A lot of people have been asking about the costumes the female characters were wearing in the trailer and where I had gotten them from.
I can tell you now, a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into those costumes as I designed the concept of them, drawing them up and then tried to figure out how to make them, as I don't know how to sew.
So I turned to the one person who had the skills to make this for me in the short amount of time we had, in the budgetary constraints we faced.
My gorgeous wife.
Of course if she or I had known exactly what would be involved, she would have divorced me right then and there. But we needed these outfits, I needed them to seperate the gangster's girls from other 'molls' onscreen. These were their statement outfits.
And so it began...
38 meters of fabric
Cut into patches
2592 patches used
300 meters of thread to stitch them together
Broke 11 needles on the sewing machine...
My wife will no longer sew anything for me ever again...but I think it might have been worth it
It's been over a week since I launched the Redeemed Concept Trailer online in an effort to show the visuals, characters and some essence of the story.
The response from those that have seen it has been fantastic, and those few that did decry it admitted it was not to their taste rather than anything wrong with the way it had been shot, or cut. In fact, the sole person who railed against it was howled down by others WANTING to see the film made.
That in itself was an awesome result, that the public have taken it upon themselves to defend the project and embraced it.
Twitter has resulted in the most vocal of support by those that have seen it (full disclosure - those that I asked to look at it ha!) Here are some of the comments.
"Impactful and Snappily Cut" - Brian Trenchard Smith
"Mate, you are one talented man !! It looks amazing CONGRATS x Mr M" - Renowned Fashion Designer Peter Morrissey
"WOW...looks A M A Z I N G, totally intense! Can't wait to see it come to fruition" Jacob Luppino and Anthony Pittorino - JAton Couture Label
"Awesome! well done!" - Karl Von Moller - DOP 'Not Quite Hollywood' 'Machete Maidens'
"This (potential new Aussie) film needs to get made!...Wish I had a spare 10 Mil." David Moore - Gloss Salons
"Wicked promo! Great shots, concept. Good luck with the Film!" - Alvaro Rodriguez co-writer of MACHETE
"It's so good !! I hope all that hard work pays off for you! I'm sure it will." - Ramona Telecican - Producer/Wardrobe Styling on Project Runway
"Really Loved it, Dark and Intense" - Melissa Hoyer - Social Commentator, Media Personality
"That is one seriously high octane trailer. It's got to get people's notice." Nick Earls - Best Selling Australian Author.
"V Intense" - John Birmingham - Best Selling Australian Author
"Great work mate, some really cool scenes in there" - Robb Cox - Director - Rustygate Films
"Shows a lot of promise, could do with a bit more subtlety for our tastes but that explosion looks incredible. Some good perfs" Aus Film Review
"Very impressive visually, interesting and great acting. Really good work. Well done!" - Amara Young - Actress
"Very Cool!" - Chriss Anglin - Call of Duty: Black Ops voice actor
"Great Work on the trailer Simon" - Luke Romyn - Australian Author
"That trailer looks seriously bad ass! Awesome Stuff." - Casey Ryan - Host of Cutting Room Floor Internet Radio
"WOW! So this is what you do when you are not on Twitter???" Steven Murphy - TV Publicist
There were comments that the first version of the trailer was a tad long, which I understand as it was designed to flesh out character and appeal to certain actors, so I recut it and released version two.
In amazing news, the trailer has landed in front of one of Australia's most talented Hollywood level actors, and his assistant has requested more information... I've written the letter of my life, attached supporting information, and now I wait to hear the response...
Well I've released the current version of the concept trailer to a select few for professional appraisal, and so far all the feedback is pointing to the same spots for improvement, which is gratifying as it pin points exactly what needs to be done.
Brian Trenchard Smith said it was well shot, snappily cut and the VFX were great, so that made my day! After a quick call to him in LA, he pointed out improvements so it's back to the edit suite shortly!
The Department of Defence has given permission for the use of their imagery in the opening sequence, so after the re-cut, it's set for release and time to get the ball rolling with the project.
