Pushing String: A Film Maker's Journey

The Crossroad: Which way do I go?

2012-01-27T02:03:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here on an absolutely miserable day, rain pouring out of the harsh grey sky and listening to The Glitch Mob's song 'Bad Wings', an awesome emotive piece that fills my head with pictures and scenarios for the imaginary film clip. I could write, cast and film that clip in a heartbeat.

Because that's what I do, I dream up visuals and situations, piecing together stories and imagery just on the scent of a song, a whiff of inspiration. And it was the same for 'Redeemed'. Except it was Eskimo Joe's song 'Foreign Land' that did it for me with this idea, just over and over on repeat.

And what a dream this idea was, an Australian action film not seen since the likes of Mad Max, a world of colourful characters and powerful imagery.

Draft after draft I carved it from the ether and committed it to paper, casting it in my head, building threads of connection and watching the world of talent, and mentally testing the idea of the actor in the roles I had written, seeing if they fit. Let me paint you the picture of my film with all the elements laid bare.

The lead role of Sam Read I saw a number of great jigsaw pieces that could fit the role of a cool, calm and collected elite soldier, the heart and soul of a warrior brotherhood, with that Aussie black humour to cut through the bullshit cliche. Eric Bana or Hugh Jackman were ideal, tough, strong, compassionate, real.

With Eric Bana, thanks to the power of twitter, and the generosity of Max Markson, celebrity publicist, I had the opportunity to present Redeemed to him. The man is a powerhouse of an actor and one of Australia's best, and just to see him as Sam undergoing his painful journey would have made my dream launch instantly, he would have been the catalyst to be taken seriously.

And that's the thing, I take this seriously, whilst I may be dreaming, I'm not playing at being a film maker.

After two months of talking with his people (his PA, not his agent), Eric declined due to his schedule. He is to play Elvis in the new biographical film 'Elvis and Nixon' about Elvis and his meeting with Nixon to become an agent in the war on drugs. It sounds like an amazing and powerful role for him to flex his creative muscle, and there's no way I could compete with that ha!

Hugh Jackman's Australian agent said the infamous words of 'get in touch when you have finance and distribution', the bane of every film maker with an idea. I'll give Warehouse16 a call as soon as that happens...

The lead female role of Emma and the relationship from which the entire premise of the film hangs is a very important role, they needed to show strength of character, vulnerability at the right time, and had to be stunning to be the obsession of one of the worlds most dangerous gangsters.

A character that had style, grace, an arresting gaze, an independent spirit, but carrying a pain of a shocking past. Who could believably carry that off? Megan Gale that's who.

I don't think this world has seen what she can really do, the hints of it seen in 'I love you too' haven't been given the scope for her to show what she is capable of, Megan should be in a lead role in a feature film speaking in her own accent. Basically she should be in this one. (IMO)

I've had dealings with her agent before at Shanahan Management, for a previous project with another actor, and the 'finance and distribution' thing was brought up as well, but Anne Churchill Brown says it very nicely, so you can't help but walk away thinking 'dammit I will get finance and distribution' if not just to deal with ACB personally ha!

Now they say a story is only as strong as the villain, and I truly believe this, as there are so many films and stories that are let down by their bad guy, that they're only viscious or bad for bad sake. This villain, this Las Vegas Drug Lord, with a fascination for beauty and preserving beauty, capturing it on film and in life, then revelling in the otherside of it, the fascination with death, his visceral need to capture both life and death on camera, and the twisted eastern remedy of bathing in blood to heal his burns, a twisted sociopath, he is a villain to hate, but a villain to watch. He truly loves his girls, but they are all with him for very different reasons. I saw Marton Csokas as the villain.

Marton is one of the most underated actors I've ever seen, his characters are dark and cold yet alive, he breathes into them a restrained yet joyous savagery that is breathtaking and fearsome, and yet he can play warmth and generosity at the drop of a hat. I would have both within the character of King, and I'd want him to show it, to revel in the darkness of the character. I saw in an interview where Marton said he'd like to play a character who bathes in blood...Well here it is, an excessive, dark, collector character with a penchant for blood and beauty.

His offsiders, the queens are important symbols of his insanity, but also his 'ranking' and 'care' of them in a perverted sense.

The role of 'Diamonds' the Undercover Cop sacrificed by corruption and caught in the lair of 'King' is tough, trapped, suffering yet determined to play the role she was given. I see Kelly Overton in the role, as she has an emotional depth that hasn't been given scope either. The film Tekken was awful, but she was amazing, and the only reason why I finished watching the film. She's even an independent film writer/producer (of 'The Collective'), so she understands the process more than most.

The underworld hitman 'The Redeemer' I see played by Frankie Oatway, the man has a presence that just conveys menace yet charm when he wants it.

I even wanted to approach Sam Neill to play the outback town crazy who knows too much, a role where he could cut loose, and let that famous sense of humour of his play out, but he's represented by Shanahan also.

But my dream doesn't just stop there with amazing talent onscreen, it also involves what they're wearing, especially the Queen's, what they appear in is beautiful, powerful and sometimes high fashion. These statement pieces, this quintessential part of who and what they are, the world they're in is so important, to the point I had a go at designing one of the many looks the Queens end up in.

When I first joined twitter, I came across one of the most incredible fashion designer's feed, Alex Perry, synonomous for women's style and grace and began following. I even went so far as telling him that one day I hoped to work with him on a film. It was with Redeemed that I hoped to do so. He replied that you never know it might happen.
As time went on, I began to follow Peter Morrissey, and the JAton Couture boys Jacob Luppino and Anthony Pittorino too. To engage and talk with such talented individuals that are at the pinnacle of Australian Couture and Fashion was indescribable. I dared to dream of a mass collaboration on the film, each designer in charge of a stage of the film for the Queens, showcasing the female form in stunning colour palletes, intrinsically linked in with the colour pallete of the film scene! Hell, I even saw Australia's own Lisa Maree and her crochet swimwear in one scene, just to show what we can do on all levels!
Funny thing is, I haven't dared ask them. Their work is their brand, and I couldn't come to them until I had more to offer, and all I can offer is what I do. Take visuals, and make them on a grand scale, give them another platform where their work, on the actors that appreciate the idea, can be on display any time someone sees the film. Would it be enough? Is heart enough? They are businesses, and if I had the money I'd want them!

And to bind it all together, a rocking Australian soundtrack, to punch through to the next level, music that embodies each part, the rural countryside, the bright city and the dark nightclub lair. Eskimo Joe, Jet, ACDC, Cold Chisel, Ian Moss, The Externals, Pete Murray, Spiderbait contrasted with Pendulum, Seany B, TV Rock, The PotBeleez, The Hilltop Hoods, Bliss n Esso...

This is Redeemed at its height, at its best, with everything as I dreamed. This is how I picture it, with the support of the department of defense, with Ridley Scottesque Blackhawks opening the film, with the best possible cast, with the best possible costume design, with the best possible Aussie soundtrack, and the best possible action film that I could show international audiences, and showcase what Aussies can do. And most of all, something our troops could watch without saying WTF!

So why lay it out like this. Why spill all this out for all to see what I can imagine.

Because I am at a crossroad.

Redeemed has three roads before it that I can take, and looking back on the road I've travelled to get here, well it's been successful so far. My imagination has carried me thus far, and my determination to see it realised has seen results. But...for how long? How long before the dream is doused with cold reality?

Road 1. I continue straight ahead, pushing to realise the International level film I see in my head and my heart and chase the independent private finance I'll need to get it made, because lets face it, the government funding bodies just laugh at me, or greet me with silence. To chase my dream cast. (by being passionate rather than depsperate! ha!) That's the nature of dreams, all it takes is one yes, to snowball. Too many no's and it melts away.

Road 2. I take the lefthand road, scaling the core story right back, removing the excessive villain, the girls, the guns and make it more character based, against a more conventional threat, a national level film. (maybe write Redeemed as it currently is as an ebook)

Road 3. I take the righthand road and scale it back, keep some excess but make the villain more localised, (bikies?) a wash of both. This option doesn't sit as well with me stylistically.

I don't want to be one of those film makers on twitter, begging for money. I made the trailer off my own back, to showcase the idea, as it's the idea that has to be commercially viable as well as entertaining. It has to stand on its own merits.

So there it is. This is where my drive has led me. This is what Redeemed is faced with, and each road is a commitment. So I'll throw it out to you, the audience that has read this far. What sits right with you? What story do you want to see made?

I do have to make mention of one particular twitter supporter of my dream, Brenda Gale, or @breeg who has wholeheartedly supported Road 1, and me, more to the point, and this dream of mine. Unwavering in chasing her own dream, (of an Alex Perry size 8 gown!) she has even more energy to always be promoting mine as well, so thank you Brenda, it is appreciated.

Ex Pertinacia, Victoria.

From Determination, Victory.

Trailer Poll

2012-01-09T19:11:00.000-08:00

We're running a trailer poll at our facebook page and I'd love to get your feedback.
Please check out http://www.facebook.com/RedeemedFilm

The new year ahead

2012-01-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

Well that was 2011 done and dusted, and Redeemed has had some serious highs and lows. The trailer has got a great response, and it was designed to get the attention of certain high profile actors we were targeting, and it succeeded in that fact.

Whilst there is nothing more we can report on that front at the moment, we are moving forward in rewriting the script now that we've had notes come back from our SAS military advisor.

Jason Falla, from Redback One has provided the essential ingredient for the script, looking over it with his expert eye and giving it amazing realism.

2012 will be the year of Redeemed, and getting it off the ground. I will report our progress as best I can without it impacting the fragile nature of negotiating its existence...

Here's to the new year and it being one of success

Costumes

2011-10-02T06:41:00.000-07:00

A lot of people have been asking about the costumes the female characters were wearing in the trailer and where I had gotten them from.

I can tell you now, a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into those costumes as I designed the concept of them, drawing them up and then tried to figure out how to make them, as I don't know how to sew.

So I turned to the one person who had the skills to make this for me in the short amount of time we had, in the budgetary constraints we faced.

My gorgeous wife.

Of course if she or I had known exactly what would be involved, she would have divorced me right then and there. But we needed these outfits, I needed them to seperate the gangster's girls from other 'molls' onscreen. These were their statement outfits.

And so it began...

38 meters of fabric
Cut into patches
2592 patches used
300 meters of thread to stitch them together
Broke 11 needles on the sewing machine...

My wife will no longer sew anything for me ever again...but I think it might have been worth it

The Independent Idea

2011-08-22T05:47:00.000-07:00

It's been over a week since I launched the Redeemed Concept Trailer online in an effort to show the visuals, characters and some essence of the story.

The response from those that have seen it has been fantastic, and those few that did decry it admitted it was not to their taste rather than anything wrong with the way it had been shot, or cut. In fact, the sole person who railed against it was howled down by others WANTING to see the film made.

That in itself was an awesome result, that the public have taken it upon themselves to defend the project and embraced it.

Twitter has resulted in the most vocal of support by those that have seen it (full disclosure - those that I asked to look at it ha!) Here are some of the comments.

"Impactful and Snappily Cut" - Brian Trenchard Smith

"Mate, you are one talented man !! It looks amazing CONGRATS x Mr M" - Renowned Fashion Designer Peter Morrissey

"WOW...looks A M A Z I N G, totally intense! Can't wait to see it come to fruition" Jacob Luppino and Anthony Pittorino - JAton Couture Label

"Awesome! well done!" - Karl Von Moller - DOP 'Not Quite Hollywood' 'Machete Maidens'

"This (potential new Aussie) film needs to get made!...Wish I had a spare 10 Mil." David Moore - Gloss Salons

"Wicked promo! Great shots, concept. Good luck with the Film!" - Alvaro Rodriguez co-writer of MACHETE

"It's so good !! I hope all that hard work pays off for you! I'm sure it will." - Ramona Telecican - Producer/Wardrobe Styling on Project Runway

"Really Loved it, Dark and Intense" - Melissa Hoyer - Social Commentator, Media Personality

"That is one seriously high octane trailer. It's got to get people's notice." Nick Earls - Best Selling Australian Author.

"V Intense" - John Birmingham - Best Selling Australian Author

"Well done Simon, looks amazing!" Gina Milicia - Celebrity Portrait Photographer/Fashion

"Great work mate, some really cool scenes in there" - Robb Cox - Director - Rustygate Films

"Shows a lot of promise, could do with a bit more subtlety for our tastes but that explosion looks incredible. Some good perfs" Aus Film Review

"Very impressive visually, interesting and great acting. Really good work. Well done!" - Amara Young - Actress

"Very Cool!" - Chriss Anglin - Call of Duty: Black Ops voice actor

"Great Work on the trailer Simon" - Luke Romyn - Australian Author

"That trailer looks seriously bad ass! Awesome Stuff." - Casey Ryan - Host of Cutting Room Floor Internet Radio

"WOW! So this is what you do when you are not on Twitter???" Steven Murphy - TV Publicist

There were comments that the first version of the trailer was a tad long, which I understand as it was designed to flesh out character and appeal to certain actors, so I recut it and released version two.

In amazing news, the trailer has landed in front of one of Australia's most talented Hollywood level actors, and his assistant has requested more information... I've written the letter of my life, attached supporting information, and now I wait to hear the response...

Redeemed Concept Trailer

2011-07-30T14:52:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen,

the Redeemed Concept Trailer is now online

"Redeemed" is an action drama about a wounded SAS soldier who returns to his rural childhood home to heal is body and soul. Confronted by his past, the soldier must decide between love for his country and the love of a woman. But the truth of his ex fiancés past threatens to destroy them, and draws them into the vicious criminal underworld, where there is no guarantee of survival.

Redeemed Concept Trailer Initial Feedback

2011-07-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

Well I've released the current version of the concept trailer to a select few for professional appraisal, and so far all the feedback is pointing to the same spots for improvement, which is gratifying as it pin points exactly what needs to be done.

Brian Trenchard Smith said it was well shot, snappily cut and the VFX were great, so that made my day! After a quick call to him in LA, he pointed out improvements so it's back to the edit suite shortly!

The Department of Defence has given permission for the use of their imagery in the opening sequence, so after the re-cut, it's set for release and time to get the ball rolling with the project.

I'll be releasing on youtube and then it's all hands on deck to spread it far and wide and target interested groups.

It's GAME ON!

Brian Trenchard Smith Interview

2011-07-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

Being an Australian film maker, you're pretty much guaranteed to have heard the name Brian Trenchard Smith, whether it's in hushed reverance or in revulsion depends on the filmic circles you're a part of. If you haven't heard of him, you're in the wrong circles!

In Highschool in Film and TV, where there was some mention of Australian films in the 70's and 80's, films like 'Razorback' (Dir - Russell Mulcahy) and 'Alvin Purple' (Dir - Tim Burstall) and 'Dead End Drive In' and were briefly covered as crass B grade schlock, move right along, and lets look at 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' and 'Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith' kind of way. Brian had directed "Dead End Drive In" which was the first time I heard his name...

At no point did anyone say I may have seen his work already, in the form of 'BMX Bandits' sporting a young Nicole Kidman, and directly responsible for my blood red BMX bike and the scars of trying to hurl it about as a kid.

Yes, I can claim Brian Trenchard Smith scarred me for life.

But in a good way.

