Ron Mueck Rocks

Went to the Ron Mueck exhibition at the National Gallery on the weekend with the kids. Such great work.

No guessing what my poultry loving son Ollies favourite piece was.

The Best Script. Ever.

Last week I read the best script I have ever read. it was sent to me via a US manager. It is by no means perfect and needs work in places, but the subject matter and how it could be realised on screen has my mind bursting with possibilities and potential. It's the kind of script that I feel I became a filmmaker to make. And given half the chance I would work day and night for how ever long it took to get it made.

Unfortunately... the possibility of me getting that chance is about a million to one...

I took a photo of the stack of pages just after I finished reading it, so I would remember the moment.

Who knows? I'm sure bigger dreams have come true.

True Love and Chaos pt1

Lately, I have been drawn to images and films and that explore or portray ideas of 'chaos', as broad as this sounds it fits very specifically into the development of a few film projects and in particular Cherry Bomb.

Earlier today I saw this amazing short film over at Boing Boing. I wouldn't usually be drawn to this overly technical style of filmmaking, however, Nuit Blanche wears it's bells and whistles proudly on it's sleeve, yes it's FX we have all seen before, but here the visual audacity doesn't take away from the simplicity of the idea and more importantly the emotional connection between the man and woman.

What I really like about this film are the two characters who are totally engulfed by chaos, literally, smashing glass and crashing cars, and yet they remain totally at ease and focussed, almost hypnotised by one another.

Please click out and watch the clips in the largest way you can!

Also check out the equally impressive 'Making Of'. I think seeing the process behind making Nuit Blanche made me appreciate the film even more. Even though most of it's trickery is revealed, there is surprisingly more comping and FX work going on that I first thought. Making the narrative and the romantic spell of which the couple are under (of which no computer effect could enhance) even more impressive.

I dont know... maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic!

Sketchy Japan

I've been cleaning out my office at home (SO exciting!) and I came across an old journal I made when I first travelled overseas in 1999 to Japan. I'm not sure if it was because it was my first trip O.S or because it was Japan, but the whole experience was incredible. I don't think I blinked for the two weeks I was there, every moment seemed so exhilarating and unique.

One of things that this old journal reminded me of was my approach at the time for documentation. I had some purist notion that it would be cheap or improper in some way to take photos, particularly of tourist destinations. Rather I thought it more appropriate to sit and draw the places I was there to 'see', this way I would remember the textures, the light and the overall 'scene' in far greater detail. It was great to look through all these sketches and it was true, I think I was able to recall in very clear detail alot more about the location than what the sketch provided. Perhaps because I was required to sit and observe for a much greater amount of time than if I was quickly taking a photo and moving on.

(click on the image for a larger view)

Seeing these little drawings made me dig into the collection of shoeboxes under the bed where all our negs and prints have been meticulously filed and organised (not). The majority of photos I did take on that trip, were point and shoot snapshots of random details and observations that jumped out and demanded to be recorded.

Apologies for the crappy scans!

One image that stood out to me while shuffling through the stacks was from a roll I took late one night on a subway platform deep within Shinjinko train station, Japan's and perhaps the worlds (?) busiest train station. I set my old Nikon SLR up on a signal box and every time a train came in to stop, I took a single shot, which was framed by the trains window, capturing the packed commuters lost in their transient thoughts. Man, that was a cool trip...

Perhaps...

A Loud Night Out

Just got back home from seeing one of my favorite bands MASTODON live! The played their 2009 album Crack The Skye (my album of the year) in it's entirety, from beginning to end. All killer, no filler! They then had a small break and then walked back on and ripped into a dark and brutal set covering highlights from their back catalogue. One of those all to rare, intensely beautiful live music experiences.

It's kind of left me speechless...

A Quiet Night In

I perhaps over looked the Fever Ray album above as one of my favourite things of 09... I think it will be on high rotation for a long while yet. I totally love this Fever Ray clip for all it's wonder and weirdness, but this or this would be my choice cuts from the album. So good on Vinyl!

Random China (pt2) Kids

How cool is the little girls outfit below. Fashionistas and hipsters all over the world are falling over themselves trying to get the right look and here it is, put together by some awesome 6 year old in a small rural village in South West China.