I'll be releasing on youtube and then it's all hands on deck to spread it far and wide and target interested groups.
Being an Australian film maker, you're pretty much guaranteed to have heard the name Brian Trenchard Smith, whether it's in hushed reverance or in revulsion depends on the filmic circles you're a part of. If you haven't heard of him, you're in the wrong circles!
In Highschool in Film and TV, where there was some mention of Australian films in the 70's and 80's, films like 'Razorback' (Dir - Russell Mulcahy) and 'Alvin Purple' (Dir - Tim Burstall) and 'Dead End Drive In' and were briefly covered as crass B grade schlock, move right along, and lets look at 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' and 'Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith' kind of way. Brian had directed "Dead End Drive In" which was the first time I heard his name...
At no point did anyone say I may have seen his work already, in the form of 'BMX Bandits' sporting a young Nicole Kidman, and directly responsible for my blood red BMX bike and the scars of trying to hurl it about as a kid.
Yes, I can claim Brian Trenchard Smith scarred me for life.
But in a good way.
I have to confess, that it was only after the 'Not Quite Hollywood' doco that I investigated 'The Man From Hong Kong' and as a former Kung Fu student whilst at uni, I was shocked at not having seen it earlier, but then sourcing copies has been difficult until Madman Entertainment waded into the fray and made them easily available.
Now I own it and force it on unsuspecting friends - "What do you mean you've never seen Australia's most kick ass kung fu movie!"
In a lot of 'Not Quite Hollywood' marketing and on several sites, Brian is touted as one of Quentin Tarintino's favourite directors. I think it's a great line but find it sad that its needed to give Brian's work a level of authority or validation, his work is strong enough to stand on it's own, but then maybe it needed a signpost to point it out to the new generation.
So in keeping with my efforts of interviewing industry pro's on action/military realism on film, Brian agreed to answer my questions amongst his busy schedule, as he is a working director in LA.
Simon: As a Director, what considerations do you take into account when deciding to work on a film with firearms, ie period, genre, training, budget, schedule etc
Brian: Safety is my first concern when firearms or complex physical action is involved.
Simon: How important is it to you to represent genuine and authentic infantry/professional behaviour and weapon handling on screen?
Brian: Authenticity is important, but rarely do you see a movie that is 100% authentic. Maybe thorough research can get the costumes, props, and weaponry right, but how do we really know exactly how the battle went, when what orders were given and by whom,. Some of it is guesswork, and all of it is subordinated to the need for a non-historian audience to understand the narrative.
Simon: How much training do you require before actors/stunt teams even get to set?
Brian: Weapon training is obligatory if live firing is required. But more and more on low budget movies, digital muzzle flash and cartridge ejection is deployed in post production, because it saves time and ensures safety. It's not as good, - my In Her Line Of Fire used all digital gunfire and pyro - but the budget rules.
Simon: What are the main considerations you deal with in accommodating film requirements versus genuine infantry/police behaviours/maneuvers. Eg authenticity vs safety/camera angles/directorial constraints.
Brian: I try to keep it real, but films by their very nature are stylized representations of real life, using short cuts and simplifications.
Simon: With your background as a stuntman, your knowledge of firearms, explosives, vehicles, high falls, and hand to hand combat would be extensive, though I know the days of setting yourself on fire and participating in kung fu/karate dojo fights have dwindled, but does that experience bring a different appreciation to directing action sequences as opposed to a director who's never done those things?
Brian: My experience participating in simple stunts, nothing major, has given me an understanding of shooting the stunt from the inside as well as the outside. In a stunt sequence, you have to convey geography, spacial relationships, impact, etc. but if you can also convey how the character is reacting to the experience, and add the character's perspective of the event, that will enhance the audience's enjoyment.
Simon: Stunt/action technology must be forever changing, from wires, to air cannons, springboards, and digital gunfire and explosions in post, do you have to regularly update your knowledge?
Brian: I keep my ear to the ground. But I always have key people around me who are completely up to the minute on the latest technological developments.
Simon: How much do you rely on real life advisors ie Military, Police, Emergency Services etc etc in approaching a scene/sequence?
