Kanowna fine cut changes

Sarah made the changes to the fine cut as per notes we received at the screening last week and kindly uploaded the latest version of Kanowna, even though she has gone to Melbourne for a Christmas break.

Michael and I viewed the latest cut of Kanowna this morning and discussed the changes made, how they effect the film and what we think should be done to get closer to our vision lock-off.

Kanowna the short film - a Fine, Fine Cut

We played the fine cut of Kanowna to a small, select audience on a big screen in a lecture theatre at Edith Cowan University, Mt Lawley today in the hope that we would have a vision lock-off after the screening.  Most of the responses we received were not new to us, but the most valuable was a point made by Richard Hyde who is my creative collaborator on a number of projects and script editor on Kanowna.

He made the point that some of the off-screen dialogue may be getting in the way of a particular scene, which also takes impact away from the introduction of the films Antagonist.  It was a really valid point, which Sarah and I really liked, so we are going to explore the possibility.

So, with the advent of the Christmas holiday season and Sarah going to Melbourne for a holiday, we've decided to delay the vision lock-off until early New Years, that's if it doesn't impact on the Sound and Music schedules, but Michael will be liaising with them.

So even though we only had a small group at the viewing, the session was extremely valuable, with new discoveries that will hopefully make our film even better.

Kanowna 2nd Unit

We have officially canned the 2nd Unit pick-up shots!  After much deliberation, Sarah and I honestly believed that the shots we intended to get, actually in Kanowna, would be a waste resources as we really don't need them to tell the story.

Test screenings of Kanowna

Michael and I have been screening the Fine Cut of Kanowna to a select few people since we received the cut a couple of days ago.  Generally there has been little comment about the structure of the film, only about various segments or events within the film, which have generally been subjective viewpoints.

There has been some very good reactions to the film and everything is positive.  I have a couple more people I am screening the Fine Cut to, before we head to Vision Lock-off early next week.

13.35 or there abouts

We viewed a twelve minute cut of Kanowna this afternoon, which I must say I had trepidations about.  However, Sarah did a really good job with dropping some shots, compressing a couple scenes and ending some scenes at different points to what was filmed, to work the story into a film for an audience and not for us.
I really liked the flow generally, but there were a couple things that I felt I needed to be in the cut to add impact and push the emotional journey of the main character.  Michael viewed the film for the first time (after the rough cut) and said he really got into the story and followed the journey.
There are a few story points I am questioning are strong or clear enough, but I am very happy with where the film is at.  On the drive home I did voice my concern to Michael, that it felt all too easy to reach this point.  I know that in this instance, I have written the film also and know the story backwards, so I am questioning my objectivity for the benefit of the film.
The next stage is to show some 'virgin eyes' the current edit and get their opinions.  This process can be fraught with ridiculous comments or suggestions, soul destroying moments, uplifting viewpoints and elation.
I have sent the Fine Cut to Geoff, our composer for him to start his process and I look forward to his views, hopefully tomorrow.
So, I need test subjects... Anyone interested?

Blog Traffic

I've been using Site Meter to keep blog traffic records, since October and we are now at around 920 hits, since then.  Well at least someone finds my random musings interesting enough to read.  I've had hits from the Netherlands, Moscow, Thailand, Vietnam, UK, USA, Ireland, Spain and of course, Australia.

Seriously, it will be great to the films exposure.  There is still a long way to go on the Kanowna journey, so keep coming back to visit and tell all your friends, wherever they might be.  Hopefully soon we will be adding some behind the scenes video, shot by our wonderful friend Kris, who I met at the Palm Springs Short Film Festival three years ago, came from Los Angeles to join our merry band of filmmakers.

Anyway, keep spreading the word and hopefully we'll tip over the 1000 mark very soon.

Warmest Regards

Chris Richards-Scully

15 minutes, including credits...

We've got the cut down to about 16 minutes (without credits), now the fun begins.  I really like the work Sarah has done with the film and I think it is all there.  We still need to go through and ensure we've got all the best performance takes, but essentially the cut is probably close to a 'Fine Cut'.  Unfortunately it is running 1 minute over our preferred time duration of 15 minutes.  Screen Australia won't fund anything over 15 minutes and most of the big festivals don't want anything longer.

