APRIL 2007
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28 April 2007
First Photos from the Australia Set!
- Just Jared has today revealed the very first images from the set of Australia! The website has posted eight images from the set featuring Baz Luhrmann, Hugh Jackman, Barry Otto and Ben Mendelsohn, as well as members of the crew. These images were taken on Thursday, 26 April 2007 at Strickland House, Sydney. Click here to view four larger images, and visit Just Jared for the rest! :) According to the site, Nicole Kidman has also started filming, although there are no on-set images of her just yet. It has also been reported once again that filming will last until October 2007.
These images have obviously caused much excitement online. After two years of waiting, we finally have the very first on-set shots, and speculation is everywhere! I have to admit, these images are not exactly what I was expecting to see! I had no idea we'd be seeing Hugh Jackman's character in a suit! I had always assumed he would be dressed in his cattle drover's clothes for the entire movie. It also appears to be a borrowed suit. Look closely at the arms on the suit - they are too short for him. I would assume that Lady Ashley has perhaps provided him with a suit previously owned by her husband. Also, Jackman's character is clean shaven and appears to be wearing a fake moustache. Again, I would not expect a drover to be clean shaven or wearing such a moustache! This makes me speculate that perhaps Lady Ashley has smartened him up to attend a social event. I also speculate that these images are from a scene near the beginning of the movie before they go on the cattle drive and start getting 'rough'.
The Australian media (see the articles below) has revealed that Strickland House will double as Darwin's Government House in the film. The scenes depicted above feature Hugh Jackman, with Barry Otto in the pith helmet, and Ben Mendelsohn in army uniform. It has previously been reported that Ben Mendelsohn would play the 'third romantic lead'. I had assumed this would be Lady Ashley's husband, but now I'm not so sure, as she is supposed to arrive in Australia to find her husband has died. So perhaps there will be another love triangle in the film? On a separate note, it is wonderful to see Baz Luhrmann dressed in the style of a 1930's! I'm so pleased we have photos of him on set, as I thought we'd just see shots of the actors. Baz really gets into things on set, and it doesn't surprise me that he's consciously trying to become more immersed in the time period. I bet he dresses according to whatever location he is filming at throughout the shoot! :)
Filming Begins at Strickland House!
Image from
The Sunday Telegraph
- The Australia shoot has begun at Strickland House in Sydney. According to the Australian media, the filming that took place last week was rehearsals only, and the shoot will officially begin as previously reported on Monday, 30 April 2007. Yet more cast members have been announced by The Sunday Telegraph - John Jarratt, Bruce Spence, Essie Davis, Sandy Gore, Crusoe Kurddal. I have now added these names along with photos to my Cast and Crew page. The following article also reveals further information about the shoot:
Nicole and Hugh film Australia
The Sunday Telegraph, 29 April 2007
The first scenes on Baz Luhrmann's outback epic Australia will be shot in
Sydney, with production on the big-budget Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman film to
begin tomorrow. The A-list Australian actors will spend this week working nights
at the 150-year-old Strickland House, in Vaucluse, shooting from 6pm until dawn
until Friday. A heavy security presence will keep guard on the site, to keep the
paparazzi at bay and local residents wanting to walk along the foreshore will be
escorted by guards.
Luhrmann was on set
last week, doing preliminary test shooting and staff were heard referring to him
as "the comet''. He's always got a trail of people following behind him as he
walks around the set telling them what to do,'' a source told The Sunday
Telegraph. "He points his finger and they go running in each direction.'' Kidman
made a visit to the Strickland House set late last week to inspect her "huge''
trailer to make sure it was suitable. She also spent Thursday afternoon
rehearsing scenes with Bryan Brown. Kidman and Jackman will film their first
scenes for the much anticipated film on a specially built parquetry floor on the
grounds of Strickland House, which is doubling as Darwin's Government House. The
$100 million plus 20th Century Fox action-adventure is set in Australia's
northern outback before World War II and is due for release next year. Kidman
plays Lady Sarah Ashley, an English aristocrat who travels halfway around the
world to confront her cheating husband, only to find him dead. She's left
in control of a massive Northern Territory cattle station the size of Belgium.
Jackman plays Kidman's love interest, a drover who helps her drive 1500 cattle
across the property, all under the threat of Darwin being invaded by the
Japanese.
Australia's cast reads like a who's who of local acting talent, with Bryan
Brown, Jack Thompson, Bill Hunter and David Wenham in the line-up. Wenham has
told people privately he was blown away by the subtleties in the script. At
first he thought the title was a "bit geeky'' but, after reading the script, he
couldn't think of a more suitable name. Also in the feature are Ben Mendelsohn,
John Jarratt, Barry Otto, Bruce Spence, Essie Davis, Sandy Gore, Ursula Yovich
and Crusoe Kurrdal. For many of the production staff, it will be the first film
they have worked on since Superman Returns was shot in NSW more than a year ago.
