Fahey Producers: Chris Brown, David Hannay Line producer: Tom Hoffie Executive producers:; Gary Hamilton, Mikael Borglund Scriptwriters: Ian Coughlan, Murray Fahey Director of photographyJPhilip M. Cross ACS Sound: Greg Burgmann Production Crew Production designer: Sean Callinan Onset Crew Special fx make-up: Pro FX Special fx: Kevin Chisnall Art Department Art Director: Adam Head Post Production Editor: Brian Kavanagh CGI: Complete Post Cast Joshua Leonard, Belinda McClory, Amy Reti, Craig McLachlan Synopsis A family relocates from America to Australia and discovers that the house they've moved into is actually a gateway to Hell...and all of hell is about to break loose. DALKEITH Leigh Sheehan Productions Distribution company: High Point Films & TV Principal Credits Director: Leigh Sheehan Producer: John Chase Executive producer: Ruvi Hertzog Scriptwriter: Victor Kazan Director of photography: David Haskins Production designer: Ian McPherson Composer: Frank Strangio Sound recordist: Laurie Robinson Planning and development Casting: Wendy Rawady Production Crew Production manager: Pauline Barbara
Unit manager: Bevan Quelhurst Production assistant: Honie Bragg Production runners: Krista Jackson, John Jackson Production accountant: Matt Joordens Camera Crew Camera operator.- Steve Welch Focus puller: Gary Scott Clapper loader: Gary Scott Camera assistanLTalia Venn Key grip: Greg Wilson Assistant grip: Peter Mandersloot Gaffer: Darrel Stokes Best boy; John Butcher Onset Crew 1st assistant director: Wade Stevenson Boom operator: Mathew Taylor Make-up: Angela Conti Hairdresser: Krys Moore Make-up assistant: Shae Howlett Catering: Hel’s Kitchen Art Department Set dresser: Charles O'Brien Post Production Post-production supervisor: Ian Wilson Editor: Martin Fox Cast Ray Barrett, Gus Mercurio, Alan Hopgood, Esma Melville, Judy Banks Synopsis A whole new world awaits the residents of Dalkeith when they adopt a greyhound. THE ENCHANTED BILLABONG Prod. Company: TEB P/L - Imagine if Productions j D & R Productions a Distribution: Columbia Tristar Budget: 10.3 million Animated CGI feature film and 3D Imax film Principal Credits Director: David Waddington Producers: Rob McKenzie, David Waddington Executive Producer: Jack Wegman Scriptwriter: Michael Wagner Based on the original screenplay titled: The Enchanted Biltabong By: Michael Wagner, David Waddington Production designer: Wayne Bryant Editor: David Waddington Composer: Craig Bryant Sound Designer: Juliett Hill Planning and Development Casting: Bedford & Pearce Video Master by: FMTV Cast Chloe Lattanzi, Daniel Deparis, Tommy Dysart, Joan Brokenshire, Suzy Cato, Jenny Seesman, Mathew King, Rhona Rees Synopsis A boy learns to believe in an enchanted world and the characters that exist there apd in doing so he learns to believe in himself. JET SET Principal Credits Director: Jonathan Ogilvie Producer: Robert Brewer Scriptwriter: Jonathan Ogilvie Director of photography: Simon Higgins Cast 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 Synopsis A young man casts aside the shackles oThis middle class society to become a writer and join the ranks of the free-living artistic underworld of Paris. TILL HUMAN VOICES WAKE US Production company: DND Productions/ Key Entertainment Investors: AFFC, Key Entertainment, Film Victoria International sales: Key Entertainment/ Tomorrow Films Australia/NZ Distribution: Globe Film Co 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 Casting Director: Maura Fay & Associates Production Crew Production Co-ordinator: Anna Molyneaux Art Department Art Director: Adele Flere Costume Designer: Jeanie Cameron
Marketing Unit publicist: Andrew Mackie Cast Guy Pearce, Helena Bonham Carter Synopsis 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. TWO WELLS Production company: GIV Productions Distribution company: Becker Group Principal Credits 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.