I have to confess, that it was only after the 'Not Quite Hollywood' doco that I investigated 'The Man From Hong Kong' and as a former Kung Fu student whilst at uni, I was shocked at not having seen it earlier, but then sourcing copies has been difficult until Madman Entertainment waded into the fray and made them easily available.

Now I own it and force it on unsuspecting friends - "What do you mean you've never seen Australia's most kick ass kung fu movie!"

In a lot of 'Not Quite Hollywood' marketing and on several sites, Brian is touted as one of Quentin Tarintino's favourite directors. I think it's a great line but find it sad that its needed to give Brian's work a level of authority or validation, his work is strong enough to stand on it's own, but then maybe it needed a signpost to point it out to the new generation.

So in keeping with my efforts of interviewing industry pro's on action/military realism on film, Brian agreed to answer my questions amongst his busy schedule, as he is a working director in LA.

Simon: As a Director, what considerations do you take into account when deciding to work on a film with firearms, ie period, genre, training, budget, schedule etc

Brian: Safety is my first concern when firearms or complex physical action is involved.

Simon: How important is it to you to represent genuine and authentic infantry/professional behaviour and weapon handling on screen?

Brian: Authenticity is important, but rarely do you see a movie that is 100% authentic. Maybe thorough research can get the costumes, props, and weaponry right, but how do we really know exactly how the battle went, when what orders were given and by whom,. Some of it is guesswork, and all of it is subordinated to the need for a non-historian audience to understand the narrative.

Simon: How much training do you require before actors/stunt teams even get to set?

Brian: Weapon training is obligatory if live firing is required. But more and more on low budget movies, digital muzzle flash and cartridge ejection is deployed in post production, because it saves time and ensures safety. It's not as good, - my In Her Line Of Fire used all digital gunfire and pyro - but the budget rules.

Simon: What are the main considerations you deal with in accommodating film requirements versus genuine infantry/police behaviours/maneuvers. Eg authenticity vs safety/camera angles/directorial constraints.

Brian: I try to keep it real, but films by their very nature are stylized representations of real life, using short cuts and simplifications.

Simon: With your background as a stuntman, your knowledge of firearms, explosives, vehicles, high falls, and hand to hand combat would be extensive, though I know the days of setting yourself on fire and participating in kung fu/karate dojo fights have dwindled, but does that experience bring a different appreciation to directing action sequences as opposed to a director who's never done those things?

Brian: My experience participating in simple stunts, nothing major, has given me an understanding of shooting the stunt from the inside as well as the outside. In a stunt sequence, you have to convey geography, spacial relationships, impact, etc. but if you can also convey how the character is reacting to the experience, and add the character's perspective of the event, that will enhance the audience's enjoyment.

Simon: Stunt/action technology must be forever changing, from wires, to air cannons, springboards, and digital gunfire and explosions in post, do you have to regularly update your knowledge?

Brian: I keep my ear to the ground. But I always have key people around me who are completely up to the minute on the latest technological developments.

Simon: How much do you rely on real life advisors ie Military, Police, Emergency Services etc etc in approaching a scene/sequence?

Brian: I always have an adviser for these scenes to help find the acceptable compromise between drama and authenticity. A lot of police work, cops tell me, is boring. Will the audience want us to authentically depict the boredom? Or would they rather we cut to the chase.

Simon: Do you ask more or less of your stunt team due to your experience in both worlds?
Brian: I only ask what can safely deliver maximum impact. With the advances in CGI, we can add shots that would have been fatal if carried out by live rather than digital stunt personnel.

Simon: As a professional watching films/recreations, can you describe how you know the difference between a weapons trained actor and untrained actor.

Brian: One give away is when an actor is firing an automatic weapon , and he is allowing the kick of the weapon to cause the barrel to point upwards, higher than where his target is. There are some examples of that in my Siege Of Firebase Gloria, currently available on netflix streaming.

Simon: When watching stunt sequences, do you deconstruct them as to how you would have performed them, and then how you would have directed the sequence?

Brian: Yes, all the time. Half my brain is enjoying the story ( or not) the other half is analyzing the success (or not) of the staging and editorial choices. Action can be sharpened or ruined in the editing. Despite this schizoid approach, I always enjoy the movie going experience, even if the picture was terrible. Why was it terrible? How could it have been improved? What were the script mistakes? What would I have done with that subject on that budget. In fact, I must conclude now, run to the mall, and pick 2 movies to see this wonderful July 4th!

Brian went on to supply a link to his blog, where I have sourced the following.

WATERLOO

April 20, 2009

Brian: As CGI becomes more affordable, the low budget historical spectacular is within our grasp…Musings on the value of History, and the morality of War as entertainment.
I love costume pictures, in which present day issues are mirrored in the past, while relationships and events play out amid spectacular sets and landscapes. It’s an expensive undertaking; consequently many historical pictures do not recoup their cost, making this genre ever harder to finance. So we have to find ways of making them cheaper. Tighter schedules, digital set extensions, combined with computer crowd and battle technology is the way to go.
My appetite for historical epics was sharpened by a recent visit to Waterloo in Belgium.

To read of Brian's visit to Belgium and his thoughts on the battle and films representing that era go here

Also, Brian does a commentary review on films at Trailers From Hell

Battle of the Bulge

Hell to Eternity

Thank you to Brian for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions, it was very much appreciated.

Brian has contacted me after reading this and added some more links for those interested!

A magazine giveaway with a feature article interview with Brian Trenchard Smith here

And more musings from the Ozploitation Master here

Enjoy!

Frankie Oatway in London

2011-07-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

I've had a few emails from Frankie and he's back in London carving up the scene as usual, even doing a play of Titus Andronicus, so I thought I'd share a few clips of what he's been doing!

http://youtu.be/-MQi2AkLEeY

http://youtu.be/LS-IlSyNtwM

Also, regarding our film, I'm up to shot 60 out of 90 for one scene of VFX and grading, so I'm chipping away at it, on average completing 10 VFX shots a month, so yeah, post is the most time consuming.

Coming soon on the blog, an interview with the esteemed Brian Trenchard Smith

Killer Elite

2011-06-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

The trailer for Killer Elite is out and it looks unreal, it has some recognisable Melbourne Locations, plus Clive Owen is looking damn mean in it, while Jason Statham is awesome as ever, and Robert De Niro is a major drawcard for me. Can't wait to see it, it will raise the profile of SAS movies again.

Meanwhile, my concept trailer for my SAS movie Redeemed is currently with the Department of Defence, awaiting final approval for the use of miltary footage. I've picked a great time to submit, as there is a major Defence Exercise going on in North Queensland, 'Talisman Sabre' and will involve over 22,000 troops...so the media unit is extremely busy, so I will have to bide my time before I get a response...

Military Realism On Screen, Interview with Martin Walsh

2011-05-27T04:01:00.000-07:00

Currently, I'm in post on both the concept trailer and the short film, and life is passing one render bar at a time, so there isn't much to report till the fine cut is done.

However, rather than let the blog languish, I've decided to do an article on authenticity of military and action films, as how it relates to what we see on screen, the movement of soldiers/cops/professionals/crims, the way they hold their weapons, and I'll be interviewing industry professionals in the know.

The response has been great, but it's larger than one article, so I'm presenting it as a series of interviews on authenticity...

First up is the producer of the award winning feature documentary 'Long Tan' narrated by Sam Worthington. (Avatar, Clash of the Titans, Terminator Salvation)

Martin Walsh is a former Commando, and is perfectly placed to comment on realism and authenticity on screen.

I wanted to know how important was it to Martin to represent genuine and authentic infantry behaviour and weapon handling in his recreation of the events of Long Tan, a pivotal battle for Australian Soldiers in the Vietnam War.

Martin:
It was very important. Having served in 2 Commando Company I was very conscious of ensuring we reflected proper weapons handling procedures and infantry tactics as much as possible.

I knew it was important to get all of the elements as accurate as possible so that these type of things didn’t distract from the story, the individuals and the recreations. We worked with Ian Sparke on the uniforms and equipment etc and we secured a great film & TV weapons expert who was actually recommended by one of the Long Tan veterans, Sgt Bob Buick.

We used experienced ‘military actors’. People like Ian Sparke provide ‘actors/extras’ who have been trained in basic weapons handling for the specific period, ie. WW1, WWII, Vietnam, Korea etc. He also provides uniforms and equipment. I was also on set to ensure that tactics and weapons handling was as accurate as possible. In fact I actually performed some scenes myself, for example a couple of scenes firing an SLR in the prone position and changing magazines rapidly. Whilst the actors were familiar with using the weapons I was proficient (even though I hadn’t handled an SLR since 1991!).

I actually have many Army training manuals from the 1960’s and this combined with continual discussions with the Long Tan commanders and other veterans ensured we got the tactics right. There are some difference between the 1960’s and when I served in the late 80’s and early 90’s but surprisingly much of the infantry tactics were still the same. However, we did have to make some comprises for the camera in relation to infantry tactics.

Usually the spacing between soldiers is up to 10 metres meaning an infantry section would be spread over 100 metres. If we stuck to the letter of these tactics we would only ever see one or two soldiers in frame so we have to ‘squeeze’ soldiers into the frame for the benefit of the viewer.

Another example of making compromises is the radio procedures. I wrote all of the radio dialogue based on actual radio logs, interviews and other related material. We had to significantly shorten the radio dialogue because calling in an artillery fire mission and other radio communication takes longer than what we have portrayed.

In addition, I had to make some compromises in the dialogue relating to military acronyms and codes so the essence of what was transpiring could be understood by a lay person but it still sounded like real military communication.

Before we even started pre-production, my discussions with the director and FOXTEL was around how important it was for me to treat the accuracy and authenticity as seriously as possible and that I would be the final arbiter of any decisions. I didn’t want this documentary to be just another basic documentary with interviews and a couple of recreations, I want it to be dramatic and entertaining which is why I added the additional layer of radio communications to help bring the story, the drama and dynamics of the battle and stories to life.

FOXTEL originally suggested Ian Thorpe to narrate the documentary but I stuck to my guns in choosing and casting Sam Worthington as I felt he (an actor) would be the best person to bring the narration and storyline to life. I actually saw Sam Worthington at a preview screening of Somersault when the cast, director and producer answered questions after the preview screening. His manner, looks, accent and speaking style instantly resonated with me as a Vietnam era digger, in particular 21 year old Private Paul Large who died in the last minutes of the battle.

Simon: Being that it is a war documentary, did you and your team make the film for veterans and military enthusiasts as your key demographic, did it play a part on the thought process for filming?

Martin:
We made the documentary as part of the overall marketing plan for a movie on Long Tan. The timing related to the 40th Anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan – 18 August 2006. We have also driven and managed all of the PR and Marketing related to Long Tan and we drove a huge effort around the 40th Anniversary and releasing the documentary a few days prior to this anniversary was our goal and we just made it! The primary audience was 25-55 year old male & females and 56+ male & females.

We tried to make the documentary for a mainstream audience who probably didn’t know much about the military and or the battle. But, we also wanted to make sure that we wouldn’t disappoint former or existing military veterans, especially those who were in the battle and other Vietnam veterans. So we made it for mainstream audiences first and veterans / military enthusiasts second.

Simon: Part of bringing a sense of realism and place to actors performance is the advisory team and genuine sources of information you give them, Martin and his team made sure the actors and extras had the best available to them to recreate the battle.

Martin:
I’ve mentioned the artillery and the infantry scenes but one of the other stand outs for me was the infantry recreations. We got some young, Australian Vietnamese extras from Brisbane and of course they hadn’t had any weapons or infantry training. We had to give them a crash course and I’d organised Sgt Bob Buick to visit the set that day. He took them aside and gave them a pep talk and some visceral descriptions of what happened on the battlefield and how the enemy performed.

These guys were absolutely brilliant. Their aggression, enthusiasm and performances were amazing considering they’d never done it before and I can only credit much of that to the impact Sgt Bob Buick had on them in terms of being a person who was actually there and being able to paint a picture of what the enemy were doing that day. Once again actors were performing with freezing cold water being poured on them in very low temperatures (including me) and shivering between takes. Everyone knew however from the crew behind the scenes to those in front of the screen how important this story was.

The infantry scenes were recreated with the ‘military actors’. The artillery and APC’s scenes were done with real military personnel.

We had to go to New Zealand for the artillery recreations as we couldn’t find any working 105M1A1 artillery pieces from the Vietnam era in Australia. The NZ Army were more than willing to help us as they understood how important the battle was. An interesting aspect of the artillery was Palmerston North, NZ had the worst snow storm in history the day before we flew over. The soldiers of 16 Field Regiment, RNZA met us mid-morning at their base and we proceeded to the range were we would conduct the artillery firing. It was around -5 degrees Celsius.

The ammunition for the artillery gun had to be transported from another location and because many roads were closed had to take a significant detour. The result was that we waited around much of the day because the truck with the ammunition didn’t arrive until we’d almost ran out of light! We only had one day scheduled for this shoot and our nerves were frayed by late afternoon when the ammunition finally arrived. When we arrived in the morning the soldiers were creating the gun emplacement, filling sandbags and creating the pit. Long Tan NZ veteran, forward artillery observer Morrie Stanley was actually with us and the NZ soldiers asked Morrie whether they would have been wearing shirts or not in Vietnam.

Morrie said they weren’t as it was very hot and humid in Vietnam so the NZ soldiers removed their shirts, remember it was -5 degrees and we had a fire truck spraying cold water over the gun area whilst they were firing to simulate the monsoonal rain conditions. These guys were amazing! We were rugged up to the hilt but these guys took it in their stride. They knew how important this was to Morrie, the veterans and their unit and wanted it to be as good as possible.
My only disappointment was we had to fire blanks and therefore the artillery gun barrels didn’t move backwards when fired but we didn’t have any choice as we couldn’t get live firing guns at such short notice.

Filming in Vietnam:
It took me months to build a relationship with the Vietnamese government to eventually secure permission to film at Long Tan and permission to interview some Vietnamese veterans. I worked through the Australian military attaché in Saigon and the Australian Consul General and Ambassador in Saigon and Ho Chi Minh City.
I eventually secured permission to film and through all the interviews we did in Vietnam we had members of the Politburo monitoring the conversations but at no time did they ever stop, edit or express any concerns with what their veterans were saying. Their government minders and advisors were absolutely fantastic and very supportive and this went a long way to paving the way for PM John Howard being the first Australian PM to visit Long Tan later that year.

Defence Support:
Ironically the Australian Defence Force was going to provide a lot more support but the East Timor crisis broke out and we lost access to all the APC’s and the Huey choppers! There was absolutely nothing we could do. After some scrambling we were able to secure access to one APC up in Townsville and because all of the unit’s soldiers were in East Timor the duty office team (a skeleton staff) proudly volunteered to man and drive the APC for us.

Simon:
The big question I have and the premise of conducting these interviews is, when you watch action sequences and recreations, can you describe how you know a trained actor versus an untrained actor.

Martin:
This is getting much more difficult as every movie usually has expert military advisors on set, training, monitoring and advising actors and directors. In addition, even when real soldiers or police etc are used many times a director might ask them to do something for dramatic purposes or for other set, shot or positioning reasons which differs from authentic tactics.