The film will undoubtedly inject millions of dollars into the economy but will
also provide a welcome morale boost to the local film industry. Shooting will
take place over five months in four locations - Sydney, Kununurra, Darwin and
Bowen.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported an article which was supposed to be accompanied by 'glimpses from the set'. However, the online version of the article featured no pictures. From the description of the images in the article itself, it would seem that they would have been similar to the photos posted by Just Jared (above).
Nic's niece sees stars on set of blockbuster
The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 April 2007
These are glimpses from the set of one of the nation's
most eagerly anticipated films - Baz Lurhmann's epic movie Australia. Leading
man Hugh Jackman looks resplendent in a tuxedo, while fellow Australian actors
Barry Otto, in a pith helmet, and Ben Mendelsohn, in army uniform, rehearse
their lines on a balcony at historic Strickland House in Vaucluse. Leading lady
Nicole Kidman's niece, Lucia Hawley, holding the hand of Aunty Nic's publicist
Wendy Day, watches the cast prepare for filming, which begins tomorrow. After
two years of pre-production, the five-month shoot kicks off at Strickland House,
where rehearsals were held last week.
Jackman, whose actor wife Deborra-lee Furness visited the set, was given this
weekend off to attend a bucks party for Today show fitness guru Michael Ryan on
the Gold Coast, while Kidman continued to spend time with her sister Antonia's
family. The two-week Sydney shoot will cover scenes of the bombing of Darwin by
Japanese forces, with the waterfront Vaucluse property serving as Darwin's
Government House. The $184million production then moves to Bowen in Queensland
and Kununurra in the remote Kimberley Region of Western Australia.The Queensland
and West Australian governments have each contributed $500,000 to Lurhmann's
budget for Australia. Kununurra is the site of the fictional Faraway Downs
homestead inherited by Kidman's character, Lady Sarah Ashley.The English
aristocrat unexpectedly finds herself fighting to save a cattle station the size
of Belgium when English cattle barons plot to take her land. She reluctantly
joins forces with Jackman's rough-hewn cattle driver to push 1500 cattle across
northern Australia's breathtaking but brutal landscape.
The cast of the romantic action-adventure includes screen legends Ray Barrett,
Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson and Bill Hunter, who will act alongside David Wenham,
John Jarratt and Bruce Spence. The significant indigenous cast includes
award-winner David Gulpilil, his son and Ten Canoes star Jamie and Ursula Yovich,
who earned acclaim in another Australian movie, Jindabyne. Kidman's husband,
country music star Keith Urban, will return to Australia next month to continue
his Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Thing world tour. The superstar couple are
expected to be based in Sydney for the next nine months. Kidman took Lucia to
see US pop diva Beyonce perform at the Entertainment Centre on Thursday night.
The nine-year-old has been in the spotlight since revelations that her father
Angus spent time at a Sydney psychiatric clinic for anxiety and depression this
month. The 38-year-old businessman's rehabilitation stint came less than a
fortnight after the birth of his fourth child, Sybella.
Bowen Bustling with Excitement!
- Meanwhile, there is still plenty of movie buzz in Bowen, with The Townsville Bulletin today reporting that filming is now due to begin at the earlier date of 10 or 11 May 2007. The mayor has also revealed that they have now had an application for an additional set site for construction of a church.
Last chance look
The Townsville Bulletin, 28 April 2007
This is your last chance to catch a glimpse of Hollywood. The Townsville
Bulletin yesterday visited the set of Oscar nominee Baz Luhrmann's next movie
project before it is blocked off from prying eyes for good. The small coastal
community of Bowen is bustling with construction workers as more than eight town
blocks are taken back in history to the early 1900s for Australia. As Bowen
braces for an onslaught of Hollywood A-listers, their minders and the papparazzi,
tourists and locals alike are peeping through the wire fence to watch a village
of a bygone era come to life. Stockyards, shacks, old-fashioned cottages, shops
and even a hotel have been erected at the oceanfront site. Visitors to the set
yesterday were amazed at how quickly parkland had become a glimpse of
yesteryear.
Filming is due to begin on May 10 or 11 as everyone eagerly awaits the arrival
of the movie's stars, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, to arrive. Bowen Mayor
Mike Brunker said he was among the sightseers. "Every morning I drive past the
set and check it out," he said. "It's all coming together so quickly and it
looks fantastic. The movie is the talk of the town and there's lots of tourists
down there taking photos and pulling over to have a look. (Yesterday) we just
had an application put in for an additional set site. They're looking at
building a church on Quay St and as long as the neighbours are happy with it
that should be approved soon."
