Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (2024)

Table of Contents
OCR TXT MD References

OCR

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (1)blade

fairytale — a true story
the borrowers
mimic

lego. dragon - hi-speed, portable, precision motion control

fear and loathing

I
lost in space r
citroén saxo. devil
titanic
mortal kombat repeatable, scalable camera moves in stop-motion or real time for seamless, precision[...]able next morning on any capital city location or in any studio. one hour of set—up time required.
the fifth element
guiness.chain
gulliver's travels I I I V
the odyssey K
ford. menage slimline head with mitchel[...]e's peak

my favourite martian
saab. unique

babe in metropolis

thegoverness for a milo reel and full[...]and vfx phone 07 5588 6776 or 0412 261322
adidas. the difference

the city of lost children

face/off

miiller light.[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (2)[...]1 MARCH 1998

INSIGHTS

inbits 2
inperformance 8

The Director's Edge.
DEAN CAREY

festivals 1 0[...]ival.
BRUCE MOIJLOY

screen culture 12

ASCIA and the history so far.
RUTH JONES

inperspective 1 4

Da[...]I/Zkid 500
plus Books Received

technicalities 47
The film production model

that has sustained cinema[...]and beyond
25

3 ’. .'o.,:
,:-«.ur_r'3

YEAR OF THE DAY

1997 was a busy year For actor Matt Day, and his 1998 schedule
is filling Fast. TIM HUNTER talks to one of Australia’s most sought-

after SCFCED PCFFOFIDCTS

on who to look out for in 1998

Into the War Zone

Michael VVinterbottom's
H7/(."[(‘(7I}lL" In S11/‘zzjrwz is a passionate
and provocative film about a
journalist's covering the war in

Bosnia. The up—and-coming

director of Ju()e and Bufferfly Kzlm
talks to JAN EPsTi-:iN

28

o N c

NUMBER

Getting an Airing
We’ve hea[...]meets
{our young filmmakers who
prove that, Vvith the right topic,
a good crew and maybe just a
bit of tenacity, it doesn't have to
be that way
22

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (3)[...]ad.

bits

NEWS, VIEWS, AND MORE NEWS, ETC.

FILM AUSTRALIA FUNDING
TO CONTINUE

enator Richard Alston, Minister

for Communications, Information,
Economy and the Arts, announced
recently that the Government will
retain Film Australia as a Common-
wealth-owned and fully integrated
company, following the Gonksi
Report’s recommendations of 1997.

Film Australia's Board is particu-
larly pleased, as it means it[...]nde-
pendent filmmakers to record events
such as the Olympic Games and the
Centenary of Federation celebrations.
The Federal Government has also

voiced its support of Film Australia’s
proposal to establish its presence in
Victoria. “Underthe National Interest
Program, Film Australia already com-
missions productions from many
States, including Victoria,” explains
Film Australia Chairman Chris Chap-
man, “but the factual production
sectorthere is now such a sign[...]orto National Interest Pro-
gram output that Film Australia needs
a presence that a Melbourne represen-
tative will give.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

rban Cinefile, “the world Of film
U in Australia on the internet" as it
is known, celebrates its first b[...]national and host ofSBS—
TV’s Front Up, leads the team of avid
film viewers and commentators
responsible f[...], enter-
taining and occasionally irreverent site
of cinema lore. Urban Cinephile is
located at www.urbancinefiIe.com.au.

SUE MURRAY LEAVES THE AFC

ue Murray, Director of Marketing

for the Australian Film Commis-
sion for the past 16 years, has decided
not to renew her contract, and will be
leaving in March, 1998. She is leaving
to pursue her interests in the private
sector.

Murray has received tributes from
the AFC’s Chief Executive Cathy Robin-
son and new[...]r.

DISTRIBUTING FINE FILMS AND
ATMOSPHERE AROUND AUSTRALIA
eorge Florence, manager of
Melbourne’s art deco repertory
cinema, the Astor, has teamed up
with Mark Spratt of Potential Films
to found Chapel Distribution. The
express aim ofthis new venture is
to return to distribution the large
number of feature films in the Turner
Entertainment Library, previously
controlled by UIP. The Library special-
izes in pre-1949 Warner Bros. and
pre-1986 MGM films, an[...]D?

teven Spielberg may have his

hands full with the plagiarism
accusations Over his recent film,
Amistad, but that isn’t the only con-
troversy. The New Yorker has already
run an article about who in fact wrote
the script.

The film itself credits only David
Franzoni (who, in fact, had been
commissioned several years ago by[...]ok Spielberg is now alleged
to have plagiarized). The New Yorker
argues that Steven Zaillian should
sha[...]Franzoni’s (it is cheese and chalk).

However, the Screen Writer’s Guild
doesn't place much emphas[...]uthorship
on structural issues. So, Franzoni gets
the credit and Zaillian nothing but
not quite.

Though the Amistad multimedia CD-
ROM presskit credits only Zaillian on
the cover, the material inside tells a
different story. There ar[...]-
sions ofthe fiIm’s trailer, and each
credits the screenplay to Franzoni and
Zaillian. A slip-up Or the facts finally
coming out?

films such as To Have and Have Not
(Howard Hawks, 1944), The Philadel-
phia Story (George Cukor, 1940), High
Society (William Beaudine, 1955) and
Pink Floyd— The Wall (Alan Parker,
1982) to be distributed around[...]art-
ing with Ben—Hur (William Wyler, 1959)
and The Man Who Came to Dinner
(William Keighley, 1941).[...]H D annne r'.s

116 Argyle St, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia 3065
PO Box 2221, Fitzroy MDC, VIC 3065
Tel: (61.[...]unts: Lindsay Zamudio
Proofreading: Arthur Salton
Office Cat: Oddspot
Legal: Dan Pearce (Holding Redlich)
MTV Board of Directors: Ross Dimsey (Chairman),
Natalie Miller[...]MTV PUBLISHING LIMITED

Signed articles represent the views ofthe authors and not neces-
sarily those of the editor and publisher. While every care is taken
with manuscripts and materials supplied to the magazine, neither
the editor nor the publisher can accept liability for any loss or
damage which may arise. This magazine may not be reproduced
in whole or part without the express permission of the copyright
owners. Cinema Papers is published by MTV Publishing Limited,
116 Argyle St, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia 3065, and is indexed by FIAF.

.

CINEMA PAPERS IS PUBLISHED WITH FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE FROM THE AUSTRALIAN FILM
COMMISSION AND CINEMEDIA

contributors

DEAN CAREY Is DIRECTOR OF THE ACTORS
CENTRE IN SYDNEY. HIS THREE BOOKS ON
ACTING ARE PUBLISHED IN AUSTRALIA, THE
UK AND USA.

ANNMARIE CHANDLER LECTURES IN MEDIA
ARTS AND PRODUCTION AT UNIVERSITY OF
TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY.

JOHN CONoMOs TEACHES AT THE COLLEGE
OF FINE ARTS, SYDNEY.

JAN EPSTEIN Is A MELBOURNE WR[...]PYONGYANG D/ARIES).
RUTH JONES IS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE
AUSTRALIAN FILM INSTITUTE.

MICHAEL KITSON Is A MELBOURNE wRITER
ON FILM.

BRUCE MOLLOY Is A PROFESSOR OF FILM
AND TELEVISION AT BOND UNIVERSITY.

KARL QUINN Is A FILM REVIEWER FOR AND
EDITOR OF THE CITY WEEKLY.

MICHELLE RYAN Is A MELBOURNE WRITER
ON FILM.

IAN STOCKS Is A FILMMAKER AND LECTURER
IN FILM AND TELEVISION AT QUEENSLAND
UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY.

ANDREw L. URBAN Is ONE or NATURE'S
T[...]URBANCINEFlLE.COM.AU
RAYMOND YOUNIS IS A LECTURER IN
COMMUNICATIONS AND SCREEN STUDIES
AT CENTR[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (4)[...]svcuNE

rector- tries Kennedy DDP: Andrew Lesnie

THE BENEFICIARY

Director: Graeme Burfoot DDP:[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (5)[...]IS HUGE!

reater Union has opened a new

Megaplex in the Adelaide suburb
of Marion. This 30-screen complex is
the largest in Australia, most possibly
the world, and has an overall seating
capacity of 5,676, ranging from 547-
seat cinemas through to[...]t cinemas. Some ofthese cine-
mas will be themed: the State is
modelled on Sydney’s State Theatre;
th[...]oon-themed cinema;

and a sports—themed cinema. The Gob
Mobile, Australia’s only motorized
Candy Bar, will also travel up and down
the 230-metre complex, dispensing
popcorn and soft drinks.

The foyer is the size of two Olympic
swimming pools; the Candy Bar is 30
metres long, and there is only on[...]hat up to 28 differ-
ent films will be screening in the
complex. That's an alarming statistic,
given that[...]industry is any-
body’s guess, especially since the
Megaplex includes four arthouse cine-
mas. With the recent openings of
Palace and Nova cinemas in Rundle
Mall, Adelaide may be in danger of
screen overload; or perhaps they’re
just making up for lost time.

FESTIVAL OF AUSTRALIAN

FILM LAUNCHED
s part of the 1998 Australia Day
festivities, the inaugural Festival

ofAustralian Film, a celebrat[...]its people through Australian
film, was launched in Melbourne.
Presented by the National

Australia Day Council, The Australia
Day Committee (Victoria) and the
State Government of Victoria, and
curated by Cinema Papers editor Scott
Murray, the festival ran from 19-25 Jan-
uary 1998, opening with the Victorian
premiere of Gillian Armstrong’s Oscar
and Lucinda, at the Regent Theatre in
Collins Street, Melbourne. Classic and

forgotten[...]l Powell,
1966), Newsfront (Phillip Noyce, 1979),
The Overlanders (Harry Watt, 1946) and
The Adventures of Barry McKenzi'e
(Bruce Beresford, 1972), were
screened, along with a selection of
short films and newsreels. The Festival
is expected to become a regular
annual event around the Australia

Day weekend.

MEGAPLEXED

he Melbourne suburb ofSunshine

Tis the next installment of the
Megaplex boom currently sweeping
the country. Village opened its 20-
screen complex on 18 December.

The promotional material is saying
that this is the revolutionary future of

MICHAEL Powzu.-s PRODUCTION

THEY'RE A WEIRD MOB[...]Dis-
tributors Association (AIDA) has
called upon the Federal Government to
abandon increases in fees pertaining
to censorship classification whi[...]t independent film pro-
ducers and distributors. The same fee

"mun .. IVALV

applies to all films, b[...]r an independent or
foreign single-print release, the
increase making the distribution ofthe
latter films even more difficult.

AIDA proposes that the Government
abandon this increase and replace it
with a system scaled according to the
number of release prints ofa film, a
system currently operating in other
countries.

ANIMATED SIREN

iren Entertainm[...]Troma-cult-
kinda guys, are compiling a selection
of contemporary animation in 1998,
and are looking for suitable material. If
y[...]ols Jac.(‘[.e Bnmvz.

Siren would be interested in having a
look, please send yourVHS cassettes
to:[...]t, 23 Wangaratta Street,
Richmond, Victoria 3121, Australia.
Alternatively, ring Jonathan Alley for
further info. Tel: (61.3) 9429 9555.

Fax: (613) 9429 9333.

FILM AUSTRALIA’S
FEDERATION DOCO

ot on the announcement of Film

Australia’s continued govern-
ment funding comes the news that its
three-part documentary, Federation,
is now in production.

Written by Sue Castrique and
directed by Ian Munro, the project has
been in research and development for
five years, and will document the
events, personalities and experiences
of people throughout the colonies in
the decades leading up to Federation.
Episode one will focus on The Land,
episode two on The People, and
episode three on The Nation.

THE SILVER SCREEN RETURNS
TO THE REGENT

t’s been more than 25 years since
I the Regent Theatre in Melbourne
has been used as a picture house, but
celluloid has returned to the renovated
and august hall. A restored print of
My Fair Lady (George Cukor, 1964)
screened there,[...]d
organ music, for an exclusive three-
day season in November, and it seems
that it wasn’t an isolat[...]lans are afoot to screen special film
seasons at the Regent in between live
shows. Film restorer and enthusiast
James Sherlock from Filmcare has
been approached to assist in advising
and co-ordinating the screenings.

Sherlock, who was instrumental
in organizing the My Fair Lady screen-
ings, is hoping to obtain other restored
prints of classic films, such as Rear
Window (Alfred Hitch[...]Mad Mad World
(Stanley Kramer, 1963) to screen at
the Regent from April 1998. On his

CINEMA PAP[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (6)[...]es syncing to picture lockoff.

Frameworks, first in non—|inear in Australia, has once again taken the initiative in film
editing. We are the first facility providing a dedicated non—linear[...]s and change lists for feature films. This method of post for 24FPS film
provides a one to one relatio[...]method provides simple and frame accurate output of cut lists, change lists,
picture and sound ed|’s directly from the Avid. This avoids the need for trace back ed|’s

for sound post produ[...]further details, and a more complete explanation of the different

post production methods, please[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (7)b its

wish-list are films such as the silent
Ben-Hur (Fred Niblo, 1926), and
Wings (Wil[...]patrons attending
four sessions over three days), the
future offilm at the Regent should
prove to be most successful.

MILLION S MOVIES!

The first feature film commissioned
as part ofthe j[...]Neil Mansfield and produced by
Rosemary Blight.

The Australian Film Commission
and SBS independent, in association
with Beyond Films, The Premium
Movie Partnership and UK Channel 4,
have[...]mmission five
feature films, each with a budget of
$1 million.

Fresh Air was also supported
through the AFC’s New Screenwriters
Scheme, where Mansfiel[...]his mentor. lt’s a
comedy described as a hybrid of
kitchen sink drama, neo-realism and
observational comedy, and will go into
production in March 1998.

FESTIVAL THINGIES AND STUFF
he inaug[...]ff on 19 March. A large
screen will be erected on the corner of
Holterman and Willoughby Streets in
Crows Nest, the heart offilm and tele-
vision production land, or you’ll be
able to watch the show in video moni-
tors set up in Willoughby Street cafes.
For further information,[...]P its Graveyard Shifty Films Com-
petition again in 1998. Entrants are
asked to send their best — o[...]d as B-grade, and it’s best if
they're way over the top. Palace is a
sponsorthis year, and will be screen-
ing the finalists at a special public
judging in May. Prizes include a Sony
digital video camera and a 35mm print
ofthe winning short film. The best
and worst ofthe films entered will be
screened on The Graveyard Shift,
hosted by the vampish Tabitha on
15 May.
Entry forms are availa[...]WA Film and Video Festival has
T transformed into the 12th Annual
WA Screen Awards and the ceremony
will be held at the outdoor cinema
located at “Camelot”, the art deco
style Mosman Park Memorial Centre
on 27 February 1998.

The Awards will honour both pro-
fessional and student filmmakers
under the age of 30, and awards prizes
in both genre and craft categories.
There is also the Festival of Perth
Young Filmmaker ofthe Year Award,
worth $5,000 and awarded to a film-
maker under the age of 25.

A number of workshops will also
run as part ofthe festival, r[...]ng and Distribution".

For more information, call the
Festival office on (61.8) 9335 1055
orfax (61.8) 9335 1283.[...]o work with its general
manager Penny Chapman and the
network commissioning editors, to
develop and neg[...]velopment
Manager with BBC Drama, and will
manage the business affairs for Drama
and Children's program[...]been

Business Manager for General
Programming at the ABC.

he Australian Film Commission

has announce[...]as been appointed as its
new Chairman. Barron was the
Business Affairs Manager for the
Southern Star group, and replaces
Sue Milliken, w[...]changes, specifically referringto a film
known in Australia as Miss Sm/'lla’s
Feeling ForSnow, based on a n[...]nd
longtime contributor Geoff Gardner
has checked the dustjacket of the US
edition of the novel, and confirms that
the US title was in fact Smi(la’s Sense
o/‘Snow, not, as claimed[...]n American
editions.

Cinema Papers likes to have the
last word, and on this matter it will
with a forthcoming article on recent
Hollywood novels, hardly any of which
are available locally as they have not
been published in UK imprints.

amuelson Film Service has

brought[...]o Lind-
say Amos’ article on cameras and
lenses in the previous issue of Cinema
Papers (“The Em peror’s New Camera”,
pp. 51-54.)

Panavision Spherical Primo lenses
are available in 11 focal lengths from
10mm to 150mm (all at T1.9), as well
as zooms in the following ranges: 17.5-
75mm, at T2.3; 24-275mm a[...]4mm, all at
T2.8. Anamorphic Primos are available
in 35mm, 40mm, 50mm, 75mm,

LEITERS

PO BOX 2221 FITZROY MDC VIC 3065

100mm (all at T2.o). The Mk II series is
available in similar focal lengths with
close focus facility.

Panavision’s new camera is the
Millennium System.

The 35mm Aaton camera operates
at continually variabl[...]lenses. See
Kevin Reynolds’ One Eight Seven, on
recent release, where this facility has
been frequently used.

n the review of Heaven's Burning
I in the previous issue (p. 65), the
composer was listed as Carl Vine.
He certainly was the composer first
assigned to the feature film, but was
replaced at a later date b[...]nd Michael Atkinson. Cinema
Papers apologizes for the error. ®

email: cp@parkhouse.com.au

l.997AFIAWRDS: THE FALLOUTCONTINUES . . .

DEAR EDITOR,

in 1994, Cassie Hanlon won a BAFTA
for Excellence in Make-Up and Hair
Design for her contribution on The
Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the
Desert. Her competition was Mrs
Doubtfire and Interview with the
Vampire. She also won an award at
the 1994 San Sebastian Film Festival
for Best Make-Up and Hair.

In 1995, Peter Frampton and Paul
Pattison won an Osc[...]work on Braveheart.

Our work is a direct result:of n‘ieet-
ings with Directors, DOPs, Costume
Designers and ultimately the actors.

in 1997, Australian Make-Up
Artists and Hairdressers are not even
mentioned on the official application
form for accreditation as a profes-
sional voter for the AFl Awards, let
alone have a category for an awar[...]racting a
badly-glued wig can be 30 metres
across the screen?

Viva la powder puff.

Sincerely,

Nikki[...]| Awards come
and gone, there is a great anomaly

in the voting system last year that
needs to be addressed this year.

I am a member of the AFI.

I am also a Continuity person.

I am the Director’s right-hand
person in rehearsals and on the set.

i am also the Editor’: representa-
tive on set.

Yet, both ASDA and SPAA have
seen fit to advise the AF! that the
continuity person should not be a
professional voter for the AF! Awards.

if representatives ofthese three
org[...]and watch for halfan hour,
they would clearly see the great
mistake they have made.

it's this sort of ignorance that

shows how parochial these organiz[...]is a joke.
Although I might have just
‘crossed the line’.
Sincerely,
Lvnn-Maree Danzey. Ann[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (8)ex , K-33

_ Your life is a series of shots. You see a 5—alarm fire and yoh think: heficopter, high angle. But when the

if there's a camera that's always rolling in your head, we understand. There's always tape rolting in ours_

Call 61-2-9869-0600 Fax 61-2-9868-5[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (9)inperformance

The Director's
Edge

by Dean Carey

e all know about
the pressure of
time and money.
When budgets are
being slashed or
‘trimmed’, the first casualty of the red pen is
often a small block oftime entitled “rehearsal”.
“Let’s make it up on the run. Why waste valuable
hours? The actors know what they’re doing”,
someone says[...]ffairs.

As directors, what do we do then to make
the most effective use of every moment? Know-
ing exactly what to do is the only answer:
capitalizing on every conversation, meeting,
rehearsal and camera rehearsal to create the
world necessary for the story to be revealed
with richness, detail and depth.

The one thing that exhilarates both actors
and direct[...]and action become indispensable; when one
demands the other, and what has to happen in
the scene suddenly becomes inevitable. This
unity both in the scene and between the actors
creates the one essential element that engages
an audience an[...]— atmosphere. When atmosphere exists
it creates the exact conditions where all that is
said and done[...]ecessary. With-
out it, actors self-motivate, act in isolation, and
the style and execution of each shot begins to

overpowerthe story through embroidery and decora-

tion. The production team’s attempt to manufacture
atmosphere for it is not springing from the fusion
between each actor and the dialogue.

This is the first in a regularseries ofarticles and is
dedicated to the director at work — with limited time,
limited r[...]ited experience
working with their allies on set: the actors.

Each instalment will look at practical approaches
and on-set exercises that create the exact working
conditions to promote atmosphere and to connect
actors to each other and to the scene at hand — simple
and effective tools of the trade. Each article will build
upon the previous and offer a range ofon-set options
and rehearsal techniques to create dynamic, com-
pelling work.

The check list

‘‘If it ain't broke, don’t fix[...]who possess a sharp instinct and are plugged
into the script and situation, the following four
questions do not need to be asked. But this is not
always the case. Many pressures — both internal
and extern[...]effective
choices. Something’s going wrong. And the longer
it is left unattended, the worse it will most likely
become. You must address it fast, and in exactly
the right way.

lfthe scene isn’t working to its optimum, consult
the following check list.

Are your actors: hearing each other; claiming the
situation and its importance; reacting to each other,
moment by moment; revealing the story and its
meaning?

lfany one ofthese elements is missing, the scene
will have a dramatically-reduced impact and will not
fulfil its function. These ingredients are the active
dynamics which create drama and believabil[...]e communication, no
connections, no relationship. The dialogue will seem
forced or disconnected, the characters playing states
ofemotion and living in isolation ofeach other. Listen-
ing is one of the most natural things to do, and the first
thing to go when pressure or self-conscious[...]Your actors need to be claiming or personalizing
the stakes involved in the scene — owning their sig-
nificance and, more importantly, their consequences.
For without this sense of ownership, the audience
asks the simple question: “Why am I watching this?”
The scene seems lifeless, without depth and validity;
it doesn’t seem important enough to demand the
actors’ attention, let alone to drive the story forward.

Your actors need to be reacting o[...]and physical level so that

each person displaces the energy ofthe other. With-
out this palpable cause and effect moment by
moment, the characters will start to self-motivate
and begin to act in their own bubble. To create reality
and relationships and to motivate each line ofdia-
logue, the actors must respond to each other; relate,
and react accordingly. This produces spontaneity
and the feeling that what we are witnessing is hap-
pening now and for the first time.

Lastly, your actors need to reveal the meaning the
scene must have. Every scene has a function, a rea-
son for being there. It tells a story, exposes the
themes, raises particular issues and confronts us with
its substance. Without this being revealed, we ask
the question, “What was all that about? It seemed
i[...]I been left to digest? How
does it contribute to the film?” Without meaning,
you’re left with sou[...]ents are
integral and will always be present when the scene is
working. Ifthis is the case, you do not question them
but take them for[...]ection can come from yourself or any
actor during the rehearsal ofthe scene. Many direc-
tors stop the action and talk through a particular
probl[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (10)Subscribe now to

ema Papers and save

up to 20°,“/0 off the

newsstand price.

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (11)[...]issues: $6.00 each Issue Nos required:
Total no. of issues: Total Cost $
Enclosed is my cheque for S[...]ing Limited and mailed to PO Box 2221 Fitzroy MDC Australia 3055. All overseas orders should be
accompanied by Bank Drafts in Australian Dollars Only‘ Please allow 4~[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (12)[...]B 051’ G96ih_

__and suddenly, overnight, the olive

and never looked back.

OFHHBDCB 05[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (13)[...]Film Festival

by Bruce Molloy

ilm festivals are of
many types. Really big
festivals like Cannes or
Venice are international
festivals featuring (as
they claim) the best ofworld cinema.
Other festivals are speciali[...]h as children’s films, documentaries
or films in a particular language. The
Nederlands Film Festival, held in beau-
tiful Utrecht where the towering Dom
spire overlooks canals and cobbled
s[...]dingto
Festival Directorjacques Van Heijnin-
gen, the major role ofthe Festival is to
provide a showcase for all Dutch films
made in the previous 12 months. It also

provides an opportun[...]covered”, as happened with last
year’s winner of the top award, Long
Live the Queen, which went on to be
considered for a foreign-language
Oscar.
The Holland Film Meeting is the

market part ofthe Festival where

Dutch producer[...]s. Van
Heijningen’s vision is to have it
become the major marketplace for
Dutch films, bringing fore[...]o Berlin, Cannes or Toronto,
where it may be lost in the pack. So

far, however, Dutch film marketing
authorities remain unconvinced.

The organizational structure ofthe
Festival consists ofthe triumvirate of
van Heijningen as Director and Chief
Executive, whose major responsibility
is raisingthe $1.5 million to run the
Festival, Herman de Wit as Festival Pro-
grammer, who must decide what films
are selected in what categories and
what films and television pr[...]Boonekamp as Festival Producer, who
ensures that the logistics of the Festi-
val are effective. The major sponsor is
the brewer Grolsch, with support from
local and national government.

The competitive sections are for
features, documentary and short films.
Screening outside the competition are
films that have had a Dutch commer-
cial release. The most notable ofthese
is All Stars, the top—grossing Dutch film
ofthe present season and likely to be
very successful and popular in interna-
tional theatres. AII Stars follows the

career ofa football team (soccer, of
course!) comprising players who have
been together since they started play-
ing at the age of 10. Now in their
mid-2os, the team members are moti-
vated more by social than sporting
concerns, and the pressures of life
threaten the team's existence as it
moves towards its 5ooth ga[...]exual identities
cause discord and dissension, as the
film explores themes more serious
than rituals of mateship and male
bonding. Director Jean Van de Velde
handles the narrative with humour
and assurance.

In the feature competition, Karakter
(Character), based[...]Van Diehm,
was regarded as a strong prospect for
the top honour, the Golden Calf. This
award, incidentally, is named not in
honour ofthe false god ofthe

CINEMA PAPER[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (14)Israelites in the Old Testament, but to
recognize the Utrecht area's major
producer of wealth, the Friesian cow,
though this distinction has not spared
the award the criticism of fundamen-
talist Christian groups.

Character is not without its own
biblical overtones as it follows the
career ofthe bastard son ofa ruthless
bailiff who[...]father. It is a beautifully—crafted
film. Set in the 19205, the film has a
strong narrative, solid performances,
superb art design and cinematography
that exemplifies the continuing Dutch
mastery of the interplay ofshape and
shadow. Already selected for Competi-
tion in Cannes, Character will be a
strong contender for[...]ion for best foreign-lan-
guage film.

Closer to Australia geographically,
the historic epic Gordel van Smarag (or
“Tropic of Emerald") is a romance in
the style of The English Patient. Set in

CINEMA PAPERS ' MARCH 1998

lndonesia, Orlow Seunke’s 125-minute
feature traces the unfolding ofa love
affaire over to dramatic years of Dutch
colonial history, counterpointing pub-
lic events with private lives.

In 1939, Theo Staats arrives in Java
and immediately falls in love with the
beautiful Eurasian nightclub singer
Ems, who is a[...]a rich
but elderly Dutchman. Their love
affaire, the scandal of the expatriate
community, is interrupted bythe
Japanese invasion. Ems’ husband is
killed by the Japanese while Theo is
captured, tortured and imprisoned.
Ems sleeps with the Japanese com-
mandant to obtain better treatment for
Theo, but when the war ends and they
are reunited, Theo bitterly resents this
infidelity. The counterpoint of personal
relationships and historical events
continues as the lndonesian struggle
for independence from the Dutch
impacts upon the lives of lovers.

Finally, Ems must choose between
husband and homeland. With its judi-

cious combination of newsreel and fic-
tional footage, this film is reminiscent
of News/front (Phillip Noyce, 1977) and
has an important part to play in help-
ing Holland come to terms with its
colonial past.

The Festival also marks the feature
debut ofcelebrated short film pro-
ducer Paul de Nooijer. His film, Exit,
was directed in collaboration with his
son Menno. Those familiar with de
Nooijer’s work, such as the short Stop
Action Faces, will not be surprised by
the avant garde style ofwhat is an
extended speculation on a range of
topics including art, pornography, the

voyeuristic nature of cinema, American

sexploitation films and the impact
of mid-life crises. Exit is definitely a
film for the festival and arthouse
circuits rather than general
audiences.

The Utrecht Festival also
contains a wide selection of
documentary films and shorts.
formats in which Dutch film-

makers have a long an[...]ion devoted to
promising student work. Each year, the
Festival invites a distinguished film-
maker to[...]year American director Alan
Pakula (Kiute and All the President’s
Men), and this yearAte de Jongh. De
Jongh has produced much ofhis recent
work in the US, where he directed the
feature Drop Dead Fred as well as
episodes ofMiami Vice. His ideas on
film funding are worth consideration in
the Australian context, as Holland
has a population and a volume of
feature production roughly com-
parable with Australia.
Well-organized and extremely
friendly to visitors, the Nederlands
Film Festival is highly recom-
mended for festival junkies or
anyone with a strong interest
in Dutch film. ®

11

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (15)[...]Industry Association

by Ruth Jones

ast year’s Review of
Commonwealth assis-
tance to the film
industry (the Gonski
Report) had an unin-
tended consequence: it led to the
formation ofa new industry organiza-
tion, the Australian Screen Culture
Industry Association (ASCIA).

The months from the release ofthe
Report through to the May federal
budget were a watershed for screen
culture. And for those still confused by
the term “screen culture”, it is a catch-
all ter[...]and information, commentary
and critical analysis of film, television
and multimedia.

Loosely, it is the environment in
which films and other screen pro-
grammes are made, seen and
discussed.

As a brief recap, the Gonski Report
recommended that federal screen cul-
ture funding be cut from the current
$2.9 million per annum to a maximum
of $1 million per annum; that assis-
tance be provided to screen culture
activities of a national nature only; and
that funding of activities be subject to
an annual open-applicati[...]itute; Brisbane
Independent Filmmakers (now State of
the Art); the Brisbane, Sydney, Mel-
bourne and St Kilda Film F[...].

it would have dramatically reduced
funding to: the AFI; Cinema Papers;
Cantrili’s Fiimnotes; Real[...]would
have had to compete for a much
smaller pool of funds.

The mobilization of the screen
culture network that followed the
Report’s release, and the national
campaign that ensued, highlighted the
benefits of national co-ordination and

representation and the need for a con-
tinuing screen culture presence within
the film, television and multimedia
industry. When David Gonski was
asked why he had recommended a cut
of at least two-thirds to screen culture
funding, he responded that he had
great respect for the work ofthe orga-
nizations involved, but believed there
was more ‘bang for the buck‘ to be
found in script development and
production funding.

profe[...]xpayers’ money and
returns more than it costs.

In the 1995/96 financial year, the
Australian Film Commission’s screen
culture bud[...]y state/territory agencies on
screen culture over the same period
was $1.91 million.

means by which di[...]sell
to overseas and domestic buyers and
attract the attention of critics. Festivals
and screening events support p[...]ent by allowing
practitioners to discuss and view the
work oftheir domestic and interna-
tional peers.[...]aries, commu-
nity organizations, and government

In asserting the fundamental impor-

tance ofscreen culture, the onus was
on the organizations involved to edu-
cate policy—makers, industry and the
wider community about our work.

The case that had to be made was that
screen culture was not an optional
extra, but an essential ingredient in
the development and maintenance of
a healthy screen industry and culture.

We had fo[...]unique
1 0 opportunities for young people
to work in the film, television and
multimedia industry.

To grow and remain competitive,
the production side of the industry
requires a constant stream of new pro-
jects and new talent.

The vast majority oftraining forthe
film and television industry does not
take place at the film schools — it hap-
pens at state-based screen resource
centres, which in 1995 conducted 157

The total income generated by the
screen culture sector in 1995 was
$13,510, 506 — a 77 percent return on
the investment.

Australian screen culture inter-
3 o[...]ltimedia industries and pro-
jects our country to the world.
Awards promote the range ofAus-

tralian production activity, from
h[...]pires
40 and shapes Australian culture.
It drives the future film industry.
Screen culture organizatio[...]ls are an essential

departments is undertaken by the Aus-
tralian Film Institute and, ofcourse, by
Film Australia. The AFI returns approxi-
mately $200,000 per annum to
Australian filmmakers.

The screen resource organizations
are critical players in multimedia
development. The Media Resource
Centre, WA Film and Television Insti-
tute, Metro TV and Open Channel all
offer a variety of multimedia produc-
tion and skills development
opportunities and resources.

These were the messages we commu-
nicated in a campaign which saw us
contact in writing, by telephone, or in
personal meetings, the Minister for
Communication and the Arts, Richard
Alston; key staff at the Department of
Communication and the Arts; the
media; and every state and federal
politician, ofall political persuasions.
The sub-text was: This is what we
deliver for[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (16)film & television sound

TRACKS AUSTRALIA Souno Pnonucnon PTY LTD
46 ALBANY STREET,[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (17)14

Danes
down under

by Solrun Hoaas

n Australia, the major source

for most viewers seeking Scan-

din[...]screens or film festi-
vals. This year, despite the numerous
outstanding features from the region
hailed elsewhere (Jan Toell’s Hamsun
wit[...]This may be due to an ingrained
prejudice among the Australian public
to films that conjure up ponderous
mysticism or excruciating dissections
of family relationships. Most are not as
attuned to Carl Dreyer’s Nordic Noh of
pure emotion orthe best Hamsun film
adaptation t[...]would be this Norwegian expatriate.
Similar kinds of public perceptions of
dour national traits long prevented
Japanese films from reaching a
broader public until the discovery that
Japanese cinema offered both comed[...]n,
which now have a cult following here.

Perhaps the success in Australia of
Danish director Lars Von Trier’s Break-
ing the Waves and his television series
Kingdom (Riget), broadcast in 1995 on
SBS and followed by theatrical release
of[...]ill help to
change those ingrained perceptions to the benefit of
all Scandinavian cinema.

Although an introduction to new Danish cinema
organized through the Australian Film Institute may
not reach a broad audience, the recent season of
Danes down under revealed a vigorous film culture.
The accompanying guest appearances of Morten
Arnfred, co-director ofVon Trier’s Kingd[...]indelov, producer ofthe two
Kingdoms and Breaking the Waves, gave lively
insights into both the production environment ofa
small nation and some revealing anecdotes from
behind the scenes.

This year, Denmark produced around 25 features
which, they pointed out, was quite exceptional, as
the norm has been around 12-15 per year. This sud-
den surge was partly due to the great number of
co-productions.

The films shown in the AFI season, selected by
Peter Kaufmann, included[...]u-
mentary, Under New York (Jacob Thuesen), about the
subculture of the homeless, and two films by first-time
feature film directors, The Eighteenth (Den Attende)
and Belma, which reveal[...]pacy,
almost documentary style, a departure from the
social—realist films that dominated the ’7os or the

Vibeke Vlfin

period films of some ofthe more established direc-
tors, such as Bille August or Nils Malmros. The
Eighteenth, confidently directed by Anders Ronno[...]cribed as a Danish Short Cuts
which moves between the lives of several characters
in the course of one day—the day Danes voted for the
second time on whether or not to join the EU.

One influence on the new filmmakers is the Dan-
ish Film lnstitute’s workshops for new filmmakers,
suggests JesperAndersen ofthe DFI. in some
respects, their funding structures are not u[...]n Film Commission. Notable dif-
ferences are that the three film consultants have
greater individual p[...]projects); that if rejected, filmmakers
can take the same project to another consultant for a

.51 _[...]re appointed
for three-year terms, with a maximum of six years, to
ensure a healthy turnover of preferences — a policy
the AFC might do well to adopt for anyone directly
involved in production-funding decisions.

The DFI can fully fund a feature, although this is
not usual. More commonly, ifa consultant gives the
nod to a project, the filmmaker can on that basis go
out and raise funding, and 50 percent finance from
the Institute is more common. These projects are
subject to quality criteria, but can be made in other
languages and countries than Denmark. There is also
the 40/60 system: if you can raise 40 percent ofthe
budget, you can get the remaining 60 percent with-
out consultants vetting the script.

Breaking the Waves is the biggest project under-
taken to date by Zentropa, the company started five
years ago by Lars Von Trier and Peter Aalbak Jensen.
They produce a number of films by other directors,
particularly new and y[...]ational recognition and a cult fol-
lowing around the world. As a producer, she has a
very practical approach to the new trend for numerous
co-financiers on one project. With 28 different “pro—
ducers” on Breaking the Waves, no one producer had

CINEMA PAPERS[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (18)Afihou
Danish cinema organized through
the AFI may not reach a broad
audience. the recent season of
Danes down under revealed a
vigorous film culture.

can
=l'
mu
:3
EE '

more say than the rest, a ‘divide and rule’ principle of
operation. Her advice to those seeking co-production
partners in Europe is to look for someone ofyour own
size, and to check out the structure ofthe partners to
ensure you have the same decision-making powers.
She avoids dealing w[...]decisions.