The group of kids in the 3rd shot, told us, according to our translator, "...had never had their photo taken". We were set up to shoot on the side of this crazily steep mountain range and from out of nowhere I could hear kids giggling. I looked through some bushes and saw this cheeky bunch of kids 'spying' on us. My wife Nat (who is a dancer) managed to coax them out of hiding by playing a little dance game with them. The kids told us they were walking home from the local school which took them 2 hours(!).

It's hard to believe they had never had their photo taken, but their nervousness around the procedure and their shrills of laughter of seeing themselves on the digital screen on the back of the camera afterwards made it evident that it was definitely a rare occurrence.

I'm thinking more and more about that film in China...

(as usual click on the image for a larger view)

Random China (pt1)

Back in Melbourne after two very cool weeks of shooting and travelling across China. The local Chinese production company were amazing to work with and delivered above and beyond what I expected. They worked very hard and have left me with not only great footage for the TVC's, but also provided us with many great experiences and memories.

As I said in a post below Shanghai is an incredible city. It's more Bladerunner than Tokyo, in fact I think it's way more Bladerunner than Bladerunner (except there are no flying cars, yet...). I really fell for it in many ways. So many contradictions, it's a very raw and at times confronting place but also a very cosmopolitan city (It is known as the Paris of the east), with great restaurants and galleries. Ultimately from where I was standing and looking only through travellers eyes, I feel it could be a very liveable city. I would love to spend more time there. Although seeing how quickly it is changing, by the time I get back there, it could be a very different city again.

The shoot also took us high up into the mountains of South-West China into the provence of Yunnan where after two flights and a seven hour mini-bus journey across and through some of the most steep and rocky mountainous passes we found ourselves at our destination, the incredibly lush Lugu Lake.

It would be so great to go back and shoot a film. Perhaps just a short. While I was there, my mind was constantly filled with random images, sequences and scenes from possible stories that could be easily and simply shot there. There is so much life and energy on the streets, it's all there, waiting.

Carmageddon at -6

Shooting on a Shanghai rooftop in the middle of winter...

I've seen the future...

Currently in Shanghai continuing the commercial shoot I began before Xmas. Man, what a city. The local production crew call it the Wild Wild East. It's pretty crazy and intense. I love it! An amazing and very visceral mega-city where thousands of years of chinese culture and heritage is ramming face first into a fast, ever changing and modernist future.

Despite the giant leaps though, Chinese officials do block Facebook and Youtube (Gasp! Horror!), and much to my surprise they also block all eBlogger and Wordpress sites, thats about every blog on the internet! So I've used my limited hacking skills to get around the firewall for now, but I doubt I'll be updating in the next week or so...

Twenty 0h Nine...

Here are a few of my favorite things... of 2009!

MASTODON - CRACK THE SKYE

Probably album of the year for me, Mastodon brought stoner / prog / metal with a healthy dose of the old school to a whole new audience. From the very first note of opening track Oblivion I was totally hooked.

DEVIN TOWNSEND - KI and ADDICTED (pts 1 and 2 of a 4 album release)

OK, I'm really showing my metal geekiness now. I've been a tragic, obsessive HevyDevy fan for over 10 years. Everything he releases I buy and devour. This year has been particularly exciting as he has come out of a hiatus and released 2 new albums, both very different from each other (and the next 2 promise to be even more different) but thats the genius of Devy. I wont bore you with any tracks, as Devin is very much an acquired taste, you either love him or hate him.

But I would love to put this clip up of Devin working in his studio. As this blog is part of my process diary, I'm really fascinated with seeing how other artists work and do their thing. I've also always been interested in watching people record music in studios and this very basic clip of Devin laying down vocals all by himself in his studio, for me is totally fascinating (and so geeky). Devin is totally in the zone. Creatively, physically and technically. This kind of birds eye (dicks eye?) view is the next best thing to sitting there in person, I just wish I could have a cup of green tea from his silver thermos.

I also might have finally been able to access and appreciate the music of THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE, made infamous from their appearance in the great music doco Dig. Although Anton Newcombe made a great documentary subject, I could never really understand nor appreciate his rambling madness and detuned brand of psychedelia. But while working on this current job, I spent alot of time driving with DOP Germain McMicking and he had a compilation of BJM on high rotation. And this one track just clicked (such a beautiful song)... And now all the other tracks are beginning to make sense as well. I so love it when that happens.

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN

This Swedish vampire film has appeared on a few 'Best Of' lists going around and I totally agree. Every frame, ever beat of this film, in my mind, is a masterpiece. One of the few films while I was watching, I wished could have gone on for hours and hours and hours...

