Posts by: Matt

Seal Rocks

It was a quirky start to the working year as I joined my closest and oldest film crew family on the low budget feature One Hundred Bloody Acres, shooting locally to me in the Adelaide hills.  Writer/director brothers, Colin and Cameron Cairnes, had worked hard and done extremely well to get their grizzly horror script financed. They were nice guys who knew their subject, their passion for their project was contagious and they deserved my best work as much as anyone, even though they were from Victoria. In a career first I needed to wear a plastic poncho to stop the blood from getting all over my camera and clothes.

Two Arri Alexa's roll on a messy 100 Bloody Acres moment.

Two Arri Alexa’s roll on a messy 100 Bloody Acres moment.

My friend and accidental agent, publicist Fiona Nix, alerted me to the French/Australian co-production The Grandmothers and we put my name in the hat for the stills photographer position early. Later, I travelled to Sydney on short notice and met accaimed French director Anne Fontaine and her team in a brief meeting, and ended up putting together several  portfolios for them over the following weeks. It had all the signs of being a great job, so I also asked everyone I knew already attached to the film to put in a good word for me, as you do. A week before shooting commenced all the work paid off, I was offered the job, they sent me a script, and yes, I packed my snorkel and goggles.

Boat Beach, Seal Rocks. New South Wales, Australia.

Boat Beach, Seal Rocks. New South Wales, Australia.

In one of the best decisions I have made for a long time, I organised to stay at the isolated seaside location, Seal Rocks, on the central coast of New South Wales, rather than at the resort with the rest of the crew 30 minutes drive away. I rode a push bike everywhere and got to know the stunning coastal region and the local community well. On my daily swimming and snorkelling adventures, just around my local bay (above), I had close encounters with a Giant Sea Turtle, Grey Nurse and Wobbegong Sharks, a myriad of rays, big schools of fish and pods of dolphins. The work itself was deluxe; shooting happened on or around the beach every day, a terrific crew and fantastic catering, the sort of job where you could bring your dog, of which there were several.

Gracie, Fidel and Tito. Our fantastic caterer Reza Mokhtar disappoints the crew dogs by emerging with asparagus.

Gracie, Fidel and Tito. Our fantastic caterer Reza Mokhtar disappoints the crew dogs by emerging with asparagus.

 

Anne Fontaine, Christophe Beauparte on camera, and crew shooting on Treachery Beach, Seal Rocks.

Anne Fontaine, Christophe Beauparte on camera, and crew shooting on Treachery Beach, Seal Rocks.

Director of Photography, Belgian, Christophe Beauparte, made the increasingly rare decision to shoot on film, in Anamorphic no less, a creative decision worthy of his masterful camera work and sublime lighting. All of the actors were fantastic with me, making it easy to get great coverage of the scenes and to just enjoy the job. Our extremely talented and beautiful leading ladies, Naomi Watts and Robin Wright, never once told me to get lost, on a job where they were predominately in their bikini’s or naked with someone in bed. Indeed, the films strong French accent gave the entire shoot very unique flavour. Director Anne Fontaine and her charming partner, the film’s producer Phillippe Carcassonne, gave the Australian crew many laughs, and plenty of new French words, over the 8 weeks.

We finished up the shooting in Sydney, my passionate lunchtime hacky sack crew displaying its best form in those closing day, it had been a great job.

Celebrity Hacky Sack 2012; Actors Angas Sampson, Xavier Samuel and James Frencheville all qualified.

Celebrity Hacky Sack 2012; Actors Angas Sampson, Xavier Samuel and James Frencheville all qualified.

 

The Society

In an encouraging sign, a busy period of interesting jobs directly followed my disaster work year. I spent two weeks in Sydney catching up with all my family, whilst working on the feature film Venice, Written and directed by Miro Bilbrough, Venice is being produced by my sister in-law Karen Radzyner in our first project together. It was a really lovely film to work on, I joined a small hard working crew towards the end of the shoot, Bonnie Elliot was behind the camera and having lots of fun and getting remarkable results once again with an Arri Alexa.

The women of Venice. Karen Radzyner (L), Alice McConnell, Bonnie Elliot and Miro Bilbrough.

The women of Venice. Karen Radzyner (L), Alice McConnell, Bonnie Elliot and Miro Bilbrough.

My five minutes of fame on the back of my big brothers film The Hunter occurred when Dan came to stay with me in Adelaide. With his lead actor Willem Dafoe having completed his part of the Australian launch, Dan still had ongoing engagements. As a sign of support I nervously joined him him for a Q&A after the preview screening, something he was now fluent and confident at doing, but it was a wierd situation for me. We were also interviewed and photographed together, the brother’s angle seemed popular in my home town, and Adelaide’s only newspaper ran the picture large, so everyone I know saw.

The Nettheim brothers in The Adelaide Advertiser.

The Nettheim brothers in The Adelaide Advertiser.

