Triangle: the geometry of co-productions
A thriller set off the coast of Florida and shot in Queensland was the first official co-production to receive the Producer Offset, and its creators told Encore how they avoided getting caught in a Triangle.
British director Christopher Smith conceived Triangle in 2004, starting with the basic premise of “being on the deck of a ship, looking back at yourself”. After completing Severance, he started developing the idea in 2006. Read more »
Accidents Happen: the American Australian dream
It may look American and sound American, but behind the US facade of Accidents Happen lays a star-powered Australian project ready to compete head-to-head with any independent film in the world.
Accidents Happen is Hollywood star Geena Davis’s first independent film. Few would know it from watching it without the credits, but that indie debut took place in Australia, in a project that expands the local industry’s globalisation of stories. Read more »
Underbelly: the golden franchise
Its creators never thought Underbelly would go that far, but now they’re walking their third mile in 80s style. For the new instalment The Golden Mile, ultra-contemporary thinking meets retro styling. Laine Lister got the low down on big hair, bent cops and vintage number plates. Read more »
Beneath Hill 60: On the front line
War is an unfortunate reality, but also an endless source of powerful stories that can resonate strongly with audiences. Jeremy Sims and Bill Leimbach told Miguel Gonzalez how the pride of a town helped them create Beneath Hill 60, a big film on a limited budget. Read more »
Sound post: ‘freebies’ hurt the industry
A ‘freebie’ culture has emerged in Australian filmmaking circles in recent years, but it is local post-production infrastructure that’s paying the price. Laine Lister writes.
The term ‘discount’ once implied a deduction fromthe usual cost of something. But for post-production houses – in particular sound specialists – reduced rates for creative work are setting new low benchmarks. Read more »
Is that co-prod right for you?
In this new column, media and entertainment lawyer and agent Gene Goodsell will look at the legal aspects of Australia’s screen Industry, starting with the useful yet complex co-productions.
The idea behind official co-productions is that they allow a film that is made by two countries to access benefits in both territories. Read more »
All roads lead to India
Australia and India have made news headlines for all the wrong reasons recently, but Miguel Gonzalez found their screen industries are cooperating in new creative ways that present plenty of opportunities for our practitioners.
For years, westerners looked at the prolific Indian screen industry as an almost incomprehensible local box office phenomenon, with its long musical films and over-the-top performances.
Even before India’s Reliance ADA Group bought 50 percent of Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks studio, it was clear that the Indian industry had reached a peak and was ready to look outside its borders to become an internationally influential film super power, just like its economic development has made it one of the nations to watch this century. Read more »
Tips for filmmakers working with India
Visiting India as a tourist can be an assault to the senses and a complete culture shock and therefore, working with Indian partners and navigating the country’s complex industry can be quite daunting.
Encore spoke with Indian experts and industry insiders who told us what you need to do in order for to succeed in this emerging market full of potential for Australian creatives. Read more »
Cockroach: CGI on a bug-sized budget
Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, re-imagined as a romantic fantasy and produced for $20,000? An unlikely but very real scenario for director Luke Eve, who had to find a way to deliver it.
Raen Fraser’s script Cockroach, about a man who dies on his wedding day and is reincarnated as the above-mentioned insect, desperate to get the attention of his widow, is one of the three winners at the second John Jameson Productions competition. Read more »
3D: the stereoscopic future requires preparation
Toads have become Australian 3D ambassadors, and for everyone else planning on producing or working on a 3D film, there is much work to be done.
Cane Toads: The Conquest – Australia’s first feature-length 3D offering – might not be a spectacular VFX like Avatar, but its uniqueness proved to be an advantage when it premiered at Sundance in late January. Read more »