AFTRS

Friday on my Mind Guests in 2010 :

 

November 26: RED HILL - AL CLARK

Red Hill - the new Australian feature from writer/director Patrick Hughes - blends genre elements from westerns to horror to crime. Red Hill producer Al Clark one of Australia's most experienced and distinguished producers (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The Hard Word, Blessed) will be talking about what he looks for in a script, a director, and the many challenges facing independent producers today.

Special guest:

• Al Clark
• Producer: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Blessed and The Hard Word
• Executive producer: Chopper and Absolute Beginners.

 

November 19: SMASHCUT - GREGOR JORDAN & GUY GADNEY

Smashcut is a new online joint venture from Australian director Gregor Jordan (Two Hands, Ned Kelly) and digital media practitioner, AIMIA board member and Director of the Project Factory Guy Gadney - which invites users to become editors who create their own versions of content that is reposted for all to share. Is this the start of what could be a revolution in the creation of audio-visual content ? Join us, as Gregor Jordan and Guy Gadney explain the world of mash ups and emerging innovations like smashcut.

Special guests:

• Gregor Jordan
• Guy Gadney

 

November 12: TONY AYRES - CREATIVE PRODUCER, WRITER & DIRECTOR

Over the last decade Tony Ayres has forged a reputation in the Australian film and television scene as a strong creative talent ,multi award winner and multi-tasker. Tony, an AFTRS graduate and AFI winner (The Home Song Stories and Walking on Water) will talk about his role as Series Script Producer for an upcoming eight-part tele-series based on Christos Tsiolkas's prize-winning Australian novel The Slap and the challenges of adapting such a complex novel for television as well as his work as a director, producer and script editor for film and TV.

Special guests:

• Tony Ayres

November 5: The Dinner Party - an evening to remember

A local independent psychological thriller loosely inspired by real life events made famous in Helen Garner's book Joe Cinque's Consolation, The Dinner Party has gathered a coterie of admirers on the indie film festival circuit and was nominated for best feature at London's Raindance.

Producer Brendan Sloane and writer-director Scott Murden talk about the challenges of low-budget, guerilla filmmaking and the creation of fiction inspired by real-life events.

Special guests:

• Brendan Sloane - producer and Scott Murden - director
• Includes a screening of The Dinner Party

 

October 29: TONY TILSE - the INS and OUTS of Ozzie TV Drama

Tony Tilse is one of Australia's top TV directors, with credits including Underbelly, Scorched, East of Everything, Lockie Leonard and Farscape. In 2006 he was nominated alongside Baz Luhrmann and Phillip Noyce as one of Australia's Top 10 directors by an independent panel of industry practitioners for Encore magazine, and this year he received the Australian Directors Guild's Michael Carson Award for excellence in TV drama production. Tony will be delving into the 'ins and outs' of directing television drama in Australia.

 

October 22: The Reef - Andrew Traucki and Michael Robertson

In 2007, producer Michael Robertson and director Andrew Traucki brought us horror/thriller croc feature Black Water and with it a model for low-budget, genre Australian movies. With shark film The Reef they take this one step further with a clever online strategy from the set and before to reel in audiences before cameras even rolled. Here they guide us through the new waters of online marketing.

Special guests:

• Michael Robertson - producer Prodigy Movies
• Andrew Traucki - writer/director (The Reef, Black Water, Rocky Star - TV)

 

Friday October 15: Jucy details with Louise Alston

 

Fresh back from a full-house premiere at Toronto International Film Festival where Jucy* was listed in the 'Top 15 Films to Watch', director Louise Alston (All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane) talks about the rise of the "womance" genre and what it takes to get a second feature film up in the current international climate.

Special guests:

• Louise Alston - director (All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane, Jucy)

• Includes an advance screening of Jucy

 

 

 

Friday October 8: Legend of the Guardians Simon Whiteley, Animal Logic

If Animal Logic's prowess as a production studio was set up with Happy Feet, it has been confirmed with Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. Directed by Zack Snyder (300), the animated feature film took flight on in RealD 3D  and IMAX 3D on September 24, with Jim Sturgess , Geoffrey Rush , Ryan Kwanten, Emily Barclay, Anthony LaPaglia and David Wenham voicing the characters.