T e le fe a tu re s ■ In p re -p ro d u c tio n THE ROAD FROM COORAJN Chapman Pictures Pty Ltd Duration: 112mm Principal Credits Producer: Penny Chapman Scriptwriter: Sue Smith Synopsis Based on Jill Ker Conway’s 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.
CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [55 ]
■ In p ro d u ctio n BLONDE Crawford Productions/Robert Greenwald Productions Principal Credits Producer: Jacobus Rose Cast Poppy McGregor, Kirstie Alley 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 Production Crew Production manager: Barbara Gibbs Cast Rebecca Gibney Synopsis The story 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 home town in outback Australia with her family in tow to help battle a mysterious virus which is killing the local horses.
■ In p o st p rod u ction -»• LI’L HORRORS December Films Australia Distribution company: Beyond International Principal Credits Directors: Chris Langman, 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: Otello Stolfo Composers: Al Mullins and Janine DeLorenzo Production Crew Production manager: Rachel Evans Production co-ordinator: Andrea Tulloch Producer's assistant: Melanie Hailstone Production assistant: Bee Matthews Production assistant/Production runner: Anny Beresford Production accountant: Mandy Carter
Insurer: Holland Insurance Brokers Completion guarantor: Legal services: Roth Warren Solicitors Travel co-ordinator: 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 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 Alderson Hicks, Justin Dix, Ben Green Standby props: Michael Saunders Wardrobe Standby wardrobe: Fiona MacKinnon Construction Department Scenic artist: Liam Siddell Construction manager: Ian (Kincade) Doig Leading hand: Lance Whitehouse Post production 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 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 Voice cast: Ric Herbert, Paula Morrell, Rachel King, Richard Hart, Abbe Holmes, Michael King, Matthew King Puppeteers: Richard Mueck, Imogen Keen, Richard Hart, Simon Rann, Heath Mclvor, Hugh Simpson
[ 5 6 ] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
Synopsis A 52 part live action puppet sitcom set in a spooky gothic school run by a retired movie actress. It features the (mis-) adventures of a group of children who just happen to be rather familiar monsters as well. -» SOUTH PACIFIC Principal Credits Director: Dick Pearce Producer: Chris Sacani Producer [Austl: 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: James A Michener Director of photography: Steve Windon Production designer: Patrizia Von Brandenstein Composer: Rodgers and Hammerstein Sound recordist: Guntis Sics Planning and development Casting: Christine King Casting consultants: Mullinars Casting Extras casting: Jane Dawkins Dialogue coach: Victoria Miewleska Production Crew Unit Production manager: Anne Bruning Assist Production manager: Jennifer des Champs Production co-ordinator: Paula f f Jensen Producer's assistant: Emanda 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 Gladrhan Production assistant: Karl McMillan Production runners: Col Heidke, Ed Fitzgerald Production accountant: Angela Kenny Accounts assistants: Deb Sutherland, Tammy Miller Paymaster: Kylie Wilkie Smith Insurer: HW Wood Legal services: Stevenson and Court ¡Travel co-ordinator: Kate Todd Freight co-ordinator: Danielle Srour Camera Crew A Camera operator: Marc Spicer A Focus puller: Craig Philpott A Clapper loader: Jasmine YuenCurracan B Camera operator: John Platt B Focus puller: Jem Rayner B Clapper loader: Simon Williams Additional Focus: David Dunkley Camera loader: Matthew Windon Key grip: Warren Grieef Dolly grip: Toby Churchill Brown Assistant grips: Adam Kuiper, Craig Jackson, Jason Trews, Jason Weeks Gaffer: Reg Garside Best boy: Alan Dunstan Electrician: Colin Wyatt, Mark Jeffries, Travis Magee, Mark Watson Onset Crew 1st assistant director: Mark Turnbull 2nd assistant director: Jane Griffin 2nd 2nd assistant director: Noni Roy
3rd assistant director: Greg Cobain 4th assistant director: Eddie Thorn On Set PA: Marcus Levy Continuity: Pam Willis Playback operator: Stuart Waller Boom operator: David Pearson Make-up Supervisor: Deborah Lanser Hair Supervisor: Martial Corneville Key make-up artist: Nicole Spiro Make-up artist: Kylie O'Toole Key Hairdresser: Kerry-Lee Jury Hairdresser: Tina Gordon Special fx supervisor: Brian Cox Special fx: Dave Hardie, Walter Van Veenendaal, Angelo Sahin, Pauline Gerbert, David Goldie Special fx assistants: Patrick Carmiggelt, Aaron Cox Choreographer: Vincent Patterson Assistant Choreographer: Tracie Morley Stunts co-ordinator: Lawrence Woodward Unit nurse: Ron Houghton Still photographer: Carolyn Jones