Sarah is going to tighten up the edit over the weekend and we will let Michael (Producer), see it on Monday.  Hopefully she will manage to squeeze some time out of the edit and we won't need to cut much out.  Although I have already thought of areas where we might be able to cut into, but I'll wait to see what she comes up with.  This is always the most difficult part of the process, on Iron Bird and Icarus I had specific time durations I needed to work to and each time I faced the exact same dilemma as I now do with Kanowna and each time we figured it out.  It is a good discipline to get used to, because if we were delivering for TV, we'd have an exact duration, if I was doing a TV commercial, I'd also have an exact duration to deliver.

Michael has negotiated the sound post, which is fantastic, he is still speaking to Geoffrey Russell (Composer) to see his requirements and we also need to find the funds for the conforming of the pictures, colour grade, titles, credits and output.  Exciting, but closer.

Getting closer

Well, I now know the cost of the post sound component of this film and I can see where a Screen Australia grant would be spent!  Hmmm...

On a brighter note, I was working with Sarah on the edit today and it is looking good!  I especially like how scene 3 is playing.  Sarah put some of the temp music tracks I had found into the cut, which added another layer of emotion to that scene and a number of others.  It feels like it is all there, but we just need to ensure we have the best performance takes and really keep questioning ourselves about the edit and ask 'are we telling the story', to the best of our abilities, with the material we have.

We did question the need for the 2nd Unit pick-up exterior shots.  I had the thought today, because I didn't miss seeing them in the edit at all.  I'll ponder that and so will Sarah and we'll hopefully have the answer by Friday.  The plan is to show Michael, the films Producer, an edit on Monday which should be close to a Fine Cut.

Exciting!

Pick-ups

We are getting ready for the reduced unit pick-up shoot and our lightning trip to Kanowna, to get all the exterior shots which are currently missing from the edit.  As an indication that I have been thinking about this film for some time now, here is a photo I took of an area just east of Kanowna, I found this today, but I'd been talking about it with Sarah and Michael for the past week.  This exterior should cut into the scene with Brown and Clarke in the tent, to be used as the land which Brown is looking out at.

Lost in translation

We recorded Chomatsu's opening lines of the film today in Adrian's makeshift studio at his home.  The lines are off-screen and in Japanese, so Ben arranged a Japanese work colleague to come down and ensure that his pronunciation was correct.  He also got the same person to translate the words from English to Japanese.  The result was a Lost In Translation moment where the Japanese translation seemed much longer than what is said in English.  Ben did a great job and we were told it was better than the guy in Hero, it's good Japanese, but a Japanese person would know it isn't being spoken by someone native to the language. 
My last film had German speaking parts and a previous one had Indonesian, on each occasion the actor didn't know the language and had to be coached.  Seems to be a common thread in my films.  As one actor once said to George Lucas, "You can right it, but can you say it"?

The assemble

I finally got to see the first assemble edit today!  It was great to see the shots all laid out according to the script and also to see some of the shots for the first time.  Current running time is 18 minutes, but there is no need for concern, I gave Sarah, our Editor some notes about who to focus on in scenes and how the 2nd Unit shots will add more layers to the film, while giving the story spaces to breathe. 

Things I noticed, well it's working so that's great, it looks lovely and the performances are strong, believable and serve the story.  There is still a lot of work to be done to shape the edit to its best potential, but I am excited.  Editing is always a frustrating, fun, exhilarating and ultimately fulfilling process, but the problem is you come home with all these possibilities playing in your mind of how the cut could work or what edit serves the story the best. 

I can't wait to see the film take more shape!

So final notes about the edit: be true to the emotion, it was written as a slowly paced, lingering film, so keep that in mind without blowing our desired 12-15 minute duration and cut to Mathilda whenever possible (joke)!

Post Funding application

I've seen the quote to finish the vision part of post production, to deliver a quality Master, which is colour graded and meets all the technical requirments for festivals, distribution and screening.  It is scary and we still have to factor in the sound post, mixing and music recording.  So Michael has been busily looking into post funding through Screen Australia.

