Rojo
The Death of Australian Film
So what’s going on with Australia film, it is lacking and it’s a problem. Romulus, My Father sealed my opinion on this thought. This complimented Little Fish in a disturbing trend in Australia film they are making paper films. We get bankable actors, we make it look good (Australian cinematography is in good shape nice to say), we get a story that will appease all and we got a film, and yes you do, on paper. But where is that something?
The things I liked about Australian films is they had this thing, this beautiful Australian feeling throughout, this has been killed off and replaced with what is considered a bankable structure with no risk, I think the Proposition was the last good Australian film I saw and that flirted dangerously close with all the above I have pointed out, if it wasn‘t for Nick Cave‘s script and Ray Winston that would have been the same.
Romulus, My Father like I said looks good on paper. Eric Bana, Lola, based on a famed novel, great photography, (heavily relied on, I mean it started sucking it’s own well you get the hint) but it was like the directors already knew what they were doing make a boring story and even if they cut down the script to make it seem like the words didn’t need to speak for the film, “we’ll just keep dazzling them with the cinematography and that they’re enamoured with Bana, Lola, and the kids performance (which is great) and everyone with sit through this and say is was great“. But it wasn’t, it was prosaic, it was easy, it was low risk, it was the same old film.
Where?
Where are the ‘Mad Max‘s‘ the ‘Two Hands’, ‘The Pricilla’s’, even the ‘Muriel’s Wedding’s’. Australian films that had something Australian about then other than the location. I watched Romulus and began to think when was the beginning of these paper films, (by paper I mean looking good on) and I come to Me, Myself I, closely followed by Looking for Alibrandi, the start of the death for Australian film. In fact Australia is yet to amaze me this decade, the films that are coming out of it are one’s I guess producers feel should but just aren’t because they’re trite, made in a trite Australian way.
Now in saying this I will admit that New Zealand film is beginning to exhibit these tendencies, films that are been made to the structure that is considered to be good film making, not films that are made because the script is great and the directors having great vision. In fact I think New Zealand is in worse shape because we are becoming arrogant about the films we are putting out, the cinema of unease is becoming one of ease. We have to get our shit together down-under as we are being passed over and rightly so. (Whale Rider could have been such trite crap, and in many hands would have been, big up to Nikki, and Wit), The Piano is the same, a quote about the Piano “interesting story, about a deaf mute, strange that she narrates. But with Whale Rider there remained these beautiful Kiwi touches throughout that made this film worthy of the accolades it got. Little things like the guy showing the little girl how to use the Ti-Har in a stoned haze, you just got this feeling from this film, like you had come home, Australian film use to have this feeling, but it has been killed off in favour of prosaic, droning tales. I think what NZ and Oz need to do is work together more, directors and writers, cinematographers everyone, maybe this is the way forward for both country’s cinema because if we keep going like we are we will be back at the bottom of the ladder, and it won’t matter how many Lord of the Rings we do, because they aren’t New Zealand films, they are just shot here.
Australia needs to take more risks, stop relying on the structure because there is NO FORMULA, there is only great vision, either it comes across or it doesn’t. Any Ed Wood can put a safe film together, it takes risks to make a great film, Australia you need to start risking more.
Now having said all this I will offer up some of my own work. Yes I am narcissistic, and I want my work out there, but being a nascent film maker with no limits other than budget I will show off what I can do with one camera and a boom, too much pot and alcohol, Od-ing on Trailer Park Boys and three days of shooting, three 16 hour days of editing and a bunch of keen bastards that I managed to convince that I wasn’t mad as a hatter. There are 3 parts, and I admit this is too long and riddled with things I find funny but since I was making it for myself why not thrash it.
Champ and Master part 1
The things I liked about Australian films is they had this thing, this beautiful Australian feeling throughout, this has been killed off and replaced with what is considered a bankable structure with no risk, I think the Proposition was the last good Australian film I saw and that flirted dangerously close with all the above I have pointed out, if it wasn‘t for Nick Cave‘s script and Ray Winston that would have been the same.
Romulus, My Father like I said looks good on paper. Eric Bana, Lola, based on a famed novel, great photography, (heavily relied on, I mean it started sucking it’s own well you get the hint) but it was like the directors already knew what they were doing make a boring story and even if they cut down the script to make it seem like the words didn’t need to speak for the film, “we’ll just keep dazzling them with the cinematography and that they’re enamoured with Bana, Lola, and the kids performance (which is great) and everyone with sit through this and say is was great“. But it wasn’t, it was prosaic, it was easy, it was low risk, it was the same old film.
Where?
Where are the ‘Mad Max‘s‘ the ‘Two Hands’, ‘The Pricilla’s’, even the ‘Muriel’s Wedding’s’. Australian films that had something Australian about then other than the location. I watched Romulus and began to think when was the beginning of these paper films, (by paper I mean looking good on) and I come to Me, Myself I, closely followed by Looking for Alibrandi, the start of the death for Australian film. In fact Australia is yet to amaze me this decade, the films that are coming out of it are one’s I guess producers feel should but just aren’t because they’re trite, made in a trite Australian way.
Now in saying this I will admit that New Zealand film is beginning to exhibit these tendencies, films that are been made to the structure that is considered to be good film making, not films that are made because the script is great and the directors having great vision. In fact I think New Zealand is in worse shape because we are becoming arrogant about the films we are putting out, the cinema of unease is becoming one of ease. We have to get our shit together down-under as we are being passed over and rightly so. (Whale Rider could have been such trite crap, and in many hands would have been, big up to Nikki, and Wit), The Piano is the same, a quote about the Piano “interesting story, about a deaf mute, strange that she narrates. But with Whale Rider there remained these beautiful Kiwi touches throughout that made this film worthy of the accolades it got. Little things like the guy showing the little girl how to use the Ti-Har in a stoned haze, you just got this feeling from this film, like you had come home, Australian film use to have this feeling, but it has been killed off in favour of prosaic, droning tales. I think what NZ and Oz need to do is work together more, directors and writers, cinematographers everyone, maybe this is the way forward for both country’s cinema because if we keep going like we are we will be back at the bottom of the ladder, and it won’t matter how many Lord of the Rings we do, because they aren’t New Zealand films, they are just shot here.
Australia needs to take more risks, stop relying on the structure because there is NO FORMULA, there is only great vision, either it comes across or it doesn’t. Any Ed Wood can put a safe film together, it takes risks to make a great film, Australia you need to start risking more.
Now having said all this I will offer up some of my own work. Yes I am narcissistic, and I want my work out there, but being a nascent film maker with no limits other than budget I will show off what I can do with one camera and a boom, too much pot and alcohol, Od-ing on Trailer Park Boys and three days of shooting, three 16 hour days of editing and a bunch of keen bastards that I managed to convince that I wasn’t mad as a hatter. There are 3 parts, and I admit this is too long and riddled with things I find funny but since I was making it for myself why not thrash it.
Champ and Master part 1
Mal
Mal
Here's my take on it, for what it's worth. (in relation to making it into a feature). Instead of the young bloke on the chair, an old man is reminiscing about the days he became NZ card-clipping champ.
And the film revolves around not only what he did to become clipper-champ but what he did afterwards. You can take the film anywhere you like after a premise like you already have (as in ... people think I have a stupid hobby but I showed them ... etc, etc ...
I just love the cinematography of it all. And the potential it has ...
Call it 'The Last Laugh'.
I remember when I first heard about Trainspotting, and what trainspotting was, and then the film was nothing about trainspotting ... There's so many things you could do with what you've already got. I say go for it ... [introduce the drug and alcohol cutlure into it ... etc etc ...
I just think it's great ...
You rock Mai!!