DOOMED YOUTH

Select pages from a visual and tonal document I put together to hand out to cast and crew in the lead up to shooting Gallipoli. Made up from a selection of archival material, paragraphs from Les Carlyon's wonderful book, poems from some of the great war poets and my own photographs.

Jo Ford our production designer has said (half jokingly) that she wished the project wasn't called 'Gallipoli' as it brings with it such an immense amount of scale and preconception that it overwhlems with expectations. So I found an alternative title which helps establish an idea and an over arching theme that is constant throughout the project.

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THE MORE THINGS CHANGE...

For the past five years I've photographed a sad looking plant outside an old barber shop on the main street of Peak Hill, NSW on our annual Xmas drive north. Something about the shape of the building and the plant that I'm drawn to. Sad to see the plant has disappeared and the building is mostly boarded up. I wonder what Ill find next time?

I think 2012 was the best year... that plant was in it's prime!

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

MORE HERE AND MORE NOW

I was recently interviewed for the upcoming release of Gallipoli and the journalist was interested to know aboutt my End Of Days photographs he found here and here on Hoaxville. Afterwards I thought more about what my photos have been in the past and what I'd like them to be alot more of in the future. The End of Days series was about finding some space at the end of each shooting day. A moment of stillness after the intensity of shooting. A visual excuse to take a deep breath in and out. To reflect on the days events, what worked, what didn't and what needed to be done for the next day.

I think this is what I want more of in the way I approach photography. Not so much trying to 'capture a moment', more the photograph is the moment. A practice of trying to take time to ground myself and be present in that time and place.

Below: The beginning and end of Day 56 of filming Gallipoli (Mt Eliza beach).

IF NOT HERE THEN WHERE?

Catching up on some photos from the past few weeks and realising Hoaxville has been feeling a little neglected. Gallipoli took every last drop of energy, especially over the last few months. Blogging seemed to be the last thing on my mind... Will rectify.

GALLIPOLI DONE...

I finished Gallipoli last week... Kind of unbelievable. For over two years it's been this monolith project that ended up consuming every single part of my life. This time last year I was wondering "...how on earth are we going to make this?" and now it's done and I'm wondering "...how on earth did we make that!".

Normally I'm quite sad when a production is over. But I'm happy to say I was quite relieved to walk out of the post house for the last time. Not because I hated it, far from it, but I was just super tired. I've put everything I could into making this series as good as it can be. I'm exhausted now in a way I have never felt before (one of the reasons why this blog has been a little neglected). I'm spent.

Luckily, I'm really happy with what we have made. It's epic when it needs to be (the script always had a scale that scared us all) but ultimatley it's emotionally driven and intimate in it's tone and nature. Hundreds of people across all departments put a huge amount of energy into the series, above and beyond what I could have expected. As a director to be supported by so many truly talented people is humbling.

Eight hours, on air sometime (early-ish) next year.

MORE THAN A FEELING

Hot off the press. More Than A Feeling, photographs from the second series of Puberty Blues. Available in hardcover and ebook. Or as a special volume with Flaming Youth and More Than A Feeling together. Way more info here.

It's taken a bit longer than I expected because of Gallipoli, but as I've been working through post production, I've been slowly getting a normal life back and I've been able to find the time and headspace to complete the book.

More Than A Feeling feels different to Flaming Youth (photographs from series 1). Not sure how, maybe in the way that Series 1 felt different to Series 2. I flick through the pages of Flaming Youth and feel an overwhelming pull of nostalgia. Flaming Youth feels as innocent as Debbie and Sue in Series 1. More Than A Feeling feels darker, perhaps revealing some of the sting of discontent that comes with older.

I think it feels more complete as a document and as a collection. It's more stripped back and perhaps like Debbie and Sue in Series 2 slightly more confident.

Excerpt from the foreword by Brenna Harding... There is a place on the set of Puberty Blues that escapes the chaos of concentrated pressure. Here, the background noise fades to nothing and the challenges of the day are lost for a brief moment. It is in this place that the quiet beauty of what we are creating is realised in the click of Glendyn’s camera. Suddenly we are not in the high-pressure world of a television set nor even experiencing the newest development in character, but instead in a limbo between art and life.

DAYDREAMY

Rosebud shot in her natural habitat with a new piece of old Leica glass (M 90mm Summicron) and also my first dip into Lightroom since Apple killed off my favourite piece of software, R.I.P Aperture. It was so good while it lasted.

IF NOT HERE, THEN WHERE?

Turkey

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

Two heroes of mine punk rock singer Ian McKaye and photographer Glen E. Friedman discuss photos from Glens new book My Rules. Glen E. Freidman released one of my favourite photo books back in the day Fuck You Heroes. I'm looking forward My Rules.

And just cos… here is Ian McKaye belting out my favourite Fugazi song (and one of my favourite songs ever) Instrument.

IF NOT HERE, THEN WHERE?

Random Turkey...

DUBAI > ISTANBUL

I always haggle for the window seat… Below, alien cities, roads to nowhere and crowded skies.

ROSEBUD(S)

END OF DAYS 2

THE RED AND THE BLUE

WHAT DO ARTISTS DO ALL DAY?

I came across this wonderful episode of the BBC's What Do Artists Do All Day featuring the photographer Tom Wood. I new nothing about him but was so inspired by his photography and his straight forward, honest and down to earth approach to making pictures. His longitudinal studies of his everyday surrounds is really incredible. Reminds me to photograph the regular things around me. The modern ugly cars and buildings in my street. I love how these documents can take on more and more meaning as time passes, things change and what currently seems mundane may one day seem remarkable. Part 1 below...