Russell Crowe in Bowen
- Special thanks to BowenGirl for providing more scans from the Bowen Independent. Click here to view larger scans, which are dated 27 April 2007. The first article pictured above is entitled 'Gee, thanks Russ,' and reveals that Russell Crowe arrived in Bowen on Tuesday, 24 April 2007, to show his support for the town's involvement in Australia. As we know, Crowe was originally supposed to star as the cattle drover in the film before he was replaced by Hugh Jackman. He came to check out the Front Beach sets and also met the town's mayor, Mike Brunker. Brunker is quoted as saying, "He told me that he had convinced Baz Luhrmann to shoot his picture in Bowen. Russell said he told Baz that Bowen already had a jetty that was perfect for the movie." However, the article then reports that Brunker also said he had no knowledge of Crowe visiting Bowen before, and that Luhrmann had told him that Bowen had been selected after an exhaustive search of towns across Australia. The newspaper also feature an amusing cartoon featuring Crowe. Whatever the case, it is great to see Crowe visiting the town to show his support for the film, and it seems the locals enjoyed his visit!
More Stars of Australia Revealed! :)
- The Bowen Independent also ran an article entitled 'Cattle also need rehearsals' and featured the above photo of some of the stars of the movie! The accompanying caption read, "These shorthorns are getting ready for their movie debut when they star in Australia in Bowen. They are part of a herd that has been out at Earl Creek Stockyards this week and will be heading into town through the Delta and over Russell's Crossing to the Bowen Showgrounds from first light Sunday". It is expected that 1500 head of shorthorns will take part in the film, and it has been reported that like their human co-stars, they too have begun rehearsals! A replica circuit of the one they will have to follow through the town and on the movie sets in the Front Beach area is to be set up at the Bowen Turf Club for them to practise before the shoot begins next month. The article also gives a description of the route the cattle are to take through Bowen, which doubles as Darwin in the film. The cattle will be herded into the town on Sunday and will be a common sight grazing around Bowen until they are called upon to make their movie debut! :)
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26 April 2007
Filming of 'Australia' has begun!
- There has been speculation this week that filming of Australia would begin in Sydney earlier than the previously reported date of 30 April 2007. Yesterday, the Herald Sun reported that filming would begin on Friday, 27 April 2007 and last until October 2007. But now, someone has posted on the movie's IMDb board that filming has in fact started today! The person who wrote the post stated, "Yes filming has started... today Thursday 26th. I just got home from set. On location: Nicole, Hugh, Barry, David, Bryan and of course Baz... I can't reveal the location in Sydney, although 2 paparazzo's managed to discover where we were filming... and security let them go."
The only Sydney locations I am personally aware of are Fox Studios and Strickland House, and it sounds like today they were perhaps shooting at the latter. However, Camelot was also previously mentioned, and perhaps there are other Sydney locations we are unaware of? Whatever the case, one thing we do know for sure is that the cast and crew are now assembled in Sydney and shooting has finally begun! :)
Baz Luhrmann Radio Interview
- On Tuesday, 24 April 2007, Baz Luhrmann held a nine minute telephone interview with the Australian radio station, 2DayFM, with presenters Kyle and Jackie O. The interview is currently available to listen to on the 2DayFM website under the 'Celebrity Interviews' tab. Alternatively, for direct links to the Real Player audio, click here to listen to part one, and click here to listen to part two of the interview.
The interview is very entertaining, and I highly recommend checking it out! Most of the interview involves promoting the Australian release of the 10th Anniversary Music Edition of the Romeo + Juliet DVD. Yes, the DVD has now been released outside of the USA! According to this interview, it was released in Australia yesterday, Wednesday, 25 April, and hopefully this means that other countries will soon follow. I am currently working on transcribing the entire radio interview, and I will post a link to my transcript both here and on my Romeo + Juliet page very soon.
While the majority of the interview focuses on Romeo + Juliet, Luhrmann also talks about Australia for a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, there is no new information, but he does talk about the cast and replacing Russell Crowe. Here is my transcription of this particular part of the interview:
J: So how's the new movie going? You're working on Australia...
Baz: Right now I'm
with Hugh and Nicole and we're doing tests and we've got everyone. In fact, you
know the cast - when you think about the Australian cast, I mean, everybody -
it's such a great ensemble. I mean we're doing - David Wenham this morning -
Bryan Brown and Jack Thompson, Ben Mendelsohn - it just keeps getting more and
more interesting on a sort of cast. Even in some of the more character roles -
Bill Hunter and people like that - Ray Barrett - it's just - and everyone's come
in, so it's like a big theatre company at the moment.
K: But I think it's all easy to work with great actors like that. Where I think
the real test of a brilliant director is getting like a skinny girl with blonde
hair and a fat guy that can’t really ride a horse and making them look brilliant
in the movie. That's gonna be hard work!
J: That's a challenge for you!
Baz: I just try and do my best.
J: And what about the ... you know... Hugh Jackman came in to replace Russell
Crowe. There were lots of rumours going around about that. Was there anything -
you know...
Baz: I think we [Baz, Jackie and Kyle] met once in Los Angeles when we were
watching Russell perform, and look, you know what, that journey was one of those
things where, you know, we're a small community, we all know each other. We're
all good friends. And in fact, really that was more to do with machinations at
studio level and appropriateness, you know? And really the sort of result that
came out of it was the right result and probably just about everybody agrees
with that. You know so -
J - Right, ok.