In other good news, I was accepted into The Society of Motion Picture Stills Photographers along with Jasin Boland, the first Australian’s to become members of this honorary organisation. The L.A. based SMPSP has only 35 members from around the globe, and new members must have at least 10 years of feature film experience then find sponsorship by 2 other members before submitting a portfolio for approval by the Society. There is not a great deal of official recognition for the production stills photographer out there, no awards that I am aware of,  a simple photo credit seems rare, so it felt great to be accepted into the society and connect with my colleagues working in this specialised genre of photography. I now get to put SMPSP after my name on all future film credits.

Discussing the SMPSP and stills photography with Robbie Buck Radio ABC 702.

I have never really pushed the circus side of my career, but  jobs continue to come in and I have a policy of always saying “yes” to work. Circus Elements is a new Adelaide entertainment company run by Juliette and Scott Griffin.  They are a lovely couple, and also very organised resulting in lots of work for their stilt and unicycle based characters. When dressed up as a 10 foot chef at a busy public event there is the constant threat of a nasty child getting too excited and tackling me to the ground, but it is fun challenging work, and perhaps not surprisingly, rather well paid!

As a giant chef at Cheese Fest, Adelaide.

As a giant chef at Cheese Fest, Adelaide.

My dream job tropical island manifested itself perfectly in the form of MABO. Produced by Blackfella Films,the project dramatises for the first time the Murray Islander’s life and historical native title claim. In our second production together, Rachel Perkins is directing, who’s work I love. The Eddie Mabo story is also a testament to the work of my father Garth, who as an academic and writer has campaigned for human rights and native title for indigenous Australians his entire career. On just a weeks’ notice, and with lots to get organised, I will be starting the shoot on remote Murray Island, in the Torres Strait off the coast of North Queensland, Australia. Pack goggles and snorkel.

Something beautiful

My photography exhibition Upturned Discarded Televisions showed continually for 3 weeks as both a 7 minute video and printed 12 metre photographic panorama. The media release I sent out attracted very little interest, however Adelaide commentator Peter Goers invited me to discuss the exhibition on ABC radio which was fun. It felt good to have a little arty show again, and put closure on this earth shattering body of work.

Discussing my career and discarded televisions with Peter Goers on ABC Radio 891.

Upturned Discarded Televisions on display at Miss Gladys Sym Choon, Adelaide, Australia.

Upturned Discarded Televisions on display at Miss Gladys Sym Choon, Adelaide, Australia.

Over a couple of days two jobs came in that had me all excited again and packing my bags. Satellite Boy is the feature film debut of writer and director Catriona MacKenzie, the script was lovely. On short notice I flew up to Western Australia’s remote and incredibly beautiful Kimberley region for one week.  A hard working Aussie film crew, with many old friends, was buckling in for what was expected to be an intense shoot; 6 weeks of extreme weather, a tight budget with the minimal comforts of home. We were all accommodated in tents at a caravan park in Wyndam, that also boasted a 2000 year old Boab tree down the back that was breathtaking.

Master cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson was capturing stunning pictures on the new Arri Alexa camera and it was a pleasure to breathe in the dust and smoke with this lovely man. I was in my element with a stunning landscape as my background, fantastic indigenous actors to photograph, and even a bunch of kids to play hacky sack with at lunch. Satellite Boy was a great project to be involved with and a fun adventure, for me this is the film making experience at its best.

It was straight from the extremes of Australia’s far north to the very comfortable Sydney Opera House for 2 days of physical theatre photography. I formed a connection with the DV8 troupe, and their director Lloyd Newson, during the 2008 Adelaide Festival. The London based company had me photograph their show To Be Straight with You.  DV8′s latest work Can We Talk About This? was preparing for its world premiere in Sydney, and they invited me along. It was exciting to spend time with this amazing group of performers as they undertook the final rehearsals of another mesmerizing and confronting work ahead of its world tour.

My brothers film The Hunter has enjoyed a perfect run up to its release in Australia on October 6th. The world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival ignited a frenzy of sales to US and European distributers. Willem Defoe’s commitment and support of the film has always been more than generous, which he continued by returning to Australia to do a hectic media junket with my big brother that attracted enormous interest. Short featurettes using my behind the scenes footage have been appearing on-line, and an exhibition of my stills was displayed at the Australian premiere, which I was able to attended in Sydney. I am so excited for my big brother Dan on what should be an exciting and well deserved ride with this beautiful film that I loved.

My tax records confirmed that 2011/12 had been my worst financial year for a decade, my roller coaster photography career yet to settle into something consistent even after specialising and building it for over a decade. What keeps me plugging away at the film stills game, rather than specialising in dog photography for example, is there is always a possibility that you will become part of creating something beautiful that people will see and remember, that is well paid and shot on a tropical island.

An exhibition

The King is Dead! was a wonderful film to work on, it was a privilege to be invited back into the fold of a tiny Rolf de Heer crew. We filmed largely in Adelaide’s inner western suburbs, and the perfectly cast ensemble of actors brought the quirky script to life with wonderful performances, commitment and Rolf’s consummate direction. I was kept extremely busy shooting not only the stills but also the behind the scenes video, operating the films B camera, shooting the EPK interviews, being a utility stand-in for the actors and generally assisting Ian Jones’s one person camera department. Riding my bike to location each day and working with many old friends on an interesting project made The King is Dead! yet another great film-making experience.

