Josh wrote, directed & produced the film with co-producer and co-writer Samuel Loveridge, however it almost never saw completion when the ban on greyhound racing was put in place, compromising his access to the location:
“They were happy to have us for free, we could do whatever we wanted … then managers changed, the industry changed, this political thing happened and it became more difficult.”
Josh was suddenly faced with a very different shooting climate. He found himself adjusting his initial vision on the fly to fit the location requirements:
“We weren’t allowed to do specific things … they were being very careful considering they were being shut down by the government.”
Interview with Josh, Part 1:
Then just 48 hours before shooting was set to start at the track, Josh lost his location and the future of the film was suddenly in jeopardy:
“Just a couple of days before we were going to shoot they cancelled on us, essentially because of the ban, all the media coverage … they got nervous and dropped out.”
Interview with Josh, Part 2:
Three months later the racing ban was overturned and he was able to get the location back.
By this time however the delay had caused a large follow on effect: the lead actor was now unavailable along with several key members of the crew.
Ascendant trailer:
Eventually dates were re-scheduled and the production was back on track.
Three years later Josh’s fierce perseverance and collaboration with DOP Carl Robertson won out. They completed the film while staying true to their creative vision, resulting in a slick, pensive and ethereal piece of Australian noir.
Ascendant will be released later in 2018 and you can find out more about it here.
]]>
“Not only do you see Zach grow up on screen but you see the technology grow up on screen as well … by the time we got to country it went from these little handheld shots to these amazing 4K epic shots.”
“We found the Blackmagic Pocket Camera … a small form camera that allowed for more personal moments.”
This allowed for a candid non-intrusiveness to the shooting style, especially when it came to the initiation ceremony on Zach’s home country – an aspect of indigenous culture very rarely permitted to be filmed or even seen by cultural outsiders.
That approach leads to the film’s ultimate purpose – not just the earnest telling of Zach’s story but ultimately the breaking down of cultural barriers between white society and the First Nations people of this country.
“If I’m at the Q&A that’s the feedback I always get, they (the audience) didn’t know most of these things existed in their own backyard. And it’s something that Australia needs to embrace and talk about more”.
It can be argued that this is the true end goal of film making – cameras are just the tools used to build a film. As Rob says: “there’s no perfect camera, it’s about the right tool for the job”.
The life cycle of a film can vary immensely from inception to completion and sometimes it takes ten years to achieve your goal. Zach’s Ceremony is a true labour of love and proof that hard work and perseverance are the best tools film makers can arm themselves with.
Zach’s Ceremony has won Best Documentary and Best Film at the Byron Bay International Film Festival 2016, Most Popular Documentary at the Melbourne International Film Festival 2016, Audience Award at the Sydney Film Festival 2016, Special Jury Prize at FIFO Tahiti, Audience Award & Best Documentary at the Screenwave International Film Festival 2017 and numerous Official Selections at festivals all over the world. It was aired on SBS OnDemand as part of NAIDOC week and can be screened by schools as a cultural educational tool.
]]>
His passion for the film is without question, taking on several roles himself (including writer, director, animator and editor) he completely immersed himself in the project until it’s completion in January of this year.
“It’s very easy to look at a big project and get overwhelmed, for me I just try to focus on each individual section”.
BTS Videos:
It is prudent to mention here that the most recent Any Camera Will Do networking event helped Marcus get the film across the line. He won the pitching contest and was awarded a $1600.00 voucher for the Sydney Sound Brewery run by respected sound editor and mixer John Hresc.
Using that to its full advantage, Marcus was able to strip down and complete the sound mix for Papa’s Sonata, a film heavily reliant on its score and sound effects, whittling the sound track down to something workable.
“What I had was a bit cluttered and John kind of stripped it back a little and focused on the main sections that really mattered”.
Interview with Marcus:
The lessons learned by Marcus could be considered harsh but have no doubt added to his resolve and made his determination to continue even stronger.