Catering: Mighty Bites Catering, Reza Mokhtar Art Department Art director: Nick McCallum Assistant art director: Emma Lawes Art department co-ordinator: Jen O’Connell PA to Designer: Sally-Ann Louisson Art department runner: Kent Sherlock Set decorator: Suza Maybury Set designer: Prisque Salvi Draftsman: Tim Kobin Drafting/Models: Jodie Fried Graphics: Ingrid Weir Aircraft co-ordinator: Ralph Simpson Props person: Lisa Brennan Props buyej: Mark Brimms Props buyer/dresser: Jo Beikoff, James Watts, Andrew Short Standby props: Murray Gosson Assist standby: Adrienne Ogle, Fiona Walker Armourer: Ken Jones Action vehicle co-ordinator: Paul Naylor Assist vehicles: Geoff Naylor Wardrobe Wardrobe supervisor: Kerry Thompson Wardrobe buyer: Natalie Gardner Standby wardrobe: Helen Maggs, Andrea Hood Wardrobe assistant: John Power Costumer: Julie Frankham Construction Department Construction supervisor: Geoff Howe Scenic artist: Steve Sallybanks Construction manager: Eugene Land Leading hand: Warwick Miller, Steve Kezic, Michael Rout Set'finisher: Frank Falconer, Richard Baldwin Greensman: Gregg Thomas Post production Assistant editor: John Lee Editing assistant: David Birrell Musical director: Paul Bogaev Music engineer: Joel Moss Recording studio: Studio 301 Cast Glenn Close, Rade Sherbedizja, Harry Connick Jr., Robert Pastorelli, Lori Tan Chinn, Jack Thompson Synopsis Remake of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, ‘South Pacific'.
Documentaries ■ In p re -p ro d u c tio n -» THE SALT OF THE EARTH: MAHATMA GANDHI Production company: Glass Box Distribution company: Glass Box Budget: $250,000 Principal Credits Director: Don Palmer Producer: Don Palmer Scriptwriter: 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 Camera type: DV-Pro Post production Post-production supervisor: 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 all inspired by the vision, dedication and ideas of Mahatma Gandhi. He is a household name but so few really understand why. Tom Weber has spent 20 years finding out and now takes us on a journey to see why Gandhi still rocks.
■ In p ro d u ctio n A FOX WITH TWELVE CHICKENS Director: Alan Carter Producer: Alan Carter Director of photography: Ian 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. -» GREY VOYAGERS December Films Network: SBS Principal Credits Series Director: Steve Westh Episode Director/s: Steve Westh, Declan Eames, Erika Addis, Catherine Marciniak, Susan Lambert Producers:.Tony Wright, Stuart Menzies Synopsis Follows six highly motivated ‘older travellers" on unique odysseys to parts of the world of special significance to them. -»INSIDE THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET (60 ( minute documentary) East Australian Film Company
Principal Credits Directors: Bob Hardie, Matthew Dow Producer: Bob Hardie Co-producer: Matthew Dow 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 USA. From its inception in the 1960s, the Australian Ballet has gone from strength to strength, with each new generation its character grows and changes. The metamorphosis guided by the artists whose life is ballet. MRSTREHLOW’S FILMS Production company: Jdurnocam 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: Cohen/Herring Budgeted by.- Herring Production Crew Production manager: Martin Coucke Insurer: HW Wood Australia P/L Completion guarantor: FACB Legal Services: Michael Frankel & Co 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 forlljj {nimself as anthropologist and filmmaker, and the work currently underway to repatriate his collection to Arrernte communities in Central Australia. -> RETURN TO EDEN Network: ABC Production Company: Artemis International Principal Credits Director: Celia Tait Producers: Brian Beaton, Celia Tait Executive Producerss: Brian Beaton, Peter Beilby, Dione Gilmour Scriptwriter: Celia Tait Format: Super16mm film Synopsis In the pristine landscape of the Northwest of Australia a battle for territory is being waged between two opposing forces : feral versus native animals. SMALL STEPS, GIANT STEPS Network: SBS Production Company: Emerald Films Principal Credits Director: Sally Browning Producer: Browning Associate Producer: Paola Garofali Director of photography: Roman Baska
Editor: Emma Hay Script writer: Sally Browning Format: DVCam & DVC Pro Synopsis Autism is a disorder that affects one in every 1000 children born in Australia. Most children suffering autism are initially catagorised as "unreachable" and until recently institutionalisation was the favoured cure. It has only been in recent years that alternative therapies have been explored and 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 children in Sydney, whose progress to communication has defied their initial diagnoses.
