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| =========================================== Newcastle Cine-Post =========================================== Issue #1 July/August 2000 =========================================== PLEASE FORWARD this to anyone you know with an interest in film in town. Our aim is to present a comprehensive monthly report on everything film related in and around Newcastle. ================== NEWS ================== TWO NEWCASTLE FILM GO TO AFI AWARDS 'Bootmen' and '15 Amore' have been officially entered into this years AFI Awards. Screenings begin at different dates from the beginning of August; Center Cinema in Canberra, and various cinemas around Sydney including the Chauvel and Valhalla theatres. 'Bootmen' is opening nationally in October, and '15 Amore' is screening periodically at the Regal Cinema, Birmingham Gardens. For more information and a full list of the various entratns visit the official site at: http://www.afi.org.au PARKLIFE WINS AT SHOOT OUT The winning film of this year's Shoot-Out Film Festival was 'Parklife', producers Paul Klarenaar and Callum Ker who also won for bets script. Best Director went to David Chapman and Jim Lounsbury for 'Not Everyone Can Fly'. Best Actor went to Andrew Hill for his performance in 'Air Guitar. Best Sound Design went ot Andrew McDonald for 'Lost Child'' which also won best Cinematography and in camera editing by Stewart McDonald. Best Art Direction went out to Jason Van Genderen for 'Newcastle Christo'. And Arif Kapista won the best Music Composition prize for 'Earthbound'. The Shoot Out organisers also selected their own best comedy award which went out to Scott Mortimer and Rob Bradman for 'Air Guitar'. [see Kristi Street's Shoot Out Report in the Features] EXTRA HELP IN NEWCASTLE To coincide with the push for a recognised local film and television industry, a group, headed by Drew Davis, has recently opened Novocastrian Extras Agency in Hamilton. NEA will fill a gap in the local film and television market where previously there was no specialised extras agency to do so. NEA has 300 extras/actors on the books with males and females ranging in age from 6 months to 84 years old. Included are actors, extras, singers, dancers, fire breathers, stilt walkers, acrobats, jugglers, comedians, opera singers, and many other talented local people. NEA is confident of growing with the film and TV industry in the Hunter, and will ensure the company is successful through offering professional, prompt and courteous service which is second to none. The staff guarantee to take the stress and hassle out of finding extras/actors in the Newcastle and Hunter Region for all local and visiting companies. Novocastrian Extras Agency can be contacted on 4969 7787 or by email at nea@hunterlink.net.au. ========================== FEATURES ========================== Do You Want To Be In A Movie? Spellbound Entertainment are the people behind those 'Do You Want to be in a Movie' ads you will have seen in Newcastle Newspapers over the last few months. Marty Middlebrook spoke with Lenard Jones, director of Spellbound Entertainment, about the future of the company and their upcoming Hunter-based project, The Wedding Photographer. The following is a transcript from Marty's 2NUR interview. MM: Who came up with the idea and who's pulling the whole thing together? LJ: The original idea came from myself. It started 4 years ago; I guess when I turned 40, I wanted to go scuba diving, learn to play the piano, jump out of an aeroplane and make a movie. The idea for this movie started off over the counter of my local video store one day - when the owner said 'Jonesy, I want you to take a look at this video' - and it was the worst video I had seen in my life. He then gave me a second one - which was even worse than the first - and I said 'What's going on?' He said 'These movies were made by people who had no experience in the industry, and they made a lot of money.' I said 'I'm not interested.' Then, I let the thought develop until I couldn't put it down. And I thought 'Is it possible for somebody with no background in the industry to actually make a good movie?' And I started to develop a story line a plot and got a lot of friends involved with it, a script writer - and we were just going to make a movie - and it if wasn't picked up by a distributor, we were going to send it straight to video. That was 4 years ago. MM: Now you mentioned getting friends involved, are these just everyday people like plumbers etc or are these actually people involved in the industry? LJ: These are University Graduates, a cinematographer, a drama teacher, The entire graduating class from Sydney Drama School who just wanted to volunteer to be the entire cast of the film, , my son in law who's a graphic artist. And we just thought we would make a low budget film, release it and see what happens. But since then, because the story line is such a powerful film plot - the script has risen to such a high standard, that we took it to a group called the Hunter Business Enterprise Centre. And they crafted it into a commercial business plan, and it grew a life of it's own. Then we saw the television show 'Pop-Stars'; and we realised the Hunter and Newcastle were doing quite well for talent. And it came to our thinking - 'There must be people in Newcastle with World Class talent - that can become film stars, and act in this film and be launched into their careers.' And that's when the concept dawned on us that we should accompany what we're doing