Baz - It's one of those things at the time - the hardest thing was trying to
find a way to do the film, get everyone's schedules - like, everyone you've
mentioned is committed to one thing and that is those international Australian
players want to put back into the Australian film industry and they're just all
looking for an excuse to come and create back here at home. We've all got
children. We all want to be here. And you know, if this film, Australia,
succeeds on that level then next year there'll be two more big scale Australian
content movies and then three more. You know, it's a quantum effect.
Australia stars 'horsing around' (Part 3)
- In my previous update, we saw the first image of Brandon Walters practising his riding at Sydney's Centennial Park. Well, we now have more photos thanks to Getty Images - click here to check them out! These pictures were taken a few days ago and show young Brandon on what appears to be the same horse he was riding before. Could this be his horse in the film? After all, Baz Luhrmann has said he wanted all his principal cast to choose their own horses for the movie shoot, so we will have to wait and see! :)
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21 April 2007
Exclusive Bowen Location Images
- Check out my my Bowen Location Images page for 28 brand new images provided by local resident, BowenGirl. These images are exclusive to both Baz the Great and my affiliate website, Australia: The Movie. Regular visitors to this website may recall that BowenGirl has previously supplied images of the town in January and March 2007. Bowen is currently buzzing with activity with production set to begin there on 14 May 2007. Sets are being constructed, and the Front Beach area is quickly being transformed into Darwin's 'old town'. The photos are excellent quality and give an insider's view of the buildings we are set to see featured in the movie! :)
Tourists already flocking to Bowen
- The Bowen Independent yesterday printed an article entitled 'Movie sets now must-see site'. Check out the full scan on my Bowen Scanned Articles page. The article reports that tourists from as far away as New Zealand have already started arriving in Bowen to check out the movie sets being constructed in the Front Beach area. The article also reveals that the town has put a call-out for movie guide volunteers for during the shoot, to which there has been a huge response. Bazmark have already come up with a uniform for volunteers, which features a t-shirt with the Bazmark logo, as well as the movie title Australia and Bowen. Selected volunteers will be familiarised with the movie sets and have meals with the crew! They will also be kept up to date with what's happening on each day of the shoot and then be able to share this information with the public. The public will not be allowed on the sets, and some days there may be nothing happening, while other days there will be action on set or out on the streets. It will be up to the volunteers to keep visitors up to date. What an amazing opportunity for the people of Bowen! If you are lucky enough to be selected as a volunteer, or if you are thinking of visiting Bowen, please feel free to contact me.
Australia stars 'horsing around' (Part 2)
- Hugh Jackman has been pictured yet again practicing his horse-riding skills at Centennial Park in Sydney this week. On this particular day, he was joined by co-stars David Gulpilil and Brandon Walters. All three actors were seen riding side-by-side with the 'horse whisperer', who David Wenham referred to in a recent interview, and who has presumably been teaching the principal cast members how to ride before the movie shoot begins. Check out my Pre-Production Images page for larger images.
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19 April 2007
Another New Cast Member!
- Congratulations to Brandon Walters, who has become the latest cast member to be confirmed for the Australia shoot. I remember reporting right here on this site as far back as December 2005 that Baz Luhrmann had been scouting Kununurra, Fitzroy Crossing and Broome for a young Aboriginal boy to play a pivotal role in the film. We also knew that Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman's characters meet him during the cattle drive and he has an important part in the story. Obviously, Luhrmann has been searching for a very long time to cast this role, and his search is finally over! Well done, Brandon! :)
Broome boy rides high in Aussie blockbuster
The West.com.au, 18 April 2007
Brandon Walters had only seen a handful of movies and had never heard of Nicole
Kidman or Hugh Jackman when he auditioned for a starring role in the latest Baz
Luhrmann blockbuster. Now the 11-year-old from Broome, who has beaten leukaemia,
will be catapulted on to the world stage after landing a major role alongside
Hollywood's hottest stars. His mother, Janie Wright, said her son auditioned for
the role of a young Aboriginal musterer after a casting director spotted him
with his father at the local pool last year. "We got a letter from the director
(Luhrmann) saying he was very, very interested in him," Mrs Wright said.
The family, who had never left WA before, were whisked away to Sydney this month
where Brandon began rehearsing at Fox Studios alongside Kidman and Jackman.
"Nicole looked really natural, like a normal woman and she and Hugh Jackman are
very nice people," Mrs Wright said. "Even though they're always busy, they
always smile."
The family's lavish new lifestyle couldn’t be further from their home life in
the old Kimberley pearling town. Brandon, along with his parents, siblings and
cousin, stay in a $520-anight, two-bedroom apartment and have been to a string
of glamorous events and their first AFL football match between Sydney and
Brisbane. The young actor has spent his time working with a voice coach,
learning to ride and will soon start school between rehearsals. More interested
in racing cars and looking after animals, Brandon had never sung in public or
ridden a horse before his audition and Mrs Wright said it worried her when she
learnt the skills were required for the role, but her concerns were quickly
dispelled by her son's enthusiasm. "He'd never been on a horse before but he
just loved it," Mrs Wright said. "He said walking was boring and just went off
galloping through the trees and I was so scared for him but now I'm used to it."