• What core principles do animation and live action share?
• How can animated characters have distinct personality?
• How directors and digital practitioners work together to create a world that houses fantasy, believable action and a director's unique vision?

With work-in-progress footage, production designer Simon Whiteley walks us through the creation of the film's key characters and environments.
Special guest:

• Simon Whiteley - production designer (Babe, The Matrix, The Thin Red Line, Moulin Rouge!, Happy Feet and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole - a Warner Bros picture presented in association with Village Roadshow Pictures and an Animal Logic and Village Roadshow Production.

 

Friday October 1: Peter Duncan - Rake

In the lead up to the launch of Rake on the ABC November 4, we talk to writer/director Peter Duncan about the age of the TV antihero and the construction of character driven comedy within well known formats.

Special guest:

• Peter Duncan - Writer/director

 

Friday September 24: War and Appease - The Journalist, the Documentarian and the Truth

 

They say the first casualty of war is truth… The Child, the Death and The Truth*, directed by German journalist and filmmaker Esther Schapira, investigates the shooting and editing of a TV news item that shook the world - the death of a Palestinian boy and the wounding of his father when caught in a deadly crossfire between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian fighters. What unfolds is an intriguing examination of news practice and reportage in the age of celebrity.

- How is the relationship of trust established between newsroom and viewer?
- How are new technologies changing the images we see?
- What are the increasing pressures on networks, journalists and documentary filmmakers alike with the rise of social media?

Special guests:

• Dr Claudia Schreiner - Head of Programming: History, Culture and Science at ARD/MDR Germany

• Liz Jackson - ABC/Four Corners  journalist and five-time Walkley Award winner

 

* Includes a screening of The Child, the Death and The Truth as part of the INPUT program.

 

Friday September 17: The Tree - Sue Taylor

Having launched what is the biggest Australian theatrical release in France, The Tree's producer Sue Taylor talks about her collaboration with director Julie Bertuccelli and the creative opportunities of Aust/French co-production.

* Includes a special screening of The Tree


Special guest:

• Sue Taylor (The Tree, Shark Net, Three Acts of Murder)

 

 

Friday September 10: Genre is Not a Dirty Word - Dr Karen Pearlman

Genre is not about limitations but a language with the audience. Following the publication of Lumina dedicated to the subject, AFTRS' own Dr Karen Pearlman talks about the conventions and expectations of Rom Com, Sci-Fi and the Musical (amongst others); referring to films such as Moon, Let the Right One In and Bran Nue Dae, we look at how the rules can be broken and how Australian filmmakers can create distinct content that will press buttons with an audience.

Guest:

• Dr Karen Pearlman - author and Head of Screen Studies, AFTRS

 

 

Friday September 3: South Solitary - Shirley Barrett

Writer/director Shirley Barrett talks about her career from the 1996 Cannes Caméra d'Or winning Love Serenade to opening night film from the Sydney Film Festival, South Solitary, and the delicate craft in balancing drama and comedy.

* Includes a special screening of South Solitary

Special guest:

• Shirley Barrett - Director (Cherith, Love Serenade, Walk the Talk, South Solitary)

 

 

Friday August 27: Character and High Concept - Jacquelin Perske

With the launch of Spirited on Foxtel, and a slate of new projects in the pipeline, we talk to screenwriter Jacquelin Perske about the creation of TV drama that is rich in character detail, high in ambition and epic in scope - and how the writer can take a front seat role in steering its development.

Special guest:

• Jacquelin Perske - Screenwriter (Little Fish, Love My Way, Star Wars TV, Spirited)

 

Friday August 20: Tomorrow, When the War Began Stuart Beattie

Internationally celebrated screenwriter Stuart Beattie (Collateral, and Pirates of the Caribbean) talks about his directorial debut Tomorrow, When the War Began, and how to make films in which more people will want to invest and sustain an industry.

Special guest:

• Stuart Beattie - writer/director (Tomorrow When the War Began); screenwriter (Australia, Collateral, and Pirates of the Caribbean)

 

Friday August 13: International Film Finance - Brian Rosen

 

With his wealth of experience in financing Australian feature films as former head of FFC, and currently negotiating deals on an international level with the likes of Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment, Brian Rosen will talk about how to best position yourself to secure finance in the current global market.