with a television 'Docu-Soap'. MM: There's a huge list of cast members for the film 'The Wedding Photographer' - who is going to be the star of this TV show - does it have a name yet? LJ: The TV docu-soap is called 'Film Stars'. And the stars will be six contestants who win their place through their natural talents. Those six actors will be the stars of 'Film Stars' along with all the forty other extras and costars. MM: The Ad in the Paper says "Do You Want To Be in a Movie" - Does this mean you're casting Hunter people in the lead roles of the film? LJ: We are only going to use Hunter as the entire cast for the film. MM: If you have the lead roles cast with relatively unknown local actors - will this hinder the chances for a wider audience for the film? I mean - without a 'star', are you hoping that the idea of a 'PopStars' style TV show will bring the publicity to it. What's the attraction of the film? LJ: The Genius of the whole concept - is that we had to take our weakest point, and turn it into our strongest. That is - we take a battler from the street - and we ask the question "Can somebody who is off the street become a world famous filmstar?" And it's the journey of these people, as they get discovered right through till they make the final film that's going to make these people famous. So that it's then up to us to make a good film - as all of Australia will be watching to judge - if it's good we will then go on to make a second and third film. MM: So what kind of film are you making? LJ: "The Wedding Photographer" is a comedy that will make you cry and then laugh again. And at the end we have an incredible twist, which we are going to keep secret. MM: What does the $17:60 audition cost cover? Are people being asked to pay for a film audition? LJ: No - auditioning for the film/TV show is absolutely free. It's going to be a long drawn out process over about six weeks. The cameras will be rolling from the minute the contestants walk in the door and the $17:60 is a user pays cost for the package including: a host of information covering schedules, application forms and assign them to a number which the will wear on their shirt when they walk in the door which will help monitor them throughout the whole process. MM: There's a really big cast list - so will some people not get past the first round? LJ: A lot of people - the majority of people are not going to make it through the first cut. Now what we are going to do for them is they will go onto our computer database, with their photograph and all their details and that information will be given to Paradox casting agents. It will get them seen, and if they are talented, there is no way Spellbound Entertainment are going to let them go. Even if we don't have the room to fit them into the first movie, we are already planning our next two films. The database that Spellbound are comprising will be the basis for all casting. We will not be re-advertising for any more actors. MM: Now, with this 'man off the street approach'; is there a chance that the actors aren't going to carry the film in the way that people who are trained for years in acting schools and things? LJ: This is part of the genius of the TV docu-soap, is that we not only believe that there are people with that have world class talent on the streets of Newcastle, but we believe that we are going to find them. We know they exist, and we reject any ideas that you have to go to a Drama School for five years to become a good actor. What I'm referring to now is the Microwave version of a Drama School. And what we need to do is find people who, when you point a camera at them, they already look good and they come across well on screen. They're out there, and it's Spellbound's job along with Paradox, PAN, The University, The TAFE and the local business's to find them. We will showcase Newcastle. MM: Are there possibilities for crew roles as well? LJ: The entire Crew will come out of Newcastle. It's our plan to use Newcastle University Communication Graduates for the film crew for the television Docu-Soap here in Newcastle. The reason for that is we need to highlight to the nation the strength of The Hunter's film industry. The Hunter Regional Development Corporation want to attract employment generating investments and highlight Newcastle as a place to visit. MM: Do you see a real future for film in Newcastle? LJ : 5 Years from now, we plan to have a production studio called 'Spellbound Studios' here in Newcastle working on television and film productions. At the moment in Newcastle we have enormous support from the council which has made Newcastle a very user-friendly city for the film industry. We [The Hunter] have sent people to Hollywood - we're losing these crews as we train them. Through this united effort Spellbound plans to put in the missing component. And that is a production studio that belongs to the Hunter and that we can produce with our local talent - local productions forever. We want to produce one feature film every year for the next decade. MM: Though this event is going to be 100% Newcastle produced, have you sought advice from industry professionals like the people who put together PopStars? LJ: Actually, our whole project was taken first of all to a man named Rod Cumming, who was at that time National Production Manager for Prime Television. We were blessed because Rod saw the genius and the power of the whole project. He stood behind it and set it in the direction that gave it it's professional finish. Rod continued with the Project