Denmark has had a film school since the ’6os,
and the Danish Film Institute was started in 1972.
In addition to its workshops fortraining, some
focus[...]‘film house’
for short films, there is also the now well-established
European Film School in Ebeltoft, which provides
an eight-month course within the framework ofthe
folkehagskole (a type of popular educational institu-
tion characteristic of Scandinavia, which started up
to provide further education in rural areas). Ebeltoft

CINEMA PAPERS - MARCH 1998

has to include 25 international students in its
annual intake.

Morten Arnfred was involved in starting up the
School and, as one ofthe country’s more experi-[...]from cinematogra-
phy to first A.D. (on Breaking the Waves) to directing
halfa dozen features of his own (including Land of
Plenty [Det Er Et Yndigt Land], which won a Silver
Award in Berlin, Heaven and Hell [Himmei Og
Helvede] and, more recently, The Russian Singer
[Den Russiske Sangerinde] and Nigh[...]and relaxed working relationship has
benefitted the films. Von Trier is known for his
many phobias,[...]ble being
on set while shooting some ofthe scenes in
Kingdom, scenes with blood and gore, lift shafts,
Mrs DrusSe’s flight or Dr Helmer on the rooftop,
gazing across at his beloved Sweden, or the very
dangerous scene of the oil-rig accident in Breaking
the Waves. Morten Arnfred is sometimes the only
one on set, directingthe actors, and consulting
with Von Trier, who then has the freedom :3 44

inperspective

Top: Anders Rennow Klar|und’s The Eighteenth.
Above: Jacob Thuesen's Under N[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (19)[...]ernational Doco Conference

by Ian Stocks

espite the initial
pall cast by threats
offunding cuts and
general poverty in
the documentary
industry, the 5th International Docu-
mentary Conference in Brisbane was a
raging success, with a record number

of delegates and a full schedule ofses-

sions rangi[...]y
and policy discussions.

Led by Melanie Guiney, the QDox
team achieved the record turnout of
more than 530 delegates from all
states and terri[...]trong contingent from down south,
reassuring both the Queensland envi-
ronment and the national bodies that
the documentary section is fighting
back against proposed cuts.

The level ofdebate on documentary
policy and practice[...]key speakers offering
many possibilities for ways of launch-
ing documentary into a new phase of
relevance in the Australian social and
broadcast environment. Key speakers
proposed a range of strategies which
could lift documentary from its current
marginalized status within the com-
mercial broadcasting environment.

There were also suggestions on
ways of renegotiating existing deals
with public service broadcasters like

the ABC and SBS, in addition to expo-
sure to new market forces, including
the heavy representation by Discovery
Channel, Nation[...]local and international
distributors.

Over all, the Conference triggered
fresh interest in the spirited promotion
ofviable projects in a range ofgenres.

Judged against previous Documen-
tary Conferences, the Queensland
organization rose to the occasion with
well-selected venues and a seamless
set of management procedures which
meant that the five or six simultaneous
programmes ran smoothly, and yet
provided opportunity for delegates to
sample both the delights of Brisbane
and the wide range of material and

Lou Petho and the
Ozdox website.

information presented. It was probably
the best-organized Doco Conference
ever, and was marked by a mood of
co-operation and enthusiasm which
dispels the current predictions of
gloom and doom about the future of
funding for the documentary area.

Three days before the Conference,
Senator Alston, Minister for Communi-
cation and the Arts, made an
announcement ensuring retention of
Film Australia's National Interest Pro-
gram and the Lindfield Site, as well as
the footage library. The position of
doco in the Australian cultural and
funding environment seems to be
guaranteed at least until 2003.

The status and availability of key
players within the industry, both in the
production area and the broadcast and
funding areas, further glossed the
importance ofthe Conference and its
relevance to burgeoning Queensland
production. The enthusiasm and diver-
sity of production was not missed by
local broadcasters and policy makers.
QDox estimated an attendance of3oo
priorto the event, but within a few
hours ofopening the actual attendees
rose to more than 450, which ini[...]h had
been arranged for a lesser number.
However, the flexibility of the South-
bank site, and the convenience of
grouping of all major venues within a
walkable precinct, mean[...]rovided for those who failed to get
admittance to the first presentation.

CINEMA PAPERS ° MARCH 1998

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (20)[...]winning Canadian pro-
ducer, with his film about the influence
oflewish entrepreneurs on the estab-
lishment of Hollywood; Rigoberto
Lopez, with his spirited film about the
origins ofCuban and Caribbean salsa
music; Duan Jinchuan, with his sensi-
tive portrait oflife for Tibetans in
Lhasa; and Sanjay Kak, one of |ndia’s
better-known documentary directors;
amongst others.

The Conference widened its scope
to include papers on documentary and
a range of highly—relevant screenings.
These included many[...]me important
Indian and African work, and a range
of contemporary documentary projects
both in development and completed or
scheduled for screening.

Queensland, with its important sit-
uation in the Aboriginal and Island
Nation and the range of environments
which include many traditional owner-
ship areas, was well placed to make a
major initiative in putting Aboriginal
and lslander Indigenous programmes
into the main stream ofthe Confer-
ence. This strategy was highlighted by
the official opening ceremony on Day
One, which was launched by the
Jagera larjum indigenous dance group
and carried[...]s Rachel Perkins.
Some initial difficulties with the PA
system and the size ofthe audience,
who failed to observe injunc[...]eech was
eclipsed. However, order was restored
by the efforts ofTim Read, Director
AFC Development, and the 400-plus
guests gave Rachel Perkins’ observa-
tions on the nature ofa documentary
medium theirfull attention.

The keynote by Adams, copied for
distribution to all delegates by the
next afternoon, is a resounding vote of
appreciation for documentary filmmak-
ers, “the second-class citizens of

Molly Dineen.

Christine Togo and
Tom Zubrycki.

was the visible presence of key broad-
casting and policy spokespeople who

r[...]most ofthe time,
with Geoff Barnes and Mike Rubbo of
the ABC putting in many hours on pan-
els and as chairs of sessions.

Key market players were also avail-
ab[...]l 4;

Phillip Adams; "Better, surely, to confront the
common enemy, the overpaid, over-praised,
over-privileged bastards who make feature films:
the people who claim to be critics. who rave about
them: and the audiences, remarkably uncritical,

who flock to see them."

cinema", unlike their counterparts in
drama:
Better, surely, to confront the
common enemy, the overpaid,
over-praised, over—privileged
bastards who make feature films;
the people who claim to be critics,
who rave about them; and the
audiences, remarkably uncritical,
who flock to see them.
The Conference offered enormously
valuable possibilities for networking,
given the fact that most delegates loy-
ally braved the occasionally-stifling
heat and walked the extensive precinct
to various venues, or patientl[...]sions. A very positive sign

Stephen Lambert from the BBC; David
Tiley ofthe AFC; the recently-appointed
Susan MacKinnon ofthe FFC; Deb[...]s Haws from Discovery
Channel; David Franken from the Seven
Network; and a range ofmarketing and
distribution experts from areas as
diverse as Film Australia, National Geo-
graphic USA, Direct Cinema USA, Tr[...]l and Jennifer Cornish Media. This
further lifted the relevance and impor-
tance of the Conference, and there was
much free exchange about the possibil-
ities of sales and production deals with
the international broadcast and niche
market areas.
Debates ranged overthe future of

documentaries

funding for the AFC, particularly forthe
development phases of documentary
production. There were concerns
about the shrinking availability of
funds to ensure the core programme
and various forms of assistance
marked for documentary in the inter-
national area.

A healthy spread of projects was
pitched in the major Documart pitching
sessions, with the popular choices
being offered deals on the spot by inter-
ested broadcasters and distributors.

The business side ofthe Conference
certainly dominate[...]ow than a docu-
mentary conference concerned with the
aspirations ofthe medium. However, in
many diverse venues, the medium was
discussed from the basics of media
reception and distribution and its role
in the education sector, through to the
effectiveness ofthe guerrilla docs pro-
gramme, and the impact of DVC
technology and multimedia strategies
for docu[...]by Queensland con-
veners and research personnel. The
policy paper, “State ofthe Art —Art of
the State?”, edited by Trish Fitzsimon,
myselfand Pat Laughren, arrived at the
opening to provide a launchpad ofsup-
porting mat[...]me to
read its comprehensive analysis ofthe
state of play. The policy paper was sup-
ported by the AFC and carried into print
with timely sup[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (21)[...]fiis aaifiiisig ear-gag as a gfieefiage 3:

a infi at aaia aaegasxme.
vision In shows like A Country P'ra~ctic-e, and agunfi! la[...]efi-afinsg gélas iallamaa, if mag
{Sig gaafi in Klsg-yrffilfi, 7' flsaii Eaegaasmze, aeg[...]zesgeat. sfia *“‘fs§"§gea&-BEE gamma Rama-in-eaaifi fis eniaigs srfiali Sufi sgw[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (22)[...]INTo AcTING?

I fell into it really. I was a fan of movies.
When I lived in Moonee Ponds, I’d
catch a train into the city and see
whatever film was out. I saw Star W[...]out that I wasn’t going to be an
astronaut, so the only way to live out
my fantasies was to be an actor.

When I was in primary school,

I used to go to West Theatre on

the weekend with a friend — a kids’
workshop thin[...]ber
going along with him and thinking,
“This is the thing for me.” Everyone
tends to find their calling at some
stage in their life; I just happened to
be lucky that I wa[...]n
I was 14. I used to go to St Martin’s
Theatre in South Yarra after school at
University High. I just got myselfalong
there, and got involved in any way I
could. A school friend’s sister, who
worked for a little [acting] agency in
Carlton, said she'd keep an eye out.
They sent me to this audition, and I
got the part. It was a kids’ show called
C/— The Bartons [1988] on the ABC.

In fact, the first job I did was two
days’ work as an extra in a show called
Fame and Misfortune [1986j, in which
Ben Mendelsohn played this gang
leader. I was in his gang, and we had
to beat up this bloke. Then[...]nogue
[before Neighbours, while sister Dannii
was in Young Talent Time]. I remember
that vividly, beca[...]a famous sister.

So I did that series, a play at the
Playbox Theatre called Black Rabbit,
and then another series called House
Rules at the ABC. After that, I dropped
out of school at the start ofYear 12
and moved to Sydney when I was 17[...]s enough for anyone— and did a
bit more theatre in Sydney. My first
film was Muriel’s Wedding.

How DO YOU APPRoAcH ACTING AND THE
PARTS YOU PLAY? Is THERE AN OVERALL

PHILOSOPHY T[...]— and it was
better than being at school.

For the last few years I’ve started to
make choices, to think about trying to
do something different from the last
thing — trying to stretch myselfa bit
more[...]t are going
to challenge me, keep me interested.

In terms oftechnique, I think I’ve
always worked instinctively because

Tony Hayes and Matt Day in .
Robert Carter's Theof
the spectrum. It was great timing as
well, because after Patsy Cline I was
very conscious offinding something
that was very different. Often[...]us?” Sure, it was nice and relaxed,
a bit offun in Melbourne, and it turned
out beyond what I could possibly
imagine in terms ofthe money for this,
we get paid!” It was quite good[...]it
shows how much I know.
|T’s INTERESTING THAT IN 1996 You
wERE SOMETHING OF AN UNKNOWN,
AND IN 1997 YOU wERE THE LEAD IN
TWO FILMS AND NOMINATED FOR BEST
LEAD AcToR IN THE AFI AwARDs.
|T’s A BIG JUMP.
It’s a good jump, but realistically this
is peripheral stuff you deal with in
promoting your film. Everyone says
this and that about you, but you don’t
take any of it on. Because when they
start saying, “You’re the hot new thing,
blah blah blah,” and you start b[...]do what I want
to do. |’m getting a good choice of
things now and |’m learning a lot
more; you jus[...]by
osmosis more than anything else.
But that’s the way it happens in this
industry.

It’s an evolutionary thing. Ifyou
look at anyone’s career, with the odd
exception, most people get bits and
pieces he[...]ebodytakes
a punt and gives them a lead. That’s
the beauty ofthe Australian industry.
I think you hav[...]to
grow, learn and blossom here than
you do, say, in America, where there is
so much more at stake. You can make
a couple offilms here that might not
be commercial successes, but they’re
successes in their own right. People
still take a punt on you because they
know you can do the job and that
you’re familiarwith the medium.
There’s a lot ofsupport in Australia, a
lot ofinstitutional support— notjust
for actors but for filmmakers in general
—that we have to make sure we don’t
take for granted.

IN AN INTERVIEW‘, MIRANDA OTTO TOOK

THE INTERVIEWER TO TASK ovER THEthe new brat pack, or anything like
that. For me, |’ve auditioned for a film,
I've got the part, |’ve got the script, I've
talked with the person, and I did the
film. It’s not like you were selected by
a committee to be the new brat pack.
There are many misconceptions when
people talk about a brat pack as a sin-
gle entity.

But in another way, it’s not such a
bad thing. I mean, it’s good for all of
us. It’s a good spin: “These people
are the brat pack, like in the States.”
They’ve always dealt with that star[...]ery much. I proba-
bly should be saying, “Yeah, the brat
pack, we all hang out, go to the same
bars", but we aren't used to that at all.

THE REALITY IS THAT IT’s JUST A GROUP

oF YOUNG AusTRALIAN ACTORS wHo

ARE ALL WORKING AT THE SAME TIME

AND ALL cRossING ovER EACH OTHER

IN A SPATE OF FILMS.
It’s great, it’s a good boom, it’s c[...]c that people
are talking about Australian cinema in
a way that it hasn’t been talked about
since the '70s. You couldn’t ask for
more, could y[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (23)[...]eddinq

P. J. Hogan, 1994

Muriel’s Wedding was the best audition
I've ever done in my life. Usually, you go
to an audition, do your[...]inging your
agent every day, waiting and waiting. In
this case, I went for the audition; [direc-
tor] P. J. [Hogan] was there, a[...]o-
lead] Toni Collette. We sat down, did a
couple of scenes, and we workshopped
the bean bag scene. That finished:
“Thanks for comi[...]adn’t worked for about six months.
My agent got the script, and said,
“There's a character in it you can play
pretty easily. There’s no money[...]I thought it was better
than sitting and stewing in my own neu-

roses, I may as well do it. I went to
Melbourne and met Emma-Kate and
Stavros [Efthymiou], the producer. We
went out for coffee and they explained
what they wanted to do. So I spent two
weeks in Melbourne, hanging out, hav-
ing fun, not thinkin[...]al. But it was a good little learning
experience. In fact, what I wanted to
know was how they were goi[...]ught that if they
can get it to this stage, I’m in, good on
‘em. And it turned out beyond anyone’s
wildest dreams.

Dating the Enemy
Meqan Simpson Huberman,1996
Again, that was through my agent, who
got the script from the producers. In
fact, they’d been looking forthe charac-
ter an[...]ey couldn’t find anyone. I
had an audition. On the Thursday, I
rocked up and metjdirector] Megan
[Simpson Huberman] and did the audi-
tion. Then they got me in to meet Sue
Milliken, the producer. I met with them,
had a chat, and started shooting on the
Tuesday, after rehearsing on the Mon-
day. It was that quick.

It was also great f[...]or me — a few days here, few days
there. It was the first time I learned
about movie deals: how you[...]ucking around with them. It got pretty
obscene on the set, you know; we really
sank low. Megan was in shock some
days over the stuff we’d come up with.

In movies like When Harry /I/IetSally...
[Rob Reiner, 1989], there's always the
mate, so I knew that I was doing the
comic relief. Again, it was one ofthings
where yo[...]making a commer-
cial number, and it made a heap of
money. I've got more recognition out
ofthat than any of the others. People
in video stores come up and say:

“Hey mate, I saw you in that movie.
You were funny in that.”

“Thanks mate.”

“Did you really g[...]line
Chris Kennedy, 1997

I saw there was a movie in production
called Doing Time for Patsy Cline. I
t[...]young part”, but I wanted to
have a look. I got the script and thought,
“This film is cool.” The[...]im. So I worked my arse off, and I
got it. I went in there, sang a couple of
country-and-western songs in my cow-
boy boots, and things worked out.

It was[...]and Miranda [Otto] and a
great crew. I made a lot of really good
friends. Subsequently, most ofthat crew
shot The Sugar Factory as well. It was
just a great experience, and also the
biggest role I’d done; my first lead role
in a film, but, man, it was a workout.

I had to lo[...]edy was a bit concerned that I’d
chubbed up. By the time I got to do Kiss
or Kill, I was about five[...]tro-
phes, and actually rang me up straight
after the screening. She said, “I love the
film, but you can’t do it again. It’s
enough[...]eing picky. Two weeks later Kiss
orKill came into the office. She said, “I
think I found the one!” I read it and it
was great. She lined up[...]d Other Catastro-
phes and was considering me for the
part ofa sociopathic, bloody, potential
murderer! I didn’t shave for a couple of
days, stayed up late, turned up hung-
over, looking my worse, chain—smoked
all the way through, swore a lot. At the
end ofthe lunch — I think he saw right
through it, he’s a pretty perceptive guy-
he explained the whole thingto me. I
was thinkingto myself, “I w[...]ant to do it?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, see you on thethe time that
I was doing Patsy Cline, so it was pret[...]a naive virgin country
boy, finishing that job on the Friday,
doing a screen test for The Sugar Factory
on Sunday, and flying to Ceduna on
Monday to play this other character, Al.
Only two weeks of rehearsal, two weeks
to grow sideburns, and straight into
seven weeks in the desert, improvising,
rolling around in dirt, screaming and cry-
ing, bashing people up, getting into
knife fights.

In terms ofdialogue, the whole thing
was improvised. It was very clear-cut
what had to happen in terms of story
and information, plotline and stuff, but
in terms of one—on-one dialogue there
were suggestions in the treatment, but

we came up with the bulk of it.

With the jump cuts, the cast and crew
spent the first two weeks saying to Bill:

“You can’t do that. You’re crossing the
line. You've got no continuity.”

“I want to[...]as saying, “This guy is
nuts; he doesn’t know the first basic
rules about filmmaking.” Then he got
Henw [Dangar], the editor, to send over
a rough cut ofthe first scene we shot,
and we sat in this hotel room one Friday
night with a couple of beers and
watched it. They didn't touch it from t[...]” It all made sense. It was a
great experience; the tables were
turned.

So often in a film you’re working
around the technical aspects; you
actually have to compromis[...]reasons. You
have to direct your lines to a piece of
gaffer tape because your eyeline isn’t
right, or you have to deliver the same
line 50 times so they can cover from
every angle. There was none ofthat. We
had the technicals working around us.
Often those guys, p[...]dn’t
even get to see a run before shooting it.

The Sugar Factory

Robert Carter, 1998

It’s based on the novel by Robert Carter,
who wrote the screenplay and directed
it. It’s been his big p[...]to get it up. It’s looking at life through
the eyes of Harris, a very intelligent,
eccentric teenager wh[...]er
thing; a non-conformist, with a very wry
sense of humour. The theme of it is like
Secrets and Lies [Mike Leigh, 1996], I
guess. He lives the perfect suburban
life: nice suburban family, mum and dad,
big house, backyard, kids. He mows
lawns for the neighbours, has a bit ofa
crush on this neighbour up the road, an
older woman who’s got a couple of kids.
Then his world collapses around him,
and you follow his journey, from when
he uncovers this secret of his family
that’s been buried, that had scarred[...]k to haunt him. He has a
breakdown and he ends up in a halfway
house for kids with personality disorde[...]ver
this family secret. It’s a redemption
story in a way.

21

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (24)[...]hree year-old Chris Zwar
studied Media at Deakin. In 1994,
he and three other Rusden students
made a 15-minute documentary on
the Melbourne Rave scene, In Search
ofa Sub-culture. They had no money
and minimal resources, but their
labours excited the interest of Dasha
Ross, Executive Producer of Docu-
mentary at the ABC.

Making Neuromczncer, named
after the William Gibson novel, was
a “humbling experience”, says Zwar,
who knows there are hundreds of
filmmakers out there. Zwar can’t
believe that one year out of film
school he got his first directing
credit, an[...]hopes Neuro-
mancer will be a lasting
impression of the Aus-
tralian Rave scene, as it
teeters on the brink of
transformation into
wholly new and unrec-
ognizable beasts.

With its 15-year
Rave history, Mel-
bourne was the obvious
choice for much of the
shooting. Sydney lost its

edge in 1995, he says, when the death
of Anna Woods from Ecstasy changed
the Rave scene irreversibly. Raves
were targeted by the police and
forced to move into existing club
premises. This took the gigs out of the
organizers’ hands and put them into
those of unadventurous management.
Neuromancer attended the big
Rave, Hardware II, orchestrated by
20—something Richie Rich, and a
smaller Rave held in the Flemington
Rock Climbing Centre. Both were
shot o[...]u-
mentary. Zwar:
We faced special problems, with the
extremes of light [from black to
burnout]. Video always looks so ‘noisy’
in these conditions and can't deliver
‘solid’ bl[...]high-speed Kodak stock, 640 ASA.

Hardware II was the 40th Rave Richie
Rich had organized. Tony Hall se[...]were 16 sub-woofers evenly
distributed throughout the venue
and a lot ofmoney was spent on
the lighting and the show. It's not
about fashion or being seen; it's
really about the music and dancing.

We did two types of interview,
one lot with the Rave organizers
and the other with the Ravers them-
selves. These industry
professionals — making a living in
the Rave scene, producing music,
running Raves and promoting the
culture — have done hundreds of
interviews and the set-up doesn't faze
them. But for interviews with the
Ravers, it was important not to freak
them out.[...]that
one sub-culture should be hounded
almost out of existence in favour of
rock ’n’ roll, a culture which boasts
and ico[...]Advice for young filmmakers: That
would be like the blind leading the
blind. Just get out there and do it, and

TIM MUMMERJY

THE PURJQUIT OF HAPPINESS AND
WINDOWS OF OPPORJTUNITY

The Pursuit of Happiness, a 20-
minute doco about the day-to-day

business of a door-to-door sales firm,
was made by Tim Mummery as a
student at the Victorian College of
the Arts. It was purchased by the
ABC for Loud Dox. To fill the 25-
minute segment, the five—minute
Windows of Opportunity was com-
missioned.
Mummery studied a BA in

Anthropology in Western Australia.

CINEMA PAPERS - MAHCH199B

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (25)[...], he com-
pleted a Graduate Diploma with
subjects in documentary theory and,
in 1996, was accepted into the VCA
School of Film and Television’s
newly-created Postgraduat[...]a burning desire
ofmine. I had a genuine interest in
[docos], but I didn't see it like some
people as[...]Now it’s all Mummery wants to do.

A recipient of the Film Victoria
Mentor Scheme, Mummery was
paired w[...]documentary filmmaker with credits
far exceeding the space here). The
Mentor Scheme brought Mummery
to the attention of Dasha Ross. Upon
viewing The Pursuit of Happiness, she
purchased it from the Victorian Col-
lege of the Arts for $6,000.

The Pursuit of Happiness was an
accident, says Mummery. I-Iis st[...]ay where, early one morning,
he witnessed a group of businessmen
and women standing in a circle
singing and making ‘affirmations’.

This group of hawkers and can-
vassers were warming up for their
day selling door-to—door. Dressed in
a suit and tie, Mummery joined their

CINEMA PAPERS ' MARCH 1998

morning warm—up, where the group
leader announced their goals and
gave tips[...]ly subject. lt’s pretty shocking and
propagates the [adage], “Greed is
good.” You actually see these people
diving for a fifty-dollar note dropped
on the ground.
Windows of Opportunity sits com-
fortably with Pursuit. A study of
car—window cleaners at the intersec-
tion of Punt Road and Hoddle Street
in Melbourne, it is also a comment
on the current economic climate,
comparing the old hands with the
upstart young punks, who vie with
each other to eke out a living on the
street.

Mummery’s DOP was documen-
tary filmmaker Stewart Carter. Carter
graduated from the VCA film school
in the late ’80s, when documentary
was then frowned up[...]Pie Float, about a
late—night pie—trailer on the steps of
Flinders Street station.

In the company of Thomas and
Carter, Mummery is in excellent
hands and it is inevitable that we will[...]re
and do it. By doing it, you learn to
structure the story [in the field].
Remember that research pays and
never for[...]real people, who are goingto have a
life [beyond] the screening of your film.

PAUL FENECH
HlP HOP ClTY
Director Pa[...]years old
(too old to have done a Loud film,
but the ways of the ABC are a mys-
tery to us all) and married with a[...]h was
hanging with as many
as 300 homeboys
around the Marble,
under the stairs at Cen-
tral, in Sydney. Angry
with a bombardment
by mainstream or[...]was
belonging.” Training as a boxer —
“for the fitness aspect”, Fenech says
— there was also a turf-war going on,
between the Nazi punks and the
homeys, and the police weren’t
always gentle moving them on.

F[...]involved himself with
Metro TV. Scoring a job at the ABC
as a floorsweeper, he worked his way
up to direction. With David Webster,
business partner and the producer of
Hip Hop City, Fenech now makes
film clips, commer[...]through their company, Livewire
Productions.

The media has always centred on
the thugs”, says Fenech, whose aim
has been to devote 25 minutes to
portraying the culture of hip—hop,

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (26)[...]ing”.

Fenech hopes he’s captured some-
thing of the Aussie flavour. “The
l\/ICs aren’t afraid to use their own
accents”, and Australia’s relative
nearness to Pacific Islander culture
is also having its influence. One of
those interviewed, Trev, a Fijian-
Australian, sa[...]llels her own background with
storytelling around the kava bowl
equating to rapping, the breakdanc-
ing and D] mirroring the traditional
dance and drum:

There is a recogniza[...]ng able to
recognize famous graffiti and knowing
the music.
Fenech shot some days and nights
over thre[...]g a jam
and hanging with a Crew.
Ajam gathers all the hip-hop elements
in a gig. There’s some “graf”, and the
band and the audience come together.
lt’s all pretty passive, a few drinks,
camaraderie, some fun.
In Werrington, in outer Sydney, they
filmed guys living the hip—hop lifestyle
under a railway bridge. “One guy had
been depressed for years. The hip-hop
scene stabilized him”, says Fenech.

An[...]ief, hip-
hop had settled him: “He still breaks
the law graffing, but on the scale of
things, his level of criminality is less.”

Borrowing the hip—hop elements
ofIn the process, after shooting mul-
tiple video formats,[...]camera movement, Fenech
“mixed” these images in the editing
room, utilizing a hip—hop musical-
formula known as “turntable—ism”,
or the scratching together of two
music tracks.

Even in the face of going main-
stream, Fenech doesn’t feel that
hi[...]filmmakers: It's about
integrity, to yourselfand the subject.
You have to ask yourself, “Why are you
doing it and are your skills up to it?”
You can't be the captain ofthe ship if
you haven't cleaned the barnacles off
the bottom, and you have to work your
way up and lear[...]then why are you doing it?

NICOLE MCCUAIG

RJAGE OF WNOCENCE

Their exams behind them, Year 12
students from all over Australia
descend on the Gold Coast to party.
“lt’s a rite of passage for these kids”
says Rage oflnnocencrfs[...]g. “Many have never
drunk before. lt’s a week of new
experiences. They don’t know their
limitations, and we make no judge-
merits.”

With a couple of
docos under her belt,
one on Rugby Union
and anot[...]nes) holds a
Commerce Degree and
spent four years in
post-production, two
of which were spent as
a commercials editor.
She teaches Media at
Bond University, where
one of her students, Alice Jones, now
a 23-year-old jour[...]dy had yet covered this
amazing annual experience in any-
thing more than a cursory manner
and that nobody had talked to the
Schoolies.

l\/lcCuaig was able to call on

friends who had attended Schoolies’
Week in the late ’80s, and described
the experience as “mind-blowing”.
Since then, Schoolies’ Week has
assumed the proportions of a Gold
Coast event, generating between

$8—10 million and, like the Mardi
Gras, building its own traditions

and culture.

“We were a three-girl camera-
crew. During the day it was all
holiday atmosphere, sun and surf”,

says McCuaig, but at night it was
different. The youth loved the cam-
era and in the street the crew were
mobbed. “We managed to keep
rolling through most of it, but a
couple of times we had to tell the
DOP, Kristen Jones, to put the

camera down.” :3’ 45

n Wednesday 21 January, SBS-TV’s “Eat
Loud Carpet” featured a series offilms
focusing on issues of racism and preju-
dice in Australia. The films, by filmmakers
13 to 28 years otage and of[...]s
duration each, were commissioned by SBS as part of

the Loud initiative.

Skater, Skippy, Homie, Wog, by brothers Andrew
(16) and Brendan (14) Dowell, exposes the myths
that exist between the Homies from the Sydney sub-

Cronulla and Miranda.

eyes of hearing people.

a date.

urb Hurstville and the Skaters and Surfies of

Bad News, by 28-year-old Sofya Gollan, explores
the notion that to be born deafis a disability in the

ln Goth to be Greek, Tim Slade (24) and Andrew
Georgiou (25) debunk the myth that Goths can’t get

Jade lviaree Woods i[...]nner Patrick Hughes, who is
currently studying at the VCA School of Film and Tele-

vision, explodes the myth that young people don’t

care in No Passion for the Fight. is it true that young
people can’t be bothered with politics because the

pressure offinding a job is too critical, or is this just a

convenient myth created by baby boomers who blame
them for the problems they’ve created, he asks.

CINE[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (27)In film making. quality of screen
image is everything. That's why
Dom/no works at the highest film
quality available - a fact proven by
independent comparative testing
throughout the world,

SIIEEII IIIEEIIS llllflll-I]! BUMIW

Dom[...]assessed
— quality is never compromised
because of deadline or budget.

llllllliljl at lllll

SIIEEII means time In annsider
Domino ’s instant response gives you
the opportunity to explore alternatives,
and lavish more time on the details of
each shot. its a system that delivers
superior co[...]inal material.

(If Ulllllillll

Start working at the speed of
Domino, and make sure your big
screen imag[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (28)EVERYBOOY'S ALHAYS LOOKING FOR
THE NEXT RIG THING -THAT'S NOTHING
NEYLANO SOMETIMES PREOIGTIONS
ANO PROPHEEIES HIT THE NAIL ON THE
HEAD, AND SOMETIMES THEY'RE HAY
OFF. WE'RE NOTABO[...]ction: With a strong dance and theatre background in Western Australia, Ledger
has been dabbling in television recently, as well as scoring supporting roles in a coug
ple of feature films. His lead role as Conor in Roar, a fantasy television series set in
400 AD Ireland but filmed in Queensland, was in an American co-production, and ha 4.
brought Ledger more attention. The fact that the series has already been axed in the
States shouldn't hurt his career too much; it’ll certainly make local talent scouts sit ,
and watch him in future. '

Name: JOHN SAFRAN Professi[...], RMIT, advertising

Credits so. far: Race'Around the World

Prediction: With little experience before being selected for the ABC’s Race Around the

World series last year, Safran soon proved himself to be something of a tearaway film-

maker. His unpredictability won him quite a lot of attention — especially after his naked

dash through the streets ofjerusalem. He has dabbled in the music industry with his

parody song “Not the Sunscreen Song”, a send-up of a track off Baz Luhrmann’s CD

“Something for[...]J. It will be inter~
‘ esting to see what sort of offers and projects he becomes involved with in the future.

CINEMA PAPERS - MARCH 1998

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (29)[...]Age: 27

Training] Background: Victorian College of the Arts

Credits so far: The Pursuit of Happiness (short documentary), Out There and Back,
Windows of Opportunity. ‘
Prediction: Mummery made it into the LOUD festival in January because his graduate
documentary, The Pursuit of Happiness, was made while he was 25. It has alrea[...]ly doesn't need any more help with
his career for the moment. He is definitely one of the VCA graduates to watch, as long
as he isn’t ove[...]ion), Wildside (television)

Prediction: Daughter of actor Marshall Napier, the majority of Jessica's work has
been, understandably perhaps, on the small screen, but her film career is just
beginning. Her role as Rachel in Blackrock brought her much attention, and she
is considered by casting agents to be one of the new hot properties. She has
been fortunate to have worked in television's ‘upper scale’ of drama for the past
four years, and is set to take off very shor[...]far: SK UD
Prediction: Having won quite a number of awards for her 1996 VCA graduate
film, Swan has been working on her first feature film script while doing the festi-
Vi vals with SKUD. Her route into filmmaking started with Political Science at the

’ University of Queensland before moving into more arts-based stu[...]society, and is drawn to its
*‘visual poetry’ in realizing political and human stories.

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (30)[...]I just try and make films which |’m interested in.
It would be strange in a way ifa film ofa
Thomas Hardy novel was very
similar to a film about les-
bian serial killers in
England, or a film
about Sarajevo.
They are very[...]jects and,
inevitably, very dif-
ferent films.
ln the case ofof
the same name. it was very
specifically about the experi-
ence of Nicholson and his
taking a child out[ofSarajevo].[...]ing point to make a film about what is happening
in Sarajevo.

I then asked Frank Cottrell Boyce to work with me on
the screenplay. The starting point was to have not a
montage, but lots ofshort stories; to have lots of
chapters almost within the film. At one stage, that
was perhaps more obvious than it is now.

The idea was that perhaps for five minutes you go
of[...]snjic]. Quite
later, you would have a story about the orphanage,
which ties in. Or you would have archive footage show-
ing something happening in parallel to the main story.

One ofthe difficult experiences working on it was
there was so much i wanted to put in. I hope the film
reflects that without being completely cha[...]rbottom
is helping to restore British cinema from the doldrums into
which it sunk in the late 1980s. His latest film,
ease e to B I eéeeo[...]s most ambitious, international and,
judging from the response the film elicited at its pre-
miere at Cannes, contro[...]bottom after its Cannes debut, where
some members of the press were highly critical of
the director’s perspective on the war in Bosnia.

wanted to say, “This is happening h[...]tant.” We have some central characters and want the
audience to become emotionally involved with them,
but the minor characters have their own stories and
they are just as important.
Equally, there are millions of people who aren’t in
the film, who also have their stories.
It seems to me watching the war at the time, and
going over there later to make a film, that the West was
sitting on the fence, trying not to get involved. it had a
minimal involvement with very limited mandates, but
always had the capability to do far more, far earlier.
lfyou compare what happened in Bosnia with what
happened in the Gulf, the contrast in the speed and
scale ofthe response is so vast that yo[...]p but
think it was outrageous how little was done in Bosnia.
In Britain, I remember endless arguments about
wheth[...]to have troops there;
whether we should withdraw the troops because it
was too expensive; whether we should pull out
straightaway when a British soldier died. The cost to
Britain in human and financial terms was somehow
seen as far more important than the war itself.
THERE WAS A LOT or TALK DURING AND AFTER THE GULF
WAR ABOUT HOW THE MEDIA HELPED MANUFACTURE
THAT WAR. lN WELCOME TO SARA1Evo, YOU TAKE A
DIFFERENT VIEW OF JOURNALISTS.

I thought it was important for the film not to be cynical

29

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (31)30

about journalists. In the particular case
of Sarajevo, a lot ofjournalists were
killed. They were targets in the war and
risked their lives by being there.

In Britain, at least, there were a lot of
journalists who were committed to the
subject and campaigned for something
to happen. Papers like The Guardian
and The Independent frequently ran
stories saying the British government
was standing by and watching w[...]royed, and that
that was not acceptable.

I think the journalists were very
deeply affected by the war. They didn’t
want to simply go there as tourists.
They didn’t want to be on the fence.

wrong with the attitude ofthe rest of
the world, particularly in Europe. This
was a war in Europe, but people wanted
to keep their hands clean and not do
anything about it.

A lot of people in Europe grew up feel-
ing that there wasn't going to be
another war in Europe, and yet here
was a war in Europe. For people living
outside of Bosnia, there was a sense of
“There is a war happening but we are
not goingt[...]o it.”
I'm sure most people felt this should be
the most important event in their lives,
but somehow it was only 10 minutes a
day. That kind of disassociation is
strange.

Jude Fawley (Christop[...]abqunhow shitty evenytfiing is. It is abput '
the possibilities and opportunities they had. That is[...]anted to show people back
home what was happening in order to
change something. The trouble was
that the people back home didn't do
anything and the journalists felt
incredibly frustrated. Lots ofthem
have written about their sense of
impotence and anger. I wanted to
show that side ofjournalism.

There are contradictions of being a
journalist in situations like that. Obvi-
ously journalists are[...]do terrible things. When you are
watching footage of someone dying, a
cameraman has to rush overto tak[...]to have to do. But I don't thinkthat
invalidates the idea that you should
see those pictures.

The inevitable logic ofthose who criti-
cize such foo[...]e to say how this changed my
life and affected me in this way or that,
but I’m not sure it would be[...]start
with, because that is why you want to
make the film. At the end ofthe film,
you’ve spent a long time meeti[...]ng to places, looking at material
— especially, in this Case, watching
hours and hours of material. That
affects you in different ways, but only in
the same way that all experience does. I
think it would be too pat and glib to
say, “What I learnt from the war in Sara-
jevo was

I don't think the film has a simplistic
solution or a moral, becau[...]A FILM-

MAKER?
To find a story I’m interested in and
then try to make a film that I would
want to[...]ns trying to engage with some-
thing which is, on the surface, quite
difficult, and trying to make it in a way
that is interesting and accessible.