I can't believe the amount of paperwork you need to supply before you even step into the door.  I need to supply a one line synopsis, a one paragraph synopsis, a one page synopsis, a copy of the script, a director's statement describing my directorial approach to the project, CV, post production notes and a bio.

I can't understand the need for the various synopsis or the director's statement, the film has already been shot and we just want to finish it.  Anyway, I guess I'm going to need the various synopsis for our marketing and for festivals, so might as well do them now.  Well, at least we have until January to complete the paperwork.

:o(

The biggest thing playing on my mind at the moment is, 'How are we going to finish this Kanowna'?

As I've mentioned before, we could get our mates to do everything, but unfortunately without access to high end gear, we will only finish with a DVD copy.  I believe we have a little gem in our hands and therefore I want to give it the best I can, at every step.  Much like a child really.

If we can get a professional Colourist to do the grade, if we can afford the pathway our Sound Editor is suggesting, if we could afford a couple real muscians for Geoff to record and us on the score, it would all make for a better finish in the end.  Also, we need to have a quality master from which to make dubs from and that means going to a Post Production facility.

There are various grants available for post funding, but how easy it is to get one is the question.  

Anyway, I've been busying myself with the design of the press kit and postcards.  I know that it will be a long time until they are needed, but they've got to be done sometime.

Hills Gazette, Nov 14

The Fight

The philosophy behind the fight in this film was to make it a real scrap.  So, in the choreography of the fight we cut out any big arcing punches and added the use of elbows, headbutts.
Ben and Dustin did an amazing job at working out the story within the fight and I focused on the intent for each of them.
Doing the fight in the confined spaces of the set corridor added another dimension to it, having it constrained into the area and it also proved a challenge to film with such a big camera. 
There were a couple scary moments, a couple cuts and bruises, but I think we have a very believable and brutal little scene.
All credit goes to the boys for getting down and dirty, with no complaints, just the desire to make this the best it can be.

HDSR or D5?

Lots of discussions today about finishing formats. Do we master onto HDSR or D5 or what? 

Essentially we need to discuss the plan for going from RED Camera - Digital Intermediate (DI) - Master Tape - 35mm film.  Obviously this is dependant on invitations to particular festivals and receiving some post funding, but the discussion has to be had.

Low budget, independant filmmakers usually only finish to a DVD which the play to their friends and maybe send to a film festival which accepts DVD's, but if you are considering a theatrical print for festivals or even screening at one of the larger film festivals then more needs to be done.

I'm no expert and the RED camera adds another equation to the mix.  Also from a sound perspective we will probably do a mix for submissions to festivals and to play from DVD and would need to do another mix should the film be lucky enough to get funding for a 35mm blow-up.

another of Ben's photos...

Ben's photos

Ben, one of our actors, did a little onset photography for us and just sent me a link to all his photos online.  There are some excellent ones there and we will definitely be using them in the promotional and behind-the-scenes material.  I will upload a couple to let you have a look.

The cramped filming space in the brothel corridor.

 

Peta Sergeant in front of the camera

Down the barrel

 

Dustin Clare and Clarke Richards as Trooper Brown and Trooper Clarke in the short film by Chris Richards-Scully entitled, Kanowna.

Post Crew

The pieces of the post production crew puzzle are starting to come together.

The day after the Kanowna shoot

I was so depressed today.  I would love to be making films everyday, but unfortunately that's not possible where we live...at the moment.
I am hanging out to see the rushes larger than a small image on Sam's computer and also hanging out to start the editing.  There are lots of Post Production questions which need to be answered, but that will be sorted in the coming days.
Michael and I are meeting tomorrow to start tracking where the film should be sent and when. We also need to decide on post funding and where we will premiere, but that's some time away.

The Kanowna short film crew

Out brilliant crew!

Day 4 - Kanowna the short film

Day 4:

The final shoot day.

Another huge day.  We started the day picking up a scene with Chomatsu returning to his brothel, filmed in the corridor set, which was finished that morning.  Once again, Alana our Production Designer did an amazing job!

After this we moved onto the fight scene.  Dustin's character gets shot before the fight breaks out, so we had a squib hit rigged for the moment.  The set-up for this part took a little longer than anticipated, but the result was fantastic.  I didn't to the usual front hit, instead I wanted to see a rear exit wound and in the final shot be see an spray of blood and smoke, which really works.