“As long as you are out there doing it, working on the film you want to make, then you are already successful.”
Papa’s Sonata is now up on Youtube and Vimeo.
You can learn more about the film here.
]]>
This ethos holds true for writer/director Nicholas Verso’s first feature film Boys in the Trees. It was a risky move independently financing the film, securing silver screen distribution in a digital world and writing characters set in a universe that exists outside the perceived traditional Australian cultural norms.
Nick’s characters appeal to the young Australian audience because they are the same person. Raised on American culture, “Aussie kids these days would rather listen to Kanye West than Hunters and Collectors, and while I might think that’s sad, that’s the reality.” he says.
In the path to our culture’s current state of conservatism, Nick feels the true art of Australian cinema has been lost in that contemporary Australian cinema has become cold; filmmakers have forgotten that sometimes audiences want to escape to a world away from their day-to-day reality.
Boys in the Trees trailer:
It seems a pretty safe strategy for content creators to go straight to digital platforms these days however after meeting with distributor Mushroom Pictures, Nick went for the silver screen instead, insisting cinema isn’t dead as long as the content is there to draw an audience. “The internet is a great tool to find your audience, although I don’t think we’ve quite figured out how to deal with long form content on there yet” he explains.
Obtaining private financial backing isn’t usually the way forward in the crowd-sourcing era, especially since backing requires a return on the investment. The distribution deal through Mushroom meant Boys in the Trees could be screened in cinemas, tickets sold and funds on the investment returned.
Nick Verso on Boys in the Trees:
Taking risks has obviously paid off for the talented team behind Boys in the Trees, it was an essential element that projected the film into the international spotlight garnering worldwide attention and notable acclaim.
It’s a lesson for filmmakers to be bold in their endeavors and proves that first time feature length directors can get their films funded and into cinemas and festivals. While some of the time that path might not be easy, the end result is always worth it.
Boys in the Trees won Best Feature Film at the Austin Film Festival in 2016 and Best Narrative Screenplay (Unproduced) at NewFest in 2011. It was also accepted into the Venice Film Festival (2016), Toronto International Film Festival (2016), Busan International Film Festival (2016), Festival de Rio (2016) and the Stockholm International Film Festival (2016).
For more info, click here.
]]>
American made and spending his formative years there, Elliott fell for Australia at an early age and has called Sydney home for over 30 years, while maintaining bases in Houston, LA, New York and Hawaii. Our interview via Skype finds him in the States for groundwork on two upcoming films, as well as his next series of meetings.
Currently, much of his efforts have a New York focus, where heat and momentum are building for Saving King. All I could get out of him is that the titular ‘King’ is Martin Luther King Jr, the main location is Harlem and against all odds, the treatment that Marc Furmie has delivered is turning heads in Hollywood.
In Sydney, Elliott is assembling his dream team for Dustoff, a gun metal action movie set in Afghanistan. Hot on the trail of Hacksaw Ridge (2016), this tentpole production is being primed for an Australian shoot. Loaded with critical and box office potential, Dustoff is a welcomed platform for local talent to shine and a high voltage offering to catch the eye of distributors around the globe. ‘Think Lone Survivor (2013),’ Elliott says. ‘We have every capacity to make films like that here. That’s our mission with Dustoff.’
Elliott has an intimate knowledge of both Australian and Hollywood production systems and he seeks out projects that can score on a global level. This pro works with a heady mix of strategy and intuition and from our chat, I get a sense of his level of game and hustle. You can tell that Elliott is a salesman of serious ability who makes moves in broad confident strokes. Rather than wait for shit to happen, he’s the kind of player who arrives at Cannes with a preference of throwing a party of his own.