She said Brandon learnt to face challenges head on after he spent a tough year
at a hospital in Perth undergoing gruelling treatment for leukaemia in 2003. He
could barely contain his excitement when he met Kidman, Jackman and Luhrmann and
said when the family were approached by the director, they took him fishing and
kangaroo shooting so they could show off some of the stunning Kimberley region.
"My brother shot a roo and he chucked it on the roo bar and we took (Luhrmann)
to Mandorah Station where we grew up and he loved it," Mrs Wright said.
Brandon has seen few films but counts The Matrix and Toy Story among his
favourites, his mother said. "He always loved to do kung-fu and jump around a
lot and when he was really small, he loved watching racing cars on television,"
she said. "He didn't know who was Hugh Jackman and he didn't know Nicole
Kidman." The film, which could turn the youngster into a star, centres on an
English aristocrat, played by Kidman, who becomes a cattle station owner before
World War II. She enlists the help of Jackman and young Brandon to drive 2000
cattle across the Top End to Darwin, where they get caught in the Japanese
bombing of the city.
'Australia' Extras Casting in Ayr
- Bazmark Films were in the town of Ayr on Saturday and held an extras casting session for the Bowen shoot of Australia. It had previously been reported that the production company would hold another extras casting session in Bowen before the end of the month, and I can only assume this will still take place within the town at some point. There has still been no news regarding any other dates, but I am keeping a look out, and please feel free to e-mail me if you come across any information. Meanwhile, good luck to anyone in Ayr who was lucky enough to try out last weekend! :)
Hoping for little extra
Townsville Bulletin, 20 April 2007
Ayr residents look likely to be starring on the big screen. They will line up
alongside Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman in the not too distant future. Casting
recruiters for the new Hollywood movie Australia touched down in the farming
community on Saturday and were inundated by more than 200 hopefuls. Bazmark Film
extras casting director Gabrielle Healy said people from all races and
backgrounds vied for a role. "People were very keen. We were extremely happy
with the result," Ms Healy said. People aged from 16 years-old are wanted as
extras for the film which will start filming in Bowen on May 14. "I definitely
think there will be some Ayr people in it – there is no doubt about that," Ms
Healy said. The casting staff were also impressed by patrons of the Black River
Rodeo on Saturday night. Bowen will be transformed into a 1940s-era Darwin for
the film, which follows English aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) who
finds herself in an unlikely partnership with a cattle drover (Hugh Jackman).
The duo must fight to save her cattle station from failing into the hands of
local beef barons, while trying to survive the upheaval of the Japanese bombings
in Darwin. Filming hasn't started, but the production is creating a buzz of
excitement in the region and across the country.
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16 April 2007
New cast members announced!
- Yesterday, seven new Australia cast members were confirmed. Ben Mendelsohn, Ray Barrett and Bill Hunter will all star in the film. Their character names are unknown, but it has been reported that Ben Mendelsohn will star as the 'third romantic lead', which strongly suggests he will play Lady Sarah Ashley's ill-fated husband. The three actors pictured above are all Australian and have starred in a number of Australian productions over the years. While they will probably be unfamiliar to people living overseas, Australians may recognise Ben Mendelsohn from television shows such as Neighbours and The Secret Life of Us, and Ray Barrett from programmes such as All Saints and Hotel Sorrento. Perhaps Bill Hunter will be the most recognised actor, having starred in a number of Australian films such as Muriel's Wedding and, of course, Baz Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom. Four indigenous actors were also named - Lillian Cromble, Ursula Yovich (Jindabyne), David Ngoombujarra and David Gulpilil. As promised by Baz from the beginning, it looks as though this movie will indeed have an all-Australian cast! :)
The casting news was widely reported by the Australian media, but I first came across the information in this snippet from The Daily Telegraph:
Horsing Around
Expect to see Ben Mendelsohn, Ray Barrett and Bill Hunter join Nicole Kidman and
Hugh Jackman for a quiet canter round Centennial Park any day now. These three
stellar acting names have been confirmed in the cast of Baz Luhrmann's outback
epic Australia, which will begin filming at the end of April. They will join the
professionally rugged duo of Bryan Brown and Jack Thompson plus David Wenham,
who are also workshopping the film at Fox Studios. Australia will also sport a
strong indigenous cast, including Lillian Cromble, Ursula Yovich (Jindabyne),
David Ngoombujarra and David Gulpilil.