Special guest:

• Brian Rosen - producer (Tree Australia)

 

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Friday August 6: Story for the Screen - Robert Rosen

From Robert McKee to Christopher Vogler, much has been written about the essence of a good story. But what about the aspects of story specific to the screen? What are the key elements every script or director's treatment should contain? Critic and former Dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, Robert Rosen gives the Hollywood insider view.

Special guest:

• Robert Rosen - Director of the Narrative Literacy Laboratory

 

Friday July 30: The Telemovie's Rise to Power - Richard Keddie

The '80s was the era of the "historical miniseries". Now, with The Film Company's Hawke having taken centre stage, and Southern Star's Whitlam-esque Cleo to come, producer Richard Keddie (Hawke, Curtin) looks at the rise and rise of the period telemovie. What are the archetypes of a good telemovie and what is the role of truth? What are the current funding structures? And how is the global political landscape motivating audiences?


Special guests:

• Richard Keddie - Producer (Hawke, Curtin, My Brother Jack, After the Deluge)

 

 

Friday July 23:  Thinking Outside the Box Office - Indie strategies for success

Named one of '10 Digital Directors to Watch' by Daily Variety, Jon Reiss produced and directed Bomb It, a feature film about graffiti and the battle over visual public space. Based on his experience releasing with a hybrid strategy, he wrote Think Outside the Box Office: The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution in the Digital Era. In this session, he shares innovative tools and strategies for filmmakers to distribute and promote their films in an overcrowded marketplace.


Special guest:

• Jon Reiss - director (Bomb It), author (Thinking Outside the Box Office)

 

 

+ Friday July 16: Creative Force - Alice Bell

Alice Bell is known for creating explosive and unpredictable characters, from the murderous "Hurricane" Katrina in Bell's first feature Suburban Mayhem, which screened in Un Certain Regard at Cannes to the risk-taking schoolgirl Violet, in last year's AFTRS film of the same name. She talks here about the importance of breathing life into a script, drawing from all of these projects and her next script, Gin & Tonic.

Special guests:

• Alice Bell - Screenwriter (Suburban Mayhem, Rush, Spirited, The Slap)

 

 

+ Friday July 9: Lou - Belinda Chayko

Lou tells the tale of the daughter of a struggling rural family and her Alzheimer afflicted grandfather. Belinda Chayko, the AWGIE winning writer (Saved) and second time director (City Loop) tells how this project went from being a university script to securing John Hurt (Harry Potter, Alien) - all through having well-defined characters.

Special guest:

• Belinda Chayko - Writer/Director (Lou); Writer (Saved); Director (City Loop)

* Includes special screening of Lou

 

 

+ Friday July 2: The Waiting City - Claire McCarthy & Jamie Hilton

Following her debut feature Cross Life which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival in 2007, writer/director Claire McCarthy along with producer Jamie Hilton talks about The Waiting City, the first Australian feature film to be shot entirely in India. In this exploration of the shifting power relationship in a young couple (played by Radha Mitchell and Joel Edgerton), we look at the emergence behind the scenes of two dynamic young filmmakers.

Special guests:

• Claire McCarthy - Writer/Director (Cross Life, The Waiting City)
• Jamie Hilton - Producer, See Pictures

 

 

+ Friday June 25, Making It in Music Television - Jakub Jacko (MTV World Stage)

After working for over a decade with MTV, MCM and Channel [V] and making an AFTRS short with Angry Anderson, Jakub Jacko directed a one-hour launch special for MTV Classic, featuring rock legend Slash. Such was the reception that MTV requested additional shows, the most recent for MTV's global series MTV World Stage that aired on June 11 in 550 million households across more than 160 countries. He shares some short cuts on the long way to the top.

Special guest:

• Jakub Jacko - director (Benefit, MTV Classic, MTV World Stage)

 

 

+ Friday June 18, The New Television - Peter Rose & Kim Vecera

In 2007, Foxtel and Austar launched showcase - the premium channel with landmark Australian drama such as Love My Way, Satisfaction, Tangle and the soon to be seen Cloudstreet. With their strategy to attract subscribers with high end, high concept, high quality content, two of the industry's most influential leaders Kim Vecera and Peter Rose talk about what they refer to as Australia's "New Television", about what makes "showcase material" and the ways in which the HBO model can or can't be replicated here.