Back around 2014, when two films were being developed about Miles Davis, Elliott tuned in on Don Cheadle’s passion project, Miles Ahead (2015). Inspired by personal affinity – in Harlem back in the day, Elliott’s father was a jazz musician – Elliott took a punt on becoming a supporter of Mr Cheadle’s crowd-funding campaign for the film. Then a mutual connection arranged a meet, which gave Elliott exactly what he was looking for – that opportunity to meet Don Cheadle at Hinoki & The Bird to talk jazz and film.
Miles Ahead trailer:
So, what kind of screenplay excites Elliott? ‘I like to sell exhibitors on the sizzle,’ Elliott shares. The power of the story has to be clear in a couple of sentences. He elaborates that it is like Chinese whispers. Various people will need to communicate the story during creative and business meetings, so the idea has to be strong and clear. That way no one can screw up the pitch when sharing and everyone gets why it will be a hit. ‘And no one should have to explain why a story ‘pops’. It either does or it doesn’t.’
Another tip he has for aspiring producers is to check their drawers for strong stories that would appeal to the demographic of retirees, unflatteringly referred to in our local industry as ‘the grey army’. Local releases are brutal. Vying for precious few evening spots in cinemas while having to compete with a smorgasbord of Hollywood and global content, most Australian films are shown the door after the second weekend. Meanwhile, retirees have a healthy appetite for mid-week morning screenings, where exhibitors have a tendency to let films run for a few weeks longer.
One thing Elliott makes clear in our chat is his position on the idea of the auteur. Over the years, iconic film figures – Woody Allen, Amoldovar, Tarantino, Francis and Sofia Coppola – have inspired emerging artists around the world to consider writing and directing their own films. But Elliott is startled by the number of projects that are pitched to him with a ‘writer will direct’ stipulation. ‘At the end of the day, these are two different skill sets, but some individuals in the Australian industry don’t seem to get it. Which role do you serve best? Are you a stronger writer or are you a stronger director? Whichever one you’re better at, that’s what I want you to be doing. I’ll be able to tell soon enough.’
Interview with Elliott:
Elliott keeps a keen eye on talent surfacing at the premier festivals – Sundance, Tribeca, Berlin, while he has a marginal preference for SXSW and Toronto. He stresses the additional value in generating heat at Toronto for a project you are putting together, as the economic capability of an Australian–Canadian co production is exciting.
And there it is again – that combination of heart and mind, passion and strategy. Elliot holds a high opinion of local talent and our potential to make world class films. But he reiterates that the economics of the production have to make sense, an obvious stipulation when you’re speaking with a man who has proven that he is prepared to back his belief with his own financial investment.
Find out more about Elliot here.
]]>The lack of relatable characters on screens is a major motivator for Craig in his writing process. “I tend to draw upon my own personal experiences as much as I can whenever you’re trying to find the truth of a situation … the story is definitely a fiction, it’s not my story, but I know there’s elements of things that I’ve experienced in it, or things my friends have experienced or things that I’ve been told, that flesh it out.”
Securing a solid cast, some of whom Craig had worked with previously like lead actor Miles Szanto, as well as previous collaborator Bonnie Elliot behind the lens, Craig was able to form a cohesive and well-rounded team to work with. He was also fortunate enough to secure the perfect location for the film, an abandoned house that was part of a deceased estate, allowing the cast and crew to set up there during the production and provided a rehearsal space as well as a finely decorated set, thanks to production designer Virginia Mesiti, in the one location.
Teenage Kicks Trailer:
As the budget wasn’t conductive to complicated setups, the crew made the best use of natural light in the house allowing the cast to own their space and become immersed in their environment. Craig’s organic approach to directing the action encouraged that immersion even more, allowing the characters to act the scenes and run through the set intuitively as though it were theatre, chasing them with the camera instead of a more textbook approach. “The more we did that the more we got into a real swing of working that way and it became a really freeing, fun way to work. I loved it, I really enjoyed working that way and I’d probably do it again.”