There[...]Sarajevo if only people who are really
interested in Sarajevo are going to
watch it. They have probabl[...]d already forgotten
Sarajevo, and had no interest in
Bosnia, to come and watch this film
and be engag[...]ERTAIN LY SHOCKING. You ARE

JOLTED INTo NEW WAYS OF THINKING

AND FEELING.
It is hard to say, really.[...]e
and watch it. I hope that ifpeople come
and see the film then they will suggest
to other people that[...]. It is now down to Channel
4 and Miramax and all the distributors,
in a way.

How DIFFICULT WAS IT FILMING IN

SARAIEVO?
There were irritations rather than pro[...]ommodation, areas where
there were still a number of land
mines. On the whole, though, Sarajevo
was relatively straightforward because
we had co-operation from SAGA, the
film company there.

A lot ofthe crew worked with SAGA
and had made a lot of documentaries
during the war there, so they knew the
city very well. They also knew the story
very well, so when we needed to film
with extras or whatever, that side was
easy. In some ways, that more than
compensated for any problems in
shooting there.

When we first went there, we showed
the script to SAGA. The Bosnian gov-
ernment authorities liked the script
and approved it. They made some sug-
gestions, but nothing significant.

Among the people working with us,
there were people whose b[...]n Muslim,
Bosnian Croat, Bosnian Catholic.
Within the government side of Sara-
jevo, there is still an ethnic diversity.
Of course it is predominantly Muslim,
but there is n[...]eople who are on one side
ofthe war and people on the other
side. lfyou have spent three-and-a-half
yea[...]o
Macedonia, where we had to film some
interiors. In Macedonia, there is a com-
plete division between, on the one
hand, the Muslim side ofthe city, and,
on the other side, the orthodox side of
the city; between Muslim villages and
orthodox villages. There has always
been that split in Macedonia. And that
is what is so awful about the fact of
Sarajevo. Sarajevo was actually a mod-
em city, a[...]oftheatre work
and also quite a lot oftelevision in Eng-
land, but not very much film. I don't
know why he hasn’t done more film.

When the script was very first sent to
me, the producers said, “Talk to
Jeremy lrons.” But b[...]s ofactors.

I just thought Stephen was right for
the part. He is very intense but, as an
actor, also very restrained. He doesn't
try to grab attention in every scene. If
he is working with a girl who is[...]on is feeling; you spend
your time wondering what the girl is
feeling, He was very good like that.

WHAT WAS THE TRIGGER To USING

KERRY Fox?
I just really admire Kerry’s acting abil-
ity, especially in Angel at my Table. I
liked the idea that she wasn’t English,
even though her c[...]as working for an English news
company. I thought the combination of
her and Stephen and Woody [Harrel-
son, who plays Flynn, the cameraman]
would be good.

WHY DID YOU SELECT THO[...]someone [Nina] who almost acciden-
tally ends up in Sarajevo. The real
character on whom Nina is based had
gone to[...]'t done
much acting, got interested by watch-
ing the news, raised money and ended
up taking these children out. I felt Nina
would feel vulnerable, maybe out of
place and struggling, doing her best
but not having had a lot of experience.
I liked Marisa and felt she would be
good forthat.

WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN, ESPECIALLY
EMIRA[EMIRA NUsEvIc]?[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (32),..
m W’!
in P

-:5"?-.~.~z»

Ibo

Home Offset

a new type of Home Loan
linked to your Bank Account

that saves you thousands of dollars

I Home Offset can save you flaousands E[...]extra repayments. 5.000 You,

I With 100% offset, the more money W0 $3*322'26* lslgfgfst
in your bank account the more you 3'0“ appears
save on home loan interes[...]s all your

Home Qffset interest
saved since the

banking One Statement. commencement of
this loan example
I Visit your branch or call 131[...]t savings quoted is an example only. An estimate

of how much you could save is available on request[...]ply. Full details available on application.

Bank of Melbourne cuts the cost of banking

A.C.N. 007 270 448 Bank 47355

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (33)[...]l39”i”8’ "7455
narrative games and spirited of "”“C5“mC"‘35”- SCOTT
fabulation. Director Gillian MURRAY fl"d5 Baxterls
Armstrong has attempted the L E Y biography
near impossible in bringing
so literary a work to the
screen, but RAYMOND
Yo UNIS is fair pleased
with the results

36

Jackie Brown

The Elmore Leonard
adaptation frenzy continues,
as AN[...]ARL QUINN finds a new
exploitation genre gripping
the souls and passions of an
underdescrihed generation:

.\'‘I_ Ill-illle[...]l
I
I
I
I
I
I
PRODUCERS:L.M.KlT CARSON, CYNTHIA : the two_ and t],]ree_year_Old5
HARGRAVE. LINE PRODUCE[...](JOANNE), DAVID RoLAND FRANK (CHIP),

waits for the day when his mother

will be released from prison and

they return to New Mexico to live.

In the meantime, he hangs out with
ANTOINE MCLEAN (HAROLD), CARI.o AI.aAN I a group of guys who have made an
(BENNY), MTUME GANT (LOUIS)[...]TOR:

NEwvIsIoN FILMS. USA 1997. 35MM. 88

MINS.

the local school.

Then Marcus meets Melena
(lsidra V[...]protective and abusive
father (Shawn Elliot), and the two
form a friendship that teeters on
the edge of a relationship, despite
her father’s restrictio[...]ife is on

ilms about ghettoized urban
Fyouth and the loss (or even
total absence) of innocence have
become something ofa sub-genre
in the past decade or two. Some
are incredibly didactic,[...]ively observed as this film,
Hurricane Streets.

the up, It all comes crashing down.
In many ways, the plot, the situ-

ations and even some ofthe
characters in Hurricane Streets are
all fairly standard stuff. At times
the dialogue, too, is a little on the

The story revolves around Mar-
cus Frederick (Brendan[...]just turned 15. He
appears to be on his own, and in
many ways he is. His father is
dead, his mother, Joanne (Edie
Falco), is in prison, apparently for
assisting illegal immigran[...]other, Lucy
(Lynn Cohen), who runs a dive ofa
bar in New York's East Village, and
seems to be r[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (34)[...]ide, but what really raises
this film above many of its peers is
the characterization ofMarcus,
and Sexton’s perform[...]ngside a streetwise
understanding ofthe harshness of
life. He may be involved in small-
time felony, but he has a
well-developed sense of morality
and is, above all, an honest and
genuine person. The sensitivity
that Sexton gives Marcus is so dis-
arming that at first it’s not at all
obvious. Yet by the end ofthe film,
you are left watching both the char-
acter and the actor playing him in
awe ofthe accomplishment. And
what makes it even more effective
is the fact that Sexton looks 15,
complete with acne and the
promise ofdevelopment not yet
begun. No idealized notions of
teenage perfection here.

Freeman, as a young wri[...]tle irony, sadness and
a perceptive understanding of the

human condition. (9 TIM HUNTER

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I[...]UMBIA TRIsTAR. BELGIUM. 1997. 35MM.
89 MINS.

ith the near demise of con-

temporary French cinema
from the screens ofAustralia’s art-
house circuit, the arrival ofAlain
Berliner‘s Ma Vie en Rose is a wel-
come start to the year. His feature
debut, a French-Swiss-Belgium-UK
co-production, may not set the
world on fire —though its winning
ofa Golden G[...]ous debut by a young
filmmaker working out ofone of
the world's most vibrant film com-
munities.

Ma Vie[...]spectacularly vivid colour montage

— an over-the-top homage ofsorts

to the over-the-top works of pho-
tographers Pierre and Gilles —
which seemi[...]nd,
modern, middle-class housing
development with the lurid
motifs ofa ’5os Technicolor
musical. It i[...]he is female, that it
is his birthright to dress in girls’
clothing, and that he will eventually
fall in love with and many a mem-
ber ofthe opposite sex[...], but before
too long his behaviour is scorned
by thethe neighbour’s son,
and eventually forced to enrol in
another school — a crisis develops
within the family. His father, Pierre
(Jean—Philippe Ecoff[...]ceives to be her soft line on their
wayward son.

The other link in this growing
conflict is Hanna’s grandmother,
who refuses to allow the prejudice
and ostracism to affect her nurtur-

I[...]I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I

ing of Ludovic. Herein lies one of
the film’s most poignant and tren-
chant themes: the possibility,
indeed the distinct likelihood, that
Hanna and Pierre’s ge[...]TERs:
ELMORE LEONARD, QUENTIN TARANTINO.
BASED ON THE NOVEL RUM PUNCH BY ELMORE
LEONARD. DIRECTOR or PH[...]ial and professional
realms. Has this generation, the
film pointedly appears to be ask-
ing, got it al[...]aims to tolerance and liberalism,
exemplified by the signature
scenes ofhealthy and hearty
upwardly-mobile families confi-
dently makingtheir way in their
model community.

Ludovic is less a product of
these skewed values than he is its
hapless and un[...]best when

here’s a line injackie Brown
Twhich, in a way, sums up the
mood of Quentin TarantinO’s adap-
tation of Elmore Leonard’s novel
(Rum Punch). Ordell Robbi (Samuel
L. Jackson) is meeting Jackie Brown
(Pam Grier) in a black neighbour-

it snakes its way through the tan-
gled web ofdomestic and social
conflict, and the ultimate tragedy

of parents and children who must hood bar during a r[...]r innate behavioural episode’ Theyyre alone bar the bar'

instincts to the rules and conduct
ofa rigid social orderthat seeks to
quash individuality in the interests
of conformity and respectability.
Foras long as the drama

remains within the walls of this
suffocating but all-too-vivid

I

I

I

I

I[...]indeed a handsome
I woman. Ordell shakes his head in
I wry amusement and says in his

: black badass way: “I bet if you

I came[...]ay night,

I you’d need nigger repellant ...” The
I

: tone ofthe language is perfectly
I typical ofthe film, a tale set in the
I underworld of Los Angeles in the
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I[...]omestic setting, Ma Vie en Rose
is involving and, in the best sense
ofthe word, melodramatic. The

performances, particularly those 705'

There is[...]and Michele Laroque, are immedi-

ate and direct in their meaning and confuse its central characters, bar

one: Max Cherry (Robert Foster).
Morality is not the issue so much
as the law, loyalty and greed. Van-
ity takes a peek, too, but the
central story is ofan unmarried

intent, yet understated.

Less successful, however, are
the plethora ofsupporting charac-
ters, who are mostly relegated to

broad and hideous caricature: the
black woman, who at 44 has ever-

decreasing choices in life. She
takes what she can. She is a stew-

uptight and sexually-repressed
devout Catholics next door; the
sleazy playboy across the street
who hides behind bushes to avoid
an encounter with a ‘homo’. These
characters, which the film merci-
lessly exploits for parodic effect,[...]disappoint-

ardess on a small airline that skips
in and out of Mexico, which means
she has a chance to bring in some
illegal cash for the gunrunning
Ordell Robbi. when the feds catch
her on a trip, she saves herskin by
se[...]tter than that: she can sting not
just Robbi, but theof half a million dollars.
This black female heroine,
while flawed, is impressive as a
smarter schemer than the rest of
the crims, and even smarter than

ingly, however, the screenplay
flounders in its final act. The family,
now jobless, outcast and on the
verge ofself-immolation, packs up
house and heads[...]ympathetic single mother and her
tomboy daughter. The resolution is
rich in promise, but it is a contrived
escape that is far too obvious for
the film’s own good.

<5 PAUL KALINA

CINEM[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (35)the special task force cops, headed
by Ray Nicolet (Michael Keaton).
Much will no doubt be made of
these elements on talk shows and
in journals: “Look at this: a middle
aged black si[...]nd you can argue
between yourselves over which is
the better film.) That source novel
is evident in some ofthe longer-
than—Tarantino scenes heavy with
dialogue, but they never drag.
Nothing in this film drags: it’s
taught with dramatic tension, tem-
pered and filled out with plenty of
sardonic humour, as well as a con-
siderable heart, which seems odd
in the context, but gives the film its
long-term life.

The fact that Jackie Brown is

fiuenfin Tarantino.

such a handsome but unattached
woman provides the setting for the
sexual/romantic undertones that
drive the motivations oflackie
Brown’s ally in the story, the bonds
bailman, Max Cherry (Robert Fos-
ter). Now,[...]man
romancing a middle-aged black
crook? Which is the greater sur-
prise: that it’s touted as a major[...]believe this attraction between
them; it turns on the credibility and
complexity of both characters,
defined for us early on.

Max is the only character in the
film who remains ‘clean’ ofthe cor-
ruption and greed that drive all the
others — some ofthe special force

CINEMA PAPER[...]ply-dressed,
pony-tailed dude ofa gun run-
ner is the dark sun around
whom the planets revolve:
Melanie (Bridget Fonda) is a
blo[...]p, where a comatose
young black female lounges on the
sofa, unintroduced, except to Louis
Gara (Robert De Niro), a bank rob-
berjust out after four years in
prison. This is yet another De Niro,
after
all th[...]h a hang-dog
expression but a fatally-short fuse.
The idiosyncratic nervous ticks are
absent, the character beams out of
him, the eyes speak ofconfusion,
fear and a modicum of bravado.
Fonda finds her character, but it
takes[...]man; it's a compleat
performance, peaking perhaps in
what may be the shortest sex scene
on film, and the most droll.

This is Tarantino territory, but
his camera is much steadier: his
approach is a blend of classic film
techniques and personal flourishes
— not to mention his punchy use of
music, often juxtapositioning
source music while[...]scenes for great effect.
Many scenes, especially in the first
halfofthe film, are taken in simple,
eloquent shots. The camera is still
as it watches the action. In other
scenes, always crucial and dra-
matic, the point ofview is the boot
ofa car, looking up, or from the
back seat ofa van where Ordell
and Louis are heavy in confronta-
tion in the front. We also observe
Ordell from the back, watching his
thinning but long and straight[...]couch
during a critical phone conversa-
tion. All of it. These, and the use
(once) ofa split screen, and (three
times) of[...]re technique
tools that Tarantino uses to keep
us in the critical balance between
prediction and surprise, on the
edge of a smile but with a sense of
fear and foreboding in our guts.

(fit ANDREW L. URBAN

BANDWAGUN

DIRE[...]N
DISTRIBUTOR: DENDY. USA 1997. 35MM.
103 Mms.

s in life, it is in the nature of
Amusic to draw a bunch ofdis-
parate individuals together, almost
against theirwill, and put them in a
van for a very long period oftime,

Bandwagon i[...]hybrid.
It looks like a low-budget explo-
ration of regional subculture made
by someone who knows the terri-
tory, but it is packaged in a
conventional narrative, made by
someone who knows the trajectory.

Writer-director John Schultz is
the former drummer of The Con-
nells, a staple ofthe US college
market, and he wrote the film while
directing The Making of/urassic
Park for Steven Spielberg. The cin-
ematography and sound design of
Bandwagon has a grunge asthetic:
it is hard, dark, wet and sharp, and
incorporates the ‘blue look’ of
indoor film used outdoors. it has
the look and feel of a low-budget
film, but is set firmly within the
structure ofa mainstream movie.

Schultz's script is witty and
well-observed. The Circus Monkey
band members engage in a thick,
often cynical verbiage relieved only
by the silent Linus (Doug MacMil-
Ian) and his Sphinx-like utterances.
The general discourse is lazy and
understated and pep[...]Wynn?”, someone asks. “He's out
there between the Tangerine trees
and marmalade skies” is the reply.
It is a recurring characteristic of the
grunge film that the characters
physically inhabit a space where
they[...]en violence.

Charlie Flagg (Matthew Hen-
nessy), the constantly-enthused,
compulsively-theorizing drummer,
is the founding force ofthe band,
and provides the garage where not
only is smoking forbidden, but
snaclcs and drinks inthe mother smiles and

35

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (36)36

- .
Films

co/zti/wed

provides while the sister screams
and vilifies.

Tony Ridge (Lee Holmes), the
shy, Morrissey-like lead singer, will
only perform in the cupboard. “It is
no good”, he says to Charlie[...]ly
comes out ofthe cupboard but
turns his back to the audience. He
writes the lyrics, which, it becomes
apparent, are all written about a
girl called Ann. When Ann appears,
she has the effect ofthe coke bot-
tie in The Gods Must Be Crazy.

Eric Ellwood (Steve Parlavec-
chio) is the quick-tempered bass
playerwho needs to learn better
gun etiquette. Wynn Knapp (Kevin
Corrigan) is the lead guitarist who,
appearance-wise, puts one in mind
ofa white Jimi Hendrix, ifthat is
possible.

The most charismatic member
ofthe team, however, is the largely
silent road manager, Linus Tate,
played by Doug Macmillan, real-life
lead singer ofThe Connells, the
band on which the film is more
than possibly based. He spends

review

most of his time studying a heavy
tome, the contents ofwhich are
revealed only at the end. Linus is
something ofan oracle, a high
priest of road management, lend-
ing credibility to the band by his
sheer presence. At one point he
enters the room unannounced,
silences a humming cymbal and
disappears.

The life ofthe band is certainly
not glamourized. They stew in their
own juices and eat in nasty cafes,
lugging around their Marshall
stacks[...]s them “Circle Monkey”.
They do have a moment of glory
when, stranded by the side ofthe
road, the bass player fixes the van,
the motor turns, and for one glori-
ous moment they hear themselves
on the radio. Theyjump victori-
ously on the lonely road until the
car battery is extinguished and
they wilt in silence.

The band must learn to cope
with each other, confront their own
demons and make that choice of
any successful band. Circus Mon-
key is not only the name ofthe
band, but a metaphor for the con-
dition the band hopes to avoid.
They do not want to be purchased

by a record company just because
the suits fit, but they are sick ofthe
tortuous practicalities of indepen-
dence. The record company
executives appear rather too
cliched, and the band’s choices
rather too predictable. These sort
of stereotypes are disappointing in
an otherwise cleverly written film
and could have been easily
avoided.

The soundtrack of Bandwagon
is certainly one of its strongest
points, and it wouldn’t be surpris-
ing ifthe music took off in its own
right. It will be an interesting addi-
tion to the rock-road-grunge movie
genre. Think of it as Spinal Tap for
the Clerks generation.

(3: MICHELLE RYAN

DIRECTE[...]MARK TURNBULL.
SCRIPTWRITERI LAURAIONES, BASED on THE
NOVEL BY PETER CAREY. DIRECTOR or
PHOTOGRAPHY: GE[...]). AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR:
TWENTIETH CENTURY Fox. AUSTRALIA. 1998.
132 MINS.

eter Carey’s Oscar and Lucinda
P was published in the year of
Australia's bicentennial celebra-
tions. It is intimately concerned
with the question of identity and
colonization, and with the relation-

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I[...]I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I

ship between the Empire and its
satellites, or between the centre
and the margins. Indeed, in the
novel and film, Oscar and Lucinda
are outsiders to a considerable
degree.

The film downplays the colo-
nialist context and emphasizes,
quite understandably, the love
story between one who is tor-
mented by the question of whether
he ought to wager on the existence
of God, and another who is fasci-
nated by glass and[...]sts: their shared status as
outcasts — at least in a symbolic
sense, as marginal figures; their
love of gambling and, more impor-
tantly, wagering, in Blaise Pascal’s
sense (that is, wagering as a matter
oflife and death or as a matter of
salvation).

The film explores their meeting
in Australia against a background
of colonial expansion. Oscar thinks
ofa plan by which his love of
Lucinda can be demonstrated.

He decides to build[...]erritory— that is, Abo-
riginal territory— to the settlement
at Bellingen. This is the stuff ofa
Werner Herzog film, and there are
nods[...]s Fitzcarraldo
(1982) here, with its highlighting of
grand but ill-fated aspiration and of
the extent to which the boundaries
between passion and madness
can be blurred. Director Gillian
Armstrong was clearly attracted

to the grandeur of Oscar's idea, to
the cinematic possibilities and to
another touching story ofstar-
crossed lovers with elements of
passion, grandeur, heroism and
tragedy.

The film carefully introduces
each ofthe characters. Oscar
(Ralph Fiennes) associates the sea
with death from a very early stage
(the death ofthe mother); Lucinda
(Cate Blanchett) doe[...]for its strength. So,
Armstrong weaves a pattern of
contrasts out ofthese and other
leitmotifs.

Anot[...]associates
gambling with religious experi-
ence; in otherwords, his
understanding of religious faith is
informed by Pascal’s emphasis on
the radical uncertainty of religious

CINEMA PAPERS 0 MARCH 1998

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (37)beliefs which are underpinned by
the need to wager one’s whole life
on an unknown bu[...]tension ofher unorthodox
self, her eccentricity.

The narrator in the film (Geof-
frey Rush) also turns out to be a
gambler ofsorts. He is aware ofthe
fact that the union oftwo gamblers
produced him albeit indirectly
(across the Span ofa few genera-
tions). He is the distant progeny of
two gamblers, one “obsessive",
one “compulsive”, as he himself
informs the viewer.

The film is also concerned with
a key element ofthe novel’s struc-
ture, namely the genealogy of
storytelling or the genealogy of
narrative. Carey takes great care to
highlight a continuous tradition of
narrative from the time, at least, of

Oscar and Lucinda, and ofthe nar-
rator’s grandfather, to the present.
In other words, Carey's novel is an
affirmation ofthe narrating func-
tion even as it subverts some of the
pretensions ofnarrators in fiction.
For example, Carey is clearly fond
ofstorytellers, perhaps because of
their vivid imaginations and magi-
cal qualities (when seen in the
context of mythology and myth-
making), but he is also suspi[...]te that this
narratological irony is largely lost
in the film. The film’s narrator
rarely seems to be as playful or as
self-reflexive as Carey’s narrators.
The cost ofthe change is notable:
the film’s narrator takes himself far
too seriousl[...]Lucinda (Cate Blanchettl.
Oscar and Lucinda.

So the film is given a very different

' emphasis and,[...]erlooks or ignores a
number ofquestions that make the
novel so challenging: questions
about the selective rendering of
historical stowtelling, of blind

spots in whitewashed narratives, of .

preferences on the part ofstory-
tellers which betray racist
assumpt[...]ible
reconstruction ofthe story ofthe
two lovers; the film focuses on the
story ofthe lovers. Much is lost in
the translation.

Notwithstanding these eva-
sions, absences or exclusions, the
film is certainly vivid and affecting.
Certainly, the scenes ofthe glass
church being transported down-
stream are striking and memorable

- no less so that the scene ofa ship
being dragged through thethe camera dwells on the
two lovers with great affection;
many scenes are[...]mysteriously, suddenly
and fortuitously; indeed, the direc-
tor’s love ofthese outcasts is
almost palpable in countless
frames. They are captured in many
close-ups; and the understatement
is welcome.

The film is quite long (slightly
too long, perhaps, given the exclu-
sions, but only slightly); in general,
however, the tempo is measured
carefully, and the marriage of
sound and image is often stirring
and thought-provoking.

There are less—satisfying
aspects in the film: Carey’s novel
was intended to stir hones[...]pecially its violent, cruel and bru-
tal aspects. The novel was partly
intended to highlight the plight of
the indigenous people ofthis coun-
try in the era of violent colonization.
The film’s representation ofthe bar-
baric and unnecessary slaughter of
indigenous people, it must be said,
does not transcend mere tokenism.
In one short scene, the only scene
really in which the violence is
focused upon, the film shows a
group of Aborigines being killed by
Oscar’s men (much to his dismay).
The camera descends as it focuses
on the last embers oflife ebbing
out oftheir young, twit[...]compromised
somewhat by its brevity. It is as if
the filmmakers felt that they had to
include somethi[...]p it, to make
it an integral part ofthe film’s the-
matic trajectories, in the way that
this theme is woven into the trajec-
tories ofthe novel.

This is a great pity, for it
detracts from the film’s otherwise
laudable affirmation ofthe figure of
the outcast, the inhabitant ofthe
margins. Indeed, there was a great
opportunity in this respect to say
something intelligent and detailed,
something honest and profound,
about the status of real outcasts
and marginalized figures in this
country today.

However, in other respects, the
film is an important one. It signifi-
cantly ex[...]marginal places and spaces; it
uses colour coding in evocative, if
sometimes predictable, ways (for
example, black and grey in Oscar’s
childhood home, dull shades in
London and Oxford; brighter hues
in Australia); Fiennes, as Oscar,
actually has the “scarecrow” look
that Carey often attributes[...]anchett, as
Lucinda, has a touch ofwildness
which the character requires; the
visual emphases on water, glass,
stream and structure are often
deeply satisfying within the film’s
iconography; and the scenes with
the glass church, an embodiment of
Oscar’s passion and madness, are
unforgettable. The final scenes are
quite poignant, with just the right
measure ofirony.

This should be one ofthe high-
lights of the year.

(3 RAYMOND YOUNIS

37

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (38)[...]STORY av: MMWELL GRANT &
STUART BEATTIE. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY:
DAVID BURR. PRODUCTION DESIGNER PETA[...]STRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR:
ROADsHow FILM DISTRIBUTORS. AUSTRALIA.
1997. 35mm.

T his latestAustralian venture
into[...]something
ofa disappointment. By trying to
throw in all the right ingredients,
it ends up as an embarrassingl[...]lm, pitched too
obviously at an American market.

The story is simple: young Billy
MacGregor (Jamie Cro[...]e house — he died some years
earlier— so most of the heavy work
around the farm is done by the
Aboriginal farmhand, Mick (Tony
Briggs). When a m[...]es to care for it.
Mick informs him, though, that
the joey won’t survive without its
parents, so Billy, under the cover
ofnight, pops Joey in his backpack
and hops on the train to Sydney to
find the kidnapped roos.

Once in Sydney, he meets the
requisite composite ofwacky and
colourful charact[...]efforts to reunite Joey with
his folks. Included in the comple-
ment is the rich and eccentric
Sylvia (Ruth Cracknell), who
runs an animal hospital; the new
American ambassador, Mr Ross
(Ed Begleyjr); his bored daughter,
Linda (Alex McKenna); and the
very two-dimensional Kanga-
Catcher (Harold Hopkins), the
villain ofthe piece.

lfonly everything in this film

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
l
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
l
I[...]I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I

review

wasn’t so obvious. Arguments
about it being a[...]who end up
helping Billy, are nowhere to be
found in the Media Information Kit

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I[...]I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I

THE WIGGLES MOVIE

DIRECTED BY DEAN CovELL. PRoDucER:[...]AN
BUUREN. CHOREOGRAPHER: LEANNE HALLORAN.
Music: THE WIGGLES AND JOHN FIELD.
CAST: ANTHONY FIELD (ANTHONY, THE BLUE
WIGGLE), GREG PAGE (GREG, THE YELLOW
WIGGLE), IEFF FATT (JEFF, THE PURPLE WIGGLE),
MURRAY COOK (MURRAY, THE RED WIGGLE),
TONY HARVEY (WALLY THE GREAT), LEEANNE
ASHLEY (DOROTHY THE DINOSAUR).
AUSTRALIAN DIsTRIauToR: TWENTIETH
CENTURY Fox. AUSTRALIA. 1997.83 MINS.

we all know about exploitation
cinema, right? Blood, guts,

sex, nubile teens in compromising
positions in cheap and nasty prod-
uct aimed straight at a nic[...]ct
concepts such as artistic quality or
longevity of appeal.

It has no sex (ifyou except the
undoubted appeal of Dorothy the
Dinosaur), no violence (ifyou turn
a blind eye to the odd pratfall), and
absolutely no nubile teens (though

The Wiggles. __
The Wiggles Miige. ,

supplied to film reviewers. Could it
be that they were inserted into the

script at a very late stage to help
lift the lacklustre and formulaic
screenplay?

Am I soundingtoo cynical? I
think not, because the mercenary
“Let’s make a family film and aim it
at the American market” ideal per-
meates this whole production, and
subsequently robs it of any human-
ity, warmth, individuality and
respect for its audience that it

might have had. (3 TIM HUNTER

the pre—pubescent dancers are a
sprightly bunch), but The Wiggles
Movie is without question a piece
of exploitation cinema. And, what's
more, it exploits its market with a
ruthlessness of which Roger Cor-
man would be proud.

As any Australian parent with
a child born in the past five years
or so knows, The Wiggles (Murray
Cook, Jeff Fatt, Anthony Field, and
Greg Page) are the biggest thing to
happen in pre-school-age chil-
dren’s entertainment local[...]le for
Jeff, blue forAnthony and yellow
for Greg, the lead vocalist) and
their wax-museum grins, The Wig-
gles are the apotheosis of“nice”
parentally-approved entertainment
software for parents who have lost
faith in Saturday-morning cartoons
on the telly. Bung in a The Wiggles
video (and plenty do; Wake Up /efl‘,
their 1996 release, sold 12o,ooo
units in its first month) and you’re
guaranteed of an extra 47 non-vio-
lent and non—judgemental minutes
in bed. For this, The Wiggles are to
be praised.
But for their debut motion

picture they are to be damned.

The Wiggles Movie is a triumph of

niche marketing over virtually
every other element of contempo-
rary filmmaking. Technically,
narrativ[...]y, it is (to
put it mildly) undistinguished. Even
the music is a disappointment.
Adults have always been able to
take some solace in the fact that
The Wiggles had a solid grounding
in rock ’n’ roll, and were unafraid to
dip into other musical idioms in
search of a catchy riff (in fact, much
oftheir success with parents has
rested on a nostalgic appeal to the

fact that Fatt and Field played
together in 19805 pub—rock heroes,
The Cockroaches). But much ofthe
music here is recycled (and not in
the post-modern sense in which
much ofThe Twist?" are known and
loved by two- and three-year-olds
across the nation. And who could
ever forget the rollicking sounds of
“D.O.R.O.T.H.Y.”? The Wiggles
Movie is, in a sense, a “greatest
hits” collection, with pictures.

In such a package, does plot
matter? Not much. Three[...]ch things, and tend to prefer
their drama to come in short slabs
(there is one rule ofthumb that
sugge[...]measures roughly one minute for
each year). So if The Wiggles
Movie is loud, colourful, disjointed
and ultimately rather pointless, it is
unlikely to suffer in the eyes of its
target audience one little bit.

The Wiggles may or may not be
an astonishingly cynical crew. In
point offact, they seem absolutely
charming. Yet[...]success.
They appear to have neglected to
address the fact that few parents
will send theirthree-year-old chil-
dren off to see a movie alone,
regardless of its innocuousness.
Perhaps it is a sign oftheir w[...]mitment to their
audience that they have eschewed
the usual sops to adult viewers (in-
jokes, star cameos, sophisticated
verbal or musi[...]aybe ensur-
ing parents will be as stultified by
the movie as their young children
will be transfixed[...]was actually fright-
enedl). And what better way of
ensuring the full exploitation ofthe
most lucrative market of all: the
parents who just want to sleep in
on Saturday morning. Who's
exploiting whom[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (39)[...]x,
ILLUS., RR? 545

ast year’s controversy over the
L unathorized Germaine Greer
biography centred on whether
writers have the right to pry into
the lives ofthe living. The enter-
tainment industry has tended to be
somewhat unconcerned about this
issue, given the seemingly-insa-
tiable and largely-unquestioning[...]ustralian author John Baxter
has had some success in this vein
with books on Federico Fellini,

Ken Ru[...]ofSpartacus:

At thirty-two, Stanley Kubrick

is the youngest person ever to
direct a Hollywood epic. Kirk
Douglas, thethe end
ofthe first week. On a weekend's
notice, Kubrick, known for little
more than a low-budget crime
film, The Killing, and a First World
War drama, Paths ofGlory, sud-
denly found himselfin charge of
a $12 million enterprise [...]

But ifthe experie[...]Kubrick shows no
sign ofit. He has already fired the
leading lady and infuriated Kirk
Douglas by taking the film at his
own deliberate pace. The star has
an uneasy feeling he’s hired the
wrong man. Hoping for a kid he
can push around, he’s found him-

self saddled instead with a film-

maker of steely resolve who

sometimes seems almost to rival

him in ego and stubbornness.

[p.21
Perhaps Kirk Douglas[...]work better and
rung up people to find what sort
of director Kubrick was during the
making ofhis previous film, Paths
ofGlory. Then[...]ly mistake.

But hold on: Wasn’t Kirk Dou-
glas in Paths ofGl0ry? Didn’t he
spend months on location with
Kubrick? Wouldn’t he have known
exactly what sort of director
Kubrick was before deciding to
use him t[...]’t whatlohn Baxter has written
total nonsense?

In fact, Baxter even goes on to
contradict himselfon[...]las balked at
replacing Mann with Kubrick
because the latter was an “ingrate
[...] I asked him to do[...]cts as their subject's
age right. Mann was fired in
March 1959. As Kubrick was born
on 26 June 1928, that means he
was 30 at the time of being hired,
not 32 as Baxterwrites.

Sadly, much[...]this sloppy level. Baxter
appears more interested in going
for his idea ofdramatic storytelling
than sticking to the/his facts.
On page 13, he writes:
Apart from his two early crime
thrillers, Killer’s Kiss and The
Killing, Kubrick never made an
American film, no[...]ire,
Kubrick’s first feature, was shot
and set in California. So, let’s
make that three American-based
films. In fact, every film Kubrick
made in the USA was set in the
USA.

Even more striking is the fact
that five of Kubrick’s next nine
features were wholly or partly set
in the USA, even though they were

CINEMA PAPERS - MARCH[...]I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I

all made in the UK. So Baxter’s
point is wrong-headed. In fact,
what other director in history has
been so obsessed with recreating
his home country in films when
living and working elsewhere?

Baxter[...]ause Kubrick had invested
so much time and effort in Barry
Lyndon, its commercial failure,
the worst ofhis career,
depressed him acutely. [p. 295]
One turns to the notes for this
chapter (“Kubrick inin his life, Kubrick made a
decision that to live and work
on his own terms was worth the
price ofostracism. [p. 364]
Apart from Baxter's h[...]y whom?

Baxter claims Kubrick declined
to direct the script ofTerry South-
ern's Blue Movie (a witty novel
dedicated to “the great Stanley
K"), because Kubrick

rightly decided that he had nei-
ther the temperament for porn
nor the patience to subjugate his
invention to the rigid demands of
erotic ritual. [p. 195]
As Baxter again gives no[...]elepathically.

Photograph captions also

receive the Baxter imprimatur:
Kubrick receiving, with his us[...]thout success to talk Kubrick
round to his vision of5partacus.
But Baxter has absolutely no idea
what[...]ps whimsically-intended)
inventions have no place in a book
intended for adults.