Obviously I do cringe from time to time when I never see any weapon’s stoppages in films, unlimited ammunition, no ear plugs and some over dramatic, obviously choreographed and rigid handling of weapons. I’ve temporarily lost hearing in one of my ears on a number of occasions when an ear plug fell out during a live firing exercise. Many veterans who have been in prolonged, close combat like Long Tan have hearing problems today. People who’ve been trained and drilled with weapons and tactics would do things much more fluidly and naturally.

Best Examples:
I think Black Hawk Down was pretty good and so was Saving Private Ryan. Little touches like in Black Hawk Down when one of the soldiers fires his weapon next to the ear of his buddy and his buddy going deaf temporarily. Another scene when the strobe was thrown but didn’t hit its mark first throw etc. These imperfections are what usually happens in battle and it is something we have been working to capture in the Long Tan movie. Ie. weapons stoppages can be very dramatic and suspenseful, barrel changes on a machine gun, lightning hitting artillery positions during the battle of Long Tan and many other events.

Here are some behind the scenes photos from the Long Tan documentary on Flickr

You can watch the full Long Tan documentary here

Martin's youtube channel with historical footage and other related media coverage of Long Tan is here

and his Research Material is on his blog here

All Long Tan production photo's belong to Red Dune Films, and all copyrights are reserved. Thank you to Martin Walsh for his contribution and help, very much appreciated.

Final Redeemed Concept Trailer Shoot

2011-04-20T03:14:00.000-07:00

There's a saying 'when the stars align' and on April 10 I could only hope they would...there were so many obstacles in the way of my shoot. The weather had closed in and it was pouring rain in the days prior to the planned shoot, there was no room for error on this shoot.

I could only sit and watch the forecast, as so much was hanging on this day.

1) The XB Falcon I'd lined up to be there had never been wet in all the years Jef had owned it, and here I was asking him to drive over 200km to the location, with rain and storms floating about.

2) Imogen, my lead actress is actually in other paid gigs at the moment, and Sunday April 10 was her last and only opportunity to finish filming. The next available time is months away...

3) I needed a makeup artist on site and all my usuals were unavailable, but thanks to Imogen I found one who could come, but only stay till 3pm...

4) My DOP Kris Woldt of Thru A Lens Media is in high demand due to the high level quality of his work, and he'd fought hard to give me his time on Sunday...

5) My brother in law Alec is flying up from Sydney and his flights are tight for his own filming schedule (TV series all over Australia in production!)

Friday April 8 rolls around and this small window of opportunity is fast approaching and the forecast is said to be rain on Sunday afternoon...we might be lucky and get it done in the first half of the day.

Sunday rocks around and it's bright glorious sunshine, blue sky, no clouds...BAM, Imogen is into make up, I start filming with Kris on his 7D, and my pro photographer from Alchemy Studios snapping away on his 1D...Alec and Kazuya Wright (who had answered my call thanks to Jake Reedy) were fantastic together, like they'd been mates for years, joking and serious at the drop of a hat.

It was awesome when we needed a certain shot, Kris and the snapper Greg Boyd looked at eachother and without saying a word, swapped lenses!

Then the XB turns up, and it looks and sounds incredible, and it's smoking a little bit (nothing serious though) as it turns out Jef has never driven it this far before, and he had to replace an engine part during the week as it had broken down, he'd fixed it, and driven it to set without telling me as he didn't want to let me down! Now that's dedication to an idea! It was the first time I'd ever met Jef!

My darling wife was my producer/1stAD and had us on a tight schedule, with my Uncle Peter catering for the crew and family on site, and we were chasing the light. In fact I think Kris Woldt my DOP was orchestrating the light and elements himself, for when it came to shoot the XB Falcon in all its glory, a solitary cloud floated across the sun, diffusing the light for the entire car shoot, and moved on after Kris had finished, the largest trace diffuser you can get I reckon!

The day was amazing, no rain, perfect light, everyone was on schedule, actors were performing on cue, powerful shots were taken, and the stars aligned for the whole thing, it just worked.

That window closed once we finished, it poured down rain the very next day, the XB Falcon broke down on the way back to the Gold Coast, leaving Jef at the BP service station till a mate with a tilt tray truck came and got him. I was mortified, his car had been pushed to the limit for me, but it turns out it was an easy fix, just not without the right tools at a servo ha! Everything worked, when we needed it and we dodged disaster on so many levels. It was an overwhelming shoot, response and the team we had was awesome, because we all believed in the project.

Now, I'm cutting and compositing the trailer, at the same time, when I need a break from Redeemed, I composite the VFX in my short film. (2 projects one computer!)

To give an idea of how much VFX is in my short, I have a firefight, with 90 shots, each shot can have up to 12 VFX elements, plus any masking/rotoscoping I have to do (one scene!)...so needless to say I'm keeping busy!

And so is Frankie Oatway, my British mate and lead in my short film, check out this, he caught up with one of the writers of Casino, Frank Cullotta! So we're all moving forward in our persuit of our dreams...

Ex Pertinacia, Victoria

The Hero Car

2011-04-01T17:20:00.000-07:00

Filming of the last part of the concept trailer takes place in a weeks time, and all the elements are lined up. The key set piece of the hero character is the car, the XB Falcon I searched high and low to find. I contacted the Ford forums of Australia, and I was pointed in the direction of Jef, who had an XB GT with a blown 351. Incredible car.

PHOTO'S BY PAUL BROBEN FRONTLINE INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY. (Supplied by Jef, Car Owner, copyright Paul Broben)

And this is our mechanical star, as important a character as the lead actor, and my DOP Kris Woldt is going to have a field day with filming the actors and the XB.

The cars owner Jef, is going to get the High Def footage of his car to do whatever he wants with, and he's driving over 200km to bring it to the location, I can't thank him enough for believing in what we're trying to do, making an awesome concept trailer to make people sit up and pay attention to the film idea.

The dedication of my actors is incredible, Imogen and Kazuya are travelling over 100km to the location, and Alec is coming all the way from Sydney. We all want this project to work! And we're all fighting toward that, which is the very reason I love films, people coming together to fight for an idea.

In more good news, Greg Van Borssum put his short film in the mail yesterday and it will be here soon, we're another step closer to getting this concept complete.

Ex Pertinacia, Victoria.

Waiting by the phone

2011-03-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

So to pick up where I left off, I made a call to Greg Van Borssum, Combat and Action Director of Mad Max 4, to enquire about using footage from his short film "Method of Entry" of military door breach teams, Special Forces in action. He was on set and after my brief speil about what I was trying to do he said "Can I call you back"

Now of course, I had just cold called a pro, who was on set, so my immediete concern was I'd just bugged him and had given no reason to actually follow up with me other than a bucket of enthusiasm down a phone line, and that can even be a deterrant, rather than an asset.

So I was greatly relieved when I got a call back that afternoon, and I found Greg open to hearing about what I was trying to do. I laid all the cards I had on the table, the footage from the Department of Defense, the backing of Eskimo Joe's song 'Foreign Land', that fact I'd been discussing the idea with John Fox.

In the end, and after a few more conversations over the next couple of days, Greg is sending me a digital version of his film, which he shot on 35mm film, with John Fox as the armourer, with professionals as his military actors, and I can splice the action shots into my 'concept trailer'. The threads are being drawn together for me to make a powerful concept trailer for my movie idea and present it in the best possible way to the people that can help me get it made.

I've pushed the string further along the road to making this film a reality...now I've just got to redraft the script from 120 pages to 96...and make sure it's the best 96 page script it can be!

Ex Pertinacia Victoria

Last shoot for the concept trailer

2011-03-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

April 10 is going to be the last shoot for the concept trailer and it's going to be a doozy. A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks, first off being that Shane, my original casting for the role of the SAS soldier in the concept trailer has moved to Sydney and had to pull out.

That renders the footage I've shot with him useless, as the major sequences I have yet to complete are the main characterisation ones, so I've had to find a new SAS soldier.

Now things like this happen for a reason I believe, because it led to me putting out a plea on twitter if anyone knew of any actor suitable.

Jake Reedy, genre buff and director of the independent feature "Loyalty"

said there was only one person I should talk to. Kazuya Wright

And after seeing those trailers, I can only agree.

So I contacted him and after telling him a bit about what I've got planned, he's first words were "I'm in"

So now we have our SAS soldier, my brother in law Alec Doomadgee is coming up from Sydney, in around his filming schedule for a TV series he's working on.

Next up, I needed an XB Falcon for the shoot, and I've managed to secure one, and we're a go.

But there is something else in the wings...I was speaking to John Fox again, but about this concept trailer instead of my short film. I needed to get footage of two soldiers in urban assault gear doing room clearance and door breaches...expensive, complicated but critical to the visual punch of the film.

My options are to get John up to QLD, or me to Melbourne to film John and his associates in action...all expensive but necessary options to be looked at.

Until I realised, being the concept trailer, its purpose is to convey the idea of the film, I'm not shooting the film. Yet. So, I'm already utilising news footage of special forces, with the support of the department of defense (final trailer edit approval needed of course) why can't I find someone who has already filmed something similar with John and license the footage? I put it to him...

And got in contact with someone (who was part of an Oscar winning team and is Combat and Action Director of a huge franchise) who listened to my rambling, jilted, nervous phonecall and said "I'm on set at the moment, can I call you back?"...

To be continued...

Big Plans

2011-02-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

Life is what happens while you're making plans...a classic saying and it holds true. Recent events have shown the fragility of life, the floods, cyclones, the earthquakes in New Zealand and the death of my Grandfather recently.

But it's these events and the life led by my Grandfather that put these things in perspective for me. Poppa was 90, and had lived a full life and we talked about the decisions he had made and what life had thrown his way.

My Grandfather was a Medic in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and had entered France with the British Expeditionary Force that was forced to evacuate from Dunkirk. What a lot of people don't realise is that there was a second evacuation point at Cherbourg, and every boat that could get across the English channel helped ferry men out. Poppa had been listed as MIA in the chaos, but was evacuated in a coal boat. He turned up at the church back home and sat down beside his parents who thought he had been killed.

Later he was sent to the desert in Northern Africa, where Montgomery and Rommel fought massive tank battles back and forth. There was an incident where Poppa was in a vehicle with his driver looking for his unit that had moved while he was deployed on another job. They fell in with another convoy of trucks who knew where they were, driving second from the front.

Poppa made the decision that the convoy didn't know where they were going and pulled out from the convoy and drove to a rise to look for his unit with binoculars. At that moment, Stukas dive bombed and destroyed several of the trucks, including the one that had taken the 2nd from front spot.
That decision saved his life.

He survived the desert, he survived the beach landings at Anzio and Salerno in Italy while being shelled by Big Bertha, firing from Rome. He survived to bring his family to Australia, he survived and I exist because of it.

So here I am, making plans, big plans for my future in film, and as with most things in this life, I can only try and see. I've lived a lot of my life by asking questions of everyone I can and not being afraid to hear no. Of course by making sure my questions are backed up with a bit of life experience and minimising naivety (don't ask stupid questions) then people will take me seriously.

I'm lucky that my film plans dont have to contend with a war, and we've dodged the effects of most of the natrual disasters, and I will continue to plan, and put those plans into effect whilst learning all I can, talking to film professionals and maybe even having the gall to ask for their help. Because once upon a time, those pro's were making plans when they were learning, and possibly they asked the right questions of the pro's they talked to.

The first person who handed me a camera was my Grandfather when I was fifteen, and I asked everything I could of him, and now I'm a camera op/editor in the TV industry. I love my Grandfather very much, and I hope he's proud of me. If I'm to become the film maker I plan to be, I'll be asking a lot of questions, and planning big...because I might just make it happen. Ex Pertinacia, Victoria.

Queensland Floods

2011-01-16T15:11:00.000-08:00

It is with great horror that I watched on the news the destruction of my home town, Toowoomba. A flash flood like nothing seen before in the Town's history claimed the lives of a number of people in an instant. Tales of courage and heroism, of destruction and despair have rocked the community, and it was just the beginning. The torrent which shattered Toowoomba, then poured off the mountain, which is 2700 feet above sea level. The speed that it built up, and the amount of water hit the Lockyer Valley, it was an inland tsunami with a wall of death 7 meters high. It wiped the town of Grantham off the map, and destroyed farm houses and families in an instant. One of the bodies found was 80km away from where they drowned.

Those flood waters added to the rising levels of the Brisbane River resulting in the city being inundated. But the flooding has been going on for weeks, in Rockhampton, Chinchilla, Dalby, Gympie and numerous others.

My family, and my wifes family all live in these towns, and we have been lucky, they are all safe. But many others were not, and the destructive floods have affected hundreds of thousands, and they're now hitting New South Wales, Victoria and even Tasmania.

I'm not writing about my filmic efforts for a bit, but I urge anyone who reads this to donate to the Premier's Flood Appeal

www.qld.gov.au/floods

Australia needs help in this time of need.

The Brisbane River has lowered and thousands of volunteers have turned out to help clean up, and it is still going on and will continue for months if not years right across Queensland. If you can donate or volunteer, do so, because that's what Australia is about. Helping your mates and neighbours in a time of need.

It's the Aussie way.

Bang Bang

2010-12-22T05:21:00.000-08:00

The dual project weekend has come and gone, like an absolute cyclone, and while I can't talk much about the Redeemed stuff (until the trailer is launched) the final scene for my short film went off! Like a blank in a gun! Wait...that was lame. But the guns were cool, see!

Satoru and Quentin were fantastic in their portrayal of brothers and the emotions running wild during a massive firefight! Robin, Dean and James were brilliant as viscious professional thugs protecting their boss. Of the 8 thugs that said they would turn up on the day, these 5 did and put their heart into it, which is what I was after! Thanks guys!

In the lead up to the shoot, I had been desperately seeking a major prop piece for one scene of the Redeemed day. A bath. A free standing, portable bath to make it more difficult. So I put out a call on Twitter, and got one response back by @kyza who pointed me to Josh Levi galleries. I emailed him about it. To cut a long story short, he pointed me to the guy who had one, who let me borrow it for a case of german beer. Beer economy still works for film makers! Problem was, now that I found it, how was I going to get it to the studio, since I don't have a ute.

A callout on facebook resulted in the cousin of one of my best mates offering to pick it up and drop it off. Score! Done and delivered to the studio location of Sunday, while I was filming a gun battle and getting badly sunburnt!

Sunday went brilliantly, Jeff flew up from Sydney, a genuine professional that brought his own edge to the character, and went the distance with the scene requirements, putting his own physical comfort on the line for the shot!

The girls went into hair and make up, and the costumes looked amazing on them, the 6 weeks of making them paid off with the incredible look that my costume designer @V_CreatiV made! I can't wait to show everyone! But you'll all have to wait till the trailer launch and then I'll do a big post on costume design with all the photos I've taken documenting the mammoth task. But Sunday Dec 19 was worth it!

We got what we needed, the Monastery Nightclub were amazing in looking after us as a location, and it really added to the atmosphere and dark theme of the gangster, so big thanks to them!

I can't thank the girls, Imogen, Andre'a, Veronica and Skylar enough for being a part of this, consumate professionals! The amazing special effects and stylised make up of Charmaine Orchard of Shoot the Town Red, with her offsider and hair stylist extraordinaire Renee Steele were an essential part of making my ideas a reality, thank you so much!

Thank you to Dr Mark Ryan for your timely input and efforts, thanks to my offsider Keith Camilleri and thanks to my darling wife for all her support through all of this madness! Thanks to my mum for helping everyone, running actors around and picking up after us as we dashed about madly!