Once Dustin is hit, Ben (Chomatsu) charges him and the fight begins.  The fight we rehearsed was a brutal, dirty, grappling fight, which when restrained to the corridor of the brothel really added to the intensity.  This was shot handheld, which will add to the ferocity of the moment.  The actors were fantastic, they got down and dirty and it will really show in the end film.  We can see the intensity and intent in their faces and the stakes of life and death.

One of the best shots we filmed in the corridor location we a tracking shot, which follows behind Brown's gun as he stalks up the corridor.  I'd envisioned when I was writing Kanowna and the resulting shot was exactly how I'd pictured it.

We had some extras on set in the afternoon that included my Mum, brother and cousin (a real family affair), the extras helped fill the exterior laundry and the Kanowna town scenes.  It is always a challenge to fill shots with only limited extras and a few didn't show on the day, which didn't help.  You have to make do with what you get and in the end we worked it out and the shots look very populated and real.  My Mum had a featured extra role, she had to tug on Dustin's sleave and point to where Osarno had gone to in the town.  It was so sweet, she rehearsed with Dustin and he really made her feel important.  She got the beats of the scene down and then we shot the scene.  Admittedly I was worried that she may have stage fright once the cameras rolled, but I didn't need to worry.  She did a great job and the scene worked really well.  I think her softness helped Dustin make an acting choice in the end of that scene, which I liked very much.

The day ended out in the middle of a field, picking up a shot of a doll to cut into the Meckering scenes.  With the production finished, I had to wander away from the crew, I was getting a little emotional, which can happen at the end of a shoot.  I haven't been emotional after a shoot for a long time, but I think this one has become personal.

I haven't written a script in a long time and I don't want to be a writer/director, but this story had become a personal one.

A huge, heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been involved thus far.  It was a challenging shoot with sets, costumes, guns, horses, extreme weather locations, fight scenes, squibs and a baby.  Everyone was working for the love of the craft and for the opportunity to be involved in the telling of a unique little Australian story.

I believe we've got a little beauty here, now Michael and I have to nurse it through the post production process and hit the festivals!

I usually don't like to single out people for thanks, but the MVP of the production has to go to our amazing Production Designer, Alana.  She did so much with so little and we love her work!  Thanks so much!

Dustin Clare in Kanowna

Dustin Clare as Trooper Brown in the short film Kanowna.

Me and my Asian buddies!

Osarno (Peta Sergeant) deals with tragedy

Dustin Clare as Trooper Brown

 

Dustin Clare plays Trooper Brown in the short film, Kanowna.

Day 3 - Kanowna the short film

Day 3: Today was a dream compared to yesterday.  Not much sun, nice breeze, minimal flies and a much more comfortable schedule.  We shot scenes in the Troopers tent and in the Japanese brothel.  We also managed to pick-up a shot from yesterday, which I needed for the story.  The crew is really clicking into gear now, which is unfortunate because we only have one day left.
Clarkie was having trouble believing he achieved the right performance in his scene, I had to remind him and assure him that I wouldn't be sitting on his shot for 100% of the scene and we would be cutting around, because we want to see Dustin's character as well, so as a director, I was happy that we got the performances in different parts of various takes.  To his credit, he wanted to get it all in one take, which is something we all strive for.  Well done mate!

Dev and our camera crew (accept Aaron the 1st AD), working on the Red.

Bad Guy

The films 'bad guy', Chomatsu - Ben, who is really a very nice guy.

Kanowna short film - Day 2

Day 2:  Flies, sun, horses and more flies!

Today we shot out on a salt lake, just East of Meckering.  I'd forgotten how difficult it is to sustain yourself out in the elements and many of the crew also didn't have much experience working in those conditions.  Plus, we lacked real resources to cope with sun and wind and hence, we suffered a little.
On the positive side, we had horses today which really gives the film a feeling of scope.  We shot the horses galloping in a wide-shot, which was fantastic!
We really started losing the light in the late afternoon, due to an approaching cold front and Dustin's last shot of the day was in cloud cover, but you have to take what you can get.  His performance is so strong that it didn't really matter.
Peta was a trooper today!  She had to do a scene running across the salt lake and she stumbled.  She didn't stop, she just got back up and kept going.
All-in-all, a very successful day with only a couple challenges for the performances and coverage.