Here is a link for the trailer in HD.

Also, interestingly Greig Fraser who shot Last Ride, is currently in New Mexico shooting the Hollywood remake of Let The Right One In, to be called Let Me In... My fingers (and thousands of other fans' fingers) are firmly crossed that they don't fuck this up.

VAN DIEMAN'S LAND

When I first saw this film at the Adelaide Film Festival I had no expectations of what it might be like. But a few minutes in I knew I was watching something remarkable. I was really blown away by the film and the filmmakers who made it. I've since become friends with Jonathan (writer, director, producer) and Oscar (writer, actor, producer) and they are very cool guys and downright inspiring to say the least.

Sadly, despite good reviews VDL was mostly overlooked. The film is beautifully shot, had incredible performances and was bravely directed. It's another example of how a good film can slip by relatively unnoticed. I find it hard to believe that people just don't care about this kind of cinema. Speaking of which, I was surprised when VDL was totally overlooked by the AFI's and IF Awards, especially the IF's 'so called' Independent Spirit Award. This film was made with no Government funding and was realised through, donation, credit cards and good will. I'll step off the soap box now...

It's out on DVD soon and I strongly urge you to 'do yourself a favour' when you see it. I can't wait to have a copy up on my shelf.

RED MEAT

I had my first piece of red meat after 16 years of being a vegetarian. After a few years of not feeling right and unexplained lethargy, I gave into a primal urge that I had been fighting for a long time. I suited up and headed to The Savage Club with my friend Mike and had a medium rare steak and it was one of the most amazing things I have ever eaten. It felt like pure medicine. I've been having the occasional hunk of flesh since and I feel so much better for it. Much to the discomfort of my (vegie) wife.

KIDS

Watching my son Ollie complete his first year of school, reading and writing and making films!

And beginning to have the strangest and cutest conversations with my 3 year old Rosebud as she learns to thread words and sentences together.

THE LEICA M8

If you have been reading this blog over the past few months, you would have seen a few entires regarding the new 5DmkII and it's HD video shooting abilities. I have been using this camera for a while now and I'm still blown away by what it can do, and also by where this technology will take filmmakers of all kinds over the next few years.

But while I had my hands on such beautiful camera equipment I became more and more aware of finding a camera that would take me back to my love of photography in a more pure sense. Hence, I started drooling over Leica Rangefinder cameras, a camera system I have been aware of for years, but have been all too aware of the prohibitive cost, so I have been careful not to get to close.

But after the Black Pearl which also came with a cash prize I bit the bullet and bought a Leica M8 and a 28mm Leica Sumicron lens. I mean, if it's good enough for Wim Wenders... (Beware Leica porn ahead! but it's OK cos it's in black and white so it's ART!)

The M8 is a very simple camera but a very precise one. It just takes photographs (weird huh?), no HD video, no bluetooth, no HDMI out. Leica offers no auto focus or other bells and whistles, it processes images slowly, it's not great in low light and the fact that it has Leica engraved on it makes it at least twice as expensive as any other camera. But once you get your head around it, the files it produces are stunning and have a different feel to every other camera I've seen or used. The Leica lenses are simply breathtaking. Like Wim, it makes my heart beat faster just thinking about it. Learning to use a use a rangefinder has been like learning to take photos from scratch, but I think (I hope) I'm becoming a better photographer because of it and that is something I want to continue doing much more of in 2010 and beyond.

Happy New Year!

ps: Also over the next month or so I have plans of overhauling this site and making it into something a little more involved and hopefully much better.

Xmas 09

Home town Tamworth

Chicken Boy

Natalie watching sunset

Tired fairy

Shooting...

Recce

Some photos taken over the last couple of weeks while searching for locations...

Currently in the thick of pre-production for one of the biggest commercials I've done. A ton of locations spread far and wide across the state (and the world! heading to China to shoot part of the campaign on Jan 1st : ) need to be found.

One of the things I love most about making any kind of production, whether it be a film, clip or commercial is the search for locations. The perfect room, the perfect house, the perfect field, mountain, road. The perfect whatever.

Infact, I have always found it one of the greatest privileges of being a filmmaker. To be invited into a strangers home, to be offered a cup of tea and a tour. To be taken to and given access to beautiful, ugly, broken and old, shiny and new, important or forgotten, even secret places. To have doors and gates opened that would normally be closed. To be given little windows into other peoples worlds.