Normally I would save the thanks for crew till the end of the polished product, but a lot of people busted their ass to get this phase of the concept to happen and I am very grateful for all these people believing in me!

I can't wait for phase two! But for now, I'm taking a break from the projects in the lead up to christmas, and I'll switch back on afterwards. I'll report more then! The short film is in the can, and the Redeemed concept trailer has advanced...two projects one weekend, mission accomplished!

Fear

2010-12-06T19:29:00.000-08:00

That most insipid of emotions, coiling deep within, affecting our thoughts, actions, choices, writing and speech. I have one scene left to film of my short film. 9 thugs with pistols, blasting away at nothing, considering the lead actor is now in America, and I only have one chance of getting this in the can...at least for this year. And the rains are here...and exterior shoot, with real weapons and guys in suits who won't want to get them muddy (because I can't pay for dry cleaning)

The funds are perilously low, Christmas coming and all, so the weekend of the 18/19 must work. I've taken a risk by combining two project shoots into one weekend, both must work to make the equipment hire and props worth the hire.

Dec 19th's Redeemed phase two hangs by a thread, literally. The costumes which I have designed have been cut, sewn and constructed. Nearly 3 weeks of work has gone into the girls costumes, because of what is required. Once the trailer launches I can detail how we made them, but, so as not to reduce the impact of the trailer, all I can tell you is that my costume designer is ready to kill me. In fact, the costumes are something she has never attempted before, and others who are very experienced have said they would never have tried due to the complexity!

Will it work? Will they be ready in time? Will a major prop set piece be found in time? Will rain destroy my chances of getting these short film resources lined up again? 2 projects, one weekend.

Fear. It coils and tightens. The effort and time and my own money going into the Redeemed project, and combined resources of my cowriter Chris Allen and myself for our short film, so many things riding on it. And then there's the thought...the Redeemed script, is it good enough? All this effort and is the very idea good enough, is it worth it? I'm trying to show it is. But can I create this SAS story? The men themselves are larger than life, a special breed, can I even attempt to convey a fictional story about one of their own? It is a movie but it has to be grounded in reality, and the reality is, SAS troopers are some of the best and toughest in the world...can my character even compete? Can the script? (There's a doco on SBS tonight about the SAS selection process...it will be a good gauge)

I guess I will have to tamp down on the fear and try anyway...Ex Pertinacia Victoria

Two projects - one weekend

2010-11-22T15:07:00.000-08:00

December 18 is the day to finish my short film action sequence, I have Astrid Vallatti of AV Ballistics as my armourer and we will be equipping my actors with a variety of pistols. It should be a great shoot, with lots of 'bad guys' going down in a blaze of glory.

December 19 is the shoot at an iconic Brisbane nightclub with my gangster and his molls! I'm deep in costume construction with my wife, who is trying to bring my concept to reality with her skills, and I'm running around organising props for the shooting that Sunday.

It will be a crazy weekend, but well worth it, pushing my projects ahead in leaps and bounds. I've been busy creating the opening sequence of my concept trailer in After Effects, cutting the vision and compositing it to Eskimo Joe's amazing track 'Foreign Land' in preparation of adding the new footage and scenes to it to create the Redeemed Concept Trailer.
It's slowly building momentum...Ex Pertinacia Victoria

The Villainous Gangster Revealed

2010-11-10T00:35:00.000-08:00

I would like to introduce my actor who is playing the Villain of the Concept Trailer, Jeff Gannon.

I first met Jeff on the set of "Mindfire" a feature I crewed on, in fact, Jeff took the shirt right off my back, literally. Turns out Wardrobe liked my pastel blue shirt, and thought it would suit him for the scene, so BAM! My shirt is famous, and I'm a struggling director ha!

But thanks to the shirt incident, he remembered who I was when I contacted him after the shoot wrapped. Though the shirt has gone missing, I was supposed to get it back from wardrobe and that never happened...

Jeff is a very talented American actor adding an international flavour to my project, it's great to have him on board! Check out his site here

He's been in quite a few national ad campaigns and films!

Introducing Imogen and Veronica

2010-11-03T20:01:00.000-07:00

After a long audition process my casting team and I finally agree on the last two female roles and I'd like to introduce them.

First up is Imogen who is playing the leading lady, the hero's ex fiance, and had to have a mixture of soft femininity and steel, someone who has seen the horrors of the criminal underworld.

And then there is Veronica, who is Gangsters Moll2 the Ice Queen of the group, a stunning model with a powerful attitude in her performance and gaze.

I look forward to working with them all in creating the concept trailer to showcase the world and idea I have created.
Moving forward inch by inch! Up next...the Gangster himself!

2 roles cast: Introducing Andre'a and Skylar

2010-10-24T06:29:00.000-07:00

I'd like to introduce Andre'a Thomas, playing Gangster's Moll 3, her audition showed us her talent, she was cool calm and confident in the audition and we're very happy to have her on board!

and I'd also like to introduce Skylar, who is playing our Gangster's Moll 4, she was fantastic in the audition, followed the brief perfectly in her outfit and attitude, and my casting team and I all agreed we had to have her involved in the project.

At the moment, we are waiting on a few more of the audition videos for Gangster's Moll 1 and 2 to come in, we have the ones that auditioned on Saturday shortlisted, and once the final videos come in we'll be able to set up a screen test with our hero actor and see if any of them gel.

Moving the string forward, inch by inch...

John Fox - Armourer of Killer Elite

2010-10-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

The other day I spoke to John Fox, a very experienced armourer of over 250 films and TV, including The Pacific and The Killer Elite, the SAS film with Jason Statham and Robert De Niro that was partly filmed here in OZ.

Considering I'm building my own SAS project, it was fantastic to talk to him, but the funny thing was, it wasn't in regards to Redeemed, it was about my short film 'For Amy' the one that is still currently waiting to be cut and film one last scene.

It was this scene that I wanted John's expert advice. He looked over the footage of the A side of the fire fight with his critical eye, and it is here that I am perfectly honest -

He said it wasn't the greatest.

In fact, he suggested it wouldn't be in my best interests as a burgeoning film maker to put my name to it. Now that's the kind of honesty I want from the industry, no vague niceties, his appraisal has given me a lot to think about.

Whereas my professional credits are in documentary, news and TVC's, this film would be my attempt to show my film making skills.

John raised a good point, even though this film was made for next to nothing, with a handful of crew, people don't care about that, they care about whether it's a good film or not. Now in this particular case, these videos, the sneak peaks at 'No love for Harry' were made for Frankie's other project, a project which eventually was shot by someone else.

The action sequences here were shot by me, and are not the greatest and I'm the first to admit that, it was the best we could do with what we had.

However, the film we have created around this one scene, I think, is a testament to the possibility, with a fresh edit, After Effects Compositing, plus vibrant B sides to the fire fight yet to be shot, something can be made from it. It is what it is.

What I should be absolutely clear about is, John hasn't seen anything else of 'For Amy' just the 'NLFH' clip above, from which we will be generating our own action sequence from, so his comments are based on that footage alone, and I agree with him. I really appreciate the time he gave me to discuss action sequences and his honest appraisal of that clip.

However, lot of people have invested their time and money into this project and the other scenes and I will do my best to make it into something worthwhile. It's part of the learning curve, and it is with great honesty that I say, I'll finish this film, I will release it, and I will show what it is that I can do, and if it is not up to scratch, then that means I have more to learn, and any person who says there is nothing left to learn is an idiot. It will be my line in the sand, a milestone to gauge my efforts.

Ex Pertinacia Victoria - From Determination, Victory.

I'm determined to make this film work. Obtuse, tunnel vision? Perhaps, but if I don't try to complete this film, then I'll never know if it worked. Once it's cut, composited, graded and soundscaped, then I will be able to see if it is worth putting my name to. All film makers have to start somewhere...

I'd be keen to hear what you all thought of the clip. email redeemedfilm@gmail.com

6 hours of Auditions

2010-10-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

So Saturday 16th October rocks around and I get in the car to make the hour long drive to the audition space I've hired. I punch in the address to my GPS iphone app and off we go. 45 minutes later I realise the GPS is taking me the wrong way and I do an about face, re-enter the details and high tail it to the auditions.

I get there with 10 min to spare thanks to traffic and set up the area and camera with my Associate Producer Dr. Mark D. Ryan. And so it begins.

The auditioners turn up and we put them through their paces, and then there's gaping holes of silence when some fail to turn up. Now in normal circumstances in the big film world, it's the actors loss that they didn't turn up to audition.

In the indie world, that's one possible perfect asset that didn't get screened. I prefer to leave no stone unturned and no option unexplored. So I check my emails on my iphone and discover a couple of apologetic emails sent late the night before or that very morning. Viable reasons for failing to show up, paid work, films, stage plays, day job shift changes etc etc other jobs basically. I can understand that.

Several slots were allocated to actors who expressed interest and then didn't respond to recieving the audition materials, and didn't answer their phones. Wishful thinking to believe they'd show up or just accepting people are busy and giving them the benefit of the doubt.

Of those that said they'd be there and then didn't show, I called to see if they were ok. One of them had actually been in hospital in the lead up and had just gotten home when I called. Either that or they were spinning me a line, if so it was a shame they didn't attend because it was a believable performance, so I left it at that.

Out of the 27 people originally set to audition, 17 showed up for the four roles, and I filmed all of them. There are some truly stunning women in Brisbane, and it will come down to their performance ability to progress to the next stage.

On thursday I'm sitting down with my casting couch, watching all of the applications, and selecting 5 for a screen test with our hero actor.
Even if they are fantastic actors, if acting with our hero isn't credible or no onscreen chemistry there's no point continuing and it will look amatuer.

So Casting Couch here we come! One step closer!

As for my short film and soldier shots for this trailer, we're still waiting on the schedules of the professional armourer and military advisor to finish up with a feature and Spielberg's TV show Terra Nova...I've got some big competition for resources as discussed previously! Looking like December at this rate

Auditions Tomorrow.

2010-10-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

So in the last 24 hours I've had five actresses drop out due to work/filming commitments which is a shame as you can't tell what they may have brought to the film, and now we'll never know. Scheduling conflicts are part and parcel of the film making game, now it's time to concentrate on those actors that can attend and see if we can find the perfect person for the role.

Starting from 11.30 am and finishing at 5.30pm I'll be putting 22 women on the spot, to see what they can convey to me. I'm looking for that emotional punch that will carry in the concept trailer, for the trailer is a short piece, it has to be powerful in look and attitude, and so must the characters.

Looking for gold, and hopefully soon I'll be able to report what we found!

Film Making: Serious stuff...but not always

2010-10-07T21:59:00.000-07:00

I can get pretty engrossed in getting my projects together, trying to make all the elements to work, and pull together all the threads that I sometimes forget that film making doesn't have to be serious stuff all the time.

Redeemed is a pretty serious concept, you can't make light of the SAS, but I'd love to make a project like this just for fun oneday. Freddie W and his crew are pretty amazing with what they do, and as a Time Crisis fan, this made me laugh.

It stars Andy Whitfield, who most know from Spartacus, however, he's actually an Aussie actor that was the lead in Gabriel, an indie feature film by Shane Abbess filmed in Australia on a shoestring, picked up by Sony entertainment and released worldwide. Shane is now in L.A. and Andy is doing well after his fight with cancer, he's doing a second season in Spartacus!

This other one they've made is just plain fun, plus the first person shooter game reference was a crackup.

They're actually going on a roadtrip, so if there are any American readers out there, check this vid of theirs. Help 'em out if you can.

These kind of films are hard to make in OZ, where the airsoft BB guns they use are actually illegal in this country. If you do use replicas, you still need a licensed armourer. So if I do make a fun little clip, it will be without the guns!
Currently I'm digitising my defence footage and I'll be After Effects compositing tonight. Busy busy busy, while I wait for Specialists! Fun will have to wait.

Competing with Hollywood - Literally

2010-10-05T18:21:00.001-07:00

Obviously in this industry there is a pool of talented, qualified professionals, who are known for their expertise and skill. They are in high demand. Their skills are rare and cannot be done by anyone off the street. They are specialists.

Specialists I need to complete my projects. Specialists who are being employed by Hollywood to work on feature films, and being paid well for their time.

I cannot compete with that, and I am not so naieve think that I ever could, unless I was helming my own $75M project or somesuch.

So I am waiting for these specialists schedules to free up, and I have to be patient if I want their amazing abilities, and bide my time. Frustrating yes, but that's the way it goes.

So rather than do nothing while I wait, I've designed the costumes for my four female characters in Redeemed, and my wife and I are putting the patterns together in calico to see if it works.

I'm also building the After Effects project that the trailer vision will go into. Creating a visualling engaging base, background, colour pallette and titles, that all my vision can slot into. Step by step I will build this thing, in the hope that "build it and they will come" still has some magic left in it.

Casting and Posting Comments

2010-09-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

Well I've narrowed down the 60 applications to 27 for auditions, which are taking place on October 16 in Brisbane. For six hours straight I will be auditioning these beautiful women in the hopes of finding the four characters.

I've also got the support of a iconic nightclub in Brisbane for my location!

It's an exciting time, getting closer to filming the next step in the concept trailer. My other short film is on hold while we await the schedule of a licensed armourer who is currently on a feature film set for a Hollywood project. Once he's free, it's game on and I can finish 'For Amy' (working title)

The concept trailer is in full swing to be made and we're progressing, step by step as funds become available. (ie, I earn it and then spend it on this project)

It seems a lot of people want to be commenting on my blog, but for some reason, only some get through, so if you want to leave a comment, email redeemedfilm@gmail.com and I'll post it on your behalf. Don't know why it works for some people and not others. Thank goodness it worked for Catherine Haridy when she said to contact her about Eskimo Joe!

Casting applications explode

2010-09-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

...metaphorically.

I have posted the casting call on every professional casting site that would have me, and these are the best of them.
www.starnow.com.au
www.australianactorsnetwork.com.au
www.au.castingcallpro.com/
www2.at2casting.com/
www.dare2audition.com.au/

I wasn't expecting the flood of response, and suddenly I have had nearly 60 actresses apply! I had honestly only expected half that number for a concept idea, so I am very pleased.

At the moment I'm sifting through the applications to narrow it down to a group of people to interview face to face. I've even had applications from Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, all willing to pay to fly themselves to the shoot if they are successful in their application! So skype will come in handy too.

It is important to have an interview or audition to get a read on a person, as the headshots can only convey how they look, and not how they act. I'm currently organising a performance space to conduct this critical part of the process. I need to know if I can work with these actors, and if they can convey the emotions I'm looking for...I'll soon find out.

CASTING CALL: For Redeemed Concept Trailer

2010-09-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

I am looking for 4 female models/actors in South East Queensland/Gold Coast to film for a concept trailer of a feature film idea. It is high/alternative fashion, with stylised make up. Looking for two blondes and two brunettes aged between 25 - 35. Specifically looking for one Asian brunette.
Only one speaking role for a blonde character. More shoots for this character may be scheduled at a later date.
Please supply head shots and CV, please supply a showreel via online link or DVD.
The single scene shoot will take place on one Sunday during the day, on a date to be advised in a Brisbane location TBA.
The budget is limited, but I am allowing for $100 per actor in total. They will have to arrange their own transport to and from the location. The High Definition footage of the models can be given to the models as part of their own self promotional purposes/showreel for a reduced rate.