until he was moved to South Australia to become Network Manager for the 7 network in South Australia. MM: So when this film gets started, where will it be filmed? I mean - there's no Studio yet in Newcastle. LJ: It will be filmed on location for each scene. We are not going to be constructing any sets. For lounge room scenes we are going to film in a real lounge room. We're going to film on a real beach. When the girls go out for the Hens Night we're going to film in a Newcastle club. Primarily we're going to showcase all the locations in the Hunter to attract business and tourism all at the same time. MM: So what will that attract to Newcastle exactly? Are you looking at bringing investment into building an Australian Studio or are do you think you'll attract foreign filmmakers to film in Newcastle? LJ: In very plane terms; from the film production point of view, we will attract the attention of the nation to Newcastle to show what the Hunter can do. It is designed at attracting a broad base of business investment into the area. High Tech industries and manufacturers, once they see that Newcastle has a work ready force, we have one of the most work ready communities in the nation, we have the lifestyle, we have the cost effective infra structure for people to build business's here. We want to make the Hunter look good, and build something solid so that when we train our young people they have something to go into for the future. ----------------------------- FEATURE 2 ----------------------------- The Shoot Out Report by Kristi Street: It's only on retrospect that I realise my sadistic approach to filmmaking. Maybe it's because I know that others, like myself, need goals in order to achieve. And sometimes a deadline enforced on you can be the best goal. That and $5,000 cash first prize On the weekend of the 7th, 8th and 9th July 185 film crews descended on Newcastle to make a film in 24hrs. A film that would not only include 6 items as specified by The Shoot Out, but also tears, sweat and adrenaline crammed creativity. After all this was a chance to win $5,000 cash. 185 Film Crews, over 1,000 people had to devise, write, shoot, find sound tracks and dub to VHS their 7 minute master pieces all in 24 hours. But the effort involved in this festival did not stop there. This year the Shoot Out had a CD library of locally produced music for use by its filmmakers. The CD library consisted of 30 CDs of locally based songwriters and musicians. It was great to hear such a diverse range on music used in the films that are now being screened around Australia and New Zealand and accessible over the web at http://www.shootout.kgrind.com. The CD Library and Dubbing Facility was open for almost 24 hours with diligent Shoot Out workers dealing with over tired and over stressed filmmakers a feat in itself. And then the judging. Thirty preliminary judges had 20 hours to cull a selection of 185 films to only 10. They started working at 8pm on Saturday night and did not finish till 4pm Sunday, working all through the night. They viewed films with running scenes, putting people in car boots, robberies, death scenes and saw far too much of our warm prop, Damon Eggleton. This year 'Damon' was an item in the brief. Teams had to phone Damon and get him in their film. They were warned however, he is a warm prop. They can ask him to act but they do so at their own risk! Damon appeared in 35 films that he knows of, but I've seen photos of him, heard his message on his voice mail and some drive by shots! One of the major judging categories was creative use of items. Teams were told that they could be as imaginative as they liked. One team had a K*grind sticker on a coffee grinder, I saw one monster poster melt into oblivion as it was set alight, earrings made from a lift plus can and of course the Christo style wrapping of items in 'Newcastle Christo'. There were some challengers for the judges too as they searched for items 'Where's Wally' Style. The Shoot Out never specified the item had to be obvious! And we are going to keep it that way! So at the final hour the Top Ten films were raced over to The Newcastle Workers Club for the Screening in the main auditorium to an audience of 2,500 people. Again this year, we unfortunately had to turn people away. We were very pleased with the level of industry support for The Shoot Out. We had 10 industry judges for the screening picking the winning films. The judges were: Jane Scott, Brad Haywood, Christina Andreef, Helen Bowden, Kim Goldsworthy, Sandy George, Butch Calderwood, Jo Smith, Nich Hore, and Darryl Robinson. But it doesn't end here, The Top Ten Films can be seen on K*grind http://www.shootout.kgrind.com or on the Top Ten Tour of Australia and New Zealand OR at Sunscreen Showdown - A Shoot Out event held at Fox Studios in September as part of The Olympic arts Festival. The Top Ten Tour will be at Newcastle University on 1st August, 7pm in the Brennan Room. So come along! So as you can see this 24 Hr Filmmaking Festival involves commitment from so many people for a lot longer than 24 hours. So The Shoot Out would like to thank our wonderful sponsors, supporters, volunteers and of course filmmakers. Sadistic? Yes I guess it is. But do you get anywhere in this world without blood, sweat, tears and impossible goals? -------------------------------- Kristi Street is now Jet-setting around Australia showcasing the Shoot Out films at 38 different locations! We can only imagine how the event will grow next year! Good luck and have fun