Clarke Richards and Bluey

  

Dustin Clare as Trooper Brown

  

Dustin Clare on horseback

Kanowna short film - Day 1

Kanowna, day one.  A big day.  I don't think we realised how big an ask the Art Department's job is.  Lots of moving walls, building and dressing.  They did an amazing job and it is really showing on screen.

Working with a baby is always a challenge, but Mathilda did a fantastic job and truely added to scenes by her interaction with Dustin Clare and Peta Sergeant.  She did cry a little, initially, but in the end, there were some magic moments.

Chomastu is the Japanese Terminator!  Ben was fantastic!  The stillness in his shooting scene was great and the knife scene was scary.

Peta and Dustin's reunion was lovely and the shots were great.  My only worry here is the coverage and if scenes where Peta is carrying the stunt baby will cut with Mathilda's.

Dustin's scene with the Doll was awesome.  His guttural yell at the end, is chilling and gives me a good cutting point into the next scene.

Many of these discoveries were made in rehearsal yesterday or on set.  None could be planned for, which is the beauty of film and what I love about the process.

We start at 0700 in Meckering tomorrow!

Dustin Clare in a scene from Kanowna.

Kanowna rehearsals

It's been a mad couple of days for Kanowna, the short film.  The cast (Dustin Clare, Peta Sergeant and Clarke Richards), arrived in Perth yesterday and I could only manage an hour and a half to meet with them to talk script and other stuff.  It was fantastic to see them again and made everything seem really real.  It was also cool that Krisztian came along all the way from LA to join in the fun!
The production made good use of the time with costume fittings and makeup tests being organised for the day.  A few issues arose from the tests, with the biggest being the incorrect boots being chosen for the Troopers.  Michael and I really emphasised to Costume the importance of getting this correct.
Dev our DOP stayed at our place which was really good.  We could talk shots, plans, symbolism, anything we needed to chat about, which we hadn't had the time to.

Today was a full day of Kanowna rehearsals.  We made many new discoveries about the film and a few scenes were slightly adjusted to either ring more true or change the status of a character, to make the journey more of a undulating one, instead of a flat one.
During the day there were many challenges with boots, guns and props, but it seems everything was sorted out behind the scenes.  Our biggest challenge has been to get the baby confirmed.  In the end, we decided to use my daughter as Osarno and Brown's baby.

update

Everything seemed to be falling into place today.  We made great progress with the uniforms for the Troopers, finally finding ones used in Ned Kelly, in Sydney.  Clarke, who is playing Trooper Clarke made a mad dash across town and collected them, saving on courier costs.  He will bring them with him tomorrow.  What a champ.
I had a long chat on the phone with Dustin.  He arrived in Melbourne and is showing Krisztian around, before flying to Perth tomorrow.  Everyone is excited that we are closer to the camera turning over. 
Tomorrow will see the Actors busily doing fittings and whatever else the production needs them to be doing and Wednesday will be our full rehearsal day.
Michael even get a call from a Community Newspaper, without any prompting from us.  They had found out about the production from the local Police.  I wrote our own media release and hopefully it will get a little interest going.
Really looking forward to everyone arriving tomorrow and getting stuck into rehearsals.  We've got so little time, but that can be a blessing as we don't have time to over-bake things.

more...

No, it's not all about guns, but here is the Troopers pistol.

Chomatsu's gun

Chomatsu's gun will the the one at the top of the picture, but the handle will be changed to a wooden grip.
I know, everyone will now be saying it's not a period firearm.  The point is that on our budget, we can't get a period firearm which can actually fire a blank!  Chomatsu's gun is never focused on, so the alternative was to get any available revolver. We only see the gun shoot and bullets in the chamber, so it should be no issue.  Of course we will choose our angles appropriately also.
If anyone is spending time checking that our guns are correct for the period, they are either 'trainspotters' or we haven't done our job!