Special guests:

• Peter Rose - CEO Showtime
• Kim Vecera - Drama Executive

 

 

+ Friday June 11, Emotional Landscapes - Andrew Commis

Recently named the ACS 'Cinematographer of the Year', DOP Andrew Commis talks about working with directors to create an evocative visual style, depicting landscapes both literal and emotional - from Cannes acclaimed shorts such as Nature's Way and Blue Tongue to music videos to feature film Beautiful Kate.

Special guest:

• Andrew Commis (A Northern Town, Beautiful Kate) - ACS 'Cinematographer of the Year'

 

 

+ Friday June 4, Stories through Sound

In the leadup to the Song Summit 2010 (June 19-21), Benjamin Speed of experimental duo The New Pollutants and Nick Wales of electro-symphonic outfit Coda talk about the new narrative functionality of music.

With specific reference to The New Pollutants' rescoring of Fritz Lang's 1927 Sci-fi masterpiece Metropolis and Coda's performances such as Vivid Sydney and Riverbeats Live, we ask: How does the non-verbal power of music help communicate narrative ideas? How is new musical technology altering the way we interact with media, art and entertainment? How is the rescore/remaster changing the notion of authorship in music and motion picture? And how is the live and multi-disciplinary element evolving the cinematic experience?

Special guests:

• Nick Wales - The Coda Collective
  Twice ARIA nominated, Nick Wales and his musical collective consistently incorporate projected video works and performances as part of their show. Wales' work spans Vivid Sydney's Fire Water to short films Scary Therapy, Jailbirds, Breathe and TV series Monster Auditions.

• Benjamin Speed - The New Pollutants
  Benjamin Speed received the Best Original Score award at the 2006 St Kilda Film Festival for the animated short Carnivore Reflux, was nominated for Best Music for multiple award winning short The Cat Piano at the 2009 AGSC Awards and the 2009 Annecy Animation Festival, has composed for feature film The Tumbler and documentaries A Northern Town and The Snowman, in competition at the 2010 Sydney Film Festival.

 

 

+ Friday May 28, Crossing the Void - Peter Andrikidis

One of our most prolific TV drama directors, Peter Andrikidis discusses the leap from TV drama to telemovie and on to the feature film format with Kings of Mykonos and another two features slated for later in the year.

Special guest:

• Peter Andrikidis - Director (Wildside, Grass Roots, Mary Bryant)

 

 

+ Friday May 21 - Stereoscopic 3D Anything But Boring!

 

As Dreamworks' Jeffrey Katzenberg heralds 3D Stereoscopic as "the next revolution", the makers of Australian 3D film Dead Boring discuss the narrative potential of this future format: How can filmmakers get better command over S3D imagery? How can depth be used as a means to enhance their storytelling capacity? What is the opportunity here for growing global audiences?

Special guests:

• Brad Smith - Producer
• Dave Edwards - Director

 

 

+ Friday May 14 - Creating Online Drama - OzGirl's Nicholas Carlton

 

Having launched online a year ago to 25,000 fans, Australian interactive series OzGirl has since taken out the 'Best Web Series' and 'Best Acting' awards at the Independent Television Festival in Los Angeles, as well as 'Best Foreign Series' at the Streamy Awards in LA, the most prestigious awards event for digital entertainment. In what he describes as a "disruptive business in a disruptive time", its creator Nicholas Carlton talks about the rules (or lack of) of creating online drama and how to target the youth demographic.

Special guest:

• Nicholas Carlton - Creator

 

+ Friday May 7, Character Acting - Brendan Cowell

On the release of his romantic buddy movie I Love You Too, leading man Brendan Cowell (Noise, Love My Way, Beneath Hill 60) talks about his approach to working with directors across a range of genres and formats. A must-attend session for directors, actors and screenwriters alike.

Special guest:

• Brendan Cowell - Actor (Hamlet, Noise, Beneath Hill 60)

 

 

+ Friday April 30, Storyboarding Universe - David Russell

 

David Russell is one of Hollywood's top conceptual illustrators who cut his teeth on Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Since then, he has created key sequences for over 100 productions including Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Batman, Terminator 2, The Thin Red Line, Moulin Rouge, Wolverine, Sanctum and The Chronicles of Narnia. He shares with us the secrets of capturing cinematic style and action at the crucial planning stage.