If all this were not enough,
there is Baxter the insightful and
poetic wordsmith:

That[Kubrick] should come at the
end ofhis career to make Eyes
Wide Shut, a film[...], a lens can become
a mirror, reflecting back to the
voyeur an image of himself.
lp-14]
Leaving aside Baxter hasn’t seen
Eyes Wide Shut and has no rightto
discuss the “film” (how does he
know how it will end up?[...]s, looks through
a camera lens. No matter how
dim the light, there is never a
reflection of the director in the
lens. (Of course, if Kubrick were
in front ofthe camera, looking
back, and thus maybe seeing a
refiection, he is no longer in the
position ofvoyeur.)
Baxter’s slick-sounding quo[...]scorr MURRAY

SILIIIE Iefeat W a r
j

CINEMA AND
THE GREAT WAR

ANDREW KELLY, ROUTLEDGE, Lonoon AND
Ne[...]zx,
RRP S110

orld War I seems to be grip-
W ping the imagination ofthe
late 2oth century more than any
other confiict (cfall the WWI films
in preparation or awaiting release).
Whether it is because that war is
seen as representing the death
ofa nobler era and the start of
rapidly-disintegrating humanity,
whether it be th[...]lm historian”, has sought
to record and analyze the cinematic
treatment ofthis war, from the 1914
anti-war Ned med Voabnene (Lay
Down YourArms[...]1937),
Paths ofGIOry (Stanley Kubrick,
1957) and, the author’s favourite,
All Quiet on the Western Front
(Lewis Milestone, 1933).
When Kelly sticks to the histori-
cal and cultural facts, he is always
interesting. His account ofthe
production of Paths ofGlory is
particularly revealing, as are his
chapters on the less well-known
films, such as those made by the
defeated Germans. His comments,
too, on the preponderance ofWW|
films being anti-war in perspective
are reassuring to all humanists.
Wher[...]g. On p. 75, for example, he
confidently writes "the brutality of
war has always been portrayed
best in monochrome", which is an
extremely interesting as[...]s
it. This would have made an excel-
lent chapter in itself.
Equally, ofloseph Losey’s King
and Coun[...]ifting moments;
Paths ofGlory ends on a mes-
sage of hope, King and Country
with an old general in his car.
The condemnation ofwar is just
as strong, but the humanity is
absent. [p. 180]

This is most[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (40)[...], Antony Ginnane, Gillian
Armstrong, Ken G. Hall, The Cars thatAte Paris
Number 2 (April 1974) Censorsh[...]Roeg, Sandy Harbutt, Film
under Allende, Between the Wars, Alvin Purple
Number 3 (July 1974) Richard B[...]n
Papadopolous, Willis O'Brien, William Friedkin, The
True Story of Eskimo Nell Number 4 (December
1974) Bill Shepher[...]erner Herzog,
Between Wars, Petersen, A Salute to the Great
lVlacArthy Number 5 (March-April 1975) Albi[...]x
Lemon, Miklos Jancso, Luchino Visconti, Caddie,
The Devil's Playground Number 10 (Sept-Oct 1976)
Nagi[...]obb, Samuel Z, Arkoff, Roman Polanski, Saul
Bass, The Picture Show Man Number 12 (April
1977) Ken Loach[...]ling, Piero Tosi, John Oankworth, John
Scot, Days of Hope, The Getting of Wisdom
Number 13 (July 1977) Louis Malle, Paul Co[...]eanine Seawell, Peter Sykes, Bernardo
Bertolucci, In Search of Anna Number 14 (October
1977) Phil Noyce, Matt Ca[...]hmer, Terry
Jackman, John Huston, Luke's Kingdom, The Last
Wave, Blue Fire Lady Number 15 (January 1978)
Tom Cowan, Truffaut, John Faulkner, Stephen
Wallace, the Taviani brothers, Sri Lankan film, The
Chant ofJimmie Blacksmith Number 16 (April-
June[...]blom, John Duigan, Steven
Spielberg, Tom Jeffrey, The Africa Project,
Swedish cinema, Dawnl, Patrick Nu[...]lle Huppert, Brian May,
Polish cinema, Newslront, The Night the Prowler
Number 18 (Oct-Nov 1978) John Lamond, Son[...]Career Number 21 (May-June 1979)
Vietnam on Film, the Cantrills, French cinema, Mad
Max, Snapshot, The Odd Angry Shot, Franklin on
Hitchcock Number 22 ([...]onalism, Japanese
cinema, Peter Weir, Water Under the Bridge
Number 27 (June-July 1980) Randal Kleiser, Peter
Yeldham, Donald Richie, obituary of Hitchcock, NZ
film industry, Grendel Grendel Gre[...]a,
Stephen Wallace, Philippine cinema, Cruising,, The
Last Outlaw Number 30 (Dec 1980-Jan 1981) Sam
Ful[...]rantrethought, Richard Lester,
Canada supplement, The Chain Reaction, Blood
Money Number 31 (March-April 1981) Bryan
Brown, looking in on Dressed to Kill, The Last
Outlaw, Fatty Finn, Windows‘. lesbian as villain, the
new generation Number 32 (May-June 1981) Judy
Dav[...]Swinburne,
Cuban cinema, Public Enemy Number One, The
Alternative Number 33 (June-July 1976) John
Duigan, the new tax concessions, Robert Altman,
Tomas Gutierr[...]el Rubbo, Blow
Dut, 'Breaker’Morant, Body Heat, The Man from
Snowy River Number 37 (April 1982) Steph[...]Jacki Weaver, Carlos Saura, Peter
Ustinov, women in drama, Monkey Grip Number 38
(June 1982) Geoff Bu[...]r, Nonivegian cine-
ma, National Film Archive, We of the Never Never
Number 40 (October 1982) Henri Safran[...]Wendy Hughes, Ray Barrett,
My Dinner with Andre, The Return of Captain
Invincible Number 41 (December 1982) lgor[...]ader, PeterTammer, Liliana
Cavani, Colin Higgins, The Year ofLiving
Dangerously Number 42 (March 1983)[...]lan Pringle, Agnes Varda, copyright,
Strikebound, The Man from Snowy River Number
43 (May-June 1983) Sydney Pollack, Denny
Lawrence, Graeme Clifford, The Dismissal, Sumner
Locke Elliott's Careful He Migh[...], Simon Wincer,
Susan Lambert, a personal history of Cinema
Papers, Street Kids Number 46 (July 1984)[...]uvall, Jeremy lrons, Eureka Stockade,
Waterfront, The Boy in the Bush, A Woman
Suffers, Street Hero Number 47 (Aug[...]hael Pattinson, Jan Sardi, Yoram
Gross, Bodyline, The Slim Dusty Movie Number 49
(December 1984) Alain[...]Borowczyk, Peter Schreck, Bill Conti,
Brian May, The Last Bastion, Bliss Number 51
(May 1985) Lino Bro[...]Dusan Makavejev, Emoh Ruo, Winners,
Morris West's The Naked Country, Mad Max
Beyond Thunderdome, Robber[...]man, Menahem Golan, rock
videos, Wills and Burke, The Great Bookie
Robbery, The Lancaster Miller Affair Number 55
(January 1986)[...]ian Thompson, Paul Verhoeven, Derek
Meddings, tie-in marketing, The Right Hand Man,
Birdsvi/Ie Number 56 (March 1986)[...]nchard—Smith, John
Hargreaves,-Dead-end Drive—in, The More Things
Change ..., Kangaroo, Tracy Number 57[...]1986) Woody Allen, Reinhard
Hauff, Orson Welles, the Cinématheque Francaise,
The Fringe Dwellers, Great Expectations: The
Untold Story, The Last Frontier Number 59
(September 1986) Robert Altman, Paul Cox, Lino
Brocka, Agnes Varda, the AFl Awards. The Movers
Number 60 (November 1986) Australian telev[...]an Polanski, Philippe
Mora, Martin Arminger, film in South Australia,
Dogs in Space, Howling III Number 62 (March
1987) Screen[...]conference, production barometer, film
finance, The Story of the Kelly Gang Number63
(May 1987) Gillian Armstrong,[...]ris Haywood, Elmore Leonard, Troy Kennedy
Martin, The Sacrifice, Landslides, Pee Wee's Big
Adventure,[...], James Clayden, Video, De
Laurentiis, New World, The Navigator, Who's That
Girl Number 67 (January1988[...]armusch,

A Guide to What's

Soviet cinema, women in film, 70mm, filmmaklng in
Ghana, The Year My Voice Broke, Send A Gorilla
Number 68 (Ma[...]t cinema: part 2, Jim McBride, Glamour,
Ghosts 0f The Civil Dead, Feathers, Ocean, Ocean
Number 69 (May[...]ey, Pleasure Domes Number 70
(November 1988) Film Australia, Gillian Armstrong,
Fred Schepisi, Wes Craven, Jo[...]nuary
1989) Yahoo Serious, David Cronenberg, 1988 in
retrospect, film sound, Last Temptation or Christ[...]Cannes '89, Dead
Calm, Franco Nero, Jane Campion, The Prisoner of
St. Petersburg, Frank Pierson, Pay TV Number 74
(July 1989) The Delinquents, Australians in
Hollywood, Chinese cinema, Philippe Mora, Yuri
Sokol, Twins, Ghosts .. of the Civi/Dead, Shame
screenplay Number 75(September 1989) Sally
Bongers, the teen movie, animated, Edens Lost,
Pet Sematary, M[...]"Crocodile"
Dundee overseas Number78 (March 1990) The
Crossing, Ray Argall, Return Home, Peter
Greenaway and The Coak..., Michel Ciment,
Bangkok Hilton, Barlow an[...]dfellas, Presumed Innocent
Number 82 (March 1991) The Godfather Part III,
Barber Schroeder, Reversal of Fortune, Black
Robe, Raymond Hollis Longford, Backsliding
Number 83 (May 1991) Australia at Cannes, Gillian
Armstrong, The Last Days at Chez Nous, The
Silence of the Lambs, Flynn, Dead to the World,
Anthony Hopkins, Spatswood Number 84 (Augu[...]tor 2:
Judgement Day, Dennis O'Rourke, Good Woman of
Bangkok, Susan Dermody, Breathing Under Water,
Ca[...]FC part2 Number
86 (January 1992) Romper Stamper, The
Nostradamus Kid, Greenkeeplng, Eightball, Kathryn[...]cinema, Steven Spielberg,
Hook, George Negus and The Red Unknown,
Richard Lowenstein, Say a Little Pra[...]8 (May-June 1992) Strictly
Ballroom, Hammers Over the Anvil, Daydream
Believer, Wim Wender's Until The End ofthe
World, Satyaiit Ray Number 89 (August 1[...]tions, teen
movies debate Number90 (October 1992) The Last
Days offlhez Nous, Ridley Scott: 1492, Stephen
Elliott:[...]io Mangiamele, Cultural
Differences and Ethnicity in Australian Cinema,
John Frankenheimer's Year of the Gun Number 91
(January 1993) Clint Eastwood and U[...]Miller and Gross Misconduct,
David Elfick's Love in Limbo, 0n the Beach,
Australia's first films: part 1 Number 92 (April
1993) Reck[...]ge Miller and Lorenzo's
Oil, Megan Simpson, Alex, The Lover, women in
film and television, Australia's first films: part 2
Number 93 (May 1993) Jane Campion and The
Piano, Laurie Mclnnes and Broken Highway,
Tracey Moffatt and Bedevil, Lightworks and Avid,
Australia's first films: part 3 Number 94 (August:
1993)Can[...]mi and Reservoir;
Dogs, Paul Cox, Michael Jenkins The Heartbreak
Kid, ‘Coming of Age’ films, Australia's first films: part
4 Number 95 (October I993) l;ynn-Mane Milburn's

Memories & Dreams, Eranklin on the science of ',
previews, The Custodian, documentary supple--~_
rnent, Tom Zubricki, John Hughes, Australia's first
films: part 5 Number 96 (December 1993)
Queensland issue: overview of film in Oueensland,
early Dueensland cinema, Jason Donovan and
Donald Crombie, Rough Diamonds, Australia's first
films: part 6 Number 97-8 (April 1994) 2[...]htning Jack,
Richard Franklin on leaving America, Australia's
first films: part 7 Number 99 (June 1994) Krzys[...]plement, Geoffrey Burton, Pauline Chan and
Traps, Australia's first films: Part 8 Number 100
(August 1994) C[...]supplement,
Bernardo Bertolucci's Little Buddah, The Sum of
Us, Spider & Rose, film and the digital world,
Australia's first films part9 Number 101 (October
1994) Priscilla, Dueen of the Desert, Victorian sup-
plement, P. J. Hogan and Munel’-,s';lll,/e“d‘ ‘ Bent.
Lewin and Lucky Break, Australia's first films: Pan
9 Number 102 (December 1994)[...]erson, Body Melt, AFC supple-
ment, Spider& Rose, Australia's First Films: Part 10
Number 103 (March 1995) Li[...], Geoffrey
Simpson, Heavenly Creatures, Eternity, Australia's
First Films Number 104 (June 1995) Cannes Mania[...]by, Epsilon, Vacant
Possession, Richard Franklin, Australia's First
Films: Part 12 Number 105 [August 1995) M[...]osi, Jacqueline McKenzie, Slawomir
ldziak, Cannes Review, Gaumont Retrospective,
Marie Craven, Dad& Dave N[...]and John Maynard on All Men
Are Liars, Sam Neil, The Small ll/lan, Under the
Gun, AFC low budget seminar Number 107
(December[...]ller and Chris Noonan
talk about Babe, New trends in criticism, The rise
of boutique cinema Number 108 (February 1996)
Conjuring John Hughes‘ WhatIHave Written,
Cthulu, The Top 100 Australian Films, Nicole
Kidman in To Die For Number 109 (April 1996)
Rachel Griffiths runs the gamut, Toni Collette and
Cosi, Sundance Film Festival, Michael Tolkin,
Morals and the Mutoscope Number 110 (June
1996) Rolf de Heer tra[...]n Number 111 (August 1996) Scott
Hicks and Shine, The Three Chinas, Trusting
Christopher Doyle, Love an[...]2 (October 1996) Lawrence Johnston's
Life, Return of the Mavericks, Oueensland
Supplement Part 1, Sighting the Unseen, Richard
Lowenstein Number 113 (December 1996) Peter
Jackson's The Frighteners, SPAA-AFI supplement,
Lee Robinson, S[...]Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet, Dean Cundey,
SPAA: The Aftermath, Idiot Box, Zone 39 Number
115 (April 1997) John Seale and The English
Patient, Nevvsfront, The Castle, lan Baker, Robert
Krasker Number 116 (May 1997) Cannes '97
Preview, Samantha Lang's The Well, Kiss or Kill,
Phillip Noyce and The Saint, Heaven's Burning.
Number 117 (June 1997) R[...]nica
Pellizzari, Aleka dosen't live here anymore, The
Man from Kangaroo Number 118 (July 1997) Terry
Ra[...]da Otto, Frank Moorhouse,
Two Studios and a World of Difference lnbetween,
Hawks and Ford Retros ectiv[...]l‘s Demon Dogs,
Stephan Elliot at Cannes, Exile in Sarajevo,
Japanese independent film (December 19[...]vid Hirshfelder
and Eric Serra, Mandy Walker: All in a Days Work,
New Zealand film[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (41)[...]Gump achieved exactly that for mil-
lions around the world. And where
is the evidence that humanity is
missing in King and Country?

The mix of points is also con-
fusing. Why does Kelly refer to an
old general in a car and what does
it mean? is this evidence ofa[...]ness?

Kelly is, understandably, very
Eurocentric in his choice offilms.
The only Australian feature to get a
guernsey is Gall[...]ofview.”
Kelly makes no attempt to explain
why the film takes a romantic view,
ifindeed it does. Maybe there is a
case for saying it has a romantic
view of mateship, but “ofthe war”?
And if Gallipoli is deserving of men-
tion, what ofother Australian
works such as[...], 1945)?

A final reservation about this
book is the cost: an almost unbe-
lievable $110. One can’t[...]book at so
high a cost, though a few hours
spent in a library readingthe his-
torical sections might[...]t more can be said about
Humphrey Bogart, an icon
of classic Hollywood cinema as

review

enduring as Mount Rushmore, that
has not already been written over
the years? Plenty is the answer, if
one reads Sperber and Lax’s com-
prehensive and highly readable
account of Bogart’s career and life
in Hollywood since the 19305 till
the ’5os; one ofthe original ‘city
boys’ (according to Robert Sklar)
who left his indelible mark on the
cinema, popular culture and the
mythology ofthe American popular
imagination.

Wh[...]ks on Bogart tend to focus on a
particular aspect of Bogart the film
icon and particular stages ofthe
actor's li[...]s Stephen Bogart’s
memoir ofhis father, Bogart: In
Search ofMy Father, Lauren
Bacall’s By Myself (1980),
Katharine Hepburn’s charming
The Making of the African Queen
(1987) and Jeffrey Meyer’s Bogart:
A Life in Hollywood (1997) — the
Sperber and Lax book tends to
present a lively, well-researched
global overview of Bogart’s life
and screen persona.

It is an ast[...]graphy ofthe actor that endeav-
ours to delineate the complex
nuances, tensions and enigmatic
ambiguities of Bogart the person —
the actor and cult figure ofcine-
ma’s dreamlife w[...]line self-definition and exis-
tential solitude. The book rarely
slows down as an immense, multi-
face[...]rformances, and his
untimely death.

‘Bogie’, the American cult icon
that has impacted on our cultural
and psychic lives, is evidenced in
so many complex and telling ways:
from crime fiction (Lawrence
Block), comic books, the cinema
and most notably film noir—
Bogart’s notable performances in
The Maltese Falcon (John Huston,
1941), Casablanca (Michael Curtiz,
1942), High Sierra (Raoul Walsh,
1941), The Treasure of The Sierra
Madre (John Huston, 1948) and In a
Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray, 1950)
are central to the form. Television
(sitcoms, private eye and police
shows from the ’5os to the present
day), popular music (rock ‘n’ roll,[...]Paul Fargier’s Play it Again, Nam)
all suggest the centrality of Bogart
as a cultural myth in contemporary
life and countless media represen-
tations. How many of us are
familiar with Godard’s homage to
Bogart in A Bout de Souffle
(Breathless, 1959), with Jean-P[...]sing his mouth
with his fingers as he pronounces
the word “Bogey” in a trance-like
state in front of a movie still from
The Harder They Fall (Mark Robson,
1956)? “Bogey" is also the name
that the reclusive silent cinema
actress and author Louise Brooks
uses in her famous evocative remi-
niscences ofthe actor and other
figures ofthe goldern era of Holly-
wood.

Clearly, the posthumous
Bogey cult is a dynamic, complex
phenomenon rooted in the socio-
cultural fabric of everyday life,
particulany in the ’6os and early
70s, when cinema came of age
(so to speak) with the feverish
embrace of auteurism, the mush-
rooming offilm clubs and
screening societies on university[...]urpris-
ing about Sperber and Lax’s
substantial in-depth account of
Bogart’s art and career is that
despite its mas[...]nd chronological sweep ofthe
authors’ material, the book does
not become (as I read it) a dutiful
chore. In other words, unlike the
more bland ‘Moby Dick’ epic
biographies of movie actors or
directors, this book does not
disappoint in terms of readability.
It is eloquently written and quite
absorbing in its non-didactic
approach to its subject. The
authors do not focus on Bogart,
the movie celebrity as such, but
wisely instead treat Bogart as the
subject in the context of his own
cultural zeitgeist.

The Sperber and Lax biography
is a collaborative effort where the
authors did not meet for their
mutual goal. Ann Sperber, who
died in 1994, spent seven years
researching closely Bogar[...]s about
Bogart’s upper-class childhood
(despite the appearance that his
parents were remote, confiict-
ridden and alcoholic), his stage-
trained craftmanship in the ’3os
and '40s, running battles with Jack
Warner and the soulless working
environment ofthe ruthless studio
system, and his regrettable entan-
glement with the McCarthy
blacklist hysteria ofthe era. Sper-
ber became interested in Bogart as
a direct consequence of her
research for her 1986 The New York
Times bestseller Murrow: His Life
and Ti[...]to Bogart’s liberal views,

his stance against the 1947 House
Un-American Activities Committee,
and the FBI’s interest in him since
the ’3os. What intrigued Sperber,
amongst other thi[...]at odds
with his non-conformist views.

Eric Lax, the author of a 1991
bestselling biography ofWoody
Allen, took over the project after
Sperber’s death and fashioned the
material in two years to complete
the biography. The result is a fairly
definitive portrait ofthe act[...]prenticeship;
his struggles against poor scripts;
the rough-and-tumble ethics ofthe
Warner Bros. Studio[...]and innovative film
directors to work with; and the
lasting achievement ofcreating a
screen persona t[...]grity, but someone
who always sought to transcend
the roles he played in a career of
25 or so years.

Bogart was very astute at
exploi[...]a result ofa shrapnel
wound during his Navy stint in
World War I. Bogart was intellectu-
ally restless — his chess set was
always at hand for the breaks
between the scenes on a movie set
— morally upright, politi[...]more than any other
Warner Bros. contract player in the
’3os, as we are reminded by
Jerome Charyn in his entertaining
and witty, part memoir-part chro[...]me
dead-end kid like Leo Gorce. With
High Sierra, The Maltese Falcon
and Casablanca, Bogart, the movie
myth, started to take place. Charyn
pinpoints the turning point in Bog-
art’s career with High Sierra:
But the climate changed around
1941. Bogart’s face belonged to
the Forties. That monkey's grin
suddenly turned handsome. The
tight, corkscrew body took on a
sexual tone. It was an America of
shadows, about to enter a war.
And Bogart’s unconventional
looks, his nervous ways, felt right.
He appears in High Sierra, a killer
again, mad Dog Earle, but n[...]ll interests us. There’s no
James Cagney to get in the way.
He befriends a crippled girl. And
the Bogart who will enchant us is
about to be born.
H[...]has endured
till now. |t’s a face known around
the world: it represents, amongst
other things, the existential ambi-
guities and nervousness of urban
America as the site ofthe American
dream. lfwe compare Bogart as
photographed by George Hurrell in
1941 with Richard Avedon’s starkly
minimalist photograph of 1953, we
can clearly see the progressive
advance ofthe actor's illness, but,
equally significantly, Bogart the
person has emerged from the
“studio-bio” stylized look, in which
Hurrell’s focus was on Bogart, the
screen creation.

Sperber and Lax’s biography
i[...]ld (a significant dramatic and
cultural presence in Hollywood cin-
ema whose fine work tends to get

41

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (42)[...]nclothed emperor”, and at his

doesn’t is not the resultofsloppy I

proofreading, but ofmeticulous I SEEUND Enmml
research as evidenced in this thor-

ough study of Robert Wiene’s
masterwork. A man after our own

criticism of/ieservoir Dogs
(Quentin Tarantino, 1992) as an

M[...]BLISHERS, LoNDoN, 1997.883 PP., $35.00

HOLLYWOOD
THE NEW GENERATION

JAMEs CAMERON-WILSON, B.T. BATSFO[...]gly overrated” film. And
while Frank describes The Godfa-
ther (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
as a “triumph of hype over content
and execution" and Bonnie and[...]79 PP., £6.99

Ofconsiderable interest to fans
of B-features is the addition at the BLOOMSBURY Fll-M CLASSICS

end Ofthe book of 25 B‘gIade JOHN D. MAcDoNALD, Btoomssurzv
thrillers made in the heyday ofclh. PUBLISHING, LoNDDN, 1997, 182 PP., $16.95
ema when double bills were the

hearts, author David Robinson
dedicates many lines to the study
of the title itself.

co /2 [Zn cred

u

meretricious",[...]oked time and again), as

well as Bogart himself.
The biography sheds much

‘I’

light on Bogarrs formation as one slavishly follow critical fads.

of the key screen icons ofAmerican

cinema: it details h[...]ant relationship with Jack
Warner and his studio, the inner

workings of Hollywood, the many Originally published in New York,

relationships with directors like _ r1[...]s Ray, Michael Curtiz and S be complete without the inclusion srmau TEo. an PuaLIsNING,LoNDoN,1997,
Howard Hawks, amongst others, THE THRII-I-ER Fll-M GUIDE 0fBaby FGCE N€l$0r7 (Don[...]co-
stars, producers and writers. It
speaks also of Bogart’s increasing
self-critical professionali[...]97, 1620 PP.,$11I.95

LOCAL HEROES

A CELEBRATION OF SUCCESS
AND LEADERSHIP IN AUSTRALIA

ANN-MARIE MooDIE, PRENTICE HALL. SYDNEY,
1997, 3[...]BSLIIIE

genre since so many films embrace “We of Unexpected e”t‘3II3I“me”I 0rl8IrlallV PUb[...]ts and, finally, to contribute

from a multitude of genres. Accord-

ing to Alan Frank, author of Frank’s Althollgh b‘/ “O means del-'”I'
towards a civil society. The
authors, through Bogart’s own

words and actions, have located

500’ however. if a mm makes the tive, Frank's 500 is an interesting

pulse race a[...]UBLISHING,
LoNDoN, 1997. 2114 PP., $16.95

Bogart in the context ofhis own ® KAREN Hoizsrgy

psychology a[...]r Includes chapters written by Robyn

definition of ‘thriller’ to accept such
culture.

Nevin and[...]0NDDN,1997,21J8 PP., $19.95

NO STRINGS ATTACHED

THE INSIDE STORY OF
JIM HENSONIS CREATURE SHOP

MATT BAcoN, FOREWORD av ANTNoNv

unlikely inclusions as Robin and
the 7 Hoods (Gordon Douglas,

Booka Receive?

one key[...]IEN RESURRECTION 19294939

A.C. CRISPIN, BASED oN THE SCREENPLAY av

Joss WHEDON, WARNER BOOKS, LoNDoN, I
1997, 276 m>., $12.95 I

I

I

1964) — the so-called rat-pack’s

. . _ T
in the '60s. His anti—hero tough-guy IaSI Comm flmg OI he Bodyguard

persona of laconic solitude and IMICkIaCkS0II’ 1993- WIIIC[...]lity can be Seen not only as a more likely to put the pulse into a

result ofthe cinematic and literary[...]SHAFER, ROUTLEDGE, LONDON AND
hard-boiled origins of his screen

500 proves an interesting, easy-to-
N[...]A-2 guide which spans thriller
film history from the gangster
movies ofthe 19305 to the contem-

persona; significantly, his iconic
appeal has much to do with the
ascendancy of popular existential-
ism in American, English and

BRITISH CINEMAS A CENTURY OF FILM IN NEW

BY THE ACTORS AND FILMMAKERS I
WHO MADE IT ZEIIINII

BRI[...]128 PP.,
$614.95

OUINLANIS ILLUSTRATED
DIRECTORY OF FILM
CHARACTER ACTORS

DAVID QDINLAN, B.T. BATsro[...]t, full credits, and seg-

French popular culture In the 505. GEOFFREY B. CHURCHMAN, EDITOR IN CHIEF,

IPL BOOKS, WELLINGTON NEw ZEALAND, 1997,[...]iven us a

worthwhile‘ splendid biography ments offilm reviews drawn from a

that does have fresh and signifi-

variety of sources contemporary to

each film’s respectiv[...]n Frank, whose PAUL Hmnono, an Puatrsums, LoNDoN, THE MAKING OF HIS MOVIES
1997, 76 I=I=., £6.99 I

LIAVVENTURA[...]hings to say about their
subject. They have taken the reso-

nant raw material of Bogart's art

and life and fashioned it into a I0[...]onal, and he makes no excuses for

this, claiming in the introduction
that “not all the blood in these

Bogart is not a hagiography,

IIOI a spIee[...]it is a book that contains much pages belongs to the films — some

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
ofit is the result ofmy unfortunate I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I

First published in hardback 1985,
new edition 1995. This is its first
paperback edition.

THE ROAD MOVIE BOOK

EDITED av STEVEN Comm AND INA RA[...]PP.. 5 34.95

valuable information about Bogart,
the production histories ofhis
movies, the sociocultural climate
ofthe '40s and ’5os, and[...]an PuaLIsIIING, LoNDoN, . AN lMpARTlAl_ Sump T0

THE FILMS OF ELVIS

ERIC BRAUN, B.T. BATSFORD LTD, LoNDoN,
199[...]tino who believe him to 1997» 79 PP» “-99

be the star auteur ofthe late 20th
century may ba[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (43)‘an 8 inperformance

momentum the actors are building and
can create an intellectual rather than
instinctive environment.

The scene may be simply being
read or moved, or you m[...]When “And
Again” is sidecoached by yourself, the
character who has just spoken repeats
their line.[...]eir point home harder— it
doesn’t matter how. The focus is to
make clear the meaning ofthe line.

You may sidecoach “And Again"
two, three or four times until you feel
satisfied the moment is clear and
effective. |f“And Again” is not called
again the scene continues. Each actor
can also sidecoach each other from
within the scene. They allow the char-
acter to ask “And Again" from that
charac[...]ofview.

This easy yet effective technique
allows the scene to keep rolling, and
allows the moments ofsignificance —
the turning points, the release ofvital
information, the moments of crisis, the
moments of revelation — to have their
full weight and charge. Thus, you can
direct the scene toward the territory it
needs to exist in with a simple phrase.
When “And Again” is said, the person
with the previous line knows instantly
the scene requires more at that
moment. So they confr[...]trigue more, defy
more, evade more. They can keep in
the action and remain as the character
whilst the exercise charges the scene
around them.

in terms of our four essential ele-
ments to a scene, it helps to activate
each one. When “And Again” is said,
the actors are able to re-hear what was
just said, to re-digest the information,
and reconnect to the process of com-
munication. The exercise also allows
actors the luxury — which they never
get — to reclaim their line and its
importance or relevance; time to allow
the moment’s significance to really
‘drop-in’ on a deeper level, thus rais-
ing the stakes. in terms of reacting,
once someone has said, “You're
fired!” three or four times in your face,
with the relish gaining more bite each
time, I defy any ac[...]find themselves
totally involved and motivated. In
terms of revealing meaning, through
your choice as directo[...]NEMA PAPERS - MARCH 1998

punch, you are allowing the actors to
connect — whilst they are still in the
scene — to the essence ofthe scene,
thereby fulfilling its func[...]e and up to speed.

Hints: You may need to remind the
actors not to mistake volume for inten-
tion. The[...]ggressive.

You may also need to keep your
eye on the actor, saying “And Again”
from within the scene and make sure
they are saying it from the character's
mouth, not the actor’s. In other words,
using our “You‘re fired!" scenario, the
character on the receiving end may say
“And Again” three or so[...]lity
increases; they rise slowly from their
chair in shock at what has just
occurred, their eyes narrow and fix
hard on the person behind the desk
with all the power.

You may after three or four or five
“And Again”s still not get what you feel
the moment requires. Fine. This means
you may have to stop briefly and alter
the choice the actor is making, as the
scene is not heading where it needs to
go. For example, staying with our sce-
nario above, the relish which became
amplified over the four repeats of
“You’re fired!” may not serve the story.
So you stop, consult with the actors
and remind them of the cost to them-
selves offiring a close colleague and
friend. Therefore, when you restart the
scene, over the four repeats ofthat
moment, not the relish but the pain
now begins to be amplified during the
line, the regret and the human cost.
The scene now has a new trajectory
because ofthis altered choice.

When used by the actors, the “And
Again”s should feel every much a part
ofthe scene as the dialogue itself. in
fact, it becomes extra dialogue. Beware
actors us[...]actually objectifying themselves and
slowing down the momentum and
drive the scene requires. Each charac-
ter is demanding clarification ofthe
moment, not the actor.

Use “And Again" whenever you
need to in[...]precise commu-
nication through giving each actor the
chance to settle, orientate themselves
and focus on the task at hand. ®

in the next issue, we will explore fur-
ther sidecoaching techniques that
push the boundaries ofThe campaign was successful in
achieving what it set out to do: that is,
maintain the status quo regarding fed-
eral funding for screen culture. Equally
important, the campaign has, in receiv-
ing a supportive response from the
Minister, established a positive rela-
tionship for ongoing discussion and
communication.

The lesson learnt from the Gonski
campaign was that nobody can speak
for scr[...]n
ourselves; and that we must not place
ourselves in a position again where
our contribution to a heal[...]on industry can be
overlooked or underestimated.

The next challenge facing the
screen culture sector is how to build
on the lessons learned in the cam-
paign, and how to ensure that screen
culture continues as a major force
within the film and television industry.

The Australian Screen Culture Indus-
try Association (ASCIA) was born as a
result. ASClA formalizes the national
coalition ofscreen culture organizations
which lobbied in the wake ofthe Gonski
Report release. It has three ke[...]vide unique
opportunities for Australians to
work in film, television and multi-
media; and

0 Screen[...]esourced so that it can contribute
effectively to the broader Australian
screen industries.

Full ASCIA[...]ions. Organizations and individuals
which support the aims and objectives
of ASCIA are eligible for associate mem-
bership. AS[...]cki Sowry, Director, Media Resource
Centre, South Australia; Simon
Ambrose, Executive Director, Film &
Televi[...]author,
Chief Executive, AFI, and Interim Chair.

The production industry and screen
culture are inextricably linked. The
connection between the success ofthe
production industry and the services
delivered by screen culture organiza-
ti[...]igorously by ASCIA. ®

—.-.1 17 documentaries

The Conference seemed to offer the
possibility of a new maturity for the
documentary industry. It addressed in
a mature way an increasing concern
with more flexible and more appropri-
ate methods of support and market
assistance, and a widening of horizons
to include a diverse range ofpossible
outlets and future venues and distribu-
tion channels for the completed
product. The comprehensive screening
programme offered an oppo[...]epresentation.

Notable guests functioning within
the fabric of the Conference, and
appearing on a multitude of panels
both as chair and panel members,
included:[...]nt for Michael Rabiger
who was unable to attend.

The range of women filmmakers
included: British BAFTA Award-w[...]Trish Fitzsi-
mon; Mitzi Goldman; Fiona Cochrane;
recent ‘racer’ Olivia Rousset; and an
extraordinary[...]h as Jeni Thornley.

There is a refreshing return in many
debates to analysis ofthe development
ofthe[...]as a “metaphor for observed reality”.

While the Documentary Conference
in itselfdidn’t explore majorthemes in
terms ofdocumentary expression,
there was enough diversity in both the
programme and the opinions offered
to satisfy teams of academic
researchers. Recreational possibilities
included the opening evening presen-
tations, Conference dinner, and night
celebrations of indigenous culture
underthe Story Bridge at Kanga[...]ngs ofwork provided by major
distributors such as the Discovery
Channel, and preview screenings of
two timely new films by David Brad-
bury[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (44)44

in 15 inperspective
to watch on the monitor and see how
it works.

The relationship started six years
ago when Von Trier[...]ing with Von Trier. “Maybe I
have a lighterview of life. Maybe I
have more optimism. We create a kind
of synergy.”

I remember an interview recorded
with Ingmar Bergman recently, where
he said that in Denmark the filmmak-
ers seem to talk to each other and
co-operate more, while in Sweden
each is working on his or her own,
more isolated from each other. Morten
Arnfred felt the greater competition
when he shot his latest film in Stock-
holm. There, once you’ve directed a
feat[...]mall country and we
know each other”, he says. (The role
offirstA.D. in Denmark, it should be
noted, often involves more creative
input than is generally the case in
Australia.)

With Kingdom II, the popular series
returns bolder and more outrageous
than before in testing the audience’s
willingness to join in this trip into the
supernatural, this rollercoaster ride in
the bowels of Copenhagen’s largest
public hospital, Riget (“Kingdom”).
Where the first four-part series built up
its suspense gra[...]and visual hints ofsupernatural
goings-on, ghosts in lift-wells and hor-
rible secrets that must out,[...]grows into a deformed monstrosity, an
embodiment of both good and evil,
who chooses its own fate.

Th[...]Moesgaard’s brush with alternative
psychiatry; the staff betting on hospi-
tal racers; and Moesgaard[...]his medical exam.

And running through it all are the
themes ofgood and evil, the cause of
evil (ifl see evil, is it due to my eyes or
to glasses I wear?), how to recognize
it, the uncertainty ofthese distinc-
tions, the beauty of that very
uncertainty of whether something is
evil, and what to do about it. The two
dishwashers in the basement again
function beautifully as a chorus com-
menting on the goings-on above — the
silliness that is maybe the evil. When a
plate breaks, it is liberated from the
eternal rounds ofbeing dirtied and
washed.

There are some hilarious parallels
as the group-therapy session is inter-
cut with the childish therapeutic
games ofthe hospital consultants in
the Masonic lodge. And our hypochon-
driac, Mrs Drusse, whom we thought
was leaving the hospital in the first
episode, is now back with good reason
and back with a mission to save the
“Kingdom”. She grows stronger and
more central — a detective in touch
with the spirits, who lets nothing stop
her get to the bottom ofthings.

Ernt-Hugo Jaregard (Helmer), who
was memorable as the train conductor
in Von Trier’s Europa (aka Zentropa), is
as good as ever as the Denmark—hating
Swedish doctor. The actor had worried
to Von Trierthat the Danish audience
would hate him, but the director
assured him that, on the contrary, they
would love him, and they did. Here, he
no longer stands on the roof gazing
across to the coast of Sweden, but
instead vents his venom into the toilet
bowl as he ponders his own health.
lnter-Scandinavian rivalry is always a
good source ofjokes.

The series is not without its lyrical
and human moments: Judith’s mater-
nal love for her monstrous child; the
child—like bumbling and tender-
hearted Bulder’s love of his mother,
Drusse. Where Helmer’s gentler side
was allowed to come out more in the
relationship with Rigmor (Gitte Norby)
in the first series, here it takes a differ-
ent turn as the badger-dissecting
Rigmor finally feels she’s h[...]an audience willingto suspend disbe-
liefand join in the ride.

Both Arnfred and Windeliav agree
that Lars Von Trier’s approach to the
actors is much more confident now
than in his early films. “He is a great
manipulator", says Vibeke. “He is vew
aware of what he is doing." She goes
on to recall an incident on the set of

Breaking the Waves when she knew
that Emily Watson was very ne[...]as woman-to-
woman told her how good she was.
The next morning Lars came to talk.l
know when he hat[...]re and l don’t want her to know she
is good”, the director told her. And he
was right, adds the producer with a
smile.

in the beginning of Breaking the
Waves, they never did any rehearsals
on set. The French camera operator,
with a 1,ooo-foot mag on[...]and-held, was told he had to
find a way to cover the actors. Then
they realized he didn’t understand
what Von Trier was saying. At one
point, he wanted the Frenchman off,
because, “He’s too good. I wan[...]Von Trier.

Normally, says Arnfred, we never
told the actors what to do, but shot
scenes all the way through in one take
— often 6-7 pages of script. Breaking
had an 11-week shoot preceded by one
week oftalking it over with the actors.
Sometimes they would do 4-5 takes of
an entire scene, but were always told
to do it di[...]Denmark’s Radio TV studios dur-
ingthe filming of Kingdom /I to get a
rare video interview with Von Trier for
a promo for the series on Japanese
television channel WOWOW— th[...]dis-
tracted by promotion, but can
concentrate on the creative work. To
this filmmaker trying to fill the eco-
nomic gaps, he was both pleasant and
forthcoming. Windeliav, for one, is
quite happy to continue the working
relationship on his next feature, a
musical, and on Kingdom I//.