Kristi! Track her progress at http://www.theshootout.com.au Eds =================== MAIL & NOTICES =================== Submit your CinePost letters to ncp@start.com.au. Anything you'd like to say about Newcastle film culture…anything. Also here, list any calls for cast & crew that you want to make for your upcoming production. ================== REVIEWS ================== F E A T U R E F I L M CHOPPER Review by Marty Middlebrook "In Australia, it doesn't matter what you do or who you are if you're a funny bastard, that's what counts…" Bec Smith from Independent Filmmaker magazine's comment on 'Chopper'. It is a strange spot to be in. You're in a packed cinema - and everyone's laughing hysterically - this movie is a lot of fun… then out come the razors; the fists start flying; guns are being fired and people die. It is all based on truth. And it's so entertaining. I knew that Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read [played brilliantly by Eric Bana] is possibly Australia's most infamous criminal, a stand over man who openly confesses to having killed nineteen people - they were all bad... I knew he'd written a whole bunch of books and I heard about the Elle McFeast show where he appeared pissed and joking about killing and achieved the possibly the single most controversial moments ever on Australian television. But I did not expect to be charmed by him, and at times even empathise with him. Despite the films opening note 'this is not a biography' - I find it hard to believe that writer/director Andrew Dominik has portrayed Chopper darker and more dangerous than he really is. He's a really scary guy with excellent comic timing. The story starts with Chopper in 'H Division' of Pentridge Prison. There he jokes with inmates one minute and the next he's stabbing others. Chopper Read here is best described as Raging Bull's Jake La Motta with a sense of humour [word is Bana tried his hand at the Robert de Niro approach to acting as well]. If you don't know all the facts about Chopper's story -check out the website: http://www.chopperthemovie.com Not everything is there, but it will explain the details better than I can. What can be said is that it's a dark but very humorous voyage through part of a strange and sick man's life. He cuts his ears off to be moved from a high security prison, then whines that people keep staring at him. He shoots someone, and then drives him to the hospital. He does all kinds of stupid crazy things, and by the end - I think I actually pity him. The world he inhabits is not one I know well, nor want to - the people there seem to personify evil. It's ugly - but it's not quite ugly enough to make the film unenjoyable. It's a strange feeling, and it's to the credit of the filmmakers that this is the result. It's not easy to take, and that's what makes Chopper an exceptional piece of filmmaking. It might be perceived to somehow honour him. I don't think it did. Chopper has a sarcastic wit - He also bashes his girlfriend and her mother up. The audience is the judges here. And I don't think they'll forget everything but the jokes. There's too much to forget. But it's worth the endurance, this film is not cheap, it's not easy. It's an amazing and unparalleled Australian film. Thanks to: http://www.if.com.au http://www.popcorntaxi.com.au for their presentation of 'Chopper' and Andrew Dominik at Valhalla Cinemas. S H O R T F I L M R E V I E W 'THE NIGHTLIGHT' by Andrew Slattery By the end of the First World War, 326,000 horses had died on the battlefields. The Australian Government refused to return the surviving 176,000 horses, claiming there was no space left on returning troop ships. Each soldier was given one bullet and ordered to shoot his horse. Catherine McVeigh's 'The Nightlight' presents Pop (Harold Hopkins) as he deals with the memory of this ordeal during his days of the Lighthorsemen. When Pop's grandson Ryan (Zach Meyers) comes to stay, Pop's solitary existence as a lighthouse operator, is rocked. It is through the grandson's curiosity that Pop is forced to recount and deal with his past. McVeigh, a VCA graduate, states Tarkovsky as an influence. This is apparent, especially in the cinematography of Vincent Taylor. The camera frames the rigid landscape, which draws parallels between it, and the inner turmoil of the Pop. The look of the film, shot in black & white, is stark and with minimal dialogue. "The forces of war have left Pop with guilt that he does not deserve," says McViegh. Hopkins portrays this guilt with bleakness and clarity. The viewer is asked to assume the immense loyalty and camaraderie that existed between a Lighthorseman and his horse. Hopkins gives a grave sincerity to the guilt he is burdened with from having to destroy his wartime 'companion.' 'The Nightlight' has had successful screenings at both Sydney FF and Brisbane IFF. Though it shouldn't be long before this original story is picked up by a broadcaster. ---------------------- Thanks for reading Newcastle CinePost. Issue #2 will be out late August. Remember - feel free to submit articles, feature ideas, mail or calls for cast/crew. Till next time, eds. ======================================== DETAILS ======================================== EDITORS: Marty Middlebrook & Andrew Slattery SUBSCRIBE: ncp@start.com.au (write "SUBSCRIBE" in subject box) UNSUBSCRIBE: ncp@start.com.au (write "UNSUBSCRIBE" in subject box) MAIL: PO Box 47, Union Building, Callaghan 2308 NSW © 2000 Marty Middlebrook & Andrew Slattery ======================================== |