Production meeting

We had a production meeting this morning, which was good.  I've been concerned about some areas in the production, but I'm now more confident about where everyone is up to.  There are still a few minor things that need to be sourced, but in general, it is all coming together.  Michael has done a great job getting us to this point and I'm sure he'll get us over the line.
Ben Khaw and I stayed behind after the meeting to chat about Chomatsu and do a little rehearsal.  It was really beneficial, because we made a few new discoveries about him and I was able to get my vision of Chomatsu across to Ben.  Working with Actors is my favourite part of the process, finding the character, tracking their journey and bringing them to life is a most rewarding experience.
Three days to go and there is a little weather concern for Thursday, but there is nothing we can do now.  Fingers crossed!

Anyway...

No money, no worries!  One has to ask, why do it??  Why put yourself through the stress of making a film with no money, not just any film, a period film!
It must link back to the underlying urge to create, to make films and to express yourself.  Kanowna developed from the seed of an idea and then from a wonderful life changing experience.  It took a number of false start journeys, with a number of people who promised much and delivered little.
Now, we are only days away from actually shooting this film.  Wow!  It is amazing how things transpire.  The core mix of people involved has always remained the same, but we've added a few excellent people who have helped get us to this point.
We've made many discoveries about making period films along the way and we will remember those lessons next time.  For the moment however, I am extremely excited, somewhat nervous, but prepared and ready to make a great little film.

Our collar pallet

The is the colour range we are using for the film.  It is provided by the DOP after discussions with me and it should serve as a guide to all departments for their colour choices in regards to props, material, painting etc...

La la land

Time is ticking and I am a little worried.  We begin shooting this film on Thursday and there are some crucial things not yet in place.
The uniforms for the two Troopers is my biggest concern, in fact all the costumes are my biggest concern.  I haven't seen anything solid and confirmed yet, which makes me nervous.
Michael is still trying to lock down a Lee-Enfield Mk1, fingers crossed on that one.  I have just sent out a draft shotlist to Aaron our 1st AD, Michael, the Producer and Dev, the DOP.  It is less that initially discussed, which helps our schedule a little.
I still have much Director's preparation to do, but am really looking forward to getting into rehearsals on Wednesday.
On a good note, a Sound Editor friend of mine living in LA, today offered to do the sound for the film!  Great news, it means fantastic sound and also immediate exposure to people in LA.  Which makes it even more important to get everything right!

Influences on Kanowna the short film

The more I delve into it and the more I am asked by Key crew members.  I am finding my influences can be identified in specific films.  The assassination of Jesse James, by the coward Robert Ford is becoming a big influence for Dev and myself.  The composition, use of shallow depth of field, lingering lyrical shots, steady pacing and superb acting, is influencing our choices on Kanowna.

That said, Terrence Malick is also a strong influence on me.  I love the way he uses nature and once again, the lyrical nature of his shots are fantastic.  Finally I think Kurosawa also finds a place in this post.  We will search for the wideshot and fight the contemporary western cinema's desire to cut to a close-up everytime, to emphasis a story point and ram it down an audience's throat.  The power of the wideshot is often ignored and in this film, where the land is part of the story, it cannot be ignored.

I am also keen to use time-lapse for the landscape exteriors, signifying the passing of time and how the land never changes, or care what is happening in the realm of humans.  The land stays the same.

The cast for Kanowna, the short film

Just to remind everyone who is in Kanowna, the short film.

 

Dustin Clare is playing Trooper Brown. 

Peta Sergeant is playing Osarno. 

Ben Khaw is Chomatsu.

Clarke Richards is Trooper Clarke.

We've got a good group of very talented and eager actors.  The characters are layered which will give the actors a good challenge to breathe them to life.

Oct 28

Time is ticking!

We had our initial meeting with our 1st AD, but with no shotlist yet, it was difficult to get a real picture of how the schedule would look.  I ended up giving each scene a possible number of shots, so that Aaron could at least get us something. 