■ In p o s t-p ro d u c tio n ANIMAL X - SERIES 2 Series Documentary Storyteller Productions Principal Credits Executive producers: Mike Searle, Jennifer Wilson J Producers: Mike Searle, Nigel Swetenham, Jennifer Wilson, Melanie Ambrose, Linda Searle, Caroline Bertram 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 30 minutes -» 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 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 Production manager: Trevor Chalmers Financial controller: Andrew McSweeney, BJ Grace and Co
Production accountant: Andrew McSweeney lnsure||Cmesure 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 Marketing International sales agent: Beyond Distribution Ijiternational distributor: Beyond Distribution Synopsis: This is a story of a final journey through stunningly beautiful 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 leapt off the tracks and forced them to jump for their lives). FROM KOREA WITH LOVE Iris Pictures Pty Ltd Principal Credits Director: Jennifer Cummins Producer: Jessica Douglas-Henry Executive producer; C ou rtnep lj Gibson Scriptwriter: Justine Flynn Director of photography: Chris Thorburn Sound recordist: Leo Sullivan Production Crew Production manager: Chris Thorburn Production accountant: ASTI MS Insurer: HW Woods Pty LtdCompletion guarantor: FACB Legal services: Nina Stevenson & Associates Post production Editor: Liz Doran Synopsis Follows an Anglo-Saxon couple going through the process of adopting a Korean baby. MALPA Production company: CAAMA PRODUCTIONS PTY LTD Distribution company: TBC Budget: $225,000 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 managejgJacqui 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 Still photographer: Priscilla Collins
Post production Editor: Denise Haslem Offline facilities: CAAMA Government Agency Investment Production: AFFC Marketing: TBC Synopsis This unique documentary features the special working relationships between indigenous and nonindigenous women who work out on remote Indigenous communities. TALES FROM A SUITCASE Production company: Look Television Production P/L Distribution company: JCM Budget: $355,000 Principal Credits Series Director: Andrea Dal Bosco Series Producer: Will Davies Directors: Peter Hegedus, Debra Beattie, David Vadivaloo, Veronica Iccono Commissioning Editor: Courtney Gibson (SBS I) Production Manager: Simone Uhlhorn Director of photography: Roman Baska Editor: Bernard Ashby Composer: Chopin Sound designer: Derek Allen, Zig Zag Lane Production Crew Production co-ordinator: Triny Roe Synopsis A thirteen part oral history series^ which looks at the migrant experience in Australia during the 1950s.
Recent funding decsisions ■ F ea ture F ilm s ^ BENEATH CLOUDS Autumn Films Pty Ltd Producer: Teresa-Jayne Hanlon Director/Writer: Ivan Sen Distribution: Axiom, SBS, REP Beneath Clouds is the story of ¡jena, the light-skinned daughter of an Aboriginal mother and Irish father and Vaughn, a Murri boy doing time in a minimum security prison in North West NSW. Dramatic events throw them together on a journey with no money and no transport. To Lena, Vaughn represents the life she is running away from, while to Vaughn she embodies the society that has rejected him. And for a very short amount of time, they experience a rare true happiness together. -> THE MAN WHO SUED GOD View Films Pty Ltd Producer: Ben Gannon Director: Mark Joffe Writer: Don Watson Distribution: Buena Vista, Icon Entertainment International, PMP When lightning strikes and sinks Steve Myers fishing boat (and floating home) the insurance company declares it an Act of God and refuses to pay. No man can
prevail against the might of the multinational. Angry and hungover, Steve sees no way but to sue the other party- God.