The concept trailer has a license to use Eskimo Joe's song 'Foreign Land' as a backing track, and will make the release high profile. I have been a professional camera operator and editor in the TV industry for over eight years.
Send expressions of interest, CV's and headshots to redeemedfilm@gmail.com

Time passes slowly somedays

2010-09-02T00:17:00.000-07:00

It may be an overwhelming need to constantly be doing something that makes the time pass slowly for me. I want to be at step 1000, and I'm still taking the opening strides of proving myself. Perhaps, when I'm at the 1000th step of my journey I can look back and say, "What a ride" but knowing me, I'll be saying "Why can't I be at the 2000th step". Very Luke Skywalker of me I know, and not even knowing Yoda's words (All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing.) or even a multitude of proverbs and sayings like 'rome wasn't built in a day' etc etc can give comfort to those looking to the horizon.

An impatience to get on with it, to make a splash, create magic, get out there and make stuff. But making stuff is not easy, there are so many things in the way, namely mundane life. There are times I walk up the hallway at work and I can feel myself pushing against the miasma of time trickling by, a tangible effort to place one foot in front of the other knowing that the day is passing. It's heightened by the fact of not seeing sunlight when on an edit shift.

I would happily give up the sun and sit in an edit cave, carving and cutting a block of vision into an experience...if it were my own. But the needs of the majority of creatives, working to stay alive, pay bills etc, can pull at the creative fabric of your life, and so I forego the sun for someone elses concept.

A head full of dreams, a fight to see them realised. Just.Keep.Going. Got to remember that.

On set photos

2010-08-27T19:34:00.001-07:00

Meetings, Interviews and Pickups

2010-08-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning was spent meeting with potential investors in the WWII doco and the meeting went very well, especially since we were starting the doco on Sunday afternoon. After the meeting I went to Brisbane for my Grandmother's birthday, and while I was there, voted in the federal election. Straight after that we went to another meeting with Ian Sparke, of Sparke films.

Ian is the amazing military advisor and military costume supervisor on such projects as Kokoda, Thin Red Line, Wolverine, Beneath Hill 60, The Pacific and the Long Tan doco. His expertise on the authentic look of uniforms and soldiers from the 1700's to modern forces is essential for my projects.

Ian is doing what I'm trying to do with the 'Redeemed' concept trailer, he's made a short trailer for his feature script 'The 34th Battalion'

I wish him the best of luck with the project, and hope it gets off the ground soon. I'm going to employ Ian to get the uniforms and props of my Redeemed trailer to be correct for an SAS trooper. Down the track I'll get him for the actual film of Redeemed, plus the WWII re-enactments for this doco project I've started.

Ian did an amazing job on Damien Lay and Martin Walsh's Long Tan doco re-enactments, so it is essential to get Ian Sparke for the quality and authenticity of the period.

My short film that I shot with Frankie Oatway needs a couple of pickups, and then that will be complete, followed by the final scenes for the 'Redeemed' trailer, so that when I launch, I will have a film directed by me, a trailer for a feature script, and a WWII doco on the books.

It creates a body of work that any future investor, producer, executive can look at, and that's the plan...

Am I insane?

2010-08-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

A question that many a film maker asks...What am I getting myself into is another, and the two are usually side by side in the mental conversation.

I've wrapped on my short film with Frankie Oatway, it just needs to be cut, graded and soundscaped. Post production doesn't worry me as there is no deadline for this film, it just needs to be done right. So I can take my time.

However, the WWII doco has launched straight into preproduction, I'm taking meetings to discuss what assetts we have on hand, what we can arrange, and how to interview the veterans as soon as possible while they are still in the country for the re-union, going straight into research into the unit. Talking to the Department of Defence again (they must love me by now, I've bugged them so many times...bugged as in contacted, not bugged as in listening device...please don't arrest me)

I'm investigating the cost of setting up a HD edit suite at home, and the cost of HD cameras...hiring the gear is becoming a nightmare, and the freedom of having my own gear for films and doco's might be worth the debt...maybe.

So much going on and I haven't even debriefed from coming back from Shanghai...it was only two weeks ago but it feels like last year, so much has happened.

I can only mutter to myself 'Ex Pertinacia Victoria' and keep going...though the muttering to myself doesn't help my sane image, but then, I'm a film maker.
I am insane.

Principle Photography is a wrap

2010-08-15T17:20:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it. A two man crew and two lead actors, we got the final key scenes in the bag. There will be a few pickups to be shot in the future, some tweaking to be done in post, but it's in the can.

Ok for a debrief, lets look at some of the problems faced. One: the production house where I hired the gear from was useless. Three times over the course of the film they failed to provide what I ordered. Mics weren't in the gear, lights used in some scenes were not on hand for the next shoot (when promised they would be), so the lighting was different, a mixture of 5.6K cold fluro banks and hot tungsten kit with CT gels thrown in to fix the problem. Workable but inefficient for the small crew requirements.

I arrived at their door at 8.55am awaiting their open time of 9am, to get the gear loaded in 10min and go straight to the shoot location (an hour away). The gear was not ready for pickup, 45 min was wasted as all bits of gear were organised, accounted for, discovered bits were missing (lights, mics) and reorganised. A discount was given, and the replacement gear was given for free also, but that was only barely acceptable, but due to time constraints, low budget, and overall exasperation, I moved on and got the job done.

Two. Communication. I missed a vital email telling me my highly experienced 1st AD was caught up in a family emergency (and it really was inescapable) and couldn't work on the film. So for that nightmare first day, I was down a crew member, no tapes, no mic. So my checklists, structure, and process was on the back foot immedietly. But we got through it. But communication needs to be improved, my own, and my checklists to minimise mistakes.

That was pretty much it, communication and getting the gear I paid for, not bad for a film that was written while I was in Shanghai, pulled together, cast, equipped and recast in under a week, and crewed by ultra minimal crew! Everyone was amazing, the way they pulled together on a film that they didn't get paid for, and worked their behinds off in freezing cold, covered in blood, gave up their weekends, filmed shot after shot, take after take, and created something amazing, well, hopefully, if I do my job right. Post production is approaching fast.

Thanks to Tim Murfin who played the upper class and insane 'Colonel' opposite Frankie, their scenes were quite disturbing and powerful!

Oh, did I mention that the day after the film had wrapped, I still had the camera gear and fresh HDV tapestock, and I drove two hours to a country town which was hosting a reunion of WWII veterans and grabbed interviews and overlay for another doco...yes, I took off and grabbed another opportunity for ANOTHER project, talked to key people, made contacts for more Department of Defence involvment, and yeah...I don't stop. Can't stop. Won't stop creating.

I've signed the contracts for Eskimo Joe's track and am now coming up with the money for the synch fee for the Redeemed trailer! Here goes!

Skirting Disaster and Working Hard

2010-08-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

6am I'm driving the hour it takes from home to get to the first location, the car is full of equipment, tracks, board dolly, jib arm, counter weights, Black 70% Shade Cloth (great for negative lighting windows/doorways). The camera gear and lights are already at the location, picked up by Frankie, the lead actor and I'm pumped, ready for a great day of shooting. The weather is perfect, and the location is fantastic, everything is great...until I realise that I've left the HD tapes at home.

What a rookie mistake, what a complete amatuer move, I was swearing at myself in my head with a lot more choice words than that. I decided to drive the final 15 min and drop off the gear and see if anyone from the crew is still back in town and could pick them up from home.

Negative ghost rider, too late. So I dropped off the gear, made the actors comfortable, apologised profusely, swore at myself some more, and drove the hour back home. Picked up the tapes, got back in the car, drove back to the location.

9am. I arrive back at the location, set up the gear, and discovered the production house who we hired the camera gear from had not given us a shotgun mic. I checked the invoice, I had paid for one, they hadn't included it, but had told Frankie it was in the bag...

I'd already lost 3 hours, what to do! Hit the phones, call every Soundie in my contacts, who had a mic? Got a mate back in town who had one but wasn't able to run it in to us...Back in the car, hour there, hour back.

5 hours behind schedule, early afternoon, light fading, not a single frame recorded and we had a night shoot to get to by 7pm at another location in Brisbane, 1 hour's drive from where we were.

It is a testament to the professionalism of my cast, and my crew that we got it done. Sharon Grimley, who had been cast three days previously was amazing. The rapport she had with Frankie was so heartening, and made the scene real. Frankie powered through and showed a softness and depth to his character that will make his cold killer three dimensional.

My brother in law Keith Camilleri was my only crew member for this part of the shoot and he was brilliant, his work ethic and his involvement in this film helped me through when my spirit was flagging. When your crew are busting their ass to make this work, you work harder so as not to let them down, and together we got it in the can.

Low budget indie film making, ultra minimal crew, one day to shoot it due to cast availability, we worked hard and got it done. While we were doing this, the large cast was assembling at the Brisbane location to prepare make up and costume. Alison Green, who was a non speaking role actually had Assistant Director experience, and took charge and fed, watered and organised the crew at location 2, while we were at location 1.

Desiree Voglesang was our makeup artist there, who actually worked on Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, her experience was invaluable! The bloodied victims were disgustingly good!

We made it to the night shoot, to be told the club location where we expected to shoot till 11pm was actually shutting down at 8.30pm (it was a quiet business night) , we had arrived at 7.15pm. So I quickly shot the one interior scene with Jake Stormoen who had driven two hours to be there for his scene, and arranged for power to be left out the back of the club when it shut down so we could complete the exterior scene.

For the next five hours in freezing cold, we splashed thugs with blood, shot people, got vicious, used the tracks, and worked our way through the shot list that Keith had in his hands, keeping us focused on what was needed. Our armorer fired off our blanks and we had half a film shot.

Sunday was a lot more relaxed, and we got to spend a decent amount of time on the emotional scenes, and explore Frankie's character. He really is a star in the making, with an emotional depth and range that is extraordinary!

Next week is the final three scenes of the film...our location is brilliant and I can't wait to get in there...with tapes and mic of course.

Lucky to be on schedule

2010-08-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

I start shooting my short film tomorrow, and it's going to be a long day, two day scenes and two night scenes to be done, but I am amazed at what we've managed to pull together in a week of preproduction. The script was polished on Monday as well as Camera gear booked, cast member replaced on Wednesday, Armourer was confirmed on Thursday, Tracks, Track dolly, and Jib arm was confirmed this morning.

So much was hanging in the air and is now falling into place with an almost audible click.

Beautiful day location and gritty night location, it will be a great contrast.

Can't wait to get on set and get this in the can,

here goes...

I'm filming in 3 days

2010-08-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

Am I insane? Yes. To add to my short notice schedule, my lead actress dropped out yesterday morning. She had to pull out due to commitments to her kids and family, which I completely understand. It just meant I was down on a key role, with a whole lot of gear booked and nothing to shoot during the day. (the night shoot is huge)

So I put a casting call out on facebook, and by the end of last night, the role was recast with the talented and darling Sharon Grimley. She will be playing Frankie's wife, a softer contrast to his hard case character.

We're on track, snow ball is rolling, here's hoping it doesn't become an avalanche...

Shanghai and my short film

2010-08-01T18:33:00.001-07:00

So here's the reason I have been offline for two weeks. I was in Shanghai, China for a holiday, and couldn't access the net often while I was away. So while I was having a proper break, I was also slightly on edge as a good mate of mine, Chris Allen was completing a short film script from a story we both came up with.

Why should this be of concern? Well, this short film is not 'Past Mistakes' a script I wrote with the intention of filming as a calling card. I scrapped it due to timing and resources. Frankie Oatway, my actor mate, well his career is taking off in the States in a big way, he's scheduled to fly out to New York to start on a new TV show and a number of films on Wednesday 18th of August...That leaves two weeks.

I found this out while I was in Shanghai, so my good mate Chris (who I've know since we were 13) wrote an amazing script that we polished with Frankie, while I was on the other side of the world. We start filming on Saturday 7th of August, and finish on 13th of August. That's two days of filming and two seperate weeks of rehearsal...ambitious? Yes. Crazy? Most Certainly. Achievable? I believe so!

Once that is complete, I'll finish the Redeemed concept trailer in time for a November launch, so I'll have a short film shot in the style of 'Redeemed' with the hard action and intense emotional scenes, plus a concept trailer of my film idea, set to the incredible music of Eskimo Joe. That's the plan...lets see if it works.

Eskimo Joe Rocks!

2010-07-18T23:57:00.000-07:00

I can now confirm that I have been approved for a license to use Eskimo Joe's song 'Foreign Land' the paper work is in the mail, and I'll sign it as soon as it arrives! I stated that I was going to try and get their attention, and by doing so, I got their attention, followed the process and soon I'll have the opportunity of putting my concept trailer to their song, it will have a huge impact and show that I'm serious about this film! Ex Pertinacia Victoria!

What does it all mean: Reprised

2010-07-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

I often write to Chris Jones, the author of the Guerilla Film Maker's Handbook, talking of where I am, what's happening, film life and what he's up to. I came across an old email I sent him, which I am sharing here again, because I need to remember the core message of what I wrote. I've lifted this straight off Chris' website www.chrisjonesblog.com he's a great resource for indie film makers and an inspiration to all.

"The need to refresh and take stock of where you are was something that I had been avoiding, I'd used my holidays as time to work on my own projects, and to tell you the truth it was burning me up. After everything I've seen and everything that's happened to my family, I guess I've been looking at the world with a sense of urgency, a pressure within to succeed, before I too either faded in to obscurity and the mundane, or passed away.

Last month I was driving back from a commercial shoot about two hours drive from work, in front of us, driving in the same direction, a log truck lost control and hit a car coming the other way. It was shredded. In all my life I've never seen anything like it. I mean for years I've been attending fatal accidents after the event (note from Chris - Simon is a news cameraman), you prepare your mind for what you will see and it's a job. But to see it actually happen, in the space of seconds, people died right there, it just was numbing. Needless to say I point blank refused to film it for the news and the emergency services waved us through to leave.

It's a fragile existence we lead, and yet I didn't need anymore reminders of this fact as you know. As you said to me before, it should highlight the need within ourselves to get our stories out while we can. But this need is like pushing against a wall, a mental wall within, a metaphorical wall of bureaucracy, funding and powers that be, without.

Yet the creative drive inside needs to be expressed, like a soldier with the skills to fight, we look for a side to fight for, a story to fight for, meaning to be found in these stories, meaning to be given to this life.

I guess that's why people call you an inspiration, a title you may feel uncomfortable in wearing, but it leads to the heart of your argument. Take action, take big action, for action is experiences, and experiences added up are a life. Not many people do that.

Before reading your books, I had put a time frame on success, based on stories of other film makers who had hit the 'jackpot' of making a film young (25) and skyrocketing off to fame and fortune. I read your advice of 'make a film when you're sixty' and nodded, but I didn't truly absorb it, as I found myself in an unconscious race against myself to be successful in film, and a year has passed and I have made another doco, which I'm actually disappointed with. But I learned from the experiences.

It wasn't until I'd taken this holiday with Evita, and stopped, truly stopped, and let go that I feel happy. I'm still writing my feature script, but I'm not rushing to get it out, I'm having a glass of wine when I write. I'm reading a fiction book instead of a film reference book, I'm going to the beach as often as I can, I'm trying to enjoy the experiences of writing and living, so I can enjoy the process of production, and enjoy a creative life in general.