The one Von Trier film neitherArn-
fred nor Windelav[...]ll his Christmas film,
which he shoots 3 minutes of each
year with the same actors, to be
released in the year 2024.

As for the real world of hospitals,
Von Trier assured me that reality is
much worse than anything he has con-
jured up in Kingdom. ®

1 Ed: reviewed in “Postcard from Val-
ladolid”, no. 114. Februa[...]24 Loud
For their subjects, McCuaig found

a gang of boastful boys on the beach
and attended a Booze-cruise on the
canal, where they found a group of
girls.

There’s a ‘vulture culture’ ofolder men

who prey on the Schoolies, particularly

the younger girls, and, in one case, we
represented a boy who was raped on

Schoolies' Week.

The idea of the documentary
was not to be too preachy”, says
McCuaig, and she left it to the
viewer to decide. This writer was
struck by how t[...]own decisions,
but that they don’t always make the
right ones and they definitely aren’t
always adult enough to cope with
the consequences.

One of the girls Who attended
10 years’ ago now has a child of her
own. She says she couldn’t stop her
daughte[...]but that she’d want her to be aware.
McCuaig:

In the editing, l’ve watched these guys

so many times[...]e my little brothers.
lfl was to run into them on the street,

I couldn’t stop myself hugging them.
M[...]h it all with them.

Advice to young filmmakers: The

longer you can stay out of corporate-

culture, the fresher your ideas. |t’s
been great to be able[...]o. It
takes so long waiting to be heard

that, by the time you do get your

airing, it’s usually too late and you’ve

lost your energy. The Loud Festival
was a terrific initiative.

Getting film funding in Australia

is a lot like winning the lottery.

It’s getting even tougher if you have
any form of film education. The
ABC made a point of disqualifying
those who knew how to handle a
came[...]e films before
(yet chose two people well outside
the Loud age requirements).

While the next lot of ‘Around
the World Racers’ were being
trained-up from scratch at the
AFTRS over Christmas, I’d like to
ask what the ABC is offering to film
students who have just sp[...]tting them-
selves through film school. Where
are the programming Windows

and the commissions for these
filmmakers? ®

CINE[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (45)ii 30 Winterbottom

in Sarajevo who saw about 4oo children.
We then saw maybe 100.

Essentially, I didn’t want the girl in
the film to be special. The whole point
is that all the children in the orphanage
are as special as each other. We didn't
want it to be that traditional thing of
their eyes [Henderson's and Emira’sj
meeting across the room, ofa special
bond between two people which i[...]ema

How CAN You EXPLAIN THAT BRITISH

CINEMA wAs IN SUCH A CRISIS TEN YEARS

AGO, BUT Is NOW REALLY T[...]risis. then things inevitably have to
get better. The British Labor Party’s
election song had a line about “Things
can only get better" — the same for the
British film industry. Even as recently
as four y[...]now has a big London
base and is making films for the whole
ofthe world. It is not specifically a
British company, but it has a big input
in Britain.

Then there are companies like Mira-
max. in some ways, the way Americans
perceive the international marketing of
films is working now. It favours Britain
in that it has a European aspect to it,
but it is also English-language.

in the past, that has always squeezed
Britain because it[...]films are
just seen as films and are distributed
in the same way around the world. The
structure has changed and that has
helped Britain.

The whole television thing has also
changed. People like Ken Loach and
Mike Leigh made a lot of stuff fortele-
vision, and in some ways that has
disappeared in Britain because of
Channel 4’s success with films, which
are financed by television but made for
the cinema.

WHICH Is WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOUR
Go No[...]INEMA PAPERS - MARCH 1998

vison. It was made for the BBC and
then shown at various festivals and got
bought [for cinema release]. But in the
UK it was just television.

Future Projects

WHAT IS YOUR NEXT PROJECT?
I Want You, a love story set in Hast-
ings, which is a small seaside town. It
is an obsessive love story and is a kind
of going—back towards the Butterfly
Kiss area though a slightly more
grown[...]YOU CHOSEN SLAWOMIR

IDZIAK To SHOOT IT?
Because of his work on Three Colours:
Blue and The Double Life of Veronique
[Krysztof Kieslowski]. They are fantas-[...]Want You is a love story, but it is
seen through the eyes ofa boy. I
wanted an outside view of England.

Slawomir has a real involvement in
every aspect offilmmaking. I hope it is
going to work out really[...]knows. Also Labina
Mitevska, who has a small part in
Sarajevo.

WHAT ARE YOUR CINEMATIC INFLUENCES?
I come from the north of England, so
I particularly liked the films by Lindsay
Anderson, Ken Loach and Karel Re[...]eally like Wenders and
Fassbinder and a whole lot of stuff
I watched as a teenager.

NOT HoLLYwooo?
Obviously some great films have been
made in Hollywood. I love Scorsese’s
films, but his fi[...]ood
films.

Is I WANT You AN EXPENSIVE FILM?
No. The irony is that big-budget films
have even more limitations than low-
budget films. This has a budget of
about £3 million. We will have far
fewer limitat[...]t to do. As long as you
have enough money to make the film,
then the less money the better. ®

‘ Epstein was one of two journalists who
recorded this interview with Winterbot-
tom in Cannes, May 1997.

It Ei

_I\\4

45

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (46)To see Media 100 xr in action. can Ad_:i:m_ex today 0 02 9332 4444 or co[...]Media 100, Co|orFX & MotionFX are trademarks of Media 100 inc. All bther products are trad[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (47)The making of Space Jam and

technicalities

putting the film-

making “assembly line" into transactional space

by Annmarie Chandler

his article looks at the
impacts of new elec-
tronic networks within
the film industry by
examiningtheir appli-
cation in the production ofanimated
films. It analyses their effects on
issues such as facility location,
changes to the traditional filmmaking
process and benefits to[...]roductions. It proposes that changes
taking place in the filmmaking process
in the ’9os are linked to more general
changes in the digital “information
society” itself, where the entertain-
ment industries have a key role to
pla[...]otely-located
workers will take a higher profile in
future work practices.

The research team found that lead-
ing network applications in filmmaking
are occurring in advanced industrial
countries, and predominantly the USA
and UK, where the major western film
industry sectors are located.[...]ely to be adopted for
international collaboration in the near
future. For this particular study inter-
views were conducted with Warner
Bros., LA, and the post-production
company Cinesite which has branches
both in LA and the UK.

Transactional Space and Film
Production

Australian academic Peter White
argues that the creation and control
oftransactional spaces is positioned
to become “the strategic resource
battleground for control of media and
communication systems” and also
propo[...]ted to this changing
media environment as much as the
development ofinteractive and multi-
media conten[...]pen when transac-

tions that could have occurred in physi-
cal, purpose-built environments are
perfor[...]tronic networks.
Much as we take this for granted in
applications such as electronic banking
or email, there are a broad number of
factors now contributing to their adop-
tion within the media industries to
carry out the work of media production
that would have previously been per-
formed in distinct and centralized
geographic locations. These applica-
tions include the use ofvideo
conferencing, voicemail, email for da[...]onic libraries for stock footage.
Until recently, the film industry

production model for pre-production
through to post-production followed
for the past 60 years a tried-and-true
path or “assembly line”. For example,
the lecture that producer David O.
Selznick gave to Columbia University’s
Film Study Group on the film produc-

tion process in 19372 would have been
relevant up until the application of
computers to post areas in the late
1980s, when the impact of new digital
processes (non-linear editing) began[...]her
Dean Cundey captures this culture
shock aptly in a statement he uses
regularly, “in the old days — about a
year ago”, referring to some of the
adjustments to digital processes that
filmmaking[...]erstandable therefore that
this industry’s view of its organiza-
tional structures and work practice[...]ected by major
changes and developments occurring
in the broader information and busi-
ness sectors via the development of
new digital technologies and commu-

47

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (48)[...]48

nication practices. This is however no
longer the case, and developments in
these areas are being applied to pro-
duction to create changes in the way
organizations perform production
tasks, work[...]orm produc-
tion teams.

Space /am and Changes to the
Traditional Animation Process
Space /am (Joe Pytka, 1996) is the
largest animation and visual effects
film to be made in recent histon/. Its
primary technique, that ofcombining[...]age, is not new and has been
happening since 1909 in films which
utilize various film technologies to
achieve a combination of live action
and cartoons. Acclaimed feature-
leng[...]their major compositional
device include Dot and the Kangaroo
(Yoram Gross, 1979) and Who Framed
Roger[...]am, however, took this

process much further, and the opening
ofthe film itself illustrates the com-
plexity of the combination of many
different media. The film commences
on Michaeliordan and

pans up leaving the standard live
action World behind for a miniature
rooftop [...] the camera moves

higher to a computer created sky
and the Nerdluck’s planet repre-
sented as a 3D world [...] the
representational camera movement
then passes into a giant curved
mouth and ends on a scene of
classic cartoon 2D animation.‘
These visual features become the
major elements ofthe entire film
which is a weav[...]age,
computer-graphics environments
(most notably the basketball stadi-
ums) and 2D cartoon characters.
Wendy Aylsworth, Vice President of
Technology and Facilities for Warner
Bros. Feature Animation, provides the
most simple and comprehensible
description of this complex process.
All the different live and composited
elements were “shot to film, then the
pieces offilm were combined” to cre-
ate the final integrated screen image.
The “combination” work was done
entirely with com[...]to film.
Aylsworth comments that what is

called the “backend” of production or
the post-production phase is becom-
ing more tight and more compressed.
In the case of5pace/am, there were
strict marketing deadlines im[...]sense ofa compressed timeframe is
being caused by the increases in the
amount and scope of work generated
by the number of new visual elements
selected for a film. These elements
increase the details and choices
requiring quality monitoring and
approvals. Obviously, it would not be
commercially wise to[...]al processing and deci-
sion-making, and new ways of working
with time and space factors need to be
found to both maximize creative input
and minimize the restrictions ofsched-
uled events.

Because ofthe[...]tion process and
their short production schedule, the
Warner Bros. Space jam production
recruited a group of internationally-
located animation studios to produce
the work. Utilizing new electronic net-

works into its schedule, the film went
from conception to finished product in
one-third ofthe time for a normal ani-
mated feature filmfi The key facilities
were the Warner Bros. feature anima-
tion facility in Sherman Oaks, L.A.,
which specialized in the 2D characters,
and Cinesite, a digital-imaging and
post-production company which has
facilities in both London and Holly-
wood, and is well-known for its major
visual effects role in films such as
Waterworld (Kevin Reynolds, 1995),[...]ossible (Brian de Palma,
1996). Cinesite provided the creative
and production talent to perform the
full spectrum ofservices, from design
and special[...]age creation, animation and final
compositingfi In this film, many of the
3D animation specialists for the wire-
frame drawings were working from the
UK end ofthe company. The work was
split by scene. The London crew cre-
ated, animated and rendered the
practice gym scenes, while the Holly-
wood crew did the same for the rest
ofthe 3D imagery and did all the com-
positing of live action, 3D animation
and 2D animation[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (49)[...]égjiniparttahée éf:qr;a;l:b 21

o

7?.

in-uouatieud 656!‘ [W41 «:1 ‘Q[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (50)50

technicalities

It is worth looking in some detail
here at the complexity ofthe visual
work on Space/am to understand the
challenges now being faced by digital
feature-film animators and the enor-
mous achievements performed by this
film.[...]nematographer, under a direc-
tor’s guidance on the set while filming,
had to be simulated by comput[...]istic performance and visual
style.

For example, in the construction of
the film it was important to see Jor-
dan’s spontaneity as a basketballer;
however, as an actor in the film, he
was playing his games with animated
characters on the screen. To allow him
to perform freely as he would in a real
stadium, Jordan played basketball in a
green gym with a group ofgreen peo-
ple, the “Groundlings”. The
Groundlings are an improvisational
comedy group in Los Angeles. They
were recruited as stand-ins for the car-
toon characters. Thus the Groundlings
represented various cartoon charac-
ters from Bugs Bunny to the Monstars.
They were dressed in green so that

they could be easily matted out ofthe
scene with chroma-keying techniques.
The green scenes oflordan and the
Groundlings were digitized and all the
green then removed, taking everything
out ofthe footage except Jordan, the
basketball, the hoop and the back-
board, leaving him looking like he was
playing basketball against invisible
people in a black limbo.

Red tennis balls, spread uniformly
around the room on a grid, were used
aposteriorito compute the camera
position at each frame. This allowed
the DOP to use a handheld camera,
giving a more natural aspect to the
scenes. The camera track data was
“applied” as input to the animation
package. The camera position was
then used to position cartoon charac-
ters in the scene, and as input to the
3D animation system so that the com-
puter—generated backgrounds were
rendered with the same camera
moves. The 2D animators used the
resulting photo-rotos as guides for
their animation. The photo-rotos
helped them getthe perspective
correct and position the animated
characters within the frame and in
relation to the live action characters,

'1‘ . I
E. _/3 A

floor, etc. The ball is real when Michael
Jordan is touching it, but had to be put
into animated form when the cartoon
characters were touching it. When
little mistakes occurred in the footage,
like a green character accidentally
passing in front oflordan, and there-
fore removing parts of his body during
the digital work of removing the green,
they were filled over with animated
cutaw[...]lvester” chasing
“Tweety Bird”, thus hiding the loss of
his body to the sequence.7
Other numerous digital effects

were required in the animation and
compositing work to simulate the
“look” ofa real cinecamera filming the
scenes and to reproduce the live
action “feel”. These included simulat-
ing shadings in the drawings for “key"
and “fill” lights on the characters and
stadium animations by compiling
nu[...]ng
camera effects such as motion blur on
movement in the scenes. The effects
also included complex rendering of
lens “perspectives” in the drawings to
provide cinecamera views of object
“distortion” for movements such as
pans and dynamic movement in the
game itself.

Network Collaboration

and Work Practices

In the making of Space /am, the talent
was spread fairly evenly between both
locations of Cinesite in the UK and LA;
however, the largest share ofthe work
was done in Hollywood. The London
crew created and animated the prac-
tice gym. The shots were then
composited in Hollywood.

Cinesite used a 3-tier network sys-
t[...]—company work and
work with Warner Bros. during the
making of the film. A basic lSDN sys-
tem was used to transfer 3D wire files
and the occasional image and texture
maps between animators in the UK and
the USA. An ISDN 30 system connected
to a video-confe[...]ny for
scheduling negotiations and for cre-
ative approvals ofthe animation
sequences (playouts ofthe animation
sequences) where directors and pro-
ducers could talk to the animators.

Most of the network collaboration
on the 3D animation sequences
between the trans-Atlantic bases ofthe
company was done on the ISDN dial-up
connection with two 64kb chan[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (51)[...]ll lllms , ,
documentaries on experimental time.

The fund is administered by the New South Wales Film & Television Office.

between the ages of 18and 35 years who arellsw I‘flSlllEl|lS

vThe[...]llll llflllfllll I0 N3Wand
be entirely produced in NSW using NSW based service providers

-Each project's principal photography must begin within six months of approval’
‘There is "0 l'35tl'lFm"l on the format [film or tape]. subject matter or type of tilml

°The melximum grant will be in the range of 3Z0i"0ll'325ill0lli but the a5l5955m9“l
committee may recommend a larger gragnt tora proposal of exceptional merit

°The closing date for the next round is?” March 1993

Guidelines and applicatiors tor the Young Filmmakers Fund

New Soirtli Wales Film & T[...]I' Ivnm ,m.a..nx.;.;;r..i;:I..e'_’-U‘_ .r

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE
45TH SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL

5-19 JUNE 1998

Dendy Award For the Best Film or Video in the
DOCUMENTARY category: 2500

Dendy Award For the Best Film in the
FICTION category (under 15 mins): $2,500

:&'”""*-E
0 .V _ _ ]I;DI<eCr:1r§i‘yCAI3/acrgdtefor the Best Film in thethe Best Film in the
GENERAL category: $2,500
The Ethnic Affairs Commission Award: $2,500
The Yoram Gross Animation Award: ii 7 $2,500

The NSW Film and Television Office
Rouben Mamoulian A[...]W 2037. Tel: (02) 9660 3844. Fax: (02) 9692 8793.
of visual effects and digital media. Email: infO@sYd[...].au

Call (07) 3291 3300 for details or check out the web site: wvvw.siliconstudio.com.au C Los[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (52)52

technicalities

The primary transfers were proxies and
short video re[...]t ofthis work was transferred
asynchronously (not in real face-to-
face time). Occasionally, the render
files were sent from London to Holly-
woo[...]hen there was
enough computer processing capacity
in Hollywood. All ofthe 2D cell anima-
tion (backgrounds, characters, etc.)
were sent from the animation facility
in Sherman Oaks to Cinesite L.A.

There is a strong possibility of
increases to workloads provided by the
increased flexibility of choices directors
and effects producers have thro[...]mes possible
to do a shot, say, 6 different times in
the same amount oftime it would take
to courier a video copy of the one-shot
version. This increase in creative collab-
orations, however, has the benefit of
improving the shot and, hence, the final
film product.

To maximize design decisions
about the composition of shots,
Cinesite and Warner Bros. produced
what are termed “hero shots” for each
scene as the first stage of approvals.
The hero shot means that the director,
special effects supervisor, art directors
and chief compositor choose a specific
shot in each scene to define the look
ofthe scene. It is usual that all the col-
laborations for these purposes would
take place in Hollywood “face to face”,
where the primary creative people and
decision makers on the film are
located. The shot was then put onto
film using the Cineon film recorder9
for the producer’s approval. Once the
hero shot was established, the larger
production teams took its chief ele-
ments to design all the other shots
in a particular sequence to build the
scene. The “hero shot” technique is
not unique to Space Jam or digital
post-production, and was used in the
days of optical visual effects as well.
lt’s basically a benchmark against
which other shots within the scene can
be compared. The advantage in the
digital process is that many ofthe
parameters that give the shot its look
can easily be copied and applied to
other shots. In the Cineon compositing
application, these parameters are con-
tained in a file that can be transmitted
(even by email) to other artists work-
ing on the show and used as the
starting point for other shots.

Cinesite also used a combination of
email on the Intranet with ISDN trans-
missions of visuals for work between
the distributed offices. A typical visual
interaction would be for the person
doing wireframe drawings at one end
ofthe network to transmit sketches to
the graphics modeller at the other,
who can then see what's required. The
company could foresee this becoming
a form of “video mail" in the future.
Conventional email was used fre-
quently by the whole team to report
messages on progress, rather than
waiting or having to be in the same
place and time that the message
arrives. The asynchronous nature of
this form of communication often
suited very busy production t[...]and respond to their
messages when they had time in the
day, not miss important communica-
tions, but also deal with them in
appropriate spaces in the working day
without being interrupted on more
important tasks.

Having the high-speed connection
in place also facilitated new work prac-
tices and collaboration in the animation
process. At the outset, it was assumed
that all transmission of elements would
be from Warner Bros. in Sherman
Oaks to Cinesite in Hollywood. When
the animation elements were transmit-
ted, however, o[...]found that some-
times something didn't work with the
live action or 3D animation. A system
was therefore set up where some of
the key Cinesite people went to the
Warner Bros. site to make sure the
visual elements were working together:

carried into the actual compositing
tasks. Doing the pre-composite work
at the client's facility with a few
selected staff allowed them to work
more easily and faster over the lines
later, and improved on the conven-
tional methods of tape exchange.

It also improved the turnaround time
on later approvals.

It takes careful and skilled produc-
tion management of these systems
and the project to separate what sort
of communications need to occur
directly between people, and what
ones can occur remotely. This is one of
the major challenges in managing new
forms of asynchronous communica-
tion, which is being learnt by the early
adopters ofthe systems who will have
an edge in their application. It is the
view of most people in the film indus-
try that many creative decisions sti[...]ough face-to-face
discussions and problem-solving in a
screening room. For example, it is very
diffic[...]t if you are
not there to discuss it and point at the
material. There may be no “right or
wrong” answer in coming to a creative
decision where there are a variety of
viewpoints and expertise to be consid-
ered, and people need to feel the
confidence ofthe “presence” ofthe
major stakeholders and creators in
coming to a decision about what works
or what doesn't on the big screen.

At the same time, a lot of produc-
tion communication and detail can be
mana[...]nd video con-
ferencing for less crucial elements of
the production workflows. The art in

[A] lot of production communication and detail can
be manage[...]and video conferencing
for less crucial elements of the production work-
flows. The art in production management will be the
ability to understand and select the communication
channel or combination of systems which best suit
the task. the project and the production company's

productivity.

i.e., that the camera angles were the
same for all the shots and that the
lighting, colours and positioning were
working. This necessitated the trans-
mission of live-action elements (usually
lower-resolution pr[...]voided having them

production management will be the
ability to understand and select the
communication channel or combina-
tion ofsystems which best suit the
task, the project and the production
company's productivity.

The work Cinesite completed in Lon-
don on the Space jam project was able
to be achieved with a number ofother
projects happening at the same time.

Video Conferencing

Cinesite used the[...]inter-company com-
munications between their two offices
in the UK and USA, and with their
clients. They regularly used the system
for senior staff meetings so that the
London and Hollywood people could
meet and their[...].
They see strong advantages to co m-
pany morale in this practice, creating
an environment where peop[...]are all part ofthe same team even
though they are in different countries.

During the making of$pace /am,
they had a weekly conference call
between the director and people in
London. The system has two channels
so that a video can also be played and
sent at either end. The video signal
has compression in it, but they haven't
found that a problem for mos[...]ution is
required, then they send a tape over,
or the film itself is used in conven-
tional couriered communications.
They use[...]is is no longer
necessary for every transaction.

In conventional work practices, it is
also usual for the effects supervisor to
be on the client's site at all times and
sit in the projection theatre for
approval ofeach final shot composi-
tion. However, the new systems mean
that work can be approved earlier on
in the shot so that the work produced
near to completion ofa sequence wil[...]sult and will
require less alterations and final
approvals. People “still have to fly
occasionally, becaus[...]ni-
cate more freq uently”‘°.

These factors of increased “inti-
macy” amongst remotely-locat[...]al-
networked communications were also
confirmed in our earlier research on
the Videofax and its application within
the Australian advertising industries“,
where the systems were being used to
minimize the need for international
travel for creative decisi[...]A shared view by most people inter-
viewed about the new systems is that
management and leading creati[...]always need to travel for
some interactions, but the systems
will mean less travel for post-pro[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (53)1

OUANTEL

The powerful Henry V8 offers simultaneous working
with eight independently editable superlayers.

The flexible Henry V6 is the six superlayer effects
workhorse. The affordable Henry V4, with four

superlayers, give[...]V4 and V6 can be upgraded, keeping
performance at the leading edge to maintain return
on investment. And now the stunning new OPS
up—res system adds a new dimension to Henry,
opening up the lucrative cinema commercials
business to Henry ow[...]slating Henry
output into breathtaking results on the cinema screen.

Henry

0 4,6 and 8 indepen[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (54)[...]e-to-face interaction fortheir
work. Cinesite saw the systems as
assisting its staffto work in more effi—
cient ways and minimizing time spen[...]se positioned
where they are happiest, regardless of
where the work is coming from. There
are human factors to consider here,
such as the workforce generally get-
ting more mature about f[...]and more resistant to being split
because ofwork. The new electronic
networks can also accelerate higher
turnaround of projects in remotely-
located companies or branches
because “there’s no way you could
move people around the world at this
rate”. The systems have allowed the
company to do a lot ofAmerican films
in their London facilities where the
capabilities ofthe London personnel
can add value.

Are the systems changing the
film industry?
It is easy to view new technologies
themselves as the agents of change
and that their invention is therefore
instrumental to large social and eco-
nomic changes in the way industries
work. This view oftechnological de[...]been challenged for some
time, however, and more recent theo-
ries see an inter—relationship between
both economic and technological
developments in the evolution ofthe
information/entertainment sectors.

Many ofthe conditions and factors
giving rise to the need for new commu-
nication technologies can be found
within recent developments in the film
industry itself:

0 the desire for increased output or
turnaround on projects;

0 increases in the speed and flexibil-
ity of programme design
(encouraged with the adoption of
digital post-production facilities);

0 significant process changes in
programme design and material
processing (i.e., d[...]nimation, special and visual
effects);

- changes in company structures
from large vertically—integr[...]ones who
outsource more services; and

0 changes in the distribution market
within the film-production sector,
from being focused on th[...]hese changes are no different to
events happening in other manufac-
turing sectors ofthe information
economy and are not specifically tied
to the technologies themselves, but
more to the way the market sector
desires to work.

Thus the evolution and adoption of
the new technologies can be seen as a
response to these factors rather than
the cause ofthem.

It is unlikely that the commercial
end ofthe feature film industry will[...]ts as is
sometimes hoped by those threatened
with the “culture shock” to 60 years of
stable practices, and some oftheir
characteristics will begin to influence
the way lower budget and more inde-
pendent producers[...]ke Nick Park
(Wallace and Grommit) will probably

In relation to the search for busi-
ness, the centralized financial location
maximizes the opportunity to do
“face-to-face deals” for projects and
future contractual work. In an environ-
ment where work is essentially
freela[...]project, there
is also a necessity for a presence in
these centres to maintain contacts
which are deve[...]eographic proximity.“

What is changing through the
availability ofthe new network
communication technologies, however,
is the ability to perform contractual
work on a production without the
need to be located in the same space.
Early adopters of these networks are
revealing that they can minimize the
“transaction costs” that would nor-
mally be associated with remote work,
in relation to the need forthe high

Another commonly-held assumptio[...]technologies is that they will inter-
nationalize the industry by changing the major centres
of film production on a global level. it would he fartoo
simplistic. however. to conclude that the, availability of
the technologies themselves could cause. or be agents[...]le changes to regional and international

centres of film production.

still go on producing independe[...]technolo-
gies is that they will internationalize the
industry by changing the major centres
offilm production on a global level. It
would be fartoo simplistic, however, to
conclude that the availability of the
technologies themselves could cause,
or be agents[...]ole changes to
regional and international centres of
film production.

Research previously conducted
on the US industry”, for example,
outlines the importance of both social
and economic factors in the geo-
graphic clustering of primary facilities
in major centres like Hollywood.
While the industry there has changed
or “vertically disin[...]om its
historical studio and oligopoly fea-
tures of production, and uses many
more independent companies now
to supply services, the major studios
still largely control finance and
distribution.

levels of consultation, approval and
quality control required as part ofthe
production process. in this way, and
with their knowledge of revised work
practices, they will make the use of
their services and skilled creative per-
sonnel much more attractive to the
major studios and financiers offilm
production.

Interviews

Kim Libreri and Mar[...]ronstadt,
Warner Bros. Studios

Acknowledgements

The article is the result of a research
collaboration with Ellen Baker and
Tom Fisher, School of Management,
University ofTechnology, Sydney.
The researchers wish to thank the
management and staff of all the
companies that participated in this
study for their co-operation and for
permission to publish these results.
The study was supported by the Aus-
tralian Research Council under grant
number A7953o73o, assistance from

the Australian Film Television & Radio
School Research Unit and a grant from
the Faculty of Business, University of
Technology, Sydney.

‘ Peter White, Online Serv[...]s, no. 114, February 1997, p. 18.

4 Bill Warren, The Technical Background
to Space /am, tech notes, Sp[...].

5 Bill Warren, op cit, p. 5.

6 Compositing is the animation process
of composing all the elements together
forthe final film image: i.e.[...]iple

mattes drawn over it to provide shad-
ings. in traditional animation, these
are layers of celluloid with paint on
them which are then photographed.

Disney is known to have used sheets

ofglass. In computer animation, they

are scanned into the computer and laid
over the animation where elements
such as density, colour and other sim-
ulations of photochemical effects can
be achieved digitally.[...]iginal film
images can be scanned and digitized.
The system comprises three stages.
After the scanning stage, the digitized
images can be combined and manipu-
lated. In the third stage, the fresh
digital images are recorded out onto
film at film resolution with no loss of
quality in the standard ofthe original
negative.

1° interview[...]eofax and Film Produc-
tion”, Media Information Australia, no.
80, 1996, pp. 66-74.

‘2 S. Christpherson[...]alisation and Regional
Industrial Agglomerations: The Case of
the U.S. Motion Picture lndustry”,
Annals of the Association ofAmerican
Geographers, No. 77[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (55)WALK OUT OF ILAA WITH A SHOWREEL

Direction, cinematography[...]g, Video Production and Video Editing. Any or all of these
can be on your showreel within the Diploma of Screen Arts programme at ILAA. Typically our

stu[...]actising professionals AFTRS qualified

INSTITUTE OF LENS ARTS THE VIABLE ALTERNATIVE

PO BOX 177 KALORAMA VIC 3766[...]side

434 Clarendon St., South Melbourne South Australia 5065
Victoria, Australia 3205 It 7 Tel: (08) 8338 2811
Tel: (03) 9699 3922[...]itude Valley A 340 King Georges Ave.,
Queensland, Australia 4006 . Singapore 0820

Tel: (07)38541919 Tel: (65) 291 7291

Fax: (07) 3852 1814 Fax: (65) 293 2141

The Finest Motion Picture Rental Equipment T

Industry Training I

Exciting, in depth, industry based, Film and \fideo Productio[...]vated creative people seeking a
successful career in the film and television industry.

Work with SP Beta[...]Kookaburra Card you’r

And helping to preserve Australia's film and sound heritage. Receive
up to 30% off adult cinema tickers Australia wide. discounts on
books, videos, selected[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (56)[...]tions and trade fairs
I Theatrical presentations

THE BENCHMARK IN DIGITAL AUDIO

. Fairlight ESP Pty Limited .

Unit B, 5 Skyline Place, Frenchs Forest, Sydney NSW 2086 Australia
Tel +61 2 9975 1230 Fax +61 2 9975 6744
ww[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (57)technicalities

Australian company gets the big cheese

ustralian audiences are squirming
in their seats this summer at the
latest Dreamworks picture,
MouseHunt, thanks to Sydney
based-animation house Animal
Logic Film. The popularity ofthe film owes much to the
realistic quality of its computer—generated creatures.

Chris Godfre[...]cts Director ofAnimal
Logic, believes that it was the company’s interna-
tional reputation for quality special effects that
secured the production for Animal Logic — not only of
critters but additional effects work throughout the
film. “There’s a growth path, movie to movie[...]is good, seamless
integration high-quality work. In Australia, we are
technically and economically very creative.”

After the initial brief with MouseHunt director
Gore Verbin[...]directorAndy
Brown and Godfrey each travelled to the USA to
spend time on the shoot. Even before Godfrey had
brought back detailed information from the shoot
(lens and lighting references), extensive w[...]ir textures and movement,
was already under way.

The Animal Logic Film team in Sydney had begun
researching the computer—generated critters, with
the assistance of Dr Hayley Rose and two cock-
roaches from Sydney[...]CINEMA PAPERS ° MARCH 1998

and “Scratchy”, the two were carefully studied by
animators at Animal[...]to be completely photorealistic”, says
Brown.

In order to meet the specifications that Verbinski
required, Animal Logic’s research division extended
the limits of existing technology by developing com-
puter programmes specifically designed for the
project, matching computer—generated cockroach
with live specimen, and also a minutiae of scratches
and reflections forthe 3D fork model in orderto
achieve the highest degree of photorealism. “To
reach the desired effects, we had to go beyond the
restrictions of available software”, says Senior Ani-
mator Lindsay Fleay.

Animation work was based on the creation of mul-
tiple cockroach models. Three models in all were
required for various scenes.

In the kitchen scene, one whole-bodied version
pops its head out ofa cigar box and walks into a
plate of lobster. Two halves of a cockroach were cre-
ated for the restaurant scene in which the Mayor
slices away at his meal, revealing (in close-up) the
rear end ofthe cockroach stabbed on a fork (which[...]hnical Direc-
tor David Dulac). He then spits out the front halfand
it wanders off screen.

The story gets messier. For the revealed insides of
the cockroach, Fleay sourced textures in fish guts to

create a yellow liver-shaped fles[...]graphed crab goo and this was eventually used
for the texture ofthe roaches. Says Fleay, “Usually
there is a taboo on grunge and yuk, but in this case it
had to look totally revolting. So we pulled out all the
stops!”

For the ‘goo’ to be just right, however, the entire
project required close communication with Visual
Effects Supervisor Charlie Gibson at Rhythm & Hues
in Los Angeles. In so doing, an effective revision
process was worke[...]y and LA to
ensure creative feedback and fluency of production.
Through the utilization of satellite and ISDN connec-
tions, material could be transmitted back and forth
almost instantaneously. The material was finished
and rendered in Australia, then sent back on DLT for
output in the USA.

“And the film’s making money!”, adds Godfrey.[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (58)[...]vision
Misery Guts

Documentaries

Fa’fafii:ies in Paradise
Muggers

Feature Films
In a Savage land
Dear Claudia
Adult Televison Drama[...]ram“ - Production Survey - Head 0“ 61
! Round the Twist 3 5 9 I Hurrah 61
l . l . . In Th W‘ D It 62
- Documentaries - Features in Pre-Production ! C 11,1“? .ar .
5 9 I I I Mr Pumpkin s Big Night 6 2
i Art from the Heart 59 Paperback Hero 60 - The Thin Red Line 62
i The Astonishing Ashtons 60 Passion 60
- The Astronaut 6 0 . Second Drill 6 O Documentaries
59 I R = l1 l1 I I
5 9 i Omanuny C C am 60 i Features In Production i Federation 52
. Edge of the Possible 60 . Babe in Metropolis 6 0 . _
! Emilys Eye 60 I James 61 l Short Films
5 9 l The First Star 60 I Powder Bum 61 I Stairwell 62
5 9 Servants of the Ancestors 60 S ank 61 _ _
! The Instinctive Architect 60 I P I Television
! Railway Adventures Across Australia 60 Features in Post-Production Village People Go North Down Under 62
5 9 Th‘? Ultimate Sin 60 The Beggars’ Opera Cafe 61 Home of ‘he Blizzard 62
5 9 I Visions of Yankalilla 60 I The Boys 61 I 13 Gantry Row 62

OMPOSERS ° DANCING R[...]ding Decisions

Following a Board meeting
held in November, 1997,

the FFC has entered

into contract negotiations
with the producers of the
following projects:

C/Illa/‘en 21 Televiaio/1[...]E, BBC
Distribution: BEYOND DISTRIBUTION

eith is the only son of Vin and Marge

Shipleyz they live above a
fish’n’chips shop in South London and
things are tough. Keith's parents are
misery gutses and he is convinced that
the only way for the family to regain its
former happiness is for him[...]He
buys a brilliantly coloured tropical fish
from Australia, where the sun shines all
the time, the sea is full offish and
coconuts just fall Into yo[...]Keith decides he
must somehow get his parents to
Australia. People couldn't be unhappy
in a paradise where fish sparkle like
rainbows and it's sunny and warm all
the time. Or could they?

Documc/2 ta/‘lea

FA'FAFINES IN
PARADISE

(NON—ACCORD
DOCUMENTARY}

RE ANGLE Pi[...]BS, CHANNEL 4
Distribution: BEVoNc INTERNATIONAL

In Samoa, there are three recognized
sexes. ~S_amoans say the third sex

comes aboutwhen a young boy
demonstrates strong feminine traits,

Following 3. Board meeting
held in December, 1997, the

FFC has entered into

contract negotiations with
the producers of the

realizes her husband is wrongly
interpreting the research to further his
own academic ambitions. She enlists
the help of a pearl traderto travel to
another island where she intends to
research a village of headhunters, and
begins to fall in love with him. By the

and It i5 CU5i0m3iYih3T1li9 f3iTiiIY iiiaY follo[...]him up as a girl from as early as has broken out in the Pacific and the
five years old. There is no confusion Japanese are poised to invade their

aboutwhether the child is a girl or Fga[u,~e ;sIand_

boy, she is[...]tional Samoan

life. This documentary gets inside IN A SAVAGE LAND DEAR CLAUDIA

the lives of three flamboyant fa’fafines (130 MINSI (100 M|NS)

and contrasts the different
experiences for rural and urban
fa'fafines. All three are involved in
the annual fa'fafine beauty contest
AuntTania, now in her fifties, sits

on the panel with the Prime Minister
of Samoa as one of the judges; Cindy
has won the title in recent years and
is tipped as the favourite; Blondie, the
youngest of the three, has never won
the title and will be hoping to be
crowned in 1997.

