I KNEW THESE PEOPLE... THESE TWO PEOPLE.

ISTANBUL 3

MORE HARRY

Thinking a lot about Harry Savides passing away... a friend posted the short film below on Facey and I thought it was cool. In many ways even though the interview doesn't go the way the filmmakers planned, I get a greater sense perhaps of who Harry was from this short film than if the more traditional 'interview' had gone to plan. I also love how the film begins and it's about one thing, but in the end, it's about something altogether different. It kind of sums up my approach to directing and to filmmaking in general. You can plan all you want, but in the end, the most important thing is the thing that's actually happening. Full credit to the filmmakers to being able to respond and capture so beautifully what was actually occurring and didn't fight to bend the film into a shape it so obviously didn't want to go. It's way more beautiful because of it!

UPDATE: Wait a second... is this film a commercial for Built by Wendy? If it is, everything I wrote above is bullshit... And maybe now I should write about how clever it is an advertisement. But I feel a little fooled.

ISTANBUL 2

Road trip to Çanakkale...

R.I.P HARRY SAVIDES

I'm a bit late posting about the passing of the late, great cinematographer Harry Savides who passed away last week. Such an inspiration. He shot so many great films but I think my favourite is Gus Van Sant's Last Days. The film is so beautifully shot. I remember seeing it with my Dad in a near empty cinema Kino in Melbourne when it was released years ago. I was so blown away by it's minimalism, beauty and poetry. It's become one of my favourite films. I left the cinema in awe, speechless. My Dad turned to me as we hit the foyer and said in disgust "Don't you ever make a film like that...!". Double speechless...! So whenever I think of Harry Savides, I think of Last Days and when I think of Last Days apart from fathers 'advice' I think of this very simple but stunning scene...

After watching the above clip, watch how they shot it below. Something wonderful about watching a small crew work in unison. I often wonder why they didn't lay all the track for the dolly and then remove the front pieces as they dollied back, and not have to relay and level on the fly. I like to think that not even Gus Van Sant can afford all the toys all the time and they only had a few lengths of track in the (small) grip truck. A perfect example of how necessity particularly in film making are nearly always the mother of invention.

Harry Savides, genius!

ISTANBUL 1

Closely following New York as my favourite city in the world...

DRIVE BY DUBAI

Greeted by a nine hour stopover in Dubai (on route to Turkey), we left the airport and visited the Burj Khalifa 'the tallest building in the world'.

IF IN DOUBT, JUST PLAY

I have a few heroes. Pete Townsend from The Who (please do watch all 9 minutes of that clip, live rock n' roll doesn't get to much better!) is one of them. Just flicked through his recently released autobiography in an airport and was struck by the wonderfully simple and inspiring 'coda' right at the of the book. Words of wisdom whimsy...

FLAMING EBOOK

Flaming Youth, Photographs from Puberty Blues is now also available as an eBook here for AUD$4.99 (or click on the book cover, top right, for more info). The eBook is pretty much the same as the hardcover version except you can't feel the weight of it in your hands, or the texture of the paper on your fingertips or press your nose firmly to the page and inhale the sweet perfume of freshly printed ink. The eBook also costs a fraction of the price of the physical copy, which is a true indicator of the cost of nice paper, ink and boutique printing these days.

I could have just created an eBook, but I love, love, love the printed page and buy photographic books almost obsessively. Apart from actually taking photos (or making films), sitting and observing the work of others is the best education there is!

Also available on iTunes.

A TERRIBLE THING

I live a few blocks from where 29 year old Jill Meagher was recently abducted (and then raped, murdered and buried in a shallow grave ). It's a terrible thing that has shocked our suburb of Brunswick, the city of Melbourne and the country as a whole. I visited a candle light vigil on Friday night at the baptist church just a few meters from where Jill was last seen alive. The vigil was set up in response as a man was arrested and charged with Jills rape and murder. Almost a week to the day after Jill was last seen alive. Today (Sunday), I marched silently with 30 000 people down Sydney road in an emotional show of support for Jills family and friends. A sombre yet powerful display of a community making a stand against violence. In amongst the shock and sadness of the march there was something quite affirming about it. It was nice to know we live in a place where this kind of act can bring such an emotional and supportive response from 'strangers' on mass. Despite everything thats so wrong about this horrible crime, I came home from the march feeling there is way, way, way more good in the world than there is bad.

Above: the corner of Sydney Road and Hope Street last Friday night.

R.I.P JILL MEAGHER

FLAMING YOUTH

Here it is, Flaming Youth, a book of my photographs from Puberty Blues.

Available in two flavours.

1. Hardcover, 100 pages (AUD$75.00+p) HERE

2. eBook, 100 pages  (AUD$4.99) HERE

I started documenting the making of the show from the start. Like visual notes the photographs became part of the process of discovery of how the series would look and feel. From casting and location scouting to scene ideas, documenting a colour or how the light looked at a certain time of day. What worked, what didn’t. Portraits of actors I admire deeply. The people, places and things that make up the texture and tone of Puberty Blues.

Most of the time the photos were taken in the moments just before ‘Action!’ was called. Or in-between 'takes' to maintain focus and momentum throughout the stop / start rhythm of shooting. Brenna Harding (Sue) called it ‘the gap’. That small amount of precious time just before the cameras roll. I would sometimes take a quick shot just as that moment of transformation would take place, from 'actor' to 'character'.

Sometimes the photo would become the key on how to shoot a scene. A way of trying to find the essence, or a reduction to a single image. An attempt to find stillness in and amongst the chaos of a film shoot.

From the foreword, written by Alice Bell... This book is not a behind the scenes look at Puberty Blues (2012). It’s much quieter than that. It’s as if we’ve been invited to visit a world within the world of Puberty Blues. A place where these characters live and breathe. In Glendyn’s gentle and collaborative way he has captured moments that otherwise might have slipped away, a fleeting glimpse of untamed innocence found somewhere between the sunlight and the shadows. 

5DmkIII vs BLACKMAGIC

Just saw this geeky video comparing the Blackmagic Cinema Camera and the Canon 5DmkIII.

Comparing the Cinema Camera & 5D Mk III from OneRiver Media on Vimeo.

LIZZY'S TATTOO

"If they don't see happiness in the picture, at least they'll see the black" Chris Marker

PUBERTY BLUES 'EXTRAS' 3

Down at the 'The Club'...

LAST NIGHT

Late night coming home from Rosebuds first ever school concert.