I hope things are well with you, I hope your endeavours are coming to fruition, I hope you and Lucia are well. Look after yourself bloke and maybe one day I'll see you around sometime,

Simon Van Der Spoel

Thanks for your email Simon. I think that in 100 years, creativity will be diagnosed as a disease. I really do. It’s not something I choose, it chooses me, and often I am it’s servant. I know that at the dinner table, family and friends can complain or exchange knowing glances when I go off into that special creative world in my head. I sometimes wish I could stop having ideas. It seems I can’t. I mentioned on the blog a few days ago that I am reading a book on copyrighting, and another phrase from that book really resonated…

‘The truly creative mind in any field is no more than… a cruelly delicate organism with the overpowering necessity to create, create, create – so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really alive unless he is creating…’
Pearl Buck

The book is called ‘The Adweek Copyrighting Handbook’ by Joseph Sugarman

And yes Simon, when you come to the UK or I come back down under, we will surely hook up at your mums for another steak on the barbie!

Onwards and upwards!

Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author

www.livingspirit.com
mail@livingspirit.com

Short Film V Concept Trailer

2010-07-12T21:44:00.000-07:00

I am faced with a bit of a difficult decision, on one hand I have my concept trailer building momentum, lining up resources to complete the shots to get the result I'm after (things are going great!). On the other hand, it seems to me that unless you've made a film, you're not really taken seriously, no matter how technically accomplished you are.

That comes down to the fact, I am an experienced professional Camera Op/Editor in TV, not film (though I could technically argue I know how to shoot the Sony HDC 950 which is a film quality system - Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Sin City, Avatar etc) But that's it, I have the technical skill, but what people will be looking for is if I have director/writer skill, working with actors, writing a script that conveys story, emotion and snappy dialogue. But then there are fresh faced uni/film school graduates without an iota of life experience and industry technical experience out there trying to make features...

A Concept Trailer may not convey that skill, it will showcase an idea, a premise of a feature. The trailer is a great promo for my concept, but is it a calling card for me? People I've spoken to suggest a short film is the best way to show what I can do in all fields.

So I wrote a 13 page short film called Past Mistakes, with Frankie Oatway as the lead.

Problem number one, Frankie has just been cast in a Feature Film 'Mei Mei' with GUY PEARCE! And then he's lined up to go to New York for talks with Vincent Pastore (of Casino and Soprano's fame!) So he's a very busy bloke, and August is the only window of opportunity to film him this year. Talk about pressure, the first draft has only just been completed, and needs tightening, and then we need to cast, and crew it!

It begs the question whether I should let the opportunity go for now, and risk losing Frankie to Hollywood, while I concentrate on the concept trailer, or try to do both, stretching already thin resources further.

It's like being a mercenary soldier and trying to decide which battle to fight...that's indie film making. I'll keep you posted how I go.

Eskimo Joe's Management contact me

2010-07-08T23:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I posted my ambition of getting an amazing Eskimo Joe track 'Foreign Land' to use for my 'concept trailer' of my feature film. When I said there was movement on the progress of the song, this was what I was talking about

I had completed one application to one of the rights holders, Warner Music, for the song on the Thursday. I completed the second application to Mushroom Music on Monday and sent that off. I recieved immediate responses from both companies saying that they will get a quote for me, and things were a happening.

Looking back over my posts I saw someone had commented on Sunday. It was Cath Haridy...ESKIMO JOE'S MANAGER! How, who, what, where huh? Are Eskimo Joe secret Agents? I hadn't completed the second application yet! Cath was kind enough to ask me to contact her via the official Eskimo Joe Website www.eskimojoe.net so that I knew it wasn't a crank post. Well I did. And she responded.

"Indeed it was me and yes I saw your blog by independent means. I keep relatively I touch with most things that happen with the band online."

So no, the band aren't secret agents, their manager Cath is. Ha! All jokes aside, it was my including of the youtube link of their clip that may have flagged her attention to my blog. (maybe? Cath would not reveal her sources, so my secret agent suspicions remain). An unexpected result, but a welcome one!

While I was contacting the rights holders, the band manager was contacting me, based off my declaration of intent. Online. For all to see. I'm still a little gobsmacked at the speed of events. Two weeks ago I was thinking, no, they're out of reach, too big for an indie to try. But I tried anyway, and got a response I couldn't have imagined. So here I wait, with bated breath, for the monetary requirements, which actually may be within my reach.

There's a great article about Cath Haridy and her work here and I'd like to thank her for responding to my online shout out to the digital ether. I never expected to hear something back! I'd also like to congratulate the guys from Eskimo Joe for winning two APRA awards for 'Foreign Land' it really is an amazing track!

Everyone has to start somewhere

2010-07-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

I had to travel five hours the other day to see the in-laws for a birthday, and it was a great weekend, but here's the funny thing. They live in a small country town called Chinchilla. (yes a town named after a small cat/rodent like creature once harvested for fur, go figure)

That's not the funny thing, ok well, it's mildly amusing, but this picture of me in front of a house is the reason I'm grinning - It's the childhood home of one Dr. George Miller, the director of Mad Max, Mad Max II: The Road Warrior, Mad Max III, Lorenzo's Oil, Witches of Eastwick and of course Happy Feet, and numerous producing and TV credits. His website is http://www.drdstudios.com/ (if you've got qualifications, check out the jobs section.)

The wide open roads and flat horizons around the highway into Chinchilla are very similar to the ones near Lara, north of Geelong where the original Mad Max was filmed.

Looking at the place, it brings home everyone has to start somewhere, and this is where George and his brothers spent their time as kids. Doesn't matter where you are, or where you grow up, it's up to you what you do with your filmic aspirations.

On another front, there is movement on the licensing of Eskimo Joe's song, I'll report back soon!

More Music Info from EMI

2010-07-01T23:46:00.000-07:00

I've spoken to some lovely people from a number of publishers, and master rights holders trying to learn more about the music biz and how it affects film. EMI sent me a great frequently asked questions page and I thought I'd include it here for everyone elses benefit (It is Australian oriented slightly)

EMI
MASTER USE LICENCE: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Who is EMI Music Licensing in Australia?
A: EMI Music Licensing is the central licensing division in Australia for all the labels within EMI Recorded Music, which includes:
Capitol Records, Parlophone, Angel, Blue Note, Positiva, EMI Classics, Virgin, Source, Mute, Innocent and Hut.
We also license repertoire locally on behalf of labels including Spunk!, Domino, Stop Start, and Soulmate Records.

Q: I don't understand what a MASTER RECORDING is versus a COMPOSITION
A: When licensing a piece of music for a visual project, rights need to be secured from two separate entities. You must gain a licence from the RECORD COMPANY who controls the rights to the MASTER (or the actual recording), as well as the MUSIC PUBLISHER who controls the COMPOSITION (or the underlying rights in the song).

Q: Who should I contact first to secure my licences?
A: The Music Publisher

Q: Why should my first call be to the music publisher?
A: Because a recording cannot be licensed without the underlying song rights being approved, whereas a song can be licensed without a specific master recording.

Q: How do I find out who the music publisher is?
A: Check the CD booklet and\or call the performing rights society below. Please note that there may be multiple music publishers for each song. If this is the case each publisher needs to be contacted for a license.

AMCOS (Australian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society)
Telephone: 02 9935 7900
Website: www.amcos.com.au

Q: How do I contact the music publishers?
A: AMCOS can provide contact details.

Q: How long will it take to get my master use license?
A: Please allow at least 2 weeks for clearance, with some masters requiring much longer to gain approvals. There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration as follows:

• Is the repertoire owner based in Australia or internationally?
• Does EMI Music Australia need to secure management and/or artist approval for use of the track?
• How many requests is EMI Music Licensing handling at the time?

Q: Can I speed up the licensing process?
A: You cannot speed it up, but you can avoid slowing it down by making sure you have given us all the relevant information we require at the outset.

Q: What is that information?
A: Please fill all the required fields on the Licence Application form.

Thank you so much for the info EMI, it helps clarify and aids understanding (This is something they should have covered in my uni degree all those years ago, but didn't)

Music Licensing Rights & Publishing Rights?

2010-07-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

After further consultation with fellow creatives, and as much as I admire the Animal Kingdom trailer and the effectiveness of the clip

being inspired by it is one thing, emulating it can be seen as being a copycat, and yes, there is no such thing as an original idea just the way you present, I agree, but for the genre of action thriller, The Solomons song may not be the right one.

Yes my enthusiasm led to me chasing down the record label and talking to them about indie music meeting in the middle with indie film, and though now the Solomons option may not suit the idea, it's not to say I have wasted their time or mine.

I have a great contact with Scotty at Popboomerang and I am still keen to look through their catalogue for appropriate music for my projects!

So what song do I have in mind for the 'concept trailer', and am I dreaming to even contemplate it? Well, as I have said in the past, I have an idea, and I pursue it, if only for a fact finding mission so I know what the deal is.

Foreign Land, by Eskimo Joe, that's what I have had in my head for a long time, in fact I have written several scenes to the film while listening to this song. However, it's by one of Australia's most popular bands, surely out of my reach, so don't bother, everyone says commercial music is difficult to use... but, hang on...unless I ask, I'll never know how difficult.

What's the process? Where do I start? well tweeting at the band didn't work, they don't seem to respond to anyone.

This has to be done by the right channels, so on the CD I see it's distributed by Warner. So I google the contact details for Warner Music and call them.

BAM! Lesson number one, the distributer of the CD is not neccesarily the holder of the rights to a song, plus there is a difference between licensing rights and publishing rights, a difference that means two seperate companies.

So I contact Scotty at popboomerang to explain to me, the uninitiated in the music rights world. He said -

"Generally, from our point of view there 2 synch fees when a song is placed -the master licence fee often owned by a record company like us & the publishing fee which is either owned by a publisher or the band themselves (or a label) -and they are 50/50 -referred to as "per side"

So all our acts own their own publishing, we licenece the sound recording -we have deals with our acts which mean it is not always 50/50 for fee split but the princiap is there is 100% of a fee & split 2 ways between the master & the publishing.

Typically, a sync license is obtained from a music publisher while the master recording license is obtained by from the record label or owner of the master.
A sync license covers a specific period of time, and the license will stipulate how the song can be used.

There is one flat fee involved in obtaining a sync license, and once the license is in place, the song can be used as stipulated as many times within the license period as the license holder likes. In other words, if you obtain a sync license and use the song in a film, you do not have to pay a fee on the sync every time the film is viewed."

As far as Eskimo Joe is concerned, the master rights are held with Warners, the license application has to be requested from Mushroom Records, and the licensing is actually held by a music publisher Mana! Three seperate companies involved in one song! So I've put in an application for a quote to see how much it would cost to use such a popular song. I'll report back what they say so you can see how high the wall for commercial music is for Indie film makers.

I'd like to thank Scotty from Pop Boomerang for taking the time to explain the issue to us all. Take a look at this fantastic indie label, doing what we do in the music world!

www.popboomerang.com
www.myspace.com/popboomerangrecords
http://www.youtube.com/user/popboomerang

More Blackhawks and "PM"

2010-06-27T04:17:00.000-07:00

I got another official approval from Defence to utilise footage of Blackhawks from their past TV Commercials in my concept trailer. The production company that has the footage is Artisan Films, and the director of the commercials is Karl Von Moller, a very experienced DOP of great talent who is constantly overseas with his work. He was the DOP on the Australian part of 'The Bank Job' (incidently a Jason Statham film), and shot the 'Not Quite Hollywood' doco, plus the 'Broken Wings' Spitfire doco to name a few.

I met Karl on twitter, and because of our shared interest in doco's, films, military and of course Spitfires we got to talking. He has stacks of Blackhawk footage, and now that i've got permission it's available to me for the concept trailer! Result!

I've also completed the 1st draft of Past Mistakes and sent it out to be read, so it's officially in development! Bit by bit, nudging the string forward!

Professionals and "Past Mistakes"

2010-06-23T03:25:00.000-07:00

So I've been offline for a bit due to a very busy workload, and then I was given a brilliant opportunity to do some training with some amazing professionals in the media industry. We had Avid edit training with Dave Forsythe , a master editor and trainer, then a powerful presentation by Australia's After Effect guru John Dickinson.

His compositing skills are incredible, and he is Adobe's official ambassador for Australia, he gets to play with some really cool stuff, and shows how to use it on his website www.motionworks.com.au and he shares his tips and tutorials to improve the after effects work out there so it doesn't look cloned. Admirable and fantastic effort! We all had dinner after the training and I won't repeat half the crap we talked about, but it was great to talk to a professional in a social setting and get to know John, he's a great guy that is very passionate about his work, something that I can understand.

On another note, I was interviewed as part of the amazing Karen Quah's blog birthday celebrations, so if you get the time check out the great interviews she's lined up (other than me, I'll leave it for you to decide whether I'm rubbish) there are some great links and people on there!

Now I mentioned that a short film was in the offing, I'm actually writing a short film called "Past Mistakes" to be shot in one location, and showing Frankie Oatway at his best and most deadly, it will showcase my abilities ad provide a launch pad for Redeemed. It will be produced and shot with crew from my own media contacts as a test run, and show my abilities to potential investors, because at some point people will ask to see what I am capable of. Here goes...

The Dreaming Festival

2010-06-15T03:31:00.000-07:00

Well the long weekend has come and gone and I have been to the Aboriginal Dreaming Festival to catch up with my brother in law and my sister, actually my whole extended family turned up at one point or another so it was a nice suprise!

For the concept trailer I need someone to play the part of the SAS soldier who will be a warrior brother to Alec's character. The actor I have chosen is Shane Ross, he is fit and looks hard, so for the trailer purposes he's a great asset to the shoot.

We brought him to the festival to meet Alec and get a few shots for the trailer. I had images in my head of both of them next to a campfire, but that proved impossible with the size and nature of the festival.

So I went for shots of them talking and laughing as good mates, and then painted up shane with cam paint.

It should be noted that I went for the $17 bowhunters face paint with 5 colours instead of the $19 three colour army issue face paint. It was a mistake, but for the purposes of showing shane in the scrub with his face done up it will do. For the actual film I'll be using genuine army issue.

Ideas, Problems, Technology, Timing.

2010-06-07T15:28:00.000-07:00

As you've probably guessed, I come up with ideas, think of the possibilities and take action. Well, I hadn't heard anything more from Tina Cousins people, and when I found out that she was performing in Brisbane on the night of Sunday 13th, I offered to get her and her people into the Aboriginal Dreaming Festival on the Monday 14th (Queens Birthday) to give her a rare opportunity to see Indigenous Australia in full flight plus she could meet Alec, my brother in law and I could discuss the Redeemed cameo further. No response.

People are busy, professionals especially, and timing is a big factor, so you have to keep moving forward, nudge another bit of string, untangle the knots later.

One of those knots is my writing computer failed the other week. It's still in the repair shop, getting hard drives replaced and RAM upgraded. Though all the important stuff has been backed up, it's still a pain that the entire PC is missing, the speed at which I type is far faster than I write, and getting ideas out quickly, as fast as they play out in my head is important.