On
the same page, the newspaper also revealed where Hugh Jackman and his family
will be based for the Australia shoot. They have rented a 'swanky
penthouse' in Sydney, which was most likely recommended to Jackman by Bryan
Singer, who directed him in two of the X-Men movies:
From Surf To City
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness have turned their back on the beach at
Tamarama for a swanky penthouse in the heart of the Cross, complete with a
private lift between floors and a rooftop garden. It's the same property
utilised by Superman Returns director Bryan Singer and the setting for so many
wild parties. However, Jackman and his brood will probably take a more
conservative approach to entertaining in the Top of the Town complex. The
property is owned by millionaire car dealer Laurie Sutton, who bought it last
November through Cramer Property for $6.4 million. It's opulent in the extreme:
set over two floors and that rooftop garden has exceptional views of the city
and harbour.
More 'Australia' News
- The Sydney Morning Herald today published a lengthy article about the Australia shoot. The article confirms the new cast members mentioned above, and features more information about the excitement in Bowen, with filming there now reported to begin on 14 May 2007. It has also been confirmed that Barry Otto has been cast in the film. We first heard about his possible involvement back in December 2006, but we have been waiting for confirmation that he had been cast. Furthermore, the article indicates that the horses we have recently seen pictures of the stars riding in Centennial Park might actually be the horses we see used in the movie. Baz Luhrmann has previously said that he would like each of the stars to choose their own horse which they feel suits their character, and perhaps this is why the stars have been seen riding a selection of different horses over the past week or so. We will have to see which of the horses each of the cast chooses for the final shoot!
Other Tom gives Nic saddle tips
Sydney Morning Herald (The Sun Herald), 16 April 2007
The reunion of Nicole Kidman and her country singing star husband, Keith Urban,
in Sydney has proved all too short - they are to be parted again due to work
commitments. Urban will fly out this week to play shows in Germany and Britain
as part of his Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Thing world tour while Kidman, who
received a Companion in the Order of Australia in Canberra on Friday, remains
here in rehearsals for the film Australia. Urban will return to Australia in
May, just in time for principal photography to commence on his wife's film.
Kidman has spoken at length about her desire to conceive a child and, while
rumours of a baby were flying thick and fast last week, she is categorically not
pregnant. Her role in Australia requires her to spend a fair amount of time on
horseback, an activity not recommended for pregnant women. If she were to
conceive during the seven-month production schedule, we are told director Baz
Luhrmann would work around it. It wouldn't be the first time a director has had
to accommodate an unexpected pregnancy: Jodie Foster discovered she was
expecting while making Panic Room, playing a role originally intended for
Kidman, who dropped out due to complications from knee injury sustained on
Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! Foster spent the last few weeks of the shoot in a baggy
top trying to disguise her belly. Such disguises might not be available for
Kidman, who will be wearing costumes in the 1930s and '40s style in her role as
an English aristocrat who inherits an outback station and helps drover Hugh
Jackman move a cattle herd across the country. We are informed however that she
and Jackman have taken well to the saddle, with Jackman receiving tips from his
close friend, and Kidman's ex, Man From Snowy River star Tom Burlinson.
Bowen, welcome to Australia
Welcome to Bowen - sleepy seaside town one day; miniature Hollywood the next.
Production in Bowen is scheduled to start on May 14, and the population of the
Queensland town is rapidly increasing as new crew members arrive each day. Most
crew members are in town to transform the waterfront area into 1940s Darwin,
where part of the film is set. "At the moment they are building an entire set to
represent Darwin during World War II," Tourism Bowen manager Therese Saad said.
"That's well and truly under way and it looks amazing." Film fans wanting to get
a look at the stars when they arrive next month could be in for disappointment,
however. It's understood that Kidman and Jackman will be travelling with a heavy
security contingent and have insisted bodyguards be continually stationed at
their accommodation in town.
Expect plenty of bull
Up in Bowen, however, the locals have greeted the Australia crew with open arms,
even erecting a sign welcoming the cast and crew. Bowen Shire Mayor Mike Brunker
clearly realises the value of having a $184 million film in his town and is keen
to make everyone feel at home. "We put the signs up for the crew but also for
visitors," he said. "People like to look at the places where famous movies have
been made and I have no doubt that we'll see a huge increase in tourist numbers
due to this film." While locals are hoping to get their own 15 nanoseconds of
fame with roles as extras in the movie, the strapping Brunker reveals his
celluloid career was over before it even began. "I think they need extras with
hair and in the 1940s they were a little bit shorter and slimmer than I am," he
said. "So I got the flick. I could be a body double for one of those cows they
are bringing in to the main street." One of the big scenes in the film involves
running 1000 head of cattle down the main drag.
Will the pie shop get a credit?
