AND THIS...

Love this impressionistic short film made by photographer Xavi Bou who spent years shooting flocks of starlings and their synchronised flight patterns. Grouping long exposures in a process known as chronophotography. (I saw this originally on PetaPixel)

I’ve been observing so much bird flight while making Penguin Bloom it’s so great to see this take on such a beautiful process.

SHOOTING / SEARCHING

Post shoot swim in the rock pools at low tide and the cows who watched on from a far.

(Just before the world shut own)

SEARCHING / SCOUTING

Scouting for a TVC shoot coming up next week.

SANTA MONICA

Currently in L.A for a test screening of Penguin Bloom. We are almost there… it’s been a long but enjoyable edit.

REMEMBERING 1st Assistant Director JAMIE LESLIE

Sad to hear about the passing of 1st Assistant Director Jamie Leslie. I made the miniseries Gallipoli with Jamie as my 1st AD in 2015. Although we were different kinds of filmmakers there is no way our incredibly complex production (80 odd days of shooting a WW1 drama, mostly exterior, through extreme heat, cold and torrential rain and mud) would have gone as smoothly nor would I have been able to create the level of work I was aspiring to. 

Jamie taught me so much about the process of filmmaking and helped organise my scattered thoughts on many occasions. He put his heart and soul into making our production (and every production) to be as good as it could be.

In looking back at photos from that time it’s interesting to observe Jamie and the role of the first AD in general. They are integral to film production but rarely at the centre. As you can see Jamie liked to be just off to the side in a position where he could see all the moving parts at once, making sure the dance of the crew was in and on time. I think he was in his element here and I know he loved to watch and be part of that dance of when a crew is up and running and working harmoniously. 

I trusted and respected Jamie so much. He was incredibly patient, wise, loved a good laugh and I’ll always remember his cheeky grin when things were working, just the way he scheduled it! 

Jamie Leslie (left of both pictures) strategically placed on the set of Gallipoli.

THE SEARCH CONTINUES...

 ‘The Search’ was a daily photograph practice where everyday for the last three years I took a photo and posted it under the THE SEARCH menu. The idea and the challenge of ‘The Search’ was all about having to find an image each day and perhaps most importantly not letting ‘perfection’ get in the way of ‘good’. This daily process taught me so much about photography and made me take a lot of photos when I normally wouldn’t have and they were often some of my favourites. Some nights I would be getting ready to go to bed and realise I hadn’t taken a photo and I’d force myself to head out into the streets where I would have to search for an image. Even if the photo itself wasn’t always the best, the process was always satisfying. It became a very special and essential part of my day.

THE SEARCH menu no longer appears above but The Search will continue here always! (and perhaps not daily, but quite regularly). The Search has become a part of my process as a filmmaker.

To kick off the search 2020 here is a selection of photographs tracking some of the crazy weather we have been experiencing in Australia this summer as I drove thousands of kilometres from Melbourne to central N.S.W and back again.

Dust Storms and dry lightening in Tamworth N.S.W.

Dust storm rolling into Cowra, N.S.W.

Bush fire smoke hanging over Melbourne.

Rain in Melbourne the same day as the smoke!

SAFE HARBOUR WINS INTERNATIONAL EMMY!

We won the International Emmy for Best Mini-Series! This was such great news to receive. I was actually in L.A the weekend before the awards and was going to attend the ceremony in New York. But my daughter Rosebud was turning 13 on the same day!

Sightly conflicted and wanting to be at both the International Emmys in NY and Rosebud’s birthday in Melbourne. I suggested to Rosie in the weeks leading up to the event that maybe she would like to come to NY and spend her 13th Birthday in NYC with Dad? I thought it would be an offer she couldn’t refuse! But after consideration Rosie said “As much as I would like to come to NY with you. At school when it’s our birthdays we decorate each other’s lockers…!”. I took a moment to view the world and it’s priorities from the perspective of a nearly 13-year-old and knew neither I or New York could compete with a decorated school locker on your birthday.

So in making the decision to not attend the Emmys but Safe Harbour still getting he gong and being there for Rosebuds 13th, in the end, I felt like I had won twice. Priorities.

Happy 13th Birthday Rosebud!

SAFE HARBOUR and THE CRY nominated for INTERNATIONAL EMMY AWARDS.

Excited to have two productions that are very close to my heart nominated in the 2019 International Emmy Awards. Safe Harbour is nominated for Best Mini Series and Jenna Coleman is nominated for ‘Best Performance by an Actress’ in The Cry. All the nominations here. The ceremony is held in New York, November 25th.

CUT!

35 Days later… that’s a wrap!

ACTION!

Day one of Penguin Bloom down…

A PREPARED SPIRIT

STALKER

AS ABOVE, SO BELOW