The King is Dead! crew on location in West Croydon, Adelaide.

The King is Dead! crew on location in West Croydon, Adelaide.

Financially it would have been perfect to have walked straight onto another film shoot, one with an actual budget, but despite considerable effort no other film jobs were forthcoming. Even with some rather exciting possibilities in the UK in September, it was time to put down my cameras, grab the shovel and stilts and keep the income flowing.

The Blind Mice make their debut outing in Adelaide"s Rundle Mall. I am the tall one.

The Blind Mice make their debut outing in Adelaide”s Rundle Mall. I am the tall one.

Keeping me challenged over this next period will be preparing for my first non film stills photo exhibition in almost a decade. Upturned Discarded Televisions will showcase the results of many years of Adelaide street photography with my ever present compact camera. The photo exhibition fits nicely into what has grown into a series of quirky social documentary projects born out of the Adelaide suburbs. The Backyard Crop(1994), Old Men Who Get Around on Old Bikes (1996), Loft Beds of Share-house Adelaide (1998), and The Hydroponic Room (2000) also trod these streets. In what has become a tradition, the exhibition will be on 24 hour public display in the Rundle Street shop window of Miss Gladys Sym Choon, and is a registered part of the annual SALA arts festival.

An excerpt from my Upturned Discarded Televisions panorama.

An excerpt from my Upturned Discarded Televisions panorama.

I am keeping an eye on several of my recent films at the moment. Attack the Block has enjoyed amazing publicity and has been called a cult classic by many reviewers. It enjoyed a good UK box office and was competitive against other massive UK summer film releases, as well as all the football finals. It opens in the US in July and will kill it on the world’s DVD market, no doubt. Oranges and Sunshine also did good UK box office, but has done outstanding in Australia where it was very well publicised and reviewed. The Eye of the Storm is all fired up and ready to be released, a slick new web page uses many of my stills and the poster is a montage of six of my photographs, always a great outcome for the humble stills guy.

The Eye of the Storm

The Eye of the Storm

A wedding photographer

The Hunter. Willem Defoe and wet crew in Tasmania. Robert Humphries on camera expertly assisted by my friend Kevin Scott.

The Hunter. Willem Defoe and wet crew in Tasmania. Robert Humphries on camera expertly assisted by my friend Kevin Scott.

The 7 weeks in Tasmania working alongside my brother Dan as he directed The Hunter were a treat. Our lead actor, Willem Defoe, was a huge asset to the film; hard working, committed to his role and a pleasure for the whole crew to work with. We immersed ourselves in the beautiful and diverse Tasmanian landscape during the shoot, and I bush walked and explored further on my days off. Principal photography went very well and brother Dan is currently in the editing room working hard on what I believe will be a stunning  film.

The Hunter editing room with editor Roland Gallois (L), producer Vincent Sheenan and director Daniel Nettheim.

The Hunter editing room with editor Roland Gallois (L), producer Vincent Sheenan and director Daniel Nettheim.

With funds running low, and no new film projects presenting themselves, it became necessary for me to get some work happening locally. The ever faithful State Theatre Company of South Australia offered me the contact for their opening production The Misanthrope. I was also not to proud to pick up jobs as a wedding, garden and social photographer, and I continued to do gardening work for my friend Pete’s companyYardstick. Also, stilt walking work with the Knee High puppet company came up, this time I was a 12 foot android entertaining crowds at a street festival. My step father also employed me to work for one week on his wonderful flower farm on the New South Wales south coast. On the farm my stilt walking prowess also comes in handy as I am able to find and pick ripe flowers from the very crests of the larger Protea plants, on a pair of dodgy stilts that I threw together in the shed, strapped to my legs with tape.

Stilt-walking flower picking, in the rain.

Stilt-walking flower picking, in the rain.

Four films I worked on will be opening over the next couple of months, and the publicity machines are starting to fire up. The Eagle opened this week in the US and the final poster is a montage of several of my images. In a rare treat, I am getting a photographer credit on all the photographs that get published in the US media, something that rarely happens in Australian and the UK. Oranges and SunshineAttack the Blockand The Eye of the Storm have all released great trailers and new stills of mine are appearing on-line all the

A collection of many of my stills in The Eagle display at the Arclight Cinema in Hollywood

A collection of many of my stills in The Eagle display at the Arclight Cinema in Hollywood

It was late February before I finally secured  a next film project. Writer and director Rolf de Heer gave me my first feature film stills job back in 1999 and over our 4 projects together has definately given me some of my most memorable film making adventures. Having not been available for his last two productions, I was delighted that he contacted me again. My next film is now looking like now being The King is Dead, shooting in my home town Adelaide, but it doesn’t start for 2 months. Anyone need a wedding photographer, on stilts?

 

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