Special guest:

• David Russell - storyboard artist (Batman, The Chronicles of Narnia, Buddha)

 

 

+ Friday April 23 - Beneath Hill 60, Jeremy Hartley Sims & David Roach

 

WW1 feature Beneath Hill 60 is inspired by the true story of Australian Captain Oliver Woodward and his exploits in the secret tunnels beneath No Man's Land. As it releases into cinemas, this director and writer/producer duo explains how to make period films relevant to contemporary audiences.

 

Special guests:

• Jeremy Hartley Sims - director (Last Train to Freo)
• David Roach - screenwriter (Young Einstein, Reckless Kelly, Mr Accident)

 

 

+ Friday April 16, Only the Brave, Ana Kokkinos

 

Amongst trends towards lighter, more homogenised material and identifiable genre, Ana Kokkinos (Head On, Blessed and The Book of Revelation) talks about the importance of directorial courage, artistry and independent vision.

 

Special guest:

• Ana Kokkinos - Director (Head On, The Book of Revelation, Blessed)

 

 

+ Friday April 9, 2010

 

Writing High, Justin Monjo

You don't need to move to L.A. to write high-budget scripts. Prolific playwright, film and television writer Justin Monjo talks about writing projects in the $30-$90 million range, from war epics to fully CG animated features - the most recent being produced by Dan Lin (Terminator Salvation).

 

Special guest:

• Justin Monjo - Screenwriter (Monkey, Dirt Music, Cane, Bone)

 

 

+ Friday March 26, 2010

 

Animal Kingdom - David Michôd

From his internationally acclaimed short films Crossbow and Netherland Dwarf to his Aurora script and Sundance winning debut feature Animal Kingdom, David Michôd's films find beauty in a rough, male world. Here, the Variety-listed 'Director to Watch' explains the lay of the land on the international circuit.

Special guest:

• David Michôd - Writer/director

* Included special advance screening of Animal Kingdom

 

 

+ Friday March 19, 2010

Ever wondered how to transform dysfunctional family dynamics into award winning high drama?

Leading Australian screenwriter Andrew Knight (SeaChange, After the Deluge, Crash Burn) joins us to talk about the experience of writing the quirky and humorous Sea Change right through to the emotionally powerful Crash Burn as well as the ups and downs of life lived large in the screen sector.

 

Special guest:

• Andrew Knight - screenwriter

 

 

+ Friday March 12, 2010

Creative Spirit: Claudia Karvan

As Australian horror/drama Daybreakers busts $40m worldwide, leading actor Claudia Karvan explains the creative ethos at the core of her highly acclaimed film & TV career that sees her both an actor and a producer developing and managing projects.

 

Special guest:

• Claudia Karvan - Actor/Producer

 

+ Friday March 5, 2010

Kinderfest - Hannah Hilliard's Franswa Sharl

 

Just back from bagging the Crystal Bear in Berlin's 'K-Plus Generations' section, we talk to Franswa Sharl director Hannah Hilliard (Neighbours) about working with young actors to create an award winning film on the international festival circuit.

Special guest:

• Hannah Hilliard - AFTRS alumnus; Director (Neighbours; Mockingbird, The Secret Life of Us)

* Includes special screening of Franswa Sharl

 

 

+ Friday February 26, 2010

 

Great Adaptations - Jennifer Byrne

In light of one of Australia's best loved novels Cloudstreet by Tim Winton being adapted into a six hour mini-series and set to start shooting in Perth, the ABC's First Tuesday Book Club host Jennifer Byrne will examine what makes a "great Australian novel" ripe to become a great screen adaptation - from fiction, non-fiction, biographies and thrillers to the romance and history genres.

Special guest:

• Jennifer Byrne - ABC host (First Tuesday Book Club)

 

 

+ Friday February 19, 2010

John Collee - Mastering the craft

In the launch of season III, world screenwriter John Collee (Happy Feet, Master and Commander) divulges how to gain a command of the "method" of screenwriting, as well as sharing his ideas about the development process and a 7-step approach from idea to treatment to script.

Special guest:

• John Collee - writer (Happy Feet, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World)