But, it became moot the other day, as I was sent away to another TV station to cover another cam op/editors workload. Reverse engineering someone elses After Effects projects is always fun...time consuming, but interesting. You literally can plot someone's thought process, and in doing so, it becomes obvious that there is no right or wrong way to make a visual project. It's the end result that matters, whether you parented elements, edited behaviours or cut and pasted key frames, the average punter at home doesn't care, they just want to see the pictures clearly and hear what's going on.

Oh...I've also been told I need to make a short film before I start 'Redeemed' very much like Chris Jones and his 'Gone Fishing' short, as a precursor to his feature 'Rocket Boy'
(Check out www.chrisjonesblog.com for the details)

More on that soon!

Ex Pertinacia, Victoria

2010-06-02T23:50:00.000-07:00

Ex Pertinacia, Victoria - From Determination, Victory. That's my motto, that's the way I live my life. And so, I wrote another email to defence about the use of blackhawk footage.

To: Shukost, Yuri MR
Subject: Clarification/Permission

Dear Mr Shukost,

I understand that defence will not provide resource support to the project till funding and distribution has been lined up as you have informed me, but am I able to get permission to use footage of blackhawks in my concept trailer, without use of any defence resources.

I have found the Television Commercial production company that has shot blackhawks for defence advertising, plus I have recorded footage of blackhawks off the TV from the news. If I am able to get permission to use footage of Blackhawks, I will source it from the production company, and use news footage that has already been broadcast.

With this permission, I can show what I plan to do in the film and get funding to proceed further talks with defence for actual resource support. Permission to use this footage will not require any time or resources from defence as I will source the tapes, dubbing and facilities myself, at my own cost, all I require to proceed is clearance from defence that I am allowed to use this footage, for this purpose (concept trailer) and that purpose only.

I will sign whatever waiver required by defence that may be needed to release this footage for this purpose, and if need be, put up a graphic at the end of the concept trailer that defence does not have a relationship with the production, and that support is not guaranteed, nor implied by the release of the footage for use within the concept trailer. I won't release the concept trailer with the Blackhawk footage in it without defence having looked at it first.

I honestly feel that this clearance, with these stipulations, is a small venture, with a large potential for defence, with no risk and no cost to defence, or its resources.

I look forward to any comments you may have, and hope to discuss this further,

Kind Regards,

Simon VDS -

Their response was immediate!

UNCLASSIFIED:COMMERCIAL

Dear Mr Van Der Spoel,

Because the method you've described would have little additional impact on our resources, I would be prepared to provide permission to use the footage to produce a show reel video for your feature film.

However, I am not certain what terms and conditions are attached to the Black Hawk footage used in Defence Force Recruiting's TVC and so I have cc'd their National Marketing Manager, who may be able to clarify this.

As I mentioned in an earlier e-mail, because a film treatment can change dramatically from initial concept to when it goes into production, approval at this point does not signify approval for the project as a whole. For that to occur, we would need to see a draft script to decide whether the movie matches Defence values.
Sincerely,

Yuri Shukost
Entertainment Media Liaison

That's one knot taken care of! Moving forward! Ex Pertinacia Victoria!

The Real SAS

2010-05-31T16:09:00.000-07:00

Since I'm writing a film about a fictional SAS trooper, research is very important, and as I've posted before I turned to all the books on the Australian SAS I could find. The best I've found has been two books by Keith Fennell, who wrote candidly about his time with the SAS.

In fact his books are quite inspiring, the way he looks at the world, and the determination in the way that he approaches everything is amazing. In Warrior Training he reveals the extremes the men go through as part of the selection course for one of the most professional military units in the world. In Warrior Brothers, Keith talks about the situations he ended up in as part of his duty, and it soon becomes obvious that he has been involved in the majority of the scenarios that reached the public view, the 90 minute firefight in East Timor in '99, on board the 'Tampa', frontline Afghanistan and then as a private contractor in Iraq.

So of course, me being me, I tracked him down and sent him an email about 'Redeemed' and asked him if I can call upon his expertise, as a consultant, or somehow get him to look at the script when it was ready. He was kind enough to take the time to reply. Keith is in high demand, being utilised by corporations for inspirational speaking, team building exercises, security appraisal, plus consulting with film and TV projects already.

So he's busy for the rest of the year, but he still took the time to send me several emails in reply to my requests, one of which is to use a poem he wrote about his SAS mates, it sums up the incredible bond they share, and is something I wish to capture in my film. This was the response -

Hi Simon

Thanks for the great feedback, I'm stoked that you would like to use the poem. I don't have a problem with - to be honest I'm honoured mate - but I'll check with my publisher just to make sure there are no copyright issues.

Best,

Keith

His publisher Random House gave permission, and I will be using it in the film. An original poem, about the SAS, from an SAS operator. Go to the source and ask the question, that's the way I live. If you'd like to look at purchasing his books go here - http://www.randomhouse.com.au/books/Default.aspx?Page=Book&ID=9781741667943
http://www.randomhouse.com.au/books/Default.aspx?Page=Book&ID=9781741668988

Heart and Nerve

2010-05-30T19:03:00.000-07:00

My head is whirling with a thousand things, and I know I haven't blogged for over a week, and that's because real life and bill paying got in the way. I was sent to another TV station to take over someone elses workload for a week, and have only just returned home...to a writing computer that has totally failed. Gone. I'm not going into details, but it's being sent to the pros to be fixed.

Everything is backed up, so no worries there. I back up scripts and files regularly after learning my lesson years ago about the failings of technology.

Anyway, so Tina Cousins is coming to Australia soon, and is performing in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on the Queens Birthday long weekend. Her Brisbane show is on the Sunday 13th - The same weekend as the Aboriginal Dreaming Festival where I'm going to film Alec for the concept trailer, (just an hour up the road)

I'm hoping to hear from her people soon to see if we can have further discussions about having her in the film as a cameo. If it was even a possibility, some footage of her performing could be shot for the concept trailer also.

Like I said, ideas whirling through my head, real life to deal with, but inch by inch I'll get there, it's a matter of organisation and taking action. I just need to approach my work with heart, show that I am dedicated, committed and professional, and have the nerve to ask the questions, and the nerve to hear the answers. Here goes...

A Setback

2010-05-25T22:55:00.000-07:00

As promised, I said I would detail all progress and setbacks for this film...here's a setback. The response from the department of defence came through -

UNCLASSIFIED:COMMERCIAL

Dear Mr Van Der Spoel,

I have reviewed previous requests for support to productions at this stage of development and found that we do not, in fact, provide assistance to a project until it has attracted funding or achieved a pre-sale to a broadcaster or distribution chain.

This avoids a situation where resources are allocated to projects which are unable to reach completion.

I wish you luck with your project and you are welcome to re-submit your application once funding has been obtained.
Sincerely,

Yuri Shukost
Entertainment Media Liaison

So as you can see, unless distribution, funding, pre sale etc etc is lined up, you're in the same boat as most indie film makers, having to make do without such.

What I had requested, initially is footage of blackhawks, to be used within the concept trailer, what I, as the film maker, saw as a low risk, low commitment from defence. If the film didn't happen, well the supply of footage was not seen as a commital of support.

If the film takes off, the relationship was already established. Oh well, move forward, push another part of the string, untangle this one later.

Reality and In my head

2010-05-25T03:32:00.001-07:00

Reality sucks. You have bills to pay, you have a job to do, it will consume your day, and to make ends meet you will have to do things you don't want to do. But you do them.

Because you must.

There is no other option, unless you want to end up on the street. I approach my film the same way, I write because I must. If I want this film to be made, I must write. I must push this string, nudging this idea closer and closer to realisation. I must push to get the music right for the idea, I push to get the script right, I push to get the actors lined up, I must push to get this concept trailer off the ground so I can show people what it is that I'm talking about.

But of course I'm constantly thinking about the film, the story, the characters. In between shooting a job for work and editing, I'll get a flash of an image, a snippet of conversation and often it will be lost as I don't have time to write it down.

As much as I'd like the ability to stop everything I'm doing and concentrate on my idea, I'm paid to implement other people's ideas and put them on the screen. After work is my time and that is the reality.

The film is in my head, I have to get it out before I can implement my ideas. Screenwriters are masters of conveying a story and an idea visually through their writing. My wife has pointed out to me, that to get my concept trailer to work, I have to share my vision, I can't keep watching it in my head and not tell anyone but
I can't just pack a camera and go film it now.

I am impatient, but unless I make the concept trailer the best it can be, I will do more damage than good by putting something together not of a high enough standard to get noticed.

Sketching takes me a bit of time, I can't sketch from out of my head either, I have to be looking at a source image and draw from that. (My mate Tony Graham, a photoshop and graphic artist whizz found some of my source images and made some postcards!)

So the best way for me to get this mass of imagery of the concept trailer out is for me to write a concept trailer script. Write what I see. Storyboards, locations, equipment, actors must come after that. First...I have to write what I see. Because I must.

Warrior Brother

2010-05-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

I'd like to introduce my other actor Alec Doomadgee, who will be playing the SAS soldier's Warrior Brother, a soldier from NORFORCE, an elite reserve unit responsible for patrolling 1.8 million square kilometres covering the Northern Territory plus the Kimberley Region of Western Australia.

Around 800 men, 60% of them are aboriginal soldiers, leading the way with their incredible knowledge of the land, the water ways and how to survive in this harsh country of ours. They have close ties with Commando regiments of Australia, and are masters of their craft.

Alec has been involved in the media industry for a long time, and has a great quality on screen, as seen in the short film Joonba (2008), and Channel 9's TV series 'The Strip', he has a strength in his being and voice that commands attention, something critical for the film Redeemed. It probably stems from his years as a radio host.

Alec's character will be the childhood friend of our SAS hero, in fact they joined up together, ending up in different Regiments, but they are the best of friends, and as former SAS Keith Fennell put's it - Warrior Brothers.

It should also be explained that Alec is my own brother in law, my own warrior brother, fighting for his people's rights as representative for the Waanji-Garrawa people, and recently married to my little sister. In fact, my wife and my sister roll their eyes when we all catch up, because all Alec and I ever talk of is film, a kindred spirit in determination and desire to be a part of this industry, so watch me get him to the big screen.

Alec is in the process of getting a documentary made about his son going through his initiation ceremony to become a man in his people's eyes. It will be an amazing film and he is looking for production funding to create it.

I'll keep you all posted as to how we both go!

The Killer Elite v Redeemed

2010-05-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

When I wrote the script for Redeemed last year, one of the biggest concerns for me was after completing it and getting looked at was the announcement that an International SAS film was gearing up to be filmed in 2010. That film is 'The Killer Elite' based off Ranulph Fiennes' bestseller "The Feathermen", and currently has Jason Statham and Clive Owen attached. There is talk of Robert De Niro joining the film, as well as Aussies Lachy Hulme, Ben Mendelsohn, and Dominic Purcell.

I've never read "The Feathermen" and when news of this film started getting around that it was co-financed by an Australian company, that were involved in Statham's 'Bank Job' film, I started to feel depressed about it. How can I compete with a line up like that? Is the story involving Aussie SAS? It's partly being shot in Melbourne and rural New South Wales, so maybe. It's a crushing feeling for an independent film maker, like the David and Goliath story.

But then it occured to me, I am no worse off than I was before, there are huge films out there already, I'm an indie film maker, the industry is already against me and if anything, this film will bring SAS content to the front of the public's view.

I must look at it like the 'Blackwater' film vs 'Rogue', both crocodile films, vastly different budgets, with different box office results.

Blackwater was more successful than Rogue and it was the David of the two.

Looking at what little info is online about The Killer Elite, my film's story is completely different too, which is reassuring. You have to look for the positives, and if anyone wants to spread it around that Australia has its own answer to 'The Killer Elite' by all means do so.

I'm readying my sling. I'm booking a HD camera to shoot part of my concept trailer at the Aboriginal Dreaming Festival. More on that soon

Concept Art and Reality

2010-05-18T04:24:00.001-07:00

As part of the imagery that is ripping through my mind I sat down and drew some sketches, concept art to crystalise what I see, and show others what it is that I'm thinking. I can't just pop out and film this stuff, at least not yet, so here's what I see...

Immedietly it becomes apparent that I see military hardware in action, the Blackhawk Helicopter, with several angles on it. The stuff in the jungle is relatively easy to recreate (people, costume, firearms, jungle location - achievable), but the Australian Army Blackhawk is not.

I have to get the support of the Defence force for permission to film the Blackhawk in the actual film (when that day comes). I also have to get permission to get footage, already filmed by the defence department, of the blackhawks in action, for the concept trailer I'm putting together.

To do either, one has to contact the relevant department and make a submission with supporting paperwork signed by the Producer http://www.defence.gov.au/index/details/film.htm

If you're interested in what's required to film the Department of Defence, take a look at the supporting information, which is very important to adhere to. It is my hope to create a film where the characters portraying military personell of the Australian armed forces conduct themselves with honour, courage, professionalism, and integrity. I hope that an audience will watch them go to hell and back and believe in them as I do. A writer has to believe in his characters.

Research: Special Air Service

2010-05-16T16:06:00.000-07:00

Research is so important for capturing the authenticity of your characters, their movements, attitude, social status and even how they think, and even the background world they exist in.

I can honestly say, that watching 'TV news story' based films, I and every other current and former news camera op watch the movements of the Camera Operators in the movies, and can pick if they are just an extra, or really know what they're doing. (Loved Hank Azaria in Godzilla...Camera op in the rain, and camera behaved very realistic...water and cameras don't mix well!) Real news camera ops don't rack focus every 2 seconds to make it look as if they're 'operating' the camera.

But then, that's just a small demographic, so why bother researching or hiring a camera op to operate that fake camera. I guess it comes down to how you approach making your film and the level of detail you go to, and making it feel 'real' to the audience.

Ridley Scott goes to great lengths to do so, the amount of research combined with 'Hollywood' tweaking is a great mix. Eg. Kingdom of Heaven, the research into the arms and armour of the period of 1195 when it was set was exquisite, and then he tweaked the laws of history to bring later period style armour earlier into the century because it looked 'cool'. The average punter wouldn't know the difference, but the textures of the backgrounds, people, artefacts, utensils, and buildings create the fabric of the reality. Who cares if a helmet is 100 years too soon!

I read on a blog somewhere that mentioned 'All you see is the actors and the art department' which is so true!

My research into the SAS is based on the only information available to the public.

These three books are the best I've found so far because it deals exclusively with the Australian side of the story.

Music to my ears

2010-05-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

I'm the kind of person that has ideas and then tries to implement them. I don't consider difficulty, I consider the end result if someone says yes. I don't care if I hear no, I tried and got an answer. I know a lot of people that wouldn't even ask, they wouldn't even bother.

It's a calcualted gamble, you weigh up what you will lose vs potential success. If you don't ask, you'll never know.

So I'm driving in the car and I hear a song on the Radio called "Waiting for Something to Happen" by 'The Solomons'...I caught half the song, loved the quirky, interesting sound and heard the DJ back announce who the artist was. (I wish they did that more often, otherwise who knows what the name of the band and song is if a listener comes in halfway?)

Anyway, I jumped online and Googled the band. Found their site, and most importantly, the record label producing their album. I got onto itunes and bought the song for $2.69AUS and listened to it from start to finish. An idea was forming.