Writer Director Craig Borham on Teenage Kicks:
If Craig isn’t writing about something he’s passionate about then it’s impossible to stick with it over the months or years it takes to write a film. He argues however, that style is equally important as substance because film is a visual medium, and as such you are able to say something without speaking. “I think a lot of filmmakers, especially young filmmakers, forget about aesthetics or forget about using all those wonderful things film has at it’s disposal to give people an emotional response.”
Craig’s focus on both style and substance has led to a film that hits home emotionally for a large portion of its audience, creating not only an authentic landscape for it’s characters to exist in but a heartfelt story exploring issues people deal with every day. When you write from the heart, it’s impossible not to find the truth.
Teenage Kicks Behind The Scenes:
Teenage Kicks has been nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Musical Score, selected for the Sydney Film Festival (2016), selected for MiFo LGBT Film Festival in Miami (2016) and selected for Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia (2016).
More Info:
It is out now on DVD and available to rent or buy on iTunes here.
Teenage Kicks IMDB page can be found here.
]]>
Set on a distant moon, Arrowhead tells the survival story of a stranded prisoner of war who discovers a new life form.
Jesse talks to AnyCam about how he made the sci-fi thriller, made with a modest budget of $180,000. Check out the Arrowhead trailer and the interview with Jesse O’Brien bellow:
Arrowhead Trailer:
Jesse O’Brien on Arrowhead:
The draft script took two years to write, after which Jesse made a short film for $600 and crowdfunded the feature film. Check out the short Arrowhead: Signal. The crowdfunding campaign fell short of his target of $40,000, however the concept gained a lot of attention, and Jesse was contacted by the (now cancelled) Fox channel TV1 who provided funding to finish the feature.
Check out the short below:
Arrowhead was shot in Australia, production was divided between shooting on weekends on set in Melbourne for the spaceship’s interior, and in the deserts of Coober Pedy, where films such as Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and Pitch Black were filmed.
Jesse highlighted the importance of the director/cinematographer relationship, as they have to share the same vision for the project. Prior to each shoot he and Samuel would spend time discussing each shot and storyboarding together.
Some of the challenges which the production faced were:
- The punishing conditions of shooting in Coober Pedy. Aside from the intense heat, production was upset by the sheer number of flies, a lot of which they had to digitally remove in post-production.
- Not having much in the way of camera gear; the lack of dollies, steadycam, etc. meant that all the shots had to be locked down and they couldn’t use camera movement for some of the scenes.
Arrowhead is now available on Blu-Ray, VOD and iTunes.
MORE INFO!
For Jesse O’Brien’s IMDB filmography, go here.
]]>
Then, Hollywood and the indie scene coupled with technology, took leaps and bounds by adopting its most interactive form of communicating with its audience to date.
This allowed filmmakers from all walks, to build up a large social media presence and essentially promote their own films and projects. Testament to such a notion be the passionate team behind the rip-roaring Other World; an independent Aussie feature that tips its hat to the era of classic 1950’s science fiction.
“It’s aliens, guns ‘n’ bad guys”
Other World is an adventure set in two different time-periods. An impending visit by extra-terrestrials is discovered by Government Agents. Ten years later, we discover the outcome of the extra-terrestrial visit…
Much in the mould of its predecessors, Other World was made on a shoestring. Embracing the DSLR format – DOP Jack Kelly shot the whole film on a Canon 60D.
Writer/director Stuart White and crew provide insight:
Not all independent filmmakers will have an audience of millions, though even a bare bones marketing campaign can catch like wildfire if the right group catches wind. One particularly effective tactic is reaching out to a built-in market.
“If you’re producing a sci-fi that features aliens, why not reach out to that ever-devoted fan community?”
The industry has always been about who you know and who you can reach and social media expands the filmmaker’s ability to build connections.
Engaging one’s fans in a direct fashion can build excitement and trust in your projects by making them feel like they are part of the process. With a clever strategy and open mind, social media can catapult your project into the spotlight.