Finance for the Following
feature film was also

BILL BENNETT PRO[...]istribution: HOLLYWOOD PARTNERs,
BEYOND FILMS

et in the late 19303, a newly married

husband and wife anthropologist
team travel to an island group in New
Guinea to study the sexual morés of a
group ofvillagers. Their relationship
begins to break down when the woman

J. McELRov HOLDINGS
W-D: CHRIS CUDLIPP
P:[...]ves and a dead man.
Claudia and Walter crash into the story
by plane. The others arrive in a bag of
mail.

approved by the Board in A2u[[ :]“g[eW'JL'0,Z
October, 1997: Drama
EP Ex[...]STER FiLMs
hen two medical students e
dangerously in debt to a
psychopathic loan shark— hack
into th[...]r
to access a crucial exam, they
become embroiled in an illicit organ
transplant scam. When a suicide[...]nd his kidneys
fall into their laps — they cash in,
becoming players in the lucrative
trade. But there are complications:
their competitors want them out of
the game. And dangling in front of
all the players is an irresistible lure
— a $100,000 liver. Their dreams of
becoming doctors looks like becoming
reality unti[...]turns up dead, a fellow student goes
missing, and the police are called
in. Life and death. Love and passion.
Murder, intrigue and eighteen holes
of golf. And they're not even doctors

yet

CINEMA P[...]ticulanly H)‘: was when
infizr-rnatilzzn fiat the
pnfiuetzbn wmpalzy na
rzttemgfé to correct whi[...]s Senior Research

Pafliologist at Bauer-Ritter, the
most successful medical company in
the Southern Hemisphere. A Board
member of Logan College, her lover of
five years is finally leaving his troubled
marri[...]nly
together at last Anne's life shows
every sign of gliding into its best stage
— until her bestfri[...]Mackenzie, gets killed. What follows is
a series of revelations, clues and
scraps of information that lead Anne
out of her comfort zone and into a
bizarre, shadowy landscape of political
and criminal intrigue as she
relentless[...]T

ueen Kat, Carmel & St Jude Geta

Life explores the friendship
between the three girls from a country
town who move in together in a small
inner-c'rty house fortheir first year of
university. By the end ofthe first year
so much happened, so much has been
learnt And despite the clashes
between them, a close and intimate
friendship has finally been cemented
between the three girls.

CAIZZQ/‘en Q Zielevtiiio/2

Drama

ROUND THE TWIST 3
{I3 X 25 MINUTE MINI-SERIES)

AusTRALiAN[...]DISNEY lNTERNATioNAL
Distribution: ACTF
he third in the series ofthe highly

Tpopular children's television mini-
series Hound the Twistis a humorous
contemporary fantasy seen through
the eyes of three children who live in a
lighthouse on the Shipwreck Coast of
Victoria.

Docu/ne/ztartlw

ART FROM THE HEART

(55 MINUTE ACCORD)
RM FILMS

P-D’ RIcHAR[...]MY EccLEs
Presale: ABC

arket forces have changed the
fundamental nature of Aboriginal

artforever and spiritual concerns hav[...]oncerns. Market forces have
played a central role in altering the
direction of Aboriginal art, currently
estimated to be worth $100 million pa.
and affecting various artists in the
industry: from the senior artists
beleaguered by theirfamilies to
produce artfor cash, to the artists
involved in the creation of “tucker art",
created mainly for tourist[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (59)60

inproduction

Production Survey

continue?

THE ASTONISHING ASHTONS
(55 MINUTE ACCORD)

JDHN MDDR[...]CE
P: JoHN MooRE
Presale : SBS

shton's Circus is the longest-
Arunning circus in the western
world. It has survived because of the
extraordinary commitment and
determination of the Ashton family. The
circus survives the lean times and the
smaller towns by doing well in the large
provincial cities: During the bui|d—up
towards one ofthese seasons, the
Ashtons face a series of challenges.

THE ASTRONAUT

I55 MINUTE
NON-ACCORD)

BEYOND PRoDucT[...]HANNEL
Distribution:
BEVDND INTERNATIONAL
n 1998, the first Space Station

Eassembly flight will blast off from the
Kennedy Space Center in Florida
ushering in a dynamic new era of
collaboration to build and sustain a
permanent presence in space. The
Astronautwrll capture what it means to
become one[...]ique
understanding ofthe technological
skills and the special characterthat
distinguishes those who make it as a
‘card carrying‘ astronaut.

ROMANCING
THE CHAKRA

(55 MINUTE ACCORD)

FRoxoFF FILMS

W-D: A[...]IsA DUFF, ANNA BRoINowsI<I
Presale: ABC

omancing the Chakra is a journey
Rinto a diverse and confronti[...]travel with couples as they
search forthe meaning of life and love
through a variety of New Age therapies,
ranging from the conventional to the
extraordinary. We heartheir emotional
dilemmas an[...]en entertaining progression
towards a new Version of the ‘truth’.

EDGE OF
THE POSSIBLE

(55 MINUTE ACCORD)
FILM ART Doco

W-D: DARYL DELLoRA
P: SUE MASLIN
Presale: ABC

998 is the 25th anniversary of the
1 official opening of the Sydney Opera
House. Jorn Utzon, the architect, was
awarded the first prize in a competition
to design an Opera House for Sydney.
In 1957 he flew to Australia to begin
work on the construction of the
greatest building Australia has ever
seen and, indeed, one of the finest
achievements of modern architecture.
Utzon was forced from the project in
1966 and has never returned to
Australia. This film will chart the

dramatic course of the creation of a
masterpiece and the tragic, sometimes
funny and compelling story of its
conception and construction.

EM|LY'S EYE

(5[...]P-W-D: JESSICA DoUGLAs HENRV
Presale: SBS

hrough the lives of four-year—old

Emily Wu, her mother Jenny and
father John and their parents, Emi/y’s
Eye brings the audience to an
understanding ofthe power of
acceptance and communication to
overcome prejudice. Emily was born
blind in one eye, totally deaf and was
thoughtto be intell[...]icaps and atthree years old is
communicating with the world. This is
a compelling story of love and survival
in a time when tolerance in Australia is
being eroded by a proportion of our
society who are frightened by
inevitable change.

THE FIRST STAR

(55 MINUTE
ACCORD)

MUsHRDoM PIcTUREs[...]merican hustler and show biz
promoter who arrived in Australia just
in time to launch the U.S. rock-and—ro|l
invasion. His scheming, manic energy
changed the local popular landscape
forever, and through him, Johnny
0'Keefe achieved his ambition to
become Australia's premier and
pioneering rock-and-roll star. The First
Starwill tell us much aboutAustra|ia's
rela[...]y O'Keefe's
relationship to Lee Gordon.

SERVANTS OF THE
ANCESTORS

(55 MINUTE ACCORD)

REsDNANcE PRoDUcTI[...]who lives and
practises traditional Swazi rituals in
Albany, WA. In April, she will return to
Swaziland to perform the most
significant ancestral rite in Swazi
culture, the bringing back of Gobuyisa
ceremony. As a mixed race Swazi she
will cross strict race boundaries to
perform the ceremony.

THE INSTINCTIVE
ARCHITECT

(55 MINUTE
NON ACCORD)

HI[...]GRAM ORGANIZATION, ZDF/ARTE

fl Enfant terrible of international

architecture". It's a reputation that
Renzo Piano earned in 1971 with his
winning design forthe Pompidou
Centre in Paris. It's a reputation he still
hasn't shaken, despite the fact he is
now pushing 60. This film will reveal
the intention behind some of Piano's
major works and his hands-on
approach as he designs and
constructs one particular project-
the Sydney skyscraper that may come
to redefine the genre.

RAILWAY ADVENTURES
ACROSS AUSTRALIA

(6 X 45 MINUTE
NON ACCORD)
LOOK FILMs PRoDUcTIoN[...]RY INTERNATIDNAL

his elegant and romantic method of

transport serves as the vehicle to
capture the imagination of viewers as
they experience the enormity of
Australia. With the host, Scott
McGregor, travelling around this
extraordinary country utilizing the
strange and wonderful rail lines, we
will experie[...]eetthose people
who make this country so unique.

THE ULTIMATE SIN

(55 MINUTE
NON ACCORD)

I

I

I

I[...]time cleaning job to find his wife's body
slumped in a chair, covered in blood
with .22 bolt action rifle placed
between her knees. An autopsy
showed she had been shot twice in the
head and through both hands,
indicating they had been held in front
of herforehead 'in defence’. Despite
the impossibility of such wounds being
self-inflicted, police maintained itwas
suicide and, although the coroner
returned an open verdict, the case was
Closed. Acting on a tip-off 12 years
lat[...]es. His discoveries will finally
bring justice to the memory of an
innocent woman.

VISIONS OF
YANKALILLA

(55 MINUTE ACCORD)
FLAMING STAR FILMs[...]W: RosIE JoNEs
Presalez SBS

efore an apparition of the Virgin
Mary appeared on the Wall of
the local Anglican church in
Yankalilla, life in the little town in
South Australia was peaceful and
predictable. But since the
entrepreneurial new priest at Christ
Church recognized the marketing
power of the apparition to rejuvenate
I the dwindling congregation, nothing

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I[...]I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I

has been the same. Busloads of
tourists of all nationalities and
denominations are coming to
Yankalilla to see the apparition and to
attend the healing mass atthe Church,
now named The Shrine of Our Lady of
Yankalilla. His innovations have
attracted both d[...]d
bitter opposition.

Production
Survey

Featured in
Pre—P/Toauctio/2

PAPERBACK HERO

Production co[...]DANI ROGERS
Scriptwriter: ANTDNY BDWMAN
Director of photography: DAVID BURR
Production designer: JON[...]truckie

Jmoonlights as a romance novellist.
When thethe Writer.

PASSION

Production company: MATT CARROL[...]ptwriters: PETER GOLDSWORTHY,
Roe GEDRGE
Based on the stageplay: PERCV AND RosE
By: Roe GEDRGE
GoVERNME[...]AsT

RICHARD RUXBURGH (PERCY GRAINGER)

assion is the story of acclaimed

pianist, composer and eccentric,
Percy Grainger, and the intense
relationship with his mother Rose,
which dominated his life. The film
charts Percy's rise from child prodigy
to the toast of Edwardian London,
revered and celebrated througho[...]er: RON BUCH

he disturbing and Violent portrayal
of Sunny Clinsman, 55 and

terminally ill with weeks[...]army recruits
to kidnap his only son's gay lover, in an
attempt to lure his son Evan into a cat-
and-mouse game fuelled by a hidden
agenda of suicide and seIf—retribution.
It is the cruel story of a military man so
guilt-ridden that he forces his[...]to killing him. A suicide drama that
demonstrates the raw facts of a life
spent living by a code. A lesson in
expectancy. A drill we will all have to
encounter.

Featured in
Pro9uctr'0/1

BABE IN METROPOLIS

Production Company: KENNEDY MILLER
Di[...]RGE MILLER, JUDY MoR-
Rrs, MARK LAMPRELL
Director of photography: ANDREW LESNIE
Production designer: R[...]tume designer: NDRMA MORICEAU
Editors: JAV FRIEDI<IN, MARGARET SIxEL
Composer: NIGEL WESTLAKE

PLANNIN[...]tist: PETER POUND
PRoDucTIoN CREW
Visual effects: THE NEAL SCANLAN STUDID
ART DEPARTMENT
Art dir[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (60)[...](MRS HOGGETTI,
MICKEY ROONEV

aving triumphed at the National

Sheepdog Trial. Babe returns
home a hero, but in his enthusiasm to
be atthe side of his beloved "boss",
the little pig accidentally causes a
mishap which leaves Farmer Hoggett
in traction confined to bed. With the
bank threatening foreclosure, Mrs
Hoggett‘s only hope for saving the farm
is to accept an offerfor Babe to
demonstrate his sheep-herding
abilities at an overseas State Fair in
exchange for a generous fee. Thus,
Babe and Mrs H[...]s, where Babe
encounters an incredible assortment of
animal friends, experiences the joy and
sorrow of life and learns how a kind
and steady heart can mend a sorry
world

JAMES

Production company:

THE JAMES GANG PTY LTD
Distribution company: BEYOND F[...]oss MATTHEW
Scriptwriter: STUART BEATTIE
Director of photography: MARTIN MCGRATH
Production designer:[...]IP
GAMBLIN (ROLAND), RAINY MAYO

(DANIKA)

amesis the comic story of a young
rugby hero who leads a secret
double life[...]ergetic, off-beatfilm
where everything happens on the run —
and happens fast.

SPANK

Production comp[...]writers: DAVID FARRELL &
DAVID LIGHTFOOT
Director of photography: DAVID FOREMAN
A.C.S.

Production des[...]ld mates Nick and Vinny planning
to set up a cafe in the city's premier
cafe Strip. Vinny's girlfriend Tin[...]g. Enter local rich kid Rocky
Pisoni, temporarily in charge of his
Pa's building development company.
Rocky take[...]sequences.

Featured L./1
Peat‘-P/‘o9uctL'on

THE BEGGARS'
OPERA CAFE

Budget: $45,000
Production:[...]HOLLY FISHER
Scriptwriter: VICKY FISHER
Director of photography: KATINA BOWELL
Creative consultant: E[...]uise,

Becky and Justine Open an
underground cafe in their backyard
garage which becomes the most
popular place in town. Even the
policeman and the nosy next door
neighbour become regulars. The
money starts flowing in, finally freeing
them to follow their dreams. But[...]will they keep
sight Oftheir Original goals’?

THE BOYS

Production company: ARENAFILM
Distribution[...]OHN MAYNARD
Scriptwriter: STEPHEN SEWELL
Based On the play titled: THE BOYS
Written by: GORDON GRAHAM

GOVERNMENT AGENCY[...]TE
CRONIN, ANNA LISE, ANTHONY HAYES

he Boystells the story of Brett

Sprague, a bad-seed brother who
returns to his family home after several
years in gaol. Things have changed
while Brett has been aw[...]other
Stevie's pregnant girlfriend now lives
with the family; and his mother,
Sandra, has taken On a ne[...]Brett sets about
restoring his Own family order. In doing
so, he reunites his brothers with
horrific[...]REW BOVELL,
ANA KDKKINDS, MIRA ROBERTSON
Director of photography: JAEMS GRANT
Production designer: NIK[...]n and joy

is jammed into one high-velocity night
Of dancing, sex and drugs, he's running
head on into[...]SCHARE
Scriptwriter: JOHN WOLSTENHOLME

Director of photography: NINO MARTINETTI,

ACS
Product[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (61)APTED

— — SEE ISSUE 122 FOR THE FOLLOWING: J
: PosT-PRoDucTioN
AMY I Laboratory:[...]ARET McCLYMONT KILLER JONES psychmogtcai thhiiery in the
C0/’Z[L/ZLLC Clapper-roaderr RICKIE BYRNE tradition of Hitchcock, with a
Camera assistant: LIQUID BRIDGE[...]CISIONS
l"5”’e’5 HOLLAND INSURANCE Based on the novel titled: IN THE WINTER 0"‘-5” c““” ac“/nentm “M The following three projects
COITIDICIIOII guarantor:[...]director; d
Legal Services: FOSTER HART Director of photography: MARTIN MCGRATH ANGELLA MCPHERSON ha[...]LE

(3 X 1 HOUR SERIES)

Production company: FILM AUSTRALIA
Director: IAN MUNRD

by the Commercial
Television Production Fund:

Clapper-l[...]NELL

Writer: SUE CASTRIOUE

his series documents the events,
Tpersonalities and experiences of
people throughoutthe colonies in the
decades leading up to Federation. It is

an epic tale of how a nation was made.

D: SARAH STEPHENS
Ps: JOH[...]ocumentary centres on Allen
Murphy, formerly part of the

lttells the story not only ofthe
founding fathers’ but also ‘the people’.
It reveals what life was like in the
colonies for those who were excluded

legendary seventies band, The Village
People, who is now resident in
Australia. At his invitation, The Village
People will meet with the Aboriginal

2nd assistant director:
STEVE HARDMAN[...]w IPMPI Edge rlumbereri ATLAB as well as included in the rights and musicians he now plays with and
Make»[...]MARKETING 30U"d ‘Transfers bvi ATLAE privileges of Australian citizenship. teaches in thethe story of the winners and
. _ - , _ 3 Oratory IBISOIII '
stunts[...]losers. 0f1_he Struggle rr0flUStt0 make HQME OT: THE BLTZZARD
Safety supervisor: PETER CULPAN BRENDA B[...]ITH FISH, Yvm sihi n Intense psychological drama, In Production: PRIVATE _ his documentary follows TheTHE JOINERY
Length: 95MIN
Gauge: 35MM
GOVERNMENT AGEN[...]TON CSOKAS IRAOULI,
TUSHKA BERGEN (JULIA)

hrough the shimmering red-ochre

distance, in the white—hot light of
passion, two lovers create their own
reality. Hurrah is a mysterious, intense
love story.

IN THE WINTER DARK

Production company: Fl.B. FILMS
Distribution company: THE GLOBE FILM CO.

62

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
l
l[...]Murray
Jacob and Ronnie struggle to find love.
As the pain from an unresolved tragedy
threatens to erup[...]e and
Ida's past, Jacob and Ronnie are
drawn into the older couple's
desperate attempts to stop their l[...]ers: MICHELLE WARNER &
PRISGILLA CAMERON
Director of photography: GRANT MARKERT
Production designer: L[...]e pumpkin, more fun
than you can poke a stick at

THE THIN

RED LINE

Production company:
PHOENIX P|CTU[...]writer: TERFIENCE MALICK
Based on a novel titled: THE THIN RED LINE
By JAMES JONES
Director of photography: JOHN TOLL
Editors: BILL WEBER, LESLI[...]sed on Jones’ sequel to From

Here to Eternity, the film depicts an
episode of military history in 1942 when
the first division ofthe US Marine
Corps attacked the beaches Of
Guadalcanal, where Japanese troops
had dug in. The ‘thin red line‘
represents the fine line between defeat
and victory in the battle.

Production: JANUARY 1998
PRINCIPAL CREDI[...]RRIE MAiNwARING
Scriptwriter: ALAN LOCK

Director of photography: KEN PETIIGREW

Editor: NIcoLE LAMAcI[...]le: NETwoRK TEN

A modern day pyscho-thriller set in

inner-city Sydney

Awzziti/zg Relcaae

TRUTH[...]GEON I119)
ABERRATION I119)
GREYSTOKE 2 (119)
OUT OF THE BLUE (119)
JUSTICE I121)

‘1NPIioDU‘cT[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (62)[...]r e W
n 5 5 w .I r 9 e m
W ® 49 9 3 9 .49 7 ‘u In 40 7 19 5 % d %W % M E .5
I. 6 4 7 4 4 5 4 5 6 m[...]I I I I I 1 1 I x I : I . x > L I I I I I 1 | I I In 8 W I In ..L rn um ..U
W 45%;: - . w5mmmm4mmm
U h
.[...]

TXT

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (63) blade the

fairytale - a true story
the borrowers

m i l o -lego, dragon[...]loathing world's
lost in space

Citro

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (64)FILM AUSTRALIA FUNDING tralian corresponden[...]116 Argyle St, Fitzroy, VIC; Australia 3065
TO CONTINUE Pictures International and host of SBS-[...]TV's Front Up, leads the team of avid S teven $ p ie lb e rg may have his
S e[...]commentators hands full with the plagiarism -
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (65)[...]sKinnedmv OOP: Andrew Lesnie

THE BENEFICIARY

Director: Graeme Burfoot DOP: Dan[...]r: Craig Lahiff DOP: Bria^Breheny

CHILDREN OF TH

PirectoCLfeter Duncan DO

Director[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (66)mbits FESTIVAL OF AUSTRALIAN cinema-going, wi[...]A s part of the 1998 Australia Day video walls showcasing previews, an[...]festivities, the inaugural Festival three Gold Class auditoriums,[...]usive
TH IS IS HUGE! of Australian Film, a celebration of Aus bar and lounge area.
G reater Union has opened a new
Megaplex in the Adelaide suburb tralia and its people through[...]film, was launched in Melbourne. FEES, PLEASE

of Marion. This 30-screen complex is Presented by the National T he Australian[...]tributors Association (AIDA) has
the largest in Australia, most possibly Australia Day Council, The Australia called upon the Federal Government to[...]abandon increases in fees pertaining
the world, and has an overall seating Day Committee (Victoria) and the to censorship classification which[...]came into effect on 1 November 1997.
capacity of 5,676, ranging from 547- State Government of Victoria, and[...]ema Papers editor Scott

104-seat cinemas. Some of these cine Murray, the festival ran from 19-25 Jan

mas will be themed: the State is uary 1998, opening with the Victorian

modelled on Sydney's State Theatre; premiere of Gillian Armstrong's Oscar[...]e is a Hollywood-themed cinema; a and Lucinda, at the Regent Theatre in

Warner Bros cartoon-themed cinema; Col[...]Siren would be interested in having a[...]Richmond, Victoria 3121, Australia.[...]H ot on the announcement of Film[...]Australia's continued govern[...]ment funding comes the news that its[...]is now in production.[...]directed by ian Munro, the project has[...]been in research and development for[...]five years, and will document the[...]of people throughout the colonies in[...]the decades leading up to Federation.[...]Episode one will focus on The Land,[...]episode two on The People, and[...]episode three on The Nation.

and a sports-themed cinema. The Gob forgotten Australian films, such as inequitable and harsh, and will THE SILVER SCREEN RETURNS
Mobile, Australia's only motorized Jedda (Charles Chauvel,[...]adversely affect independent film pro TO THE REGENT
Candy Bar, will also travel up and down[...]nnam, 1975), Bit ducers and distributors. The same fee
the 230-metre complex, dispensing ter Spring[...]200-print release or an independent or the Regent Theatre in Melbourne[...]Noyce, 1979), foreign single-print release, the has been used as a picture house, but
The foyer is the size of two Olympic The Overlanders (Harry Watt, 1946) and increase making the distribution of the celluloid has returned to the renovated
swimming pools; the Candy Bar is 30 The Adventures of Barry McKenzie latter films even more difficult. and august hall. A restored print of
metres long, and there is only one pro (Bruc[...]5 metres. screened, along with a selection of AIDA proposes that the Government screened there, with a live band[...]short films and newsreels. The Festival abandon this increase and replace i[...]ar with a system scaled according to the day season in November, and it seems
ent films will be screening in the annual event around the Australia number of release prints of a film, a that it wasn't an isolated inciden[...]system currently operating in other Plans are afoot to screen special fi[...]tries. seasons at the Regent in between live
on average 45 different new release[...]been approached to assist in advising
body's guess, especially since the T he Melbourne suburb of Sunshine S iren Entertainment, those crazy and co-ordinating the screenings.
Megaplex includes four arthouse cine is the next installment of the pop-culture-Manga/Troma-cult-
mas. With the recent openings of Megaplex boom currently sweeping[...]ck, who was instrumental
Palace and Nova cinemas in Rundle of contemporary animation in 1998, in organizing the My Fair Lady screen
Mall, Adelaide may be in danger of the country. Village opened its 20- and are[...]you're sitting on an animated film, no prints of classic films, such as Rear
just making up for l[...])
The promotional material is saying[...]that this is the revolutionary future of the Regent from April 1998. On his

4 C I N[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (67) Frameworks, first in non-linear in Australia, has once again taken the initiative in film
editing. We are the first facility providing a dedicated non-linear a[...]s and change lists for feature films. This method of post for 24FPS film
provides a one to one re[...]method provides simple and frame accurate output of cut lists, change lists,

picture and sound edl's directly from the Avid. This avoids the need for trace back edl's
for sound post prod[...]r details, and a m ore com plete explanation o f the d iffe re n t

( )post p ro d u ctio n[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (68)[...]an 100mm (aIFat T2.0). The Mk II series is
transformed into the 12th Annual editions. available in similar focal l
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (69)[...]mm

Your life is a series of shots. You see a 5-alarm fire and you think: helicopter, high angle. But when the

time comes to actually shoot it, you know you'll only have one chance. As the only company dedicated

to the manufacturing of professional media, Quantegy knows just how impor[...]. So

if there s a camera that s always rolling in your head, we understand. There's always tape rolling in ours

Call 61-2-9869-0600 Fax 6 1 -2 -9 8 6 8[...]MORE tha n MEETS the

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (70)in p erfo rm an ce

The Director's
Edge

by Dean Carey

W e all know about
the pressure of
time and money.[...]being slashed or

`trimmed', the first casualty of the red pen is

often a small block of time entitled "rehearsal".

" Let's make it up on the run. Why waste valuable

hours? The actors know what they're doing" ,

someone says. It's a familiar state of affairs.

As directors, what do we do then to make

the most effective use of every moment? Know

ing exactly what to do is the only answer:

capitalizing on every conversation, meeting,

rehearsal and camera rehearsal to create the

world necessary for the story to be revealed

with richness, detail and depth.

The one thing that exhilarates both actors

and dir[...]action become indispensable; when one

demands the other, and what has to happen in

the scene suddenly becomes inevitable. This

unity both in the scene and between the actors

creates the one essential element that engages

an audience[...]-atmosphere. When atmosphere exists

it creates the exact conditions where all that is

said and do[...]essary. With

out it, actors self-motivate, act in isolation, and If the scene isn't working to its optimum, consult each person displaces the energy of the other. With
the following check list. out this palpable cause and effect moment by
the style and execution of each shot begins to[...]moment, the characters will start to self-motivate[...]Are your actors: hearing each other; claiming the and begin to act in their own bubble. To create reality
overpower the story through embroidery and decora[...]and relationships and to motivate each line of dia[...]moment by moment; revealing the story and its logue, the actors must respond to each other; relate,
tion. The production team's attempt to manufacture[...]and the feeling that what we are witnessing is hap
atmosphere for it is not springing from the fusion If any one ofthese elements is missing, the scene pening now and for the first time.[...]nd is fulfil its function. These ingredients are the active Lastly, your actors need to reveal the meaning the[...]. Every scene has a function, a rea
dedicated to the director at w ork-w ith limited time, out any one of them, your scene will lose its integrity son for being there. It tells a story, exposes the[...]briefly explore each element, then see how the question, "What was all that about? It seemed
working with their allies on set: the actors. to repl[...]ning to each other. does it contribute to the film?" Without meaning,[...]ifying nothing.
and on-set exercises that create the exact working connections, no relationship. The dialogue will seem[...]forced or disconnected, the characters playing states As you can se[...]re and to connect of emotion and living in isolation of each other. Listen integral and will always be present when the scene is
ing is one of the most natural things to do, and the first working. If this is the case, you do not question them
actors to each other and to the scene at hand - simple t[...]do, though, when one or all
and effective tools of the trade. Each article will build[...]the stakes involved in the scene - owning their sig
upon the previous and offer a range of on-set options nificanc[...]For without this sense of ownership, the audience
and rehearsal techniques to create dynamic, com asks the simple question: "Why am I watching this?"[...]The scene seems lifeless, without depth and validity;[...]it doesn't seem important enough to demand the[...]actors' attention, let alone to drive the story forward.
Th e check list[...]E xe rc ise n u m b e r 1. "A n d A g a in "
" If it ain't broke, don't fix it." When you w[...]ple direction can come from yourself or any
into the script and situation, the following four
questions do not need to be asked[...]actor during the rehearsal of the scene. Many direc
always the case. Many pressures - both internal
and externa[...]tors stop the action and talk through a particular
hunch and n[...]43
choices. Something's going wrong. And the longer
it is left unattended, the worse it will most likely
become. You must address it fast, and in exactly
the right way.

8 C I N E M A PAPERS

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (71)[...]to
Cinema Papers and save

up to 20% off the
newsstand price.[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (72)[...]red:

Total no. of issues: Total Cost $

Name..........[...]ing Limited and mailed to P0 Box 2221 Fitzroy MDC Australia 3065, All overseas orders should be
accompanied by Bank Drafts in Australian Dollars Only. Please allow 4-6[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (73)Israelites in the Old Testament, but to Indonesia, Orlow Seunke's 125-minute cious combination of newsreel and fic makers have a long and distinguished
recognize the Utrecht area's major feature traces the unfolding of a love tional footage, this film is reminiscent record, as well as a section devoted to
producer of wealth, the Friesian cow, affaire over 10 dramatic years of Dutch of Newsfront (Phillip Noyce, 1977) and promising student work. Each year, the
though this distinction has not spared colo[...]terpointing pub has an important part to play in help Festival invites a distinguished film
the award the criticism of fundamen lic events with private lives.[...]"Cinema Militans" on an aspect of cin
In 1939, Theo Staats arrives in Java e[...]not without its own and immediately falls in love with the The Festival also marks the feature Dutch-born Australian director Paul
biblical overtones as it follows the beautiful Eurasian nightclub singer debut of celebrated short film pro Cox, last year American director Alan
career of the bastard son of a ruthless Ems, who is already married to a r[...]Nooijer. His film, Exit, Pakula (Klute and All the President's
bailiff whose ambition drives him in[...]lderly Dutchman. Their love was directed in collaboration with his Men), and this year Ate[...]entless conflict with his strong- affaire, the scandal of the expatriate son Menno. Those familiar with de Jongh has produced much of his recent
willed father. It is a beautifully-crafted community, is interrupted by the Nooijer's work, such as the short Stop work in the US, where he directed the
film. Set in the 1920s, the film has a Japanese invasion. Ems' husband i[...]ng narrative, solid performances, killed by the Japanese while Theo is the avant garde style of what is an episodes of Miami Vice. His ideas on
superb art design and c[...]mprisoned. extended speculation on a range of film funding are worth consideration in
that exemplifies the continuing Dutch Ems sleeps with the Japanese com topics including art, pornography, the
mastery of the interplay of shape and mandant to obtain better treatment for voyeuristic nature of cinema, American the Australian context, as Holland
shadow. Al[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (74)[...]rogrammes were produced using attract the attention of critics. Festivals
Last year's Review of representation and the need for a con their facilities.[...]llent practitioners to discuss and view the[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (75)Danes
down under

by Solrun Hoaas

In Australia, the major source period films of some of the more established direc second hearing; and t[...]tors, such as Bille August or Nils Malmros. The for three-year terms, with a maximum of six years, to
dinavian films has been[...]by Anders Ronnow- ensure a healthy turnover of preferences - a policy
which regularly[...]nd, might be described as a Danish Short Cuts the AFC might do well to adopt for anyone directly[...]ey seldom which moves between the lives of several characters involved in production-funding decisions.
reach our cinema screens or film festi in the course of one day - the day Danes voted for the
vals. This year, despite the numerous second time on whether or not to join the EU. The DFI can fully fund a feature, although this is
outstanding features from the region[...]not usual. More commonly, if a consultant gives the
hailed elsewhere (Jan Toell's Hamsun One influence on the new filmmakers is the Dan nod to a project, the filmmaker can on that basis go
with Max von Sydo[...]suggests Jesper Andersen ofthe DFI. In some the Institute is more common. These projects are
off[...]subject to quality criteria, but can be made in other[...]n ingrained ferences are that the three film consultants have the 40/60 system: if you can raise 40 percent ofthe
prejudice among the Australian public greater indiv[...]as they can make personal budget, you can get the remaining 60 percent with
to films that conjure[...]f rejected, filmmakers out consultants vetting the script.
mysticism or excruciating dissections can take the same project to another consultant for a
of family relationships. Most are not as[...]Breaking the Waves is the biggest project under
attuned to Carl Dreyer's Nordic Noh of taken to date by Zentropa, the company started five
pure emotion or the best Hamsun film[...]They produce a number of films by other directors,
Suit (Hunger; recently[...]ibeke Windelov, they lose money on
Similar kinds of public perceptions of most of them, but recoup on Von Trier's films, which
dou[...]lowing around the world. As a producer, she has a
broader public until the discovery that[...]very practical approach to the new trend for numerous
Japanese cinema offered b[...]ducers" on Breaking the Waves, no one producer had
which now have a cult following here.

Perhaps the success in Australia of
Danish director Lars Von Trier's Break
ing the Waves and his television series
Kingdom (Riget), broadcast in 1995 on
SBS and followed by theatrical release[...]ll help to
change those ingrained perceptions to the benefit of
all Scandinavian cinema.

Although an introduction to new Danish cinema
organized through the Australian Film Institute may
not reach a broad audience, the recent season of
Danes down under revealed a vigorous film culture.
The accompanying guest appearances of Morten
Arnfred, co-director of Von Trier's Kingdom and King
dom II, and Vibeke Windelpv, producer ofthe two
Kingdoms and Breaking the Waves, gave lively
insights into both the production environment of a
small nation and some revealing anecdotes from
behind the scenes.

This year, Denmark produced around[...]ich, they pointed out, was quite exceptional, as
the norm has been around 12-15 Per year. This sud
den surge was partly due to the great number of
co-productions.