After seeing the trailer for the Animal Kingdom, an Australian film directed by David Michod which won the World Cinema Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

I loved the contrast of such a soft song from Air Supply with the hard visuals of the film. I thought that perhaps I could do the same with my trailer, have hard hitting action and emotion to the light sounds of this band "The Solomons"

I tracked down their record label PopBoomerang and contacted them. Something that has been bugging me for a long time is that there are independent film makers busting their guts trying to the their films off the ground (I'm one of them) and there are independent musicians and record labels doing the exact same thing. At no point have I seen a concentrated effort to bring these two industries together.

A film needs music. Music for trailers, music for scenes, music as background radio noise, music to highlight emotion and add depth to characters themes. When I write, I line up music tracks that suit the mood of what I'm writing. Action scenes are usually written to the tunes of Heavy Rock (I love the fact that Iron Man 2 has drawn upon Aussie rockband ACDC - yes we claim them)

Emotional scenes are written to orchestral scores from soundtracks such as The Truman Show and Thin red Line and Batman Begins scores. James Newton Howard and Danny Elfman are my favourites.

So in approaching PopBoomerang, I spoke of a collaboration, a meeting of ideals, I have a film to make, which is a product, and they have product that I need to add depth to my product. A film is a great way to showcase their product in a form and market that has an impact. Great visuals combined with music stick in your mind. If the majority of tracks come from PopBoomerang, well there's a film soundtrack release to be considered.

PopBoomerang immedietly saw the possibilities, and I negotiated to get their entire catalogue of artists and trawl through all their tracks. 60 CD's with up to 15 songs on each on average. That's an average of 900 tracks to listen to, many many many hours. But it's worth it, because it could be the start of a beautiful (business) friendship.

PopBoomerang contacted "The Solomons" and I have permission to use their song if it suits when it comes time to create the trailer. Once all the footage has been filmed, we'll assess if the idea and impact is still viable. It's an idea, and is organic, but I've put the wheels in motion to implement the idea.

Speaking of implementing ideas, in the film there is a nightclub scene. A nightclub singer is required. Like I said, I have ideas and I put them into motion, not being afraid of hearing no.

I contacted British Pop Sensation Tina Cousins people, to see if she would be interested in discussing a cameo appearance as this performer in the nightclub.

This is the response I got back -

"Simon
This sounds fantastic. I will speak with Tina shortly and get back to you. I know she is back in oz shortly to promote material thank you for contacting us
Dave"

It's a beginning. It's an idea that I had and put into action. As Chris Jones of the Guerilla Film Makers Handbook says 'Take Action. Take BIG Action'

Get out there and take action, do something, implement an idea, PUSH THAT STRING!

And if your wondering why I'm not hiding the fact that I've asked, while I haven't got a concrete answer, it's because I'm not afraid to fail, and if these 'ideas' fall over because I've shared them with you, well then that's not the open and honest relationship I want involved in making my films.

I promise you now, I will make this film. I have to. I will make it with integrity, honesty, and I will work in a professional manner with professional people, giving them the respect they are due, so I may one day earn the respect of my peers and my audience.

Come with me as I try. Pushing String.

Mutual Exchange

2010-05-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

Being an independent film maker, learning the art of wheeling and dealing is a integral part. Now for this project to catch the eye of a potential funder/supporter I will need to put together an amazing trailer that conveys action, story and most of all, heart, emotional punch. I'm not making a wham bam thank you m'am action film here, I want to make something different, something that hasn't been seen before (at least here in OZ) at least I like to think so.

I need footage for a trailer, and it turns out Frankie needs a showreel. So a mutual exchange, where we both benefit from pooling our resources and both of us end up with something we need.

Solution, Frankie hires the equipment, the armourer, the makeup artist, and I shoot it for him for free, and I get to keep the tasty stuff that aligns with my story, and showcasing my skills as a director/cam op. Frankie wrote his own dialogue!

It was here that I saw that Frankie really knows his stuff, he's enthusiastic about the idea of the film and is working with me to see it happen. His skills and his acting ability is something that my film needs to seperate my film from the pack!

Of course I want to show you what we did, so here's the behind the scenes!

Make up was done by Desiree Vogelsang, a very experienced and talented woman, who worked on Narnia! Her make up and SFX abilities added a level of quality and professionalism that shows we mean business. Her site is here http://www.desireemakeup.com.au/

The armourer was Dr Astrid M Valatti, a licensed armourer who's film credits are incredible (including the Matrix!) and he's a forensic ballistic expert for the police, plus he's the nicest gentleman you've ever met. http://www.avballistics.com.au/

In this video, you can see the majority of weapons we got to play with.

In this scene, the Uzi jammed so we went with the WWII German Schmeisser for the drive by weapon of choice. In the low angle shot I'm to the rear of the car looking at the monitor and getting showered by hot brass shells, god I love being on set!

Frankie had so much fun that he had several photoshoots in his own time and put together this video for me to showcase imagery for "Redeemed" now that's proactive!

So this is a pure example of mutual exchange, getting excited about the potential of a project and working together to create something amazing! That is my goal, and proactive, positive people are who you need to surround yourself with when chasing a goal.

Frankie's website is here http://www.frankieoatway.com/

And there's more to come next blog entry about mutual exchange, this time with a Record Label...

Writing the script

2010-05-11T16:39:00.001-07:00

Once you have an idea of a story, the preparation for writing the script is so important. I'm just like every other film maker, wanting to hurry up and get to set, get filming, get creative, MAKE SOMETHING.

But we've all seen those films that look amazing, but are crap. The idea may have even been a great one, but it didn't work, or it wasn't structured properly and left you feeling flat at the end (if you finished watching it)

I don't want that to happen to me, so I'm preparing. How do you prepare? Researching your subject matter, and then there's the craft of actually writing a script, making the film etc etc.

I've always been a big reader, I was always reading when I was a kid (my grandmother used to babysit me with the TV, and then my parents thought I was watching too much, so they gave me a book. Best thing they could have done!) Reading Biggles was the genesis for my Spitfire doco.

So books on the process of writing a script, books on the process of making a film, and books on the subject of your film idea are the best way to go.

I don't know if this happens to anyone else but reading through those books, I wish I could just graft the knowledge of creating an amazing script and film into my head and just go do it. We've all heard about 'that guy' who sold a script before he was 25 and now writes/directs multi million dollar films.

Bastard. Hate 'that guy'. For me, I work full time as a Camera Op and Editor for a TV Network, so I'm constantly working in a visual medium to train my filmic eye and story telling ability. Plus the life experience is sometimes extreme, but that's experience for you.

I come home after work and I flip through my script writing books, keeping the principles of good screenwriting and film making in my head as much as I can. Now I have to write my script. The most important part of the movie, get that right first.

For "Redeemed" I wrote a 13 page outline of my idea, it began like -

'Redeemed is the story of "X", an Australian SAS soldier...'

And no, he didn't have a name at that point. And I wrote the outline like 'he gets wounded in 'XX' country, he ends up in hospital, his father takes him back to the country, they haven't spoken in years' and build the story from there. 13 pages of A4 paper of story. A rough outline, basically getting the idea out, who the bad guys are, who is his ex fiance etc etc.

It will change, I know it will. As I write the script, I will think if fresh ideas that will elicit more emotion and write them in. I am not bound to this outline, it is not set in stone, I can vary away from it and I may even change it dramatically!

Now on one of my TV commercial jobs, here in Australia, I met an Actor by the name of Frankie Oatway, a Brit from East End London. The accent is straight out of every Guy Ritchie/Matthew Vaughn gangster film.

My eyes light up and we get chatting, he wants to be in the film industry and I want to make films, blah blah blah, am I working on anything? Well actually...

HOLD ON You say! I haven't actually written anything tangible and I'm already talking about casting an actor. Alarm bells going off? Well yes, but it's all 'what if, maybe' and 'one day' at this point, your general 'film biz' chat. So he says he'd like to have a look at my treatment/outline.

Now as any beginning film maker/scriptwriter you get a sudden case of 'Gollum'...."My precious script idea" etc etc and you do have to be careful, so you can register your treatments/outlines and drafts at your writers guild, it affords you a modicum of protection, but at some point, you will have to show your idea to someone other than your missus or mum.

So I showed him the treatment after taking the neccessary precautions and he loved it, thought it was a great idea. And then he had some ideas that could help flesh out one of the characters. Turns out Frankie was a british paratrooper in his youth.

Now even before I've started writing the actual script, I'm thinking ahead to how to get the thing funded, or attract attention to it. Making a trailer for a non-existant film is one way. And Frankie is up for acting in the 'funding' trailer.

But for now, I'm redrafting the treatment/outline with new ideas, characters, situations, settings.

Suddenly Frankie has some good news, he's been cast in two of Australia's premier gangland TV shows of Australia. He appears in 'Gangs of Oz' and 'Underbelly' and the press ask him 'What else are you working on?'

"Well, I'm working with Australian Producer Simon Van Der Spoel on his debut feature film 'Redeemed' among other things"

That's a lot of incentive to write a first draft. And so I did. Took me 3 months in and around work, late nights, some early mornings (I'm not a morning person at all)

But I finished a 1st draft...what to do with it. Well I registered it with the writers guild of America West. Why? Why not the Australian writers guild?

The American writers guild doesn't care if you are a member or not or what country you're in, it's $20US to register something with them. The Australian writers guild requires you to be a member before you can register anything. Ok so how much does it cost to become a member here in OZ?

Due to my broadcast doco "Spitfire Guardians" which was an 1hr duration, and I wrote it, that qualifies me for full membership.Over $400AUS. Before I can register my script.

Being an independent film maker, saving money is a priority. American writers guild won that round. Australian writers guild must not be very business oriented, since their competition is undercutting them by hundreds of dollars. (my opinion)

So now I have a registered 1st draft. It needs to be read. It needs to be shredded by professionals, and I must not have an ego on this as I'm starting out, it may be my baby, but it needs to grow up and so do I.

I hired an American script reader that I found via twitter and was highly reccommended by people I trust. Michael J Lee, author of the screenwriting foxhole blog http://screenwritingfoxhole.blogspot.com offers a very affordable reading service which I took, and got back 11 pages of notes. WELL WORTH THE MONEY.

Especially when there are other services out there that cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. Independent film maker = careful with money.

So now, I'm rewriting and rewriting and reworking and researching...I'll keep you posted how I go.

The Film 'Redeemed' and me

2010-05-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

After posting my philosophy, here's a little bit about me and where I'm coming from, my first film I made was a documentary on WWII Spitfires called "Spitfire Guardians" narrated by the late and great Charles Bud Tingwell.

It was broadcast on The History Channel. It was my first film I'd ever made and I wrote, produced, directed, edited and shot the film, with the help of my friends. I was 22 when I started the film after completing a degree in Media Production and Journalism, I was 27 when it was completed and broadcast! 56,000 people tuned in! It was an unreal feeling watching the premiere at prime time on November 11, Remembrance day!

I was an Associate Producer of an Oscar Shortlisted short film in 2009 "Gone Fishing" directed by the amazing Chris Jones. http://www.chrisjonesblog.com/ @livingspiritpix (twitter)

There were only five nominations that year and we were number six on the list. In 2010 that list was increased to 10 nominations, so we missed by that much.

Timing is everything as they say, I've worked in the Media Industry for 6 years as a news camera operator and editor, also working in commercial production for nearly two years on top of that, so I earned my stripes covering real life where there are no second takes, and the rawness of human emotion is unchecked.

I am well aware of the fragility of human life after what I've seen over the years, so I am persuing my dreams with all my heart for tomorrow it could all be gone. I've seen it.

There is always a period of time between your first project and your second, where to focus, what to put your new knowledge into. My next attempt at a film, with a bit of government funding was "Mounted Steel" about modern day Jousting...yes...Jousting, you know, horses, armour, big sticks (male and female competitors!)

There were falls, there was blood, and a great time had by all...It's currently in negotiation to be broadcast.

Doco's have been an extension of my news background, covering real life, but I want to get into fictional FILM! So, where do my strengths lie? Documentary style coverage, and an interest in the fighters and warriors of our world.

It's not a great leap from those things for my film idea, I've been interested in the military for a long time, so making a feature film about an Australian soldier is an extension of my passion for the armed forces of this country.

So what is Redeemed about? Well, following Michael Hague's 'fill in the blanks' way of describing a film, here is the one paragraph synopsis.

"Redeemed" is an action drama about a wounded SAS soldier who returns to his rural childhood home to heal is body and soul. Confronted by his past, the soldier must decide between love for his country and the love of a woman. But the truth of his ex fiancés past threatens to destroy them, and draws them into the vicious criminal underworld, where there is no guarantee of survival.

That's the idea, it's a clash of worlds, military vs criminal, city vs country. At the core of the story is the relationship of the Trooper with his Ex, a story plenty can identify with, and the conflicts and drama that arise should be intense and heart breaking. Hopefully. I'm redrafting the script and tweaking it so that the emotional truth is real.

I count myself a guerilla film maker, taking my lead from such film makers as UK Director Chris Jones (creator of that Oscar contender short "Gone Fishing" and author of the Guerilla Film Makers Handbook) but my Australian inspirations are the likes of the Sperig Brothers (Daybreakers) Gregor Jordan (Two Hands), Greg Mclean (Wolf Creek), Nash Edgerton (The Square) and David Michod (Animal Kingdom). I'm determined to make Australian films of a standard like theirs.

This is my goal, and by sharing it with the world, it makes me even more determined to succeed so as not to put lie to my words. This is my journey, pushing string.

Why Pushing String?

2010-05-06T23:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, this being the first post of my film making journey blog I should probably explain the title of the blog - Pushing String, now stay with me as it is philosophical based and I'll try not to bore you with it, but since I want to be a film maker, let me paint a picture for you with words, (screenwriting ahoy!)

It is the way I see my life/career/goals/work etc etc.

Imagine if you will a wide road, (It's up to you how you see the road, dirt, asphalt, yellow brick, gold, whatever)

You stand at the start of the road, and across the width of the road is a piece of string. You are at the start of your journey, so it is fitting here at the start of the blog, that I explain the string.

Along the road are markers, goals, sign posts, whatever label you want to give what you're striving for, but being my analogy, I'll say sign posts.

To get to a sign post, you have to push the string toward it, you can't pick it up, roll it up and throw it or anything, you have to push a section of the string toward your goal, as far as you can, before having to move to another section of the string and push that part and so on.

Film and video editors will see it as a flexible TLI (Time Line Indicator) moving along your road in life, and that string can get caught on friends, family, work, money, health etc. It will get stuck, until you untangle it, every rock and tree branch in the road will have to be untangled. You may have to pull the knot of problems with you for a fair way, the string may snap and have to be retied to continue...your friends, colleagues and family might help you push the string, they may even help you re-tie it, depends on your support network. Surround yourself with like minded people and the string will get easier to push.
It may get pulled in a number of different directions by different people and events, it could even be sent skyrocketing forward by a gust of fortunate wind...or get impossibly tied to something or someone and stuck there.

Up to you if you pull out the scissors.

It is string and not rope due to the tenous nature of life, if you really want to debate metaphorical tensile strength ha!

So this blog of my journey of making my film "Redeemed" will be the cataloguing of every knot, every push, every cut, every signpost reached, with unflinching honesty of what I plan to do (when it's best revealed) and what happens, good and bad. I'll be Pushing String for the rest of my life, but this part of the road is open to other film makers who might avoid a few knots...I hope I can help.

Regards

Simon Van Der Spoel