■ C h ild re n ’s Te le vis io n D ra m a ESCAPE OF THE ARTFUL DODGER (13 ( 30 minute Children’s Television Drama Series) The Producers Group Pty t Ltd/Grundy Executive Producers: Andrew Brooke, Roger Mirams Producer: Roger Mirams Director: Howard Rubie Writers: David Philips, Karen Peterson, Robert Loader Presales: Nine Network, NDR, Coral Europa Distribution: Cumulus Distribution Tells the story of Jack Dawkins, introduced in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist as the Artful Dodger, the fastest-talking, nimblest fingered young pick-pocket in London. As he side-steps and ducks his way from one disaster to another, the Dodger comes to realise that his voyage to Australia may be a real escape from his old life, an opportunity to be, not a crook... but a hero.
■ D ocu m e n ta ries -> BREAKING BOWS AND ARROWS (55 ( minute documentary) Land Beyond Productions Producer: Ellenor Cox Director: Liz Thompson Presales: SBS, Vision TV How do people manage reconciliation after a decade of civil war? Breaking Bows and Arrows explores the unique approach of the people of Bougainville to the universal problem of how victims forgive the killers, and killers forgive themselves. -» KING OF THE MARKET (52 ( minute documentary) Film Projects Pty Ltd Producer: Gregory Miller Director: Mark Abicht Presales: SBS, Vision TV Distribution: Minds Eye International Siddique is the King of the Chore Bazaar, Mumbai, the great old trading port of India. He solves all kinds of disputes and conflicts that arise for the people of the market, in creative, ingenious and sometimes sensational ways. The film will capture the magic Siddique weaves to help his community. PRIMAL SCREAM - DIARY OF A FAMILY UNTIED (52 ( minute Accord documentary) Dreamstone Productions Producers: Marc Radomsky, JoAnne McGowan Presale: ABC Distribution: ABC International This is a personal story about family roots, identity, exile, displacement and the dream of sanctuary. We will follow the Radomsky family, a family of four, as they leave their lives in Johannesburg, South Africa to resettle in Australia.
CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000 [57 ]
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[58] CINEMA PAPERS.OCTOBER.NOVEMBER.2000
Farscape, S e rie s 3 Producer: A n th o n y W in le y D ire c to r: Various DOP: Russell Bacon lh aka Producer: Ian Bradley D ire c to r: Peter Fisk DOP: M ino M a rtin e tti Journeys Producer: Becker E ntertainm ent D ire c to r: Various DOP: Various H o ly S m o ke Producer: Jan Chapman D ire c to r: Jane C am pion DOP: Dion Beebe Feeling S exy Producer: Glenys Rowe D ire c to r: Davida A lle n DOP: G ary Phillips Kick Producer: Ross M atthew s D ire c to r: Lynda Heys DOP: M artin M cG arth F la t C h a t Producer: Richard Clendinnen D ire c to r: Pino A m enta & Adam B laiklock DOP: H e n ry Pierce In A Savage Land Producer: Bill & Jennifer Bennett D ire c to r:B ill B ennett DOP: Danny Ruhlman M y H u s b a n d , M y K ille r Producer: David G ould D ire c to r: Peter A n d rik id is DOP: Joseph Pickering
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FRAME, SET & H A T C H
50 STRATHALLEN AVE NORTHBRIDGE NSW 2063
TEL: 612 8966 5000 FAX: 612 8966 5050 EMAIL: fsm@fsm.com.au WEB:
www.fsm.com.au
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The H DCAM is to be first used film ing a docum entary fo r Gulliver M edia w ith the support o f the Centenary o f Federation Com m ittee. It follow s a steam train called Bundy through some o f Queenslands m ost scenic country from Nambour to Mosman. The film has already been pre-sold to the 7 netw ork. "W e already have the product lined up fo r several jobs, and we haven't even taken delivery o f it yet. Everyone wants to w ork w ith this new technology!"
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Network Operations & Technology Manager Network Ten