Who would have thought a film would come out of the reality TV series Big Brother? But the writer-producer of the drama Burns Point, Chris Blackburn, has launched into filmmaking after executive producing that TV show until it finished two years ago. "I thought I'd use what I'd saved to fund the film," he says. In a rarity for film in this country, Blackburn teamed up with his director son, Tim, a Tropfest finalist three years ago. The film is described as a dark tale centring on the brother of a murdered woman (Andrew Lowe) seeking justice after the killer is acquitted with the help of a corrupt cop (Ron Kelly). After filming in Ballina on the north coast of NSW, Burns Point will debut at Western Australia's CinefestOz film festival, which opens next week. Chris Blackburn says there was only one moment of tension with his son on the film. "We had one shot that I put my foot down about," he says. "But he was terrific. It was a good family experience."
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And in more news from Australian film ...
Buying a producing role
Writer-director of Book Week ... Heath Davis.
So how much does it cost to have a say in developing characters, scriptwriting and even the look of an Australian film? It could be expensive if you take a producing course at film school. But writer-director Heath Davis (Broke) is promising consultation on key elements of the coming film Book Week as part of a crowdfunding campaign. "I grew up watching films wishing I could have been more involved in the actual process," says the high school teacher and filmmaker. "I felt it would have given me a deeper connection with not only the story but also the characters." Contributors who stump up $85 to be a "virtual producer" will have a say on "everything from set design, character development, wardrobe, scripting, music, props even dialogue" via an online forum. If you want a real producer credit, that will set you back $10,000. The comic drama centres on a high school English teacher and aspiring writer (Brendan Cowell) going through seven days of hell, with the cast also including Susan Prior, Steve Bastoni, Tiriel Mora, Pippa Grandison and Chris Taylor. Davis plans to shoot Book Week in the Blue Mountains and western Sydney around the Easter school holidays next year.
Wan's star continues to rise
Director James Wan and Vin Diesel on the set of Fast and Furious 7.
Before their 2004 horror hit Saw, James Wan and fellow film school graduate Leigh Whannell were just two struggling young filmmakers in Melbourne. But with a series of hits as director that include Fast and Furious 7 and two instalments of both Insidious and The Conjuring, Wan's Hollywood career continues to rise. In the latest development, his production company, Atomic Monster, has signed a deal with Chinese company Starlight Media that will provide development funding and equity finance for Wan's films with budgets up to $US100 million ($130 million). Atomic Monster also produced Lights Out and the coming Annabelle 2, while Wan is also executive producing the new TV series MacGyver. Despite seventh instalment Saw 3D being billed as the final chapter in 2010, Wan and Whannell are executive producing Saw: Legacy, due out next year.
Filmmaking ferries
A Manly ferry in a storm in June. Photo Christopher Getts
Longtime film industry figure Dominic Case has been running a campaign to have Sydney's new ferries named after filmmakers. The logic is that what's generally considered Australia's first film, Marius Sestier's Passengers Leaving The SS Brighton At Manly from 1896, featured the Manly ferry of the time. Case suggested three Sydney-born filmmakers – Lottie Lyell, Australia's first film star who played Doreen in the silent classic The Sentimental Bloke; Ken G. Hall, who made On Our Selection and other Cinesound hits in the 1930s, and Peter Weir, whose many great films include Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli, Witness and The Truman Show. An expert panel is shortlisting suggestions ahead of a public vote.
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