Enterprising Bowen residents are banding together to work as volunteer tour
guides once the cameras start to roll. The idea has been supported by
72-year-old town matriarch Merle Jochheim, a descendent of Bowen's founding
father and the owner of Jochheim's Pies. In fact her pie shop played a pivotal
role in Luhrmann's decision to film Australia in the town. "We're having
volunteers rather like the Sydney Olympics," she said."We're getting a group of
locals together. We will be able to tell people when they arrive what's
happening on the day, where they are filming, where they can go and where they
can't go, what they can do and what they can't do." Mrs Jochheim was behind the
counter of her shop in March last year when she saw a stranger standing in the
main street with a look of intense concentration on his face. He came inside to
ask why the street was so wide and she explained they were designed that way to
allow bullock carts to do a U-turn. "I didn't recognise him but we started
chatting and it turned out it was Baz Luhrmann," she said. Luhrmann later
returned with wife and creative collaborator Catherine Martin to show her the
historic photos in the pie shop. The people pictured in the photos have inspired
the look of the film.
Share the love
Bowen is not the only small town buzzing over Baz and co. A crew from the film
flew to Kununurra in Western Australia's Kimberley region on Wednesday to check
out locations for the epic. Faraway Downs, the homestead on the station
inherited by Kidman's character, Lady Sarah Ashley, is to be built at the
Carlton Hill station outside Kununurra. The team will be filming there for at
least one month after the WA Government lobbied heavily to be involved, throwing
in $500,000 as an incentive. Interestingly, Luhrmann toyed with the idea of
calling the film Faraway Downs before settling on Australia. The jury's out on
whether that was a sound decision.
Show ponies
It's not just the human stars of Australia who are getting special treatment.
The equine stars of the movie are enjoying the benefits of a Clydesdale Pavilion
that has just had a makeover. The Centennial Parklands Equestrian Centre threw a
cocktail party on Friday night to celebrate the completion of refurbishments to
the facility and the reopening of the pavilion, where the Australia cast have
been going through their paces. Centennial Parklands Equestrian Centre manager
Dee Vodden said the production company has been renting stables at the centre,
although they have brought in their own trainers and horses. "They have all
sorts of horses but they are mainly stockhorses," she said. "They're all
beautifully taken care of so I'm sure they will all look good in the film."
Quiet on the set
Contrary to reports, rising star Joel Edgerton has not been cast in one of the
supporting roles in Australia, alongside Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson and David
Wenham. This should mean no awkward moments in the catering queue between
Edgerton and Barry Otto, who has also scored a role in the film. Otto's daughter
Gracie is involved with Matthew Newton, who has been charged with assaulting
Brooke Satchwell while she was working on the television series Dangerous with
Edgerton. Newton moved into the Otto family home in Lewisham following the
alleged assault and Barry has spoken out in defence of the young actor. Officers
from Leichhardt police station sought statements from the cast and crew of
Dangerous as part of their investigations last year. The matter is scheduled to
be heard in Downing Centre Local Court in June. Edgerton, meanwhile, has won a
role in the coming local film Acolytes, playing a serial killer.
Cast expands
Ben Mendelsohn has been cast as the third romantic lead in Australia. Other new
cast members to be announced include screen veterans Ray Barrett and Bill Hunter
along with indigenous cast members Lillian Crombie and Ursula Yovich.
Australia's first indigenous film star, David Gulpilil, has also been cast,
which may explain why he failed to appear in Darwin Magistrates Court last month
where a 12-month apprehended violence order was placed on him to protect his
wife, Miriam Ashley, whom he has been accused of assaulting.
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14 April 2007
Australia stars 'horsing around'
- Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman
and David Wenham have been pictured practising their horse riding skills at
Sydney's Centennial Park over the past few days. Indeed, there's been so many
pictures posted online at the fabulous website,
Just Jared, that I've obtained
permission to use some on this site. Click
here to visit my page featuring some of the best images. There has also been
a number of news articles by various Australian media publications. First,
here's one from the Sunday Telegraph with amusing speculation about beard
growth amongst the male cast members:
Jackman is hot to trot for film
Sunday Telegraph, 13 April 2007
He has set the
pace in the field of Australia actors to pony around Centennial Park since he
arrived home to Sydney two weeks ago. But yesterday super stud Hugh Jackman
showed he's on track to grow the best beard among his blokey castmates on the
local blockbuster. As preparations for the Baz Luhrmann epic picked up pace
yesterday - with co-star David Wenham joining the famous field of riders around
Fox Studios - Jackman's growth for his role provided a warm and fuzzy update. By
comparison, Wenham's ginger stubble - like his horsemanship - will need more
attention. Can Confidential suggest manure, perhaps? It works for roses!
And similar beard-related ramblings from the Herald Sun:
Jackman set for tough stuff
Herald Sun, 13 April 2007
Yesterday, Confidential carried a picture of a very prim and proper Nicole
Kidman trotting about in Sydney's Centennial Park on horseback. Today, her
Australia co-star, Hugh Jackman, is the man of the moment, looking far scruffier
than Kidman and perhaps a little more comfortable in the saddle. Jackman plays a
rough stockman to Kidman's English rose in the film, set in the outback.
Shooting is due to begin this month, but the question remains: is Jackman's sexy
designer stubble the beginnings of a Ned Kelly-esque beard? We'll have to wait
and see.