Brian: I always have an adviser for these scenes to help find the acceptable compromise between drama and authenticity. A lot of police work, cops tell me, is boring. Will the audience want us to authentically depict the boredom? Or would they rather we cut to the chase.
Simon: Do you ask more or less of your stunt team due to your experience in both worlds? Brian: I only ask what can safely deliver maximum impact. With the advances in CGI, we can add shots that would have been fatal if carried out by live rather than digital stunt personnel.
Simon: As a professional watching films/recreations, can you describe how you know the difference between a weapons trained actor and untrained actor.
Brian: One give away is when an actor is firing an automatic weapon , and he is allowing the kick of the weapon to cause the barrel to point upwards, higher than where his target is. There are some examples of that in my Siege Of Firebase Gloria, currently available on netflix streaming.
Simon: When watching stunt sequences, do you deconstruct them as to how you would have performed them, and then how you would have directed the sequence?
Brian: Yes, all the time. Half my brain is enjoying the story ( or not) the other half is analyzing the success (or not) of the staging and editorial choices. Action can be sharpened or ruined in the editing. Despite this schizoid approach, I always enjoy the movie going experience, even if the picture was terrible. Why was it terrible? How could it have been improved? What were the script mistakes? What would I have done with that subject on that budget. In fact, I must conclude now, run to the mall, and pick 2 movies to see this wonderful July 4th!
Brian went on to supply a link to his blog, where I have sourced the following.
WATERLOO
April 20, 2009
Brian: As CGI becomes more affordable, the low budget historical spectacular is within our grasp…Musings on the value of History, and the morality of War as entertainment.
I love costume pictures, in which present day issues are mirrored in the past, while relationships and events play out amid spectacular sets and landscapes. It’s an expensive undertaking; consequently many historical pictures do not recoup their cost, making this genre ever harder to finance. So we have to find ways of making them cheaper. Tighter schedules, digital set extensions, combined with computer crowd and battle technology is the way to go.
My appetite for historical epics was sharpened by a recent visit to Waterloo in Belgium.
To read of Brian's visit to Belgium and his thoughts on the battle and films representing that era go here
I've had a few emails from Frankie and he's back in London carving up the scene as usual, even doing a play of Titus Andronicus, so I thought I'd share a few clips of what he's been doing!
Also, regarding our film, I'm up to shot 60 out of 90 for one scene of VFX and grading, so I'm chipping away at it, on average completing 10 VFX shots a month, so yeah, post is the most time consuming.
Coming soon on the blog, an interview with the esteemed Brian Trenchard Smith
The trailer for Killer Elite is out and it looks unreal, it has some recognisable Melbourne Locations, plus Clive Owen is looking damn mean in it, while Jason Statham is awesome as ever, and Robert De Niro is a major drawcard for me. Can't wait to see it, it will raise the profile of SAS movies again.
Meanwhile, my concept trailer for my SAS movie Redeemed is currently with the Department of Defence, awaiting final approval for the use of miltary footage. I've picked a great time to submit, as there is a major Defence Exercise going on in North Queensland, 'Talisman Sabre' and will involve over 22,000 troops...so the media unit is extremely busy, so I will have to bide my time before I get a response...
Currently, I'm in post on both the concept trailer and the short film, and life is passing one render bar at a time, so there isn't much to report till the fine cut is done.
However, rather than let the blog languish, I've decided to do an article on authenticity of military and action films, as how it relates to what we see on screen, the movement of soldiers/cops/professionals/crims, the way they hold their weapons, and I'll be interviewing industry professionals in the know.
The response has been great, but it's larger than one article, so I'm presenting it as a series of interviews on authenticity...
First up is the producer of the award winning feature documentary 'Long Tan' narrated by Sam Worthington. (Avatar, Clash of the Titans, Terminator Salvation)
Martin Walsh is a former Commando, and is perfectly placed to comment on realism and authenticity on screen.
I wanted to know how important was it to Martin to represent genuine and authentic infantry behaviour and weapon handling in his recreation of the events of Long Tan, a pivotal battle for Australian Soldiers in the Vietnam War.
Martin: It was very important. Having served in 2 Commando Company I was very conscious of ensuring we reflected proper weapons handling procedures and infantry tactics as much as possible.
I knew it was important to get all of the elements as accurate as possible so that these type of things didn’t distract from the story, the individuals and the recreations. We worked with Ian Sparke on the uniforms and equipment etc and we secured a great film & TV weapons expert who was actually recommended by one of the Long Tan veterans, Sgt Bob Buick.
We used experienced ‘military actors’. People like Ian Sparke provide ‘actors/extras’ who have been trained in basic weapons handling for the specific period, ie. WW1, WWII, Vietnam, Korea etc. He also provides uniforms and equipment. I was also on set to ensure that tactics and weapons handling was as accurate as possible. In fact I actually performed some scenes myself, for example a couple of scenes firing an SLR in the prone position and changing magazines rapidly. Whilst the actors were familiar with using the weapons I was proficient (even though I hadn’t handled an SLR since 1991!).
I actually have many Army training manuals from the 1960’s and this combined with continual discussions with the Long Tan commanders and other veterans ensured we got the tactics right. There are some difference between the 1960’s and when I served in the late 80’s and early 90’s but surprisingly much of the infantry tactics were still the same. However, we did have to make some comprises for the camera in relation to infantry tactics.
Usually the spacing between soldiers is up to 10 metres meaning an infantry section would be spread over 100 metres. If we stuck to the letter of these tactics we would only ever see one or two soldiers in frame so we have to ‘squeeze’ soldiers into the frame for the benefit of the viewer.
Another example of making compromises is the radio procedures. I wrote all of the radio dialogue based on actual radio logs, interviews and other related material. We had to significantly shorten the radio dialogue because calling in an artillery fire mission and other radio communication takes longer than what we have portrayed.
In addition, I had to make some compromises in the dialogue relating to military acronyms and codes so the essence of what was transpiring could be understood by a lay person but it still sounded like real military communication.
Before we even started pre-production, my discussions with the director and FOXTEL was around how important it was for me to treat the accuracy and authenticity as seriously as possible and that I would be the final arbiter of any decisions. I didn’t want this documentary to be just another basic documentary with interviews and a couple of recreations, I want it to be dramatic and entertaining which is why I added the additional layer of radio communications to help bring the story, the drama and dynamics of the battle and stories to life.
FOXTEL originally suggested Ian Thorpe to narrate the documentary but I stuck to my guns in choosing and casting Sam Worthington as I felt he (an actor) would be the best person to bring the narration and storyline to life. I actually saw Sam Worthington at a preview screening of Somersault when the cast, director and producer answered questions after the preview screening. His manner, looks, accent and speaking style instantly resonated with me as a Vietnam era digger, in particular 21 year old Private Paul Large who died in the last minutes of the battle.
Simon: Being that it is a war documentary, did you and your team make the film for veterans and military enthusiasts as your key demographic, did it play a part on the thought process for filming?
Martin: We made the documentary as part of the overall marketing plan for a movie on Long Tan. The timing related to the 40th Anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan – 18 August 2006. We have also driven and managed all of the PR and Marketing related to Long Tan and we drove a huge effort around the 40th Anniversary and releasing the documentary a few days prior to this anniversary was our goal and we just made it! The primary audience was 25-55 year old male & females and 56+ male & females.
We tried to make the documentary for a mainstream audience who probably didn’t know much about the military and or the battle. But, we also wanted to make sure that we wouldn’t disappoint former or existing military veterans, especially those who were in the battle and other Vietnam veterans. So we made it for mainstream audiences first and veterans / military enthusiasts second.
Simon: Part of bringing a sense of realism and place to actors performance is the advisory team and genuine sources of information you give them, Martin and his team made sure the actors and extras had the best available to them to recreate the battle.
Martin: I’ve mentioned the artillery and the infantry scenes but one of the other stand outs for me was the infantry recreations. We got some young, Australian Vietnamese extras from Brisbane and of course they hadn’t had any weapons or infantry training. We had to give them a crash course and I’d organised Sgt Bob Buick to visit the set that day. He took them aside and gave them a pep talk and some visceral descriptions of what happened on the battlefield and how the enemy performed.
These guys were absolutely brilliant. Their aggression, enthusiasm and performances were amazing considering they’d never done it before and I can only credit much of that to the impact Sgt Bob Buick had on them in terms of being a person who was actually there and being able to paint a picture of what the enemy were doing that day. Once again actors were performing with freezing cold water being poured on them in very low temperatures (including me) and shivering between takes. Everyone knew however from the crew behind the scenes to those in front of the screen how important this story was.
The infantry scenes were recreated with the ‘military actors’. The artillery and APC’s scenes were done with real military personnel.
We had to go to New Zealand for the artillery recreations as we couldn’t find any working 105M1A1 artillery pieces from the Vietnam era in Australia. The NZ Army were more than willing to help us as they understood how important the battle was. An interesting aspect of the artillery was Palmerston North, NZ had the worst snow storm in history the day before we flew over. The soldiers of 16 Field Regiment, RNZA met us mid-morning at their base and we proceeded to the range were we would conduct the artillery firing. It was around -5 degrees Celsius.
The ammunition for the artillery gun had to be transported from another location and because many roads were closed had to take a significant detour. The result was that we waited around much of the day because the truck with the ammunition didn’t arrive until we’d almost ran out of light! We only had one day scheduled for this shoot and our nerves were frayed by late afternoon when the ammunition finally arrived. When we arrived in the morning the soldiers were creating the gun emplacement, filling sandbags and creating the pit. Long Tan NZ veteran, forward artillery observer Morrie Stanley was actually with us and the NZ soldiers asked Morrie whether they would have been wearing shirts or not in Vietnam.
Morrie said they weren’t as it was very hot and humid in Vietnam so the NZ soldiers removed their shirts, remember it was -5 degrees and we had a fire truck spraying cold water over the gun area whilst they were firing to simulate the monsoonal rain conditions. These guys were amazing! We were rugged up to the hilt but these guys took it in their stride. They knew how important this was to Morrie, the veterans and their unit and wanted it to be as good as possible. My only disappointment was we had to fire blanks and therefore the artillery gun barrels didn’t move backwards when fired but we didn’t have any choice as we couldn’t get live firing guns at such short notice.
Defence Support: Ironically the Australian Defence Force was going to provide a lot more support but the East Timor crisis broke out and we lost access to all the APC’s and the Huey choppers! There was absolutely nothing we could do. After some scrambling we were able to secure access to one APC up in Townsville and because all of the unit’s soldiers were in East Timor the duty office team (a skeleton staff) proudly volunteered to man and drive the APC for us.
Simon:
The big question I have and the premise of conducting these interviews is, when you watch action sequences and recreations, can you describe how you know a trained actor versus an untrained actor.
Martin: This is getting much more difficult as every movie usually has expert military advisors on set, training, monitoring and advising actors and directors. In addition, even when real soldiers or police etc are used many times a director might ask them to do something for dramatic purposes or for other set, shot or positioning reasons which differs from authentic tactics.
Obviously I do cringe from time to time when I never see any weapon’s stoppages in films, unlimited ammunition, no ear plugs and some over dramatic, obviously choreographed and rigid handling of weapons. I’ve temporarily lost hearing in one of my ears on a number of occasions when an ear plug fell out during a live firing exercise. Many veterans who have been in prolonged, close combat like Long Tan have hearing problems today. People who’ve been trained and drilled with weapons and tactics would do things much more fluidly and naturally.
Best Examples: I think Black Hawk Down was pretty good and so was Saving Private Ryan. Little touches like in Black Hawk Down when one of the soldiers fires his weapon next to the ear of his buddy and his buddy going deaf temporarily. Another scene when the strobe was thrown but didn’t hit its mark first throw etc. These imperfections are what usually happens in battle and it is something we have been working to capture in the Long Tan movie. Ie. weapons stoppages can be very dramatic and suspenseful, barrel changes on a machine gun, lightning hitting artillery positions during the battle of Long Tan and many other events.
Here are some behind the scenes photos from the Long Tan documentary on Flickr
Martin's youtube channel with historical footage and other related media coverage of Long Tan is here
and his Research Material is on his blog here
All Long Tan production photo's belong to Red Dune Films, and all copyrights are reserved. Thank you to Martin Walsh for his contribution and help, very much appreciated.
There's a saying 'when the stars align' and on April 10 I could only hope they would...there were so many obstacles in the way of my shoot. The weather had closed in and it was pouring rain in the days prior to the planned shoot, there was no room for error on this shoot.
I could only sit and watch the forecast, as so much was hanging on this day.
1) The XB Falcon I'd lined up to be there had never been wet in all the years Jef had owned it, and here I was asking him to drive over 200km to the location, with rain and storms floating about.
2) Imogen, my lead actress is actually in other paid gigs at the moment, and Sunday April 10 was her last and only opportunity to finish filming. The next available time is months away...
3) I needed a makeup artist on site and all my usuals were unavailable, but thanks to Imogen I found one who could come, but only stay till 3pm...
4) My DOP Kris Woldt of Thru A Lens Media is in high demand due to the high level quality of his work, and he'd fought hard to give me his time on Sunday...
5) My brother in law Alec is flying up from Sydney and his flights are tight for his own filming schedule (TV series all over Australia in production!)
Friday April 8 rolls around and this small window of opportunity is fast approaching and the forecast is said to be rain on Sunday afternoon...we might be lucky and get it done in the first half of the day.
Sunday rocks around and it's bright glorious sunshine, blue sky, no clouds...BAM, Imogen is into make up, I start filming with Kris on his 7D, and my pro photographer from Alchemy Studios snapping away on his 1D...Alec and Kazuya Wright (who had answered my call thanks to Jake Reedy) were fantastic together, like they'd been mates for years, joking and serious at the drop of a hat.
It was awesome when we needed a certain shot, Kris and the snapper Greg Boyd looked at eachother and without saying a word, swapped lenses!
Then the XB turns up, and it looks and sounds incredible, and it's smoking a little bit (nothing serious though) as it turns out Jef has never driven it this far before, and he had to replace an engine part during the week as it had broken down, he'd fixed it, and driven it to set without telling me as he didn't want to let me down! Now that's dedication to an idea! It was the first time I'd ever met Jef!
My darling wife was my producer/1stAD and had us on a tight schedule, with my Uncle Peter catering for the crew and family on site, and we were chasing the light. In fact I think Kris Woldt my DOP was orchestrating the light and elements himself, for when it came to shoot the XB Falcon in all its glory, a solitary cloud floated across the sun, diffusing the light for the entire car shoot, and moved on after Kris had finished, the largest trace diffuser you can get I reckon!
The day was amazing, no rain, perfect light, everyone was on schedule, actors were performing on cue, powerful shots were taken, and the stars aligned for the whole thing, it just worked.
That window closed once we finished, it poured down rain the very next day, the XB Falcon broke down on the way back to the Gold Coast, leaving Jef at the BP service station till a mate with a tilt tray truck came and got him. I was mortified, his car had been pushed to the limit for me, but it turns out it was an easy fix, just not without the right tools at a servo ha! Everything worked, when we needed it and we dodged disaster on so many levels. It was an overwhelming shoot, response and the team we had was awesome, because we all believed in the project.
Now, I'm cutting and compositing the trailer, at the same time, when I need a break from Redeemed, I composite the VFX in my short film. (2 projects one computer!)
To give an idea of how much VFX is in my short, I have a firefight, with 90 shots, each shot can have up to 12 VFX elements, plus any masking/rotoscoping I have to do (one scene!)...so needless to say I'm keeping busy!
And so is Frankie Oatway, my British mate and lead in my short film, check out this, he caught up with one of the writers of Casino, Frank Cullotta! So we're all moving forward in our persuit of our dreams...