The films shown in the AFI season, selected by
Peter Kaufmann, included[...]u
mentary, Under New York (Jacob Thuesen), about the
subculture ofthe homeless, and two films by first-time
feature film directors, The Eighteenth (Den Attende)
and Belma, which reveal[...]pacy,
almost documentary style, a departure from the
social-realist films that dominated the '70s or the

14 C I N E M A PAPERS

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (76)[...]Top: Anders Rennow Klarlund's The Eighteenth.
Danish cinema organized through Morten Arnfred was involved in starting up the Above: Jacob Thuesen's Under N ew York.
the AFI may not reach a broad
audience, the recent season of School and, as one of the country's more experi
Danes down under revealed[...]phy to first A.D. (on Breaking the Waves) to directing
more say than the rest, a `divide and rule' principle of half a dozen features of his own (including Land of
operation. Her advice to those seeking co-produc[...]Er Et Yndigt Land], which won a Silver
partners in Europe is to look for someone of your own Award in Berlin, Heaven and Hell [Himmel Og
size, and to check out the structure of the partners to Helvede] and, more recently, The Russian Singer
ensure you have the same decision-making powers. [Den Russis[...]ship has
Denmark has had a film school since the '60s, benefitted the films. Von Trier is known for his
and the Danish Film Institute was started in 1972. many phobias, and often works his phobias into
In addition to its workshops for training, some[...]ove ground floor.
for short films, there is also the now well-established Therefore, he would have had great trouble being
European Film School in Ebeltoft, which provides on set while shooting some of the scenes in
an eight-month course within the framework of the Kingdom, scenes with blood and gore, lift shafts,
folkeh0gskole (a type of popular educational institu Mrs Drusse's flight or Dr Helmer on the rooftop,
tion characteristic of Scandinavia, which started up gazing across at his beloved Sweden, or the very
to provide further education in rural areas). Ebeltoft dangerous scene of the oil-rig accident in Breaking
the Waves. Morten Arnfred is sometimes the only
one on set, directing the actors, and consulting[...]with Von Trier, who then has the freedom c ? 4 4

C I N E M A PAPERS

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (77)[...]the best-organized Doco Conference
by Ian Stocks[...]strong contingent from down south, the ABC and SBS, in addition to expo ever, and was marked by a mood of
reassuring both the Queensland envi sure to new market forces, including co-operation and enthusiasm which
D espite the initial ronment and the national bodies that the heavy representation by Discovery dispels the current predictions of
pall cast by threats the documentary section is fighting Channel, National Geographic, and gloom and doom about the future of
of funding cuts and back against proposed cuts.[...]r major local and international funding for the documentary area.
general poverty in distributors.
the documentary The level of debate on documentary Three days before the Conference,
industry, the 5th International Docu policy and practice was extremely Over all, the Conference triggered Senator Alston, Minister for Communi
mentary Conference in Brisbane was a high, with some key speakers offering fresh interest in the spirited promotion cation and the Arts, made an
raging success, with a record number many possibilities for ways of launch of viable projects in a range of genres. announcement ensuring retention of
of delegates and a full schedule of ses ing documentary into a new phase of Film Australia's National Interest Pro
sions ranging from pitch and relevance in the Australian social and Judged against previous Documen gram and the Lindfield Site, as well as
promotional sessions[...]environment. Key speakers tary Conferences, the Queensland the footage library. The position of
sessions about markets, and theory proposed a range of strategies which organization rose to the occasion with doco in the Australian cultural and
and policy discussions.[...]marginalized status within the com set of management procedures which guaranteed at least until 2003.
Led by Melanie Guiney, the QDox mercial broadcasting environment. meant that the five or six simultaneous
team achieved the record turnout of programmes ran smoothly, and yet The status and availability of key
more than 530 delegates from all[...]d opportunity for delegates to players within the industry, both in the
states and territories, with a very ways of renegotiating existing deals sample both the delights of Brisbane production area and the broadcast and
with public service broadcasters like and the wide range of material and funding areas, further glossed the[...]importance of the Conference and its
r-- -- -- -- ----------------[...]production. The enthusiasm and diver[...]sity of production was not missed by[...]QDox estimated an attendance of 300
(7 O L P & L
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (78)[...]Phillip Adams' keynote speech was was the visible presence of key broad funding for the AFC, particularly for the
dees included: Elliott Halpern, a eclips[...]who
multi-award-winning Canadian pro by the efforts of Tim Read, Director remained available most of the time, development phases of documentary
ducer, with his film about the influence AFC Development, and the 400-plus with Geoff Barnes and Mike Rubbo of
of Jewish entrepreneurs on the estab guests gave Rachel Perkins' observa the ABC putting in many hours on pan production. There were concerns
lishment of Hollywood; Rigoberto tions on the nature of a documentary els and as chairs of sessions.
Lopez, with his spirited film about the medium their full attention. about the shrinking availability of
origins of Cuban and Caribbean salsa[...]il
music; Duan Jinchuan, with his sensi The keynote by Adams, copied for able for consultation and impromptu funds to ensure the core programme
tive portrait of life for Tibetans in distribution to all delegates by the pitching sessions. These included
Lhasa; and Sanjay Kak, one of India's next afternoon, is a resounding vote of Geoff Barnes of the ABC; Claire Jager and various forms of assistance
better-known documentary directors;[...]amongst others. ers, "the second-class citizens of and Andrew Brann from Channel 4; marked for documentary in the inter

The Conference widened its scope[...]a.
to include papers on documentary and
a range of highly-relevant screenings.[...]A healthy spread of projects was
These included many classics of Amer
ican cin

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (79)[...]quals
I fell into it really. I was a fan of movies. CHOOSING JOBS?[...]hat I get to do what I want
When I lived in Moonee Ponds, I'd[...]to do. I'm getting a good choice of
catch a train into the city and see As a teenager, I was qui[...]A re f ilm s like K is s o r K il l a n d D o in g things now and I'm learning a lot
w[...]l very new - and it was Tim e f o r Pa t s y Cl in e d elib er ate osmosis more than anyt[...]But that's the way it happens in this
movies. It didn't take me very long[...]e out that I wasn't going to be an For the last few years I've started to
astronaut, so the only way to live out make choices, to t[...]actor. do something different from the last look at anyone's career, with the odd[...]self a bit Exactly, and they cover either end of exception, most people get bits and
When I was in primary school, more, push myself out of my usual the spectrum. It was great timing as p[...]themselves up, and somebody takes
the weekend with a friend - a kids' to challenge me, keep me interested. very conscious of finding something a punt and give[...]at was very different. Often when the beauty of the Australian industry.
going along with him and thinking, In terms of technique, I think I've you do something, p[...]k you have a lot more chance to
"This is the thing for me." Everyone always worked[...]film?" That's what you do, say, in America, where there is
stage in their life; I just happened to[...]Love and Other Catastro a couple of films here that might not[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (80)[...]kid. [Writer-director] Chris we came up with the bulk of it.
there. It was the first time I learned Kennedy was a bit concerned that I'd With the jump cuts, the cast and crew
P. J . Hogan, 1994[...]e deals: how you get paid; chubbed up. By the time I got to do Kiss
Muriel's Wedding was the best audition so much an hour for this, wow![...]Kill, I was about five kilos less than spent the first two weeks saying to Bill:
I've ever done in my life. Usually, you go pretty hard job for Guy[...]-on "You can't do that. You're crossing the
to an audition, do your bit, and sit on Clau[...]ntinuity."
agent every day, waiting and waiting. In obscene on the set, you know; we really Kiss or Kill[...]o do something different."
this case, I went for the audition; [direc sank low. Megan was in shock some[...]P. J. [Hogan] was there, as was days over the stuff we'd come up with. Bill Bennett, 1997[...]is
lead] Toni Collette. We sat down, did a In movies like When Harry Met Sally... phes, and actually rang me up straight
couple of scenes, and we workshopped [Rob Reiner, 1989], there's always the after the screening. She said, "I love the nuts; he doesn't know the first basic
the bean bag scene. That finished: mate, so I knew that I was doing the film, but you can't do it again. It's[...]d, "Yep, yep, comic relief. Again, it was one of things enough." I said, "I know, that's exactly Henry [Dangar], the editor, to send over
cool", and he says, "Well,[...]a rough cut of the first scene we shot,
And that was my first film.[...]feel." She said it would probably and we sat in this hotel room one Friday[...]ound for a while, even night with a couple of beers and
Love and Other Catastrophes[...]They were making a commer or Kill came into the office. She said, "I "Ohhhh!" It all made sense[...]six months. cial number, and it made a heap of think I found the one!" I read it and it great experience; the tables were
My agent got the script, and said, money. I've got more r[...]meeting with turned.
"There's a character in it you can play of that than any of the others. People [director] Bill Bennett about a week
pretty easily. There's no money. What do in video stores come up and say: later. I rocked up to this meeting know So often in a film you're working
you want to do?" I thought[...]g that he had only seen Muriel's around the technical aspects; you
than sitting and stewing in my own neu "Hey mate, I saw you in that movie. Wedding and Love and Other Cata[...]You were funny in that." phes and was considering me for the formance for technical reasons. You
ros[...]part of a sociopathic, bloody, potential have to direct your lines to a piece of
Melbourne and met Emma-Kate and "T[...]murderer! I didn't shave for a couple of gaffer tape because your eyeline isn't
Stavros [Efthymiou], the producer. We "Did you really get to fuck[...]ned up hung- right, or you have to deliver the same
went out for coffee and they explained[...]They started calling me "Quick Draw all the way through, swore a lot. At the every angle. There was none of that. We
weeks in Melbourne, hanging out, hav McGraw" because of that scene. end of the lunch - I think he saw right had the technicals working around us.
ing fun, not think[...]ime for Patsy Cline he explained the whole thing to me. I even get to see a run before shooting it.
experience. In fact, what I wanted to[...]happens next. Probably line up an audi The Sugar Factory
a film for nothing. I thought that if they I saw there was a movie in production tion or reading." And he just said:
can get it to this stage, I'm in, good on called Doing Time for Patsy Cline. I[...]you want to do it?" It's based on the novel by Robert Carter,
wildest dreams.[...]s." who wrote the screenplay and directed[...]part", but I wanted to "Okay, see you on the Nullarbor next it. It's been his big passion for 15 years
Dating the Enemy have a look. I got the script and thought, month."[...]m is cool." Then I heard Richard I walked out of the cafe thinking, to get it up. It's looking[...]"Fuck, now I've told him I can deliver, the eyes of Harris, a very intelligent,
Again, that was thro[...]y blown away I've got to do it." I knew at the time that eccentric teenager who doesn't really
got the script from the producers. In[...]atsy Cline, so it was pretty fit into any kind of typical teenager
fact, they'd been looking for the charac by him. So I worked my arse off, and I[...]ad interviewed people. got it. I went in there, sang a couple of boy, finishing that job on the Friday, sense of humour. The theme of it is like
Apparently they couldn't find anyone. I country-and-western songs in my cow doing a screen test for The Sugar Factory Secrets and Lies [Mike Leigh, 1996], I
had an audition. On the Thursday, I boy boots, and things worked[...]and flying to Ceduna on guess. He lives the perfect suburban
rocked up and met [director] Me[...]family, mum and dad,
[Simpson Huberman] and did the audi It was a fuckin' ball. We had a great Only two weeks of rehearsal, two weeks big house, backyard, kids. He mows
tion. Then they got me in to meet Sue time; great Italian food, hangi[...]ow sideburns, and straight into lawns for the neighbours, has a bit of a
Milliken, the producer. I met with them, with Richard and Miranda [Otto] and a seven weeks in the desert, improvising, crush on this neighbour up the road, an
had a chat, and started shooting on the great crew. I made a lot of really good rolling around in dirt, screaming and cry older woman who's got a couple of kids.
Tuesday, after rehearsing on the Mon friends. Subsequently, most of that crew ing, bashing people up, getting into[...]day. It was that quick. shot The Sugar Factory as well. It was knife fights.[...]just a great experience, and also the In terms of dialogue, the whole thing he uncovers this secret of his family
It was also great fun and a pretty[...]him
in a film, but, man, it was a workout. what had to happen in terms of story as a child, was subsequently forgot[...]in terms of one-on-one dialogue there breakdown and he ends up in a halfway[...]were suggestions in the treatment, but house for kids with personal[...]story in a way.

C I N E M A PAPERS

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (81)[...]TUNITY

9 RAGE OF1ITNHNOECPEUNCRESUf fITl OF HAPPINESS

S E s a i M S E l l CINEMA p a p e r[...]Zwar hopes Neuro Hardware II was the 40th Rave Richie Advice for young filmmakers:[...]asting Rich had organized. Tony Hall set the would be like the blind leading the
TNwEUeRnOtyM-tAhNreCeEyRear-old Chris Zwar impression of the Aus crane on Friday night. About 4,50[...]ut there and do it, and
studied Media at Deakin. In 1994, tralian Rave scene, as[...]er Rusden students teeters on the brink of ley got some excellent footage.
made a[...]re were 16 sub-woofers evenly TIM MUMMERY
the Melbourne Rave scene, In Search wholly new and unrec distributed throughout the venue
of a Sub-culture. They had no money ognizable beasts. and a lot of money was spent on THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS AND
and minimal resources, but their the lighting and the show. It's not
labours excited the interest of Dasha With its 15-year[...]aPpOpRinTeUssN, IaTY20-
Ross, Executive Producer of Docu Rave history, Mel really about the music and dancing. minute doco about the day-to-day
mentary at the ABC. bourne was the obvious business of a door-to-door sales firm,
choice for much of the We did two types of interview, was made by Tim Mummery as a[...]shooting. Sydney lost its one lot with the Rave organizers student at the Victorian College of
after the William Gibson novel, was edge in 1995, he says, when the death and the other with the Ravers them the Arts. It was purchased by the
a "humbling experience", says Zwar, of Anna Woods from Ecstasy changed selves. These industry ABC for Loud Dox. To fill the 25-
who knows there are hundreds of the Rave scene irreversibly. Raves professionals - making a living in minute segment, the five-minute
filmmakers out there. Zwar can't were targeted by the police and the Rave scene, producing music, Windows of Opportunity was com
believe that one year out of film forced to move into existing club running Raves and promoting the missioned.
school he got his first directing premises. This took the gigs out of the culture - have done hundreds of
credit, and on a project he wanted organizers' hands and put them into interviews and the set-up doesn't faze Mummery studied a BA in
to make. those of unadventurous management. them. But for interviews with the Anthropology in Western Australia.
Neuromancer attended the big Ravers, it was important not to[...]smaller Rave held in the Flemington Zwar scaled down to a two-man[...]We faced special problems, with the death was tragic but, nonetheless, he
extremes of light [from black to argues that it is ex[...]ed
in these conditions and can't deliver almost out of existence in favour of[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (82)[...]overseas, he com morning warm-up, where the group see more from this young filmmak[...]belonging." Training as a boxer -
subjects in documentary theory and, gave tips on pitch[...]"for the fitness aspect", Fenech says
in 1996, was accepted into the VCA Mummery revealed himself and they[...]- there was also a turf-war going on,
School of Film and Television's agreed to let hi[...]able but you have to go out there between the Nazi punks and the
newly-created Postgraduate Docu[...]it. By doing it, you learn to homeys, and the police weren't
mentary stream. Mummery:[...]as great building relationships with structure the story [in the field]. always gentle moving them on.[...]ling with Fenech studied at Leichhardt
of mine. I had a genuine interest in propagates the [adage], "Greed is real people, who are[...]ou actually see these people life [beyond] the screening of your film. Metro TV. Scoring a job at the ABC
people as an easy route to [narrative][...]business partner and the producer of
A recipient of the Film Victoria fortably with Pursuit. A study of HDIiPreHcOtoPrCPIaTuYl Fenech is 29 yea[...]car-window cleaners at the intersec (too old to have done a Loud fil[...]Mentor Scheme, Mummery was tion of Punt Road and Hoddle Street but the ways of the ABC are a mys through their company, Livewire
paired with mentor Steve Thomas (a in Melbourne, it is also a comment tery to[...]s.
documentary filmmaker with credits on the current economic climate, one-year-old son. He's been revisit
far exceeding the space here). The comparing the old hands with the ing his teens for his `devotional' "The media has always centred on
Mentor Scheme brough[...]doco, Hip Hop City. the thugs", says Fenech, whose aim
to the attention of Dasha Ross. Upon each other to eke out a living on the has been to devote 25 minutes to
viewing The Pursuit ofHappiness, she street.[...]cade ago, Paul Fenech was portraying the culture of hip-hop,
purchased it from the Victorian Col hanging with as many
lege of the Arts for $6,000. Mummery's DOP wa[...]ary filmmaker Stewart Carter. Carter around the Marble,
The Pursuit ofHappiness was an graduated from the VCA film school under the stairs at Cen
accident, says Mummery. His studio, in the late '80s, when documentary tral, in Sydney. Angry
Jindie Films, overlooks a Richmond[...]grad by mainstream or
he witnessed a group of businessmen uating doco, Ma's Pie Float, about a Anglo culture, these
and women standing in a circle late-night pie-trailer on the steps of `wanna-be toughs'
singing and making `affir[...]an American ghetto
This group of hawkers and can In the company of Thomas and culture called hip-hop.[...]warming up for their Carter, Mummery is in excellent
day selling door-to-door. Dressed in hands and it is inevitable that we w[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (83)[...]Week in the late '80s, and described
"tagging". the law graffing, but on the scale of RiAOE OF INNOCENCE the experience as "mind-blowing".
things, his level of criminality is less."[...]Their exams behind them, Year 12 assumed the proportions of a Gold
thing of the Aussie flavour. "The Borrowing the hip-hop elements students from all over Australia Coast event, generating between
MCs aren't afraid to use their own of saturated colours and frenetic descend on the Gold Coast to party. $8-10 million and, like the Mardi
accents", and Australia's relative movement used by `graf-artist' Paul "It's a rite of passage for these kids", Gras, building its own[...]gate, as well as from music-vids, says Rage of Innocence's director, and culture.
is also having its influence. One of commercials and Spike Lee, Fen[...]ill contribute drunk before. It's a week of new "We were a three-girl camera-
Aus[...]iences. They don't know their crew. During the' day it was all
parallels her own background wit[...]y atmosphere, sun and surf",
storytelling around the kava bowl ments."
equating to rapping, the breakdanc In the process, after shooting mul[...]cCuaig, but at night it was
ing and DJ mirroring the traditional tiple video formats, like lipstick-cam, With a couple of different. The youth loved the cam
dance and drum:[...]docos under her belt, era and in the street the crew were[...]lothing style, "mixed" these images in the editing and another on women rolling through most of it, but a
but it isn't a uniform or an expensi[...]surfers, 27-year-old couple of times we had to tell the
fashion: tracksuits, sneakers with fat[...]ld DOP, Kristen Jones, to put the
laces. But it's also about being able to or the scratching together of two according to Loud[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (84)[...]In film making, quality of screen[...]Domino works at the highest film[...]throughout the world.[...]because of deadline or budget.[...]the opportunity to explore alternatives,[...]and lavish more time on the details of[...]Start working at the speed of[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (85) EVERYBODY'S ALWAYS LOOKING FOR
THE NEXT BIG THING THAT'S NOTHING

NEW. AND SOMETIMES PREDICTIONS
AND PROPHECIES HIT THE NAIL ON THE

HEAD, AND SOMETIMES THEY'RE WAY
OFF. W[...]ENTS WORTH LOOKING
OUT FOR IN 1998.

Y T IN HUNTER

UHB -[...]ction: With a strong dance and theatre background in Western Australia, Ledger^
has been dabbling in television recently, as well as scoring supporting roles in a c o u -|
pie of feature filmsiHisTead rotetas Conor in Roar, a fantasy television series set in 1
400 AD Ireland but filmedjn Queensland, was in an American co-production, and h a sj[...]brought Ledger more attention. The fact that the series has,already?^en axed in the,^
States[...]and watclrhim in future.^

1

1H u i

Q l <c[...]Credits s o la r: Race Around the World
Prediction: With little experience before being selected for the ABC's Race Around the
World series last year, Safran soon proved himselfto be something of a tearaway film
maker. His unpredictability won him quite a lot of attention - especially after his naked
dash through the streets of Jerusalem. He has dabbled in the music industry with his
parody song "Not the Sunscreen Song", a send-up of a track offBaz Luhrmann's CD[...]esting to see what sort of offers and projects he becomes involved with in the future.[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (86)about journalists. In the particular case wrong with the attitude of the rest of W h at, th en , do yo u seek as a f il m What was interesting was going to
of Sarajevo, a lot of journalists were the world, particularly in Europe. This
killed. They were targets in the war and was a war in Europe, but people wanted m[...]interiors. In Macedonia, there is a com[...]To find a story I'm interested in and
In Britain, at least, there were a lot of[...]t I would plete division between, on the one
journalists who were committed to the A lot of people in Europe grew up feel want to go and watch. That generally hand, the Muslim side of the city, and,
subject and campaigned for something[...]ns trying to engage with some on the other side, the orthodox side of
to happen. Papers like Th e G u a rd ia n another war in Europe, and yet here thing which is, on the surface, quite
and T h e In d e p e n d e n t frequently ran was a war in Europe. For people living difficult, and trying to make it in a way the city; between Muslim villages and
stories saying the British government outside of Bosnia, there was a sense of that is interesting and ac[...]people who are really been that split in Macedonia. And that
the most important event in their lives, interested in Sarajevo are going to
I think the journalists were very but somehow it w[...]ly already is what is so awful about the fact of
deeply affected by the war. They didn't day. That kind of disassociation is thou[...]would encourage people
They didn't want to be on the fence.[...]Sarajevo, and had no interest in successfully-integrated city and[...]It is c e r t a in l y s h o c k in g . Yo u a r e[...]JOLTED INTO NEW WAYS OF THINKING
Jude Fawley (Christopher Eccleston) and[...]Stephen has done a lot of theatre work[...]lly. It is going to be and also quite a lot of television in Eng[...]and see the film then they will suggest[...]people that they should also When the script was very first sent to[...]it. Whether people will come I me, the producers said, "Talk to[...]4 and Miramax and all the distributors, Jeremy Irons." But before[...]in a way. ca[...]HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT FILMING IN and we met lots of actors.[...]the part. He is very intense but, as an[...]eas where try to grab attention in every scene. If[...]there were still a number of land he is working with a girl wh[...]mines. On the whole, though, Sarajevo[...]we had co-operation from SAGA, the don't spend all your time wonderin[...]your time wondering what the girl is[...]A lot of the crew worked with SAGA[...]and had made a lot of documentaries feeling. He was very[...]during the war there, so they knew the[...]city very well. They also knew the story W hat w a s th e tr ig g er to u s[...]easy. In some ways, that more than
j | p t l | e s s e n[...]compensated for any problems in I just really admire Kerry's[...]ity, especially in A n g e l a t m y T a b le . I[...]liked the idea that she wasn't English,[...]the script to SAGA. The Bosnian gov son] was working for a[...]ernment authorities liked the script company. I thought the combination of[...]ted to show people back W as m a k in g a film on such a subject[...]son, who plays Flynn, the cameraman]
home what was happening in order to Among the people working with us, would be good.
change something. The trouble was A DIFFICULT EXPERIENCE F[...]there were people whose background
that the people back home didn't do[...]o u select th o s e pa r tic u la r
anything and the journalists felt HUMAN BEING?[...]t, Bosnian Catholic.
incredibly frustrated. Lots of them Within the government side of Sara A m e r ic a n ac to r s?
have written about their sense of It was a difficult experience, and[...]wanted to ously there were a lot of things to Of course it is predominantly Muslim, Because I like them.
show that side of journalism. remember from it.[...]sed to be an American
There are contradictions of being a life and affected me in this way or that, There is a huge division there
journalist in situations like that. Obvi but I'm not su[...]of the war and people on the other Woody, who is a genuine Amer[...]o terrible things. When you are make the film. At the end of the film, are not going to be t[...]different with Marisa [Tomei],
watching footage of someone dying, a you've spent a long[...]s. That is a terrible thing - especially, in this case, watching[...]But I don't think that hours and hours of material. That tally ends up in Sarajevo. The real
invalidates the idea that you should affects you in different ways, but only in[...]see those pictures. the same way that all experience does. I[...]much acting, got interested by watch
The inevitable logic of those who criti say, "What I learnt from the war in Sara ing the news, raised money and ended
cize such footage i[...]would feel vulnerable, maybe out of
by not getting involved you keep your I don't think the film has a simplistic[...]but not having had a lot of experience.[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (87)[...]fBHanokmAe cLcooaunnt
that saves you thousands of dollars

Home Offset can save you thousands[...]neeererdvtmaeherslretsyynt

W ith 100% offset, the m ore m oney *Interest savings quoted i[...]A.C.N. 007 270 448 Bank 47355
in your bank accou n t the m ore you of how much you could save is available on request
save on hom e loan in terest - until
you withdraw your money.[...]Full details available on application.

-- Bank of Melbourne cuts the cost of banking

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (88)[...]narrative games and spirited i of inaccuracies". Scott[...]Armstrong has attempted the on Stanley
Jackie Brown near impossible in bringing
The Elmore Leonard so literary a work to the Kubrick
adaptation frenzy c[...]different
with the results
discovers[...]ucer: Nadia Leonelli the souls and passions of an[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (89)[...]to the over-the-top works of pho ing of Ludovic. Herein lies one of :1 _____J_A__C_K__IE__B__R_O__W__N_____[...]tographers Pierre and Gilles -- the film's most poignant and tren[...]seemingly contrasts a bland, chant themes: the possibility, 1 Directed by Quentin T[...]modern, middle-class housing indeed the distinct likelihood, that La w r e[...]development with the lurid themselves profoundly confused 11 R ic h a r d N. G l a d s t e in , El m o r e Le o n a r d ,
this film above many of its peers is motifs of a '50s Technicolor over how to deal with gender and Bo b W e in s t e in , Ha r v e y W e in s t e in . Co -
the characterization of Marcus, Directed by Alain Berliner. Prod[...]realms. Has this generation, the Ba s e d on t h e n o v e l Rum P[...]be ask Leo n ard . Directo r of Pho to g raph y :
truly is, as most adolescents[...]r r o . P r o d u c t io n D e s ig n e r :
mass of contradictions. He has a by Chris Vander Stappen. Director of Ludovic (Georges Du[...]streetwise D e e g e n . M u s ic : Do m in iq u e Da lc a n . Ca s t : is his birthright to dress in girls' exemplified by the signature Pa m G r ie r (Ja c k ie B r o w n ) , S a m u e l L.
understanding of the harshness of M ic h
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (90)the special task force cops, headed such a han[...]icolet (Michael Keaton). woman provides the setting for the with unshakable conviction, a sided young woman; it's a compleat
Much will no doubt be made of sexual/romantic undertones that[...]omes from know performance, peaking perhaps in Dire c t e d by John S ch ultz. Pr o[...]these elements on talk shows and drive the motivations of Jackie ing and loving your character. what may be the shortest sex scene A lyso n Po o le, John S ch u ltz . Co -p r o d u c e r :
in journals: "Look at this: a middle Brown's ally in the story, the bonds on film, and the most droll.
aged black sister whips ass.[...]is Tarantino territory, but Schultz. Directo r of pho to g ra phy: S hawn
yes, indeed, Tarantino h[...]d white bondsman pony-tailed dude of a gun run his camera is much steadier: his[...]romancing a middle-aged black ner is the dark sun around approach is a blend of classic film Ma u r e r . Ed it o r : Joh[...]onard's story. (A refer crook? Which is the greater sur whom the planets revolve: techniques and personal flourishes d e s ig n e r : Ir in a Riv e r a . Co s t u m e s : Betzy
ence to LA[...]Fonda) is a - not to mention his punchy use of R e is in g e r . Ca s t : K e v in Co r r ig a n (Wyn n
unavoidable, and you can ar[...]n a pp ), S t e v e Pa r l a v e c c h io (Er ic
the better film.) That source novel director?[...]oo d), Lee Ho lm es (To n y Rid g e),
is evident in some of the longer- both recognize it's a hopeless case. "That shit'll rob you of your ambi Many scenes, especially in the first Ma tth ew Hen n essey (Charlie Flagg), D[...]tions", she quips back, lazy but half of the film, are taken in simple, Ma c M illan (Lin u s Tate). A u s[...]"Not if your ambition is to get eloquent shots. The camera is still d is t r ib u to r : Den dy. USA. 1997. 3 5 m m .
Nothing in this film drags: it's believe this attr[...]h and watch TV." Her flat is as it watches the action. In other
taught with dramatic tension, tem them; it turns on the credibility and where he hangs out and does busi[...]1 0 3 MINS.
pered and filled out with plenty of complexity of both characters, ness. He hardly ever goes to his matic, the point of view is the boot
sardonic humour, as well as a con[...]own dump, where a comatose of a car, looking up, or from the A s in life, it is in the nature of
siderable heart, which seems odd[...]young black female lounges on the back seat of a van where Ordell
in the context, but gives the film its Max is the only character in the sofa, unintroduced, except to Louis and Louis are heavy in confronta music to draw a bunch of dis
long-term life. film who remains `clean' of the cor Gara (Robert De Niro), a bank rob tion in the front. We also observe parate individuals to[...]ruption and greed that drive all the ber just out after four years in Ordell from the back, watching his against their will, and put them in a
The fact that Jackie Brown is others - some of the special force prison. This is yet another De[...]and straightened van for a very long period of time.[...]underachiever with a hang-dog tion. All of it. These, and the use It looks like a low-budget explo[...]expression but a fatally-short fuse. (once) of a split screen, and (three ration of regional subculture made
The idiosyncratic nervous ticks are times) of a Rashomon-like retelling by someone who knows the terri
absent, the character beams out of of a crucial incident, are technique tory, but it is packaged in a
him, the eyes speak of confusion, tools that Tarantino uses to keep[...]fear and a modicum of bravado. us in the critical balance between someone who knows the trajectory.[...]er character, but it prediction and surprise, on the[...]takes a while for us to fully under edge of a smile but with a sense of Writer-director John Schultz is[...]various sides. She fear and foreboding in our guts. the former drummer of The Con[...]nells, a staple of the US college[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (91)in re vie w[...]ship between the Empire and its
Films most of his time studying a heavy[...]satellites, or between the centre
tome, the contents of which are[...]and the margins. Indeed, in the[...]revealed only at the end. Linus is[...]continued something of an oracle, a high
priest of road management, lend[...]The film downplays the colo[...]nialist context and emphasizes,
provides while the sister screams ing credibility to the band by his[...]quite understandably, the love[...]mented by the question of whether[...]he ought to wager on the existence
Tony Ridge (Lee Holmes), the enters the room unannounced,[...]of God, and another who is fasci[...]interests: their shared status as
only perform in the cupboard. "It is disappears.[...]outcasts - at least in a symbolic
no good", he says to Charlie; "I can The life of the band is certainly[...]love of gambling and, more impor
not glamourized. They stew in their[...]tantly, wagering, in Blaise Pascal's[...]sense (that is, wagering as a matter
comes out of the cupboard but own juices and eat in nasty cafes,[...]of life and death or as a matter of
turns his back to the audience. He lugging around their Marshall[...]salvation).

writes the lyrics, which, it becomes stacks and putting up w[...]The film explores their meeting
the suits fit, but they are sick of the in Australia against a background
apparent, are all written a[...]one texta-scrawled tortuous practicalities of indepen Directed by Gillian Armstrong. of colonial expansion. Oscar thinks[...]dence. The record company Producers: Robin Dalton, Timothy White. of a plan by which his love of
girl called Ann. When Ann appears, poster calls[...]cliched, and the band's choices Associate producer:[...]He decides to build a glass church
she has the effect of the coke bot They do have a moment of glory rather too predictable. These sort Scriptwriter: Laura Jones, based on the and to transport it through
tle in The Gods Must Be Crazy. when, stranded by the side of the of stereotypes are disappointing in[...]film novel by Peter Carey. Director of riginal territory - to the settlement
Eric Ellwood (Steve Parlavec- road, the bass player fixes the van, and could have been easily[...]: at Bellingen. This is the stuff of a[...]Werner Herzog film, and there are
chio) is the quick-tempered bass the motor turns, and for one glori[...]The soundtrack of Bandwagon B e a u m a n . Ca s t[...](Os c a r (1982) here, with its highlighting of
player who needs to learn better ous moment they hear themselves is certainly one of its strongest[...]grand but ill-fated aspiration and of[...]and it wouldn't be surpris H o p k in s ) , Ca t e B la n c h e t t (Lu c in d a the extent to which the boundaries
gun etiquette. Wynn Knapp (Kevin on the radio. They jump victori ing if the music took off in its own Le p l a s t r ie r ), Ciar an[...]between passion and madness
Corrigan) is the lead guitarist who, ously on the lonely road until the right. It will be an interesting addi De n n is Ha s s e t ), Tom W ilk in s o n (H ugh can be blurred. Director[...]tion to the rock-road-grunge movie Stratton), Richard[...]was clearly attracted
appearance-wise, puts one in mind car battery is extinguished and genre. Think of it as Spinal Tap for Clive Ru ssell (Th e o p h ilu s), Bille B rown to the grandeur of Oscar's idea, to
the Clerks generation. (Percy S m ith ). Australian d is t r ib u t o r : the cinematic possibilities and to
of a white Jimi Hendrix, if that is they wilt in silence.[...]A u s t r a l ia . 199 8. another touching story of star-
possible. The band must learn to cope[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (92)[...]which are underpinned by \ Oscar and Lucinda, and of the nar- So the film is given a very different - no less so that the scene of a ship There are less-satisfying[...], as a consequence, being dragged through the Amazon aspects in the film: Carey's novel
the need to wager one's whole life I\ rater's grandfather, to the present. necessarily overlooks or ignores a[...]tir honest and
on an unknown but passionately- i In other words, Carey's novel is an number of questions that make the Armstrong's style is vivid, too: she can[...]desired outcome. Lucinda \ affirmation of the narrating func- about the selective rendering of effect; the camera dwells on the tal aspects. The novel was partly[...]historical storytelling, of blind two lovers with great affection; intended to highlight the plight of
associates gambling with pleasure; I! tion even as it subverts some of the spots in whitewashed narratives, of many scenes are intercut dynami the indigenous people of this coun
it is an extension of her unorthodox j pretensions of narrators in fiction. preferences on the part of story cally to give a sense of two try in the era ofviolent colonization.[...]seemingly separate lives coming The film's representation ofthe bar
self, her eccent[...]suddenly baric and unnecessary slaughter of[...]sitions. Carey's and fortuitously; indeed, the direc indigenous people, it must be said,
The narrator in the film (Geof I of storytellers, perhaps because of novel highlights such problematic tor's love of these outcasts is does not transcend mere[...]ts within an ostensible almost palpable in countless In one short scene, the only scene
frey Rush) also turns out to be a i their vivid imaginations and magi- reconstruction of the story of the frames. They are captured in many really in which the violence is
two lovers; the film focuses on the close-ups; and the understatement focused upon, the film shows a
gambler of sorts. He is aware of the | cal qualities (when seen in the story of the lovers. Much is lost in is welcome. group of Aborigines being killed by
the translation.[...]Oscar's men (much to his dismay).
fact that the union of two gamblers \ context of mythology and myth- The film is quite long (slightly The camera descends as it focuses[...]ding these eva too long, perhaps, given the exclu on the last embers of life ebbing
produced him albeit indirectly i[...]suspicious sions, absences or exclusions, the sions, but only slightly); in general, out of their young, twitching bod[...]film is certainly vivid and affecting. however, the tempo is measured ies. It is a forceful scene to be sure,
(across the span of a few genera ; of the notion of narrative omni- Certainly, the scenes of the glass carefully, and the marriage of but its forcefulness is compromised[...]mewhat by its brevity. It is as if
tions). He is the distant progeny of | science, impartiality or closure, stream[...]ble and thought-provoking. the filmmakers felt that they had to[...]it an integral part ofthe film's the[...]matic trajectories, in the way that
informs the viewer. \ in the film. The film's narrator[...]this theme is woven into the trajec[...]tories of the novel.
The film is also concerned with II rarely seems to be as playful or as
a key element of the novel's struc | self-reflexive as Carey's narrato[...]detracts from the film's otherwise
ture, namely the genealogy of J The cost of the change is notable:[...]laudable affirmation ofthe figure of[...]the outcast, the inhabitant of the
storytelling or the genealogy of II the film's narrator takes himself far[...]opportunity in this respect to say
narrative. Carey takes great[...]t and profound,
highlight a continuous tradition of [ he is placed next to Carey's ironic,[...]about the status of real outcasts[...]and marginalized figures in this
narrative from the time, at least, of i playful and self-reflexive narrators.[...]However, in other respects, the[...]uses colour coding in evocative, if[...]example, black and grey in Oscar's[...]childhood home, dull shades in[...]in Australia); Rennes, as Oscar,[...]actually has the "scarecrow" look[...]Lucinda, has a touch of wildness[...]which the character requires; the[...]deeply satisfying within the film's[...]iconography; and the scenes with[...]the glass church, an embodiment of[...]unforgettable. The final scenes are[...]quite poignant, with just the right[...]measure of irony.[...]This should be one of the high[...]lights of the year.[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (93)[...]THE WIGGLES MOVIE Jamie Du[...]childhood teaching back together in 1980s pub-rock heroes,[...]and down, carry no weight. Chil Director of photography: Scott Preston. ground (Cook, Field and The Cockroaches). But much ofthe
JOEY[...]music here is recycled (and not in
stor[...], versity), their the post-modern sense in which
Directed by: Ian Barry. Producer: Michael[...]colour-coded skivvies much of all their music is recycled).
La ke. Executive[...]cripting by numbers, dial-a- Music: The Wiggles and John Field. Jeff, blue for Ant[...]and a Cast: Anthony Field (Anthony, The Blue for Greg, the lead vocalist) and Like To Dance", "Hot Po[...]production Wiggle), Greg Page (Greg, The Yellow their wax-museum grins, The Wig "Can You Point Your Fingers and
B[...]en did Sydney get Wiggle), Jeff Fatt (Jeff, The Purple Wiggle), gles are the apotheosis of "nice" Do The Twist?" are known and
Beattie. Story by: Max[...]k-style cabs? I Murray Cook (Murray, The Red Wiggle), parentally-approved entertain[...]ey were all Ford Falcons Tony Harvey (Wally the Great), Leeanne software for parents who have lost across the nation. And who could
Stuart Beattie. Director of photography: or Holden Commodores. faith in Saturday-morning cartoons ever forget the rollicking sounds of
David Burr. Production designer Peta Ashley (Dorothy the Dinosaur). on the telly. Bung in a The Wiggles "D.O.R.O.T.H.Y."? The W iggles[...]deo (and plenty do; W ake Up Jeff, M o vie is, in a sense, a "greatest
Lawson. Costume designer: M[...]ctually come out ofthe film Century Fox. Australia. 1 9 9 7. 83 mins. their 1996 release, sold 120[...]units in its first month) and you're
SCHIEFELBEIN. COMPOSER: ROGER MASON. bumbling pair of community televi W e all know about exploitation guaranteed of an extra 47 non-vio In such a package, does plot[...]cinema, right? Blood, guts, in bed. For this, The Wiggles are to are not particularly attentive to
Alex McKenna (Linda Ross), Rebecca found in the Media Information Kit sex, nubile teens in compromising be praised.[...]positions in cheap and nasty prod their drama to come in short slabs
Hopkins (Kanga-Catcher), Tony Brig[...]or their debut motion (there is one rule of thumb that
(Mick), Ruth Cracknell (Sylvia), Ed B[...]concepts such as artistic quality or The W ig g les M o vie is a triumph of measures roughly one minute for
(Farmer Dixon)[...]longevity of appeal. each year). So if The W iggles
Roadshow Film Distributors. Australia.[...]It has no sex (if you except the[...]undoubted appeal of Dorothy the unlikely to suffer in the eyes of its[...]a blind eye to the odd pratfall), and[...]The Wiggles may or may not be[...]an astonishingly cynical crew. In
T his latest Australian venture supplied to film reviewers. Could it the pre-pubescent dancers are a niche marketing over virtually point of fact, they seem absolutely
be that they were inserted into the sprightly bunch), but The W iggles every other element of contempo charming. Yet they do appear gui[...]rary filmmaking. Technically, of one major miscalculation, which
of a disappointment. By trying to lift the lacklustre and formulaic of exploitation cinema. And, what's narra[...]t is (to could yet curtail their success.
throw in all the right ingredients, screenplay?[...]ruthlessness of which Roger Cor- the music is a disappointment. address the fact that few parents
contrived film, pitched to[...]an American market. think not, because the mercenary take some solace in the fact that dren off to see a movie alone,[...]As any Australian parent with The Wiggles had a solid grounding regardless of its innocuousness.
The story is simple: young Billy at the American market" ideal per a child born in the past five years in rock 'n' roll, and were unafraid to Perhaps it is a sign of their whole
MacGregor (Jamie Croft) lives on a meates this whole production, and or so knows, The Wiggles (Murray dip into other musical idioms in hearted commitment to their
farm with his mother, Penny subsequently robs it of any human Cook, Jeff Fatt, Anthony Field, and search of a catchy riff (in fact, much audience that they have eschewed
(Re[...]warmth, individuality and Greg Page) are the biggest thing to of their success with parents has the usual sops to adult viewers (in
of the house-he died some years respect for its audience that it happen in pre-school-age chil rested on a nostalgic appeal to the jokes, star cameos, sophisticated
ear[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (94) review[...]m as a "hollow hero" or doesn't is not the result of sloppy THE GRIP BOOK[...]emperor", and at his proofreading, but of meticulous
Books[...]criticism of R e se rv o ir D o g s research as evidenced in this thor : SECO[...]n Tarantino, 1992) as an ough study of Robert Wiene's
continued[...]while Frank describes The G odfa hearts, author David Robinson[...]oppola, 1972) dedicates many lines to the study M ic h a e l G. Uv a & S a b r in a Uv a ,
well as Bogart himself.[...]as a "triumph of hype over content of the title itself.[...]382
THE THRILLER FILM GUIDE and execution" and B on n ie and
The biography sheds much[...]d o n , "meretricious", at least it opens up
of the key screen icons of American 1 9 9 7 , 286 p p ., il l u s , in d e x , $ 3 7 .9 5 debate and proves that Frank[...], BFI Publishing, London,
Warner and his studio, the inner[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (95)[...]nce punch, you are allowing the actors to ^3 12 screen culture j 17 documentaries
momentum the actors are building and connect - whilst they are still in the It's cost-effective and has significant The Conference seemed to offer the
can create an intellectual rather than s ce n e -to the essence of the scene, outcomes. possibility of a new maturity for the
instinctive environment. there[...]documentary industry. It addressed in
The campaign was successful in a mature way an increasing concern
The scene may be simply being Once again[...]n-overload talk time, and gets each maintain the status quo regarding fed ate methods of support and market
ing on-set prior to a take. W[...]een culture. Equally assistance, and a widening of horizons
Again" is sidecoached by yourself, the important, the campaign has, in receiv to include a diverse range of possible
character who has just spoken repeats Hints: You may need to remind the ing a supportive response from the outlets and future venues and distribu
t[...]stablished a positive rela tion channels for the completed
aim is to clarify their intention. Thi[...]onship for ongoing discussion and product. The comprehensive screening
may manifest itself thro[...]You may also need to keep your The lesson learnt from the Gonski spectrum of Australian and interna
doesn't matter how. The focus is to eye on the actor, saying "And Again" campaign was th[...]tional documentary production with
make clear the meaning of the line. from within the scene and make sure for screen culture a[...]they are saying it from the character's ourselves; and that we must not[...]You may sidecoach "And Again" mouth, not the actor's. In other words, ourselves in a position again where the fabric of the Conference, and
two, three or four times until you feel using our "You're fired!" scenario, the our contribution to a healthy national appearing on a multitude of panels
satisfied the moment is clear and character on the receiving end may say film and television i[...]included: Gil Serine; David Bradbury;
again the scene continues. Each actor they utter this[...]increases; they rise slowly from their The next challenge facing the winning British investigative journalist);
within the scene. They allow the char chair in shock at what has just screen cultur[...]occurred, their eyes narrow and fix on the lessons learned in the cam author Alan Rosenthal, who came as a
character's point of view. hard on the person behind the desk paign, and how to ensure that scre[...]with all the power. culture continues[...]within the film and television industry. The range ofwomen filmmakers
allows the scene to keep rolling, and You may after[...]included: British BAFTA Award-winner
allows the moments of significance - "And Again"s still not get what you feel The Australian Screen Culture Indus Molly Dineen; Erika Addis; Trish Fitzsi-
the turning points, the release of vital the moment requires. Fine. This means try Asso[...]mon; Mitzi Goldman; Fiona Cochrane;
information, the moments of crisis, the you may have to stop briefly and alter result. ASCIA formalizes the national recent `racer' Olivia Rousset; and an
moments of revelation - to have their the choice the actor is making, as the coalition of screen culture organizations extraordinary diver[...]not heading where it needs to which lobbied in the wake of the Gonski of documentary voices which are vali
direct the scene toward the territory it go. For example, staying with our[...]dated by current production and
needs to exist in with a simple phrase. nario above, the relish which became[...]new genres, evidenced
When "And Again" is said, the person amplified over the four repeats of
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (96)[...]gh his medical exam. Breaking the Waves when she knew -23 F2o4r tLhoei[...]t Emily Watson was very nervous a gang of boastful boys on the beach
to watch on the monitor and see how And running through it all are the after a sex scene, and as woman-to- and attended a Booze-cruise on the[...]was. canal, where they found a group of
it works. themes of good and evil, the cause of "The next morning Lars came to talk. I girls.[...]know when he hates me", she says
The relationship started six years evil (if I[...]say anything There's a `vulture culture' of older men[...]rs. I need her to be so inse who prey on the Schoolies, particularly
ago when Von Trier was d[...]cure and I don't want her to know she the younger girls, and, in one case, we[...]is good" , the director told her. And he represented a bo[...]n
nically-complicated commercial, and it, the uncertainty of these distinc was right, adds the producer with a[...]f teheek.documentary
needed someone to take care of the tions, the beauty of that very[...]In the beginning of Breaking the McCuaig, and she left it to the
actors and to help organize things. uncertainty of whether something is Waves, they never[...]on set. The French camera operator, struck by how these kids are old
"We never discussed what kind of co evil, and what to do about it. The two with a i,ooo-foot mag on his sh[...]had to but that they don't always make the
operation it would be", he says, dishwashers in the basement again find a way to cover the actors. Then right ones and they definit[...]what Von Trier was saying. At one the consequences.[...]point, he wanted the Frenchman off,
like working with Von Trier. "Maybe I menting on the goings-on above - the because, " He's too good. I want him to One of the girls who attended[...]10 years' ago now has a child of her
have a lighter view of life. Maybe I silliness that is maybe the evil. When a[...]create a kind plate breaks, it is liberated from the told the actors what to do, but shot but that she[...]scenes all the way through in one take McCuaig:
of synergy." eternal rounds of being dirtied and - often 6-7 pages of script. Breaking[...]had an 11-week shoot preceded by one In the editing, I've watched these guys
I remember an i[...]week of talking it over with the actors. so many times telling the camera these[...]Sometimes they would do 4-5 takes of things they'd never tell their parents[...]ould do If I was to run into them on the street,
he said that in Denmark the filmmak as the group-therapy session is inter some pick-[...]s seem to talk to each other and cut with the childish therapeutic ioned."[...]rough it all with them.