There has been some challenges getting period firearms and today we came up with an alternative idea.  The only gun which needs to fire is Chomatsu's, so we just get whatever is available.  Hopefully a dark metal, snub-nosed revolver.  We will never focus on it, so it shouldn't be an issue.  Brown's revolver needs to be authentic looking, but doesn't need to be able to fire rounds.  So Michael and I will head to the Army surplus stores and look for period revolvers.  Another important weapon is the rifle Brown has in the first scene.  After a little research we decided it would be good to have a Lee-Enfield Mark 1, no we need to find one.

The DOP and I had our initial discussion tonight and talked about film references.  We seem to be on the same page, which is always good.  He wants to pitch a sequence idea for me tomorrow.  Great, I love it when I'm being presented ideas, that is the best way to get the best from other head-of-department and improve on the vision.

Lots of work to do, not much time to do it!

Wide shots

Things are really moving along.  Michael and I met with Aaron or 1st AD this afternoon for our first discussion on schedule.  I had to give him an idea of the number of shots I am thinking about, which was hard.  My head has been in production and not in the creative side of things, so I have to switch over now.  Anyway, I came up with a number of around 80 shots, after going through the script scene-by-scene. 

What I have to remember is my intention for this film to use wide shots as much as possible, allowing the action to play in the wide.  It is influenced by Kurosawa and early Zhang Yimou.  It is very powerful when used well and when I wrote this script, that was always in the back of my mind.

Design Meeting

Another meeting today, where I got the meet the Production Designer and the Costume Designer.  Both are young and relatively inexperienced, but keen and determined, also TAFE graduates which is always a good measure.
It was good to go through the script and solidify my ideas and seek new meaning and different ideas from these guys.  We've only got one weekend left and then we're on!

Flights are booked

Things are really flying along now, we've got a 1st AD finally and Dustin, Clarkie, Peta and Kristian are all booked on flights over. 

More Positive

Today was a positive step in the right direction.  It looks like we've found an actor to play the lead Japanese character, Chomatsu.
I was sure enough in my mind that the production would now be going ahead, that I contacted Dustin Clare and Clarkie to 'touch base' and see where they were at.  Both of them have been working on backgrounds and researching accents.  It was great to chat to Dusto again, it's been a long while.
We are close to getting a Costume person attached, but Michael has met our new Production Designer and we do have a Make-up person.
For a production which has no money, we are in a good position to make this happen.
"This has been the hardest thing I've had to do so far, " Michael said to me today.
Yes, a period movie on a tiny budget is a big ask.  Even though when I wrote it, I definitely had in mind doing something for a very small budget, the search for detail all adds up.

Actor needed

Michael and I lucked on a location in Gidgegannup on Friday.  This location could serve us well, fitting in at least three scenes.

We now have a DOP after our initial one had to decline, due to work committments.

Busy, hopeful.  We still need Chomatsu!

Let's try to make Kanowna, the short film, again.

After numerous false promises, false starts and lost hope, we are going to attempt to make my short film,  Kanowna again. This blog was hijacked for the production of my last TV project attempt, called 'In and Under', but that is now on the backburner and we are a couple weeks away from shooting Kanowna.

Unfortunately this will be another no-budget film. That said, a number of us are banding together and contributing cold, hard cash to make this film a reality. You can't do a no-budget period film, you have to have period costumes, props and other items which are necessary to make the world believable. I did write this film with the view of making it for no money, but the reality is, we do need some.

Once again my good friend and collaborator, Dustin Clare is set to play Trooper Brown, Clarke Richards will be playing Trooper Clarke and Peta Sergeant will be playing Osarno. Other crucial roles are still in the process of being cast and this is a worry, but once again, with no budget we have had to do what we can.

Michael Facey has taken the reigns as Producer and is doing a great job creating everything from nothing. A number of my film friends have jumped onboard to help because of their belief in the project, which I am most greatful for.

The film is set in the 'Outback' and Kanowna is actually a place which is about 40Km's North-east of Kalgoorlie, because of our budget restrictions we've had to find a location close to Perth for our exteriors. Michael and I drove out to Meckering on Sunday and lucked upon an area of saltlake which is perfect for the isolated feel I want to bring to the film. It is now a matter of getting permission to film there and scheduling everything so it works.

I am concerned that we still don't have many of the necessary components in place to start production, but hopefully it will all fall into place in the next few days.

Back on!

We're back.