And getting back on the topic of the movie itself, an article from The
Australian:
Kidman back in saddle
The Australian, 12 April 2007
People riding horses around Sydney's Centennial Park is an everyday event; Nicole Kidman being one of them is not. Equestrian skills figure highly in her role as an aristocratic Englishwoman in Baz Luhrmann's epic romance Australia and yesterday she got in some practice. She looked more like a contestant in a dressage event, however, than a woman pushed to the limits of her physical and emotional endurance in Australia's outback 60 years ago.
Rehearsals and other
preparations have been under way at Fox Studios Australia, next to Centennial
Park in Sydney's inner-eastern suburbs, for weeks. It is believed that cameras
roll on the long-awaited film - it was originally going to start shooting this
time last year - on April 27. Cast and crew will warm up at several Sydney
locations before heading for northern Australia for five months. Earlier this
week, Kidman's minders scotched persistent rumours she was pregnant when
publicist Wendy Day said: "She's looking forward to going outback and riding a
horse and being here for seven months making a film."
Australia opens with Kidman's character journeying halfway around the world to
confront her philandering husband. Instead, she finds him dead, and that leaves
her in control of a huge cattle station. Hugh Jackman plays a rough stockman as
cut off from the world as she is until they fall for each other. Luhrmann and
Kidman last worked together on Moulin Rouge, which was set in the Paris club
scene early last century.
Australia takes place partly in Darwin but mostly in vast landscapes, which will
amplify the drama in the same way that the desert gave Lawrence of Arabia an
epic quality. Locations include Kununurra in Western Australia and Bowen in
Queensland. Twentieth Century Fox is footing the bill, which is believed to be
more than $100million.
New 'Australia' Location - Strickland House
- It has now been reported that
the heritage listed property of Strickland House in Sydney will be one of the
locations used for filming of Australia. The Sydney Morning Herald has
reported that filming will take place there over two weeks starting from the end
of this month, and the shoot will be mostly exterior shots. It seems the cast
and crew will be shooting in the grounds of the property, as reported in the
following article:
Grand start for Baz's Aussie epic
Sydney Morning Herald, 13 April 2007
It might be a case of following the horse poo for Sydney's paparazzi as they
seek shots of Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman during filming of Baz Luhrmann's
epic Australia. And the steaming piles will be leading them to historic
Strickland House in Vaucluse, judging by a development application lodged with
Woollahra Council to film at the heritage-listed mansion from late this month to
early next month. Documents filed with the council say the filming will take
place over two weeks and will consist mostly of exterior shots. The property is
protected by strict heritage rules, but Luhrmann's production company, Bazmark,
has informed the council that it will be stringing up some canvas awnings and
bringing in a few potted plants to dress up the grand residence. There will also
be a few marquees set up in the surrounding areas for cast and crew. After
filming wraps at Strickland House, the production moves to Bowen in Queensland
and then Kununurra in Western Australia. It will be a special day in Bowen on
June 20 when Nicole celebrates her 40th birthday. No doubt Baz and the gang will
have something fabulous planned.
So, now the speculation begins as to what Strickland House will double for in
the movie. Back on 23 December 2006, it was reported that Camelot, another grand
property in Sydney, was a 'secret location' for filming with stars Nicole Kidman
and Hugh Jackman in town for rehearsals. This article prompted incorrect media
reports that the movie shoot had already begun. In fact, the stars were only in
town for rehearsals, and I had assumed at the time that Camelot would double for
Lady Sarah Ashley's grand English home where she resides before journeying to
Australia. However, it was never confirmed that filming would definitely take
place there. Perhaps Camelot was simply being used for rehearsal purposes only?
Perhaps Baz had planned to shoot at Camelot, but has changed his mind? Perhaps
it will instead be Strickland House that doubles as Lady Sarah Ashley's English home?
Whatever the case, the article reports that Bazmark have applied for council
permission, and filming is supposed to begin there at the end of the month.
________________________________
10 April 2007
The countdown to filming has begun!
- According to a video clip from Channel 10 News shown on Australian television today, filming of Australia is set to begin on 30 April 2007 at Fox Studios in Sydney. Click here to visit the excellent Nicole Kidman United fansite to download the very short video of Nicole Kidman leaving her house for her first day of work on Australia. The news host reports, "The Oscar winner left her Sydney home early this morning for the start of rehearsals with director Baz Luhrmann and co-star, Hugh Jackman. Shooting on the film starts at Fox Studios on April the 30th."
I have been wondering for a long time exactly what date the Australia movie shoot would begin. We already know that the Bowen shoot will apparently run from 15 May 2007 until 30 June 2007. Filming will then move across the country to the Western Australia region of The Kimberleys, especially around Kunumurra, with the shoot there reportedly set to last from late July 2007 into August 2007. Filming is also supposed to take place at Darwin at some point, perhaps in early July 2007 after the Bowen shoot.
It would appear that the Fox Studios shoot will only last for a maximum of two weeks. Other