co-operate more, while in Sweden games of the hospital consultants in Vibeke Windelpv said to me last Advice to young filmmakers: The[...]ed to sneak me longer you can stay out of corporate-
each is working on his or her own, the Masonic lodge. And our hypochon into Denmark's Radio TV studios dur culture, the fresher your ideas. It's[...]ing the filming of Kingdom II to get a been great to be abl[...]a promo for the series on Japanese takes so long waiting to be heard
Arnfred felt the greater competition was leaving the hospital in the first television channel WOWOW-that he that, by the time you do get your[...]too late and you've
when he shot his latest film in Stock episode, is now back with good reason Because of them, he does not waste a lost your energy. The Loud Festival
lot of time going to festivals or get dis was a te[...]directed a and back with a mission to save the tracted by promotion, but can[...]concentrate on the creative work. To Getting film funding in Australia
feature, you're not likely to go back " Kin[...]onger and this filmmaker trying to fill the eco is a lot like winning the lottery.[...]other director, he sug more central - a detective in touch forthcoming. Windelpv, for one, is any form of film education. The[...]quite happy to continue the working ABC made a point of disqualifying
gested, whereas he would have no with the spirits, who lets nothing stop relationship[...]ms about taking on such a role. her get to the bottom of things.[...]The one Von Trier film neither Arn the Loud age requirements).
" Denmark is a small cou[...]they call his Christmas film, While the next lot of `Around
know each other" , he says. (The role was memorable as the train conductor which he shoots 3 minutes of each the World Racers' were being[...]year with the same actors, to be trained-up from scratch at the
of first A.D. in Denmark, it should be in Von Trier's Europa (aka Zentropa), is released in the year 2024. AFTRS over Christma[...]ask what the ABC is offering to film
noted, often involves more creative as good as ever as the Denmark-hating As for the real world of hospitals, students who have just spent thr[...]d a fortune putting them
input than is generally the case in Swedish doctor. The actor had worried much worse than anythin[...]jured up in Kingdom.

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (97)[...]vison. It was made for the BBC and
in Sarajevo who saw about 400 children.[...]bought [for cinema release]. But in the
Essentially, I didn't want the girl in UK it was just television.
the film to be special. The whole point
is that all the children in the orphanage Future Projects
are as spec[...]We didn't
want it to be that traditional thing of W h a t is y o u r n e x t pro ject?
their eyes [Henderson's and Emira's]
meeting across the room, of a special I Want You, a love story set in Hast
bond between two people which is[...]ted it to be almost by accident that of going-back towards the Butterfly
he ends up taking her.[...]Id z ia k t o sh o o t it ?
CINEMA WAS IN SUCH A CRISIS TEN YEARS
Because of his work on Three Colours:
AGO, BUT IS NOW REALLY THRIVING? Blue and The Double Life ofVeronique[...]is, then things inevitably have to
get better. The British Labor Party's I Want You[...]d a line about "Things seen through the eyes of a boy. I
can only get better" - the same for the wanted an outside view of England.
British film industry. Even as recent[...]Slawomir has a real involvement in
films being made. every aspect of filmmaking. I hope it is[...]ly Mitevska, who has a small part in
gram, which now has a big London Sarajevo.
base and is making films for the whole
of the world. It is not specifically a W h at are y o u r c in e m a t ic in f lu e n c e s ?
British company, but it has a big input
in Britain. I come from the north of England, so
I particularly liked the films by Lindsay
Then there are companies li[...]Anderson, Ken Loach and Karel Reisz-
max. In some ways, the way Americans films that had been shot there.
perceive the international marketing of
films is working now. It favours Britain I also really like Wenders and
in that it has a European aspect to it, Fassbinder and a whole lot of stuff
but it is also English-language. I watched as a teenager.

In the past, that has always squeezed Not Ho[...]films. Maybe it doesn't mat made in Hollywood. I love Scorsese's
ter so much now,[...]influenced by European films, so there
in the same way around the world. The is a circular thing there. I don't[...]W a n t Y o u a n e x p e n s iv e f il m ?
The whole television thing has also No. The irony is that big-budget films
changed. People[...]re limitations than low-
Mike Leigh made a lot of stuff for tele budget films. This has a budget of
vision, and in some ways that has about

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (98)[...]Stree
, 2 0 1 0 Q L D |A D V A N C E D V ID E O IN T E G R A T I O N (0 7 ) 3891 5 7 5 5 |Uni[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (99)[...]te c h n ic a litie s

The making of Space Jam and putting the film-
making "assembly line" into transactional space

by Annmarie Chandler

T his article looks at the was chosen from user organizations tions that could have occurred in physi tion process in 19372would have been
impacts of new elec currently doing remote[...]e-built environments are relevant up until the application of
internat[...]ectronic networks. computers to post areas in the late
tronic networks within tec[...]adopted for Much as we take this for granted in 1980s, when the impact of new digital
international collaboration in the near applications such as electronic banking processes (non-linear editing) began
the film industry by future. For this[...]study inter or email, there are a broad number of to change traditional workflows by[...]ibuting to their adop introducing new factors of speed but
e xam in ingth e irapp li- Bros., LA, and the post-production tion within the media industries to increased flexibility of material pro
company Cinesite which has branches carry out the work of media production cessing into film editing and product
cation in the production of animated both in LA and the UK. that would have previousl[...]formed in distinct and centralized Dean Cundey capt[...]aphic locations. These applica shock aptly in a statement he uses[...]ion tions include the use of video regularly, "in the old days - about a
issues such as facility locat[...]l, email for data year ago", referring to some of the
argues that the creation and control transfer, audio and vi[...]adjustments to digital processes that
changes to the traditional filmmaking of transactional spaces is positioned transfer of animation and special- filmmaking teams a[...]to become "the strategic resource effects sequences, an[...]efits to large-scale battleground for control of media and electronic libraries for stock foo[...]development funding Until recently, the film industry this industry's view of its organiza[...]ional structures and work practices
taking place in the filmmaking process media environment as much as the through to post-production followed[...]development of interactive and multi- for the past 60 years a tried-and-true as stable and unaffected by major
in the '90s are linked to more general media content.1[...]the lecture that producer David 0 . in the broader information and busi
changes in the digital " information Taking White's defin[...]ave to Columbia University's ness sectors via the development of
transactions happen when transac Film Study Group on the film produc new digital technologies and commu-
society" itself, where the entertain

ment industries have a key role to[...]ely-located

workers will take a higher profile in

future work practices.

The research team found that lead

ing network applications in filmmaking

are occurring in advanced industrial

countries, and predominantly the USA

and UK, where the major western film

industry sectors are[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (100)[...]n practices. This is however no pans up leaving the standard live called the "backend" of production or works into its schedule, the film went
longer the case, and developments in action world behind for a miniature the post-production phase is becom from conception to finished product in
these areas are being applied to pro rooftop [...] the camera moves ing more tight and more compressed. one-third of the time for a normal ani
duction to create changes in the way higher to a computer created sky In the case of Space Jam, there were mated feature film.5The key facilities
organizations perform production and the Nerdluck's planet repre strict marketing deadlines imposing a were the Warner Bros, feature anima
tasks, work globally and form produc sented as a 3D world [...] the tight schedule. Flowever, from our tion facility in Sherman Oaks, L.A.,
tion teams.[...]it was also evident that this which specialized in the 2D characters,
then passes into a giant curved sense of a compressed timeframe is and Cinesite, a digital-imaging and
Space Jam and Changes to the mouth and ends on a scene of being caused by the increases in the post-production company which has
Traditiona[...]c cartoon 2D animation.4 amount and scope of work generated facilities in both London and Holly
Space Jam Qoe Pytka, 1996) is the by the number of new visual elements wood, and is well-known f[...]nd visual effects These visual features become the selected for a film. These elements visual effects role in films such as
film to be made in recent history. Its major elements of the entire film increase the details and choices Waterworld (Kevin Reynolds, 1995),
primary technique, that of combining which is a weave between live-action[...]action real actors (most notably Michael approvals. Obviously, it would not be Mission Impossible[...]e to simply extend 1996). Cinesite provided the creative
happening since 1909 in films which computer-graphics environments[...]hedules and and production talent to perform the
utilize various film technologies to (most notably the basketball stadi costs to accommodate this increased full spectrum of services, from design
achieve a combination of live action ums) and 2D cartoon characters. level of material processing and deci and special effec[...]sion-making, and new ways of working image creation, animation and final[...]ilized this Wendy Aylsworth, Vice President of with time and space factors need to be compositing.6 In this film, many of the
effect as their major compositional Technolo[...]ze creative input 3D animation specialists for the wire
device include Dot and the Kangaroo Bros. Feature Animation, provides the and minimize the restrictions of sched frame drawings were working from the
(Yoram Gross, 1979) and Who Framed most sim[...]uled events. UK end of the company. The work was
Roger Rabbit (Robert Zemeckis, 1988). description of this complex process. split by scene. The London crew cre
All the different live and composited Because of the complex require ated, animated and rendered the
Space Jam, however, took this elements were "shot to film, then the ments of the animation process and practice gym scenes, while the Holly
process much further, and the opening pieces of film were combined" to cre their short production schedule, the wood crew did the same for the rest
of the film itself illustrates the com ate the final integrated screen image. Warner Bros. Space Jam production of the 3D imagery and did all the com
plexity of the combination of many The "combination" work was done recruited a group of internationally- positing of live action, 3D animation
different media. The film commences entirely with computer and tra[...]digitally to film. the work. Utilizing new electronic net[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (101) In a fa st growing,chaUeriging-indnstry,~.we at Atlab
understand the importance ofgrowth and technical
development. That id why, we are proud to lead the way with
innovations that keep us competitive on[...]negatives.

C Offering you the tools of thefuture.

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (102)te c h n ic a litie s

It is worth looking in some detail they could be easily matted out of the floor, etc. The ball is real when Michael Network Collaboration
here at the complexity of the visual scene with chroma-keying techniques.[...]Practices
work on Space Jam to understand the The green scenes of Jordan and the into animated form when the cartoon In the making of Space Jam, the talent
challenges now being faced by digital Groundlings were digitized and all the characters were touching it. When was[...]y between both
feature-film animators and the enor green then removed, taking everything little mistakes occurred in the footage, locations of Cinesite in the UK and LA;
mous achievements performed by this out of the footage except Jordan, the like a green character accidentally however, the largest share of the work
film. Many of the aesthetic elements basketball, the hoop and the back- passing in front of Jordan, and there was done in Hollywood. The London
that might have once been controll[...]ing him looking like he was fore removing parts of his body during crew created and animated the prac
by a cinematographer, under a direc playing basketball against invisible the digital work of removing the green, tice gym. The shots were then
tor's guidance on the set while filming, people in a black limbo. they were filled over with animated composited in Hollywood.
had to be simulated by compute[...]ls, spread uniformly "Tweety Bird", thus hiding the loss of Cinesite used a 3-tier network sys
torealistic performance and visual around the room on a grid, were used his body to the sequence.7 tem for its inter-comp[...]aposteriori to compute the camera work with Warner Bros, during the[...]Other numerous digital effects making of the film. A basic ISDN sys
For example, in the construction of the DOP to use a handheld camera, were required in the animation and tem was used to transfer 3D wire files
the film it was important to see Jor giving a more natural aspect to the compositing work to simulate the and the occasional image and texture
dan's spontaneity as a basketballer; scenes. The camera track data was " look" of a real cinecamera filming the maps between animators in the UK and
however, as an actor in the film, he "applied" as input to the animation scenes and to reproduce the live the USA. An ISDN 30 system connected
was playing his games with animated package. The camera position was action "feel" . These[...]o-conference system was also
characters on the screen. To allow him then used to position cartoon charac ing shadings in the drawings for " key" used by production management peo
to perform freely as he would in a real ters in the scene, and as input to the and "fill" lights on the characters and ple at both sites of the company for
stadium, Jordan played basketball in a 3D animation system so that the com stadium animations by compiling[...]iations and for cre
green gym with a group of green peo puter-generated backgrounds were numerous tone mattes8 and recreating ative approvals of the animation
ple, the "Groundlings" . The rendered with the same camera camera effects such as motion blur on sequences (playouts of the animation
Groundlings are an improvisational moves. The 2D animators used the movement in the scenes. The effects sequences) where directors and pro
comedy group in Los Angeles. They resulting photo-rotos as guides for also included complex rendering of ducers could talk to the animators.
were recruited as stand-ins for the car their animation. The photo-rotos lens " perspectives" in the drawings to
toon characters. Thus the Groundlings helped them get the perspective provide cinecamera views of object Most of the network collaboration
represented various cartoon charac correct and position the animated "distortion" for movements such as on the 3D animation sequences
ters from Bugs Bunny to the Monstars. characters within the frame and in pans and dynamic movement in the between the trans-Atlantic bases of the
They were dressed in green so that relation to the live action characters, game itself. company was done on the ISDN dial-up[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (103)[...]The state government has established a fundlfor the encouragement of IfOWlJ lilllllllHkCfS.[...]The fund is administered by thb New South Wale[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (104)te c h n ic a litie s

The primary transfers were proxies and Cinesite also used a combination of carried into the actual compositing Video Conferencing
short video resolution clips to check email on the Intranet with ISDN trans tasks. Doing the pre-composite work Cinesite used their vide[...]look, corrections and continuity. missions of visuals for work between at the client's facility with a few facilities for both inter-company com
Most of this work was transferred the distributed offices. A typical visual selected s[...]ns between their two offices
asynchronously (not in real face-to- interaction would be for the person more easily and faster over the lines in the UK and USA, and with their
face time). Occasionally, the render doing wireframe drawings at one end later, and improved on the conven clients. They regularly used the system
files were sent from London to Holly of the network to transmit sketches to tional methods of tape exchange. for senior staff meetings so that the
wood to be rendered when there was the graphics modeller at the other, It also improved the turnaround time London and Hollywood people[...]apacity who can then see what's required. The on later approvals. meet and their R&D department had a
in Hollywood. All of the 2D cell anima company could foresee this bec[...]ion (backgrounds, characters, etc.) a form of "video mail" in the future. It takes careful and skilled produc video conference every two months.
were sent from the animation facility Conventional email was used fre tion management of these systems They see strong advantages to com
in Sherman Oaks to Cinesite L.A. quently by the whole team to report and the project to separate what sort pany morale in this practice, creating[...]messages on progress, rather than of communications need to occur an environment where people feel
There is a strong possibility of waiting or having to be in the same directly between people, and what they are all part of the same team even
increases to workloads provided by the place and time that the message ones can occur remotely. This is one of though they are in different countries.
increased flexibility of choices directors arrives. The asynchronous nature of the major challenges in managing new
and effects producers have through this form of communication often forms of asynchronous communica During the making of Space Jam,
visual network communications. An[...]ion teams tion, which is being learnt by the early they had a weekly conference call
electro[...]o could check and respond to their adopters of the systems who will have between the director and people in
for example, encourage more transac messages when they had time in the an edge in their application. It is the London. The system has two channels
tions to create different versions of the day, not miss important communica view of most people in the film indus so that a video can also be played[...]es possible tions, but also deal with them in try that many creative decisions still sent at either end. The video signal
to do a shot, say, 6 different times in appropriate spaces in the working day need to be made through face-to-face has compression in it, but they haven't
the same amount of time it would take without being interrupted on more discussions and problem-solving in a found that a problem for most deci
to courier a video copy of the one-shot important tasks.[...]ng. If high resolution is
version. This increase in creative collab[...]en they send a tape over,
orations, however, has the benefit of Having the high-speed connection wrong or right with a shot if you are or the film itself is used in conven
improving the shot and, hence, the final in place also facilitated new work prac not there to discuss it and point at the tional couriered communications.
film product. tices and collaboration in the animation material. There may be no " right or[...]process. At the outset, it was assumed wrong" answer in coming to a creative video but now find this[...]design decisions that all transmission of elements would decision where there are a variety of necessary for every transaction.
about the composition of shots, be from Warner Bros, in Sherman viewpoints and expertise to be[...]d Warner Bros, produced Oaks to Cinesite in Hollywood. When ered, and people need to feel the In conventional work practices, it is
what are termed " hero shots" for each the animation elements were transmit confidence of the " presence" of the also usual for the effects supervisor to
scene as the first stage of approvals. ted, however, over a fibre optic OC-3 major stakeholders and creators in be on the client's site at all times and
The hero shot means that the director, ATM connection, they found that some coming to a decision about what works sit in the projection theatre for
special effects supervisor, art directors times something didn't work with the or what doesn't on the big screen. approval of each final shot composi
and chief compositor cho[...]tion. However, the new systems mean
shot in each scene to define the look was therefore set up where some of At the same time, a lot of produc that work can be approved earlier on
of the scene. It is usual that all the col the key Cinesite people went to the tion communication and detail can be in the shot so that the work produced
laborations for these purposes would Warner Bros, site to make sure the managed using email and video con nearto completion of a sequence will
take place in Hollywood "face to face" , visual elements were working together: ferencing for less crucial elements of be a high-quality result and will
where the primary creative people and the production workflows. The art in require less alterations and final
decision makers on the film are approvals. People "still have to fly
located. The shot was then put onto [A] lot of production communication and detail can[...]ccasionally, because there is nothing
film using the Cineon film recorder9 be managed using ema[...]like face-to-face and sitting down with
for the producer's approval. Once the for less crucial elements of the production w ork-[...]d reaching over their
hero shot was established, the larger flows. The art in production management w ill be the shoulder and stuf[...]hief ele ability to understand and select the communication made it possible for them to communi
ments to design all the other shots channel or combination of systems which best suit cate more frequently"10.
in a particular sequence to build the the task, the project and the production company's
scene. The " hero shot" technique is productivity.[...]These factors of increased " inti
not unique to Space Jam or digi[...]t remotely-located
post-production, and was used in the i.e., that the camera angles were the production management will be the workers and companies using visual-
days of optical visual effects as well. same for all the shots and that the ability to understand and select the networked communications were also
It's bas[...]mmunication channel or combina confirmed in our earlier research on
which other shots within the scene can working. This necessitated the trans tion of systems which best suit the the Videofax and its application within
be compared. The advantage in the mission of live-action elements (usually task, the project and the production the Australian advertising industries11,
digital process is that many of the lower-resolution proxies) to Sherman company's productivity. where the systems were being used to
parameters that give the shot its look Oaks. Using a combination of the net minimize the need for international
can easily be copied and[...]work and co-located workers, it was The work Cinesite completed in Lon travel for creative decisions, but not
other shots. In the Cineon compositing possible to identify and resolve prob don on the Space Jam project was able remove it altogeth[...]d having them to be achieved with a number of other
tained in a file that can be transmitted projects happening at the same time. A shared view by most people[...]viewed about the new systems is that
ing on the show and used as the[...]some interactions, but the systems[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (105) The powerful Henry V8 offers simultaneous work[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (106)[...]penetration and integration with In relation to the search for busi the Australian Film Television & Radio
much face-to-[...]these sectors. ness, the centralized financial location School Research Unit and a grant from
work. Cinesite saw the systems as These changes are no different to maximizes the opportunity to do the Faculty of Business, University of
assisting its staff to work in more effi events happening in other manufac "face-to-face deals" for[...]ays and minimizing time spent turing sectors of the information future contractual work. In an environ
getting over jet lag. It is also able[...]rma
have its company expertise positioned to the technologies themselves, but freelance a[...]ransactional
where they are happiest, regardless of more to the way the market sector is also a necessity for a presence in Space, Bureau of Transport Communi
where the work is coming from. There desires to work.[...]re human factors to consider here, Thus the evolution and adoption of which are developed through both paper, 1995, p. 1.
such as the workforce generally get the new technologies can be seen as a social a[...]avid .
and more resistant to being split the cause of them. geographic proximity.13
because of work. The new electronic It is unlikely that the commercial[...]p.
networks can also accelerate higher end of the feature film industry will What is changing through the
turnaround of projects in remotely- retract from these developments as is availability of the new network 4 7 3 -9 -
located comp[...]a
because "there's no way you could with the "culture shock" to 60 years of is the ability to perform contractual
move people around the world at this stable practices, and some of their work on a production without the Papers, no. 114, February 1997, p. 18.
rate" . The systems have allowed the characteristics will begin to influence need to be located in the same space. 4 Bill Warren, The Technical Background
company to do a lot of American films the way lower budget and more inde Early adopters of these networks are
in their London facilities where the pendent producers need to work. revealing that they can minimize the to Space Jam, tech notes, Space Jam
capabilities of the London personnel However, filmmakers like Ni[...]in relation to the need for the high 5 Bill Warren, op cit, p. 5.[...]6 Compositing is the animation process
Are the system s changing the Another commonly-held assumption about new of composing all the elements together
film industry?[...]inter for the final film image: i.e., designing
It is easy to view new technologies nationalize the industry by changing the major centres and blending visual effects footage, 2D
themselves as the agents of change of film production on a global level. It would be fa[...]erefore simplistic, however, to conclude that the. availability of with live-action f[...]with a
instrumental to large social and eco the technologies themselves could cause, or be agents[...]moving camera.
nomic changes in the way industries for. major r
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (107)WALK OUT OF ILAA WITH A SHOWREEL

Direction, cinematogr[...]g, Video Production and Video Editing. Any or all of these
can be on your showreel w ithin the Diploma of Screen A rts programme at ILAA. Typically our[...]g professionals AFTRS qualified

INSTITUTE OF LENS A R TS the via b le alternative[...]South Australia 5065.
434 Clarendon St., South Melbourne[...]Tel: (08) 8338 2811
Victoria, Australia 3205[...]82 Berwick St., Fortitude Valley
Queensland, Australia 4006
Tel: (07) 38541919
Fax: (07) 3852 1814

The Finest Motion Picture Rental Equipment[...]ia 's film and sound heritage. Receive Exciting, in depth, industry based, Film and Video Production[...]subscriptions to C inem a successful career in the film and television industry.[...]m and Sound Archive initiative proudly preserving Australia's heritage[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (108)[...]te c h n ic a litie s

Australian company gets the big cheese

A ustralian audiences are squirming and "Scratchy", the two were carefully studied by create a yellow liver-shaped flesh. Andy Brown then
in their seats this summer at the animators at Animal Logic. "[...]has to be completely photorealistic" , says for the texture of the roaches. Says Fleay, " Usually
MouseHunt, tha[...]there is a taboo on grunge and yuk, but in this case it
based-animation house Animal[...]d to look totally revolting. So we pulled out all the
In order to meet the specifications that Verbinski stops!"

Logic Film. The popularity of the film orweeqsuimreudc,hAtnoimthael Logic's research division extended For the `goo' to be just right, however, the entire[...]lose communication with Visual
realistic quality of its computer-generated creatures. the limits of existing technology by developing com Effects[...]in Los Angeles. In so doing, an effective revision
Chris Godfrey, Visual Effects Director of Animal puter programmes specifically designed for the process was worked between Sydney and LA[...]ensure creative feedback and fluency of production.
Logic, believes that it was the company's interna project, matching computer-generated cockroach Through the utilization of satellite and ISDN connec[...]hat with live specimen, and also a minutiae of scratches almost instantaneously. The material was finished[...]and rendered in Australia, then sent back on DLT for
secured the production for Animal Logic - not only of and reflections for the 3D fork model in order to output in the USA.

critters but additional effects work throughout the achieve the highest degree of photorealism. "To "And the film's making money!" , adds Godfrey.[...]s a growth path, movie to movie", he reach the desired effects, we had to go beyond the[...]nown for your last credentials. restrictions of available software", says Senior Ani Executive[...]ne Cartwright
integration ... high-quality work. In Australia, we are Animation work was based on the creation of mul[...]tiple cockroach models. Three models in all were Tel. (61.2) 99061232. Fax: (61.2)[...]Email: nicole@al.com.au
After the initial brief with MouseHunt director re[...]rbinski, Animal Logic Film art director Andy In the kitchen scene, one whole-bodied version

Brown and Godfrey each travelled to the USA to pops its head out of a cigar box and walks into a

spend time on the shoot. Even before Godfrey had plate of lobster. Two halves of a cockroach were cre

brought back detailed information from the shoot ated for the restaurant scene in which the Mayor

(lens and lighting references), extensive work on slices away at his meal, revealing (in close-up) the

cockroach models, their textures and movement, rear end of the cockroach stabbed on a fork (which

was already[...]extured, lit and composited by Technical Direc

The Animal Logic Film team in Sydney had begun tor David Dulac). He then spits out the front half and

researching the computer-generated critters, with it wanders offscreen.

the assistance of Dr Hayley Rose and two cock The story gets messier. For the revealed insides of

roaches from Sydney University. Nicknamed " Itchy" the cockroach, Fleay sourced texturesrin fish[...]

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (109)[...]Systems 3 / I Ridge Street North Sydney NSW 2060 Australia ph 02 9929-0222 fit 02 9929-0245[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (110)[...]Round the Twist 3 59 In The W inter Dark 62

Chi[...]Documentaries 59 Features in Pre-Production 60 M r Pum p[...]60 The Thin Red Line 62
59 Art from the H eart 60 Paperback Hero[...]Documentaries
Fa'fafines in Paradise The Astonishing Ashtons 60 Second Dri[...]M uggers 59 The Astronaut
59 Romancing the Chakra 60 Features In Production[...]Feature Films Edge of the Possible 60
In a Savage Land 59 Em ily's Eye 60 Babe in M etropolis 60[...]Dear Claudia 59 The First Star James[...]Adult Televison Drama Servants of the Ancestors 60 Spank[...]A Difficult W om an The Instinctive Architect[...]60 Features in Post-Production[...]Railway Adventures Across Australia 60[...]The Ultimate Sin 60 The Beggars' Opera Cafe 61 H om e of the Blizzard 62
Visions of Yankalilla[...]The Boys 61

I

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (111)[...]roller: FACB L e v in s Production co-ordinator:[...]Production runner: KlM REED
Having triumphed at the National[...]assistant director: JOSH A dam
home a hero, but in his enthusiasm to Labora[...]Insurer: H .W . WOOD
be at the side of his beloved "boss",[...]Travel: TRAVEL TOO
the little pig accidentally causes a[...]Camera crew
in traction confined to bed. With the[...]althy M unchies &
Hoggett's only hope for saving the farm Shooting stock: KODAK[...]lan JOHNSON
abilities at an overseas State Fair in Production: FFC, NSWFTO[...]: PHIL JONES
encounters an incredible assortment of Cast[...]hr istin a ROBINSON
animal friends, experiences the joy and Russell Page (J a m e s ), Rebec[...]3rd assistant director: IAIN PlRRET
sorrow of life and learns how a kind (C laire)[...]ger Lamey (St ic k m a n ), George Ka p in ia r is (R estau Greek music co-ordinator:[...]J ames is the comic story of a young Wardrobe supervis[...]underground cafe in their backyard C a t e r in g
Production: 19/1 - 13/3/98[...]Hanrahan garage which becomes the most Catering assistan[...]assistant: Karin von B rehren popular place in town. Even the[...]policeman and the nosy next door A[...]uction neighbour become regulars. The Art director: PAUL[...]roduction supervisor: money starts flowing in, finally freeing Art departme[...]sight of their original goals? Art department runner: A dam M cGoldrick
Director of photography: M artin M cGrath Di[...]boratory liaison: Ian A nderson THE BOYS Buyers/d[...]Based on the play titled: THE BOYS Craig Carter[...]where everything happens on the run - Poletto (R ocky), M ario Ga m m a[...]Frank M ussolino (V in n y ), V ictoria International distributor[...]tone (T in a ), M arco V enturini (A n g )[...]uction: 24/11/97 - 2/1/98 to set up a cafe in the city's premier[...]a building. Enter local rich kid Rocky The Boys tells the story of Brett M ercedes, Eugenia Fragos, A lex Papps
Focus puller: Ka tr in a Crook Producer: DAVID LlGHTFOOT Pisoni, temporarily in charge of his Sprague, a bad-seed brother who[...]roducer: Rolf de H eer and Rocky takes over the project with years in gaol. Things have changed e[...]len, has moved out; youngest brother of dancing, sex and drugs, he's running[...]David Lightfoot Featured in Stevie's pregnant girlfriend now lives head on into his own kind of freedom.
1st assistant director: A drian PlCKERSGlLL Director of photography: David Foreman Podt-Production with the family; and his mother,
2nd assistant direct[...]uction designer: APHRODITE KONDOS THE BEGGARS' his first day ba[...]restoring his own family order. In doing Production company:[...]Director of photography: KATINA B owell Producti[...]Kokkinos, M ira Robertson Director of photography: N ino M artinetti,[...]Director of photography: JAEMS GRANT[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (112)[...]SEE ISSUE 122 FOR THE FOLLOWING:[...]letion guarantor: F.A.C.B. Based on the novel titled: In the Winter Key grip: Leigh T ate[...]Apsychological thriller, in the
Legal services: Foster Hart[...]tradition of Hitchcock, with a[...]vel: Stage & S creen T ravel Director of photography: M artin M cGrath[...]The -foliowhig-three
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (113)inhabits a special position in the effects food chain. Our growth traverses cinema f[...]ase

_ and experience developed over many years of servicing the[...]international film market makes Animal Logic the

JB B

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (114)Apan el o f twelve film reviewers has rated a selection of the latest releases on a scale of 0 to 10, the latter being the optim um rating (a dash m eans not seen).[...]
Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (115)LIKE N O TH IN G BEFORE. A daylight balanced, KodakVision 250D c[...]gsten light. Both are
medium speed products with the grain and sharpness of much slower speed films.
Colors reproduce accura[...]th films intercut beautifully
with other members of the Kodak family. Explore your imagination and capture your
vision, with the gold standard in motion picture color negative films.

Ko[...]

MD

The author retains Copyright of this material. You may download one copy of this item for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorise you to copy,[...]
Issues digitised from original copies in the collection of Ray Edmondson
Reproduced with permission of one of the founding editors, Philippe Mora

MTV Publishing Ltd, Abbotsford, Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (March 1998). University of Wollongong Archives, accessed 28/11/2024, https://archivesonline.uow.edu.au/nodes/view/5131

Cinema Papers no. 123 March 1998 (2024)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Pres. Lawanda Wiegand

Last Updated:

Views: 6138

Rating: 4 / 5 (71 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Pres. Lawanda Wiegand

Birthday: 1993-01-10

Address: Suite 391 6963 Ullrich Shore, Bellefort, WI 01350-7893

Phone: +6806610432415

Job: Dynamic Manufacturing Assistant

Hobby: amateur radio, Taekwondo, Wood carving, Parkour, Skateboarding, Running, Rafting

Introduction: My name is Pres. Lawanda Wiegand, I am a inquisitive, helpful, glamorous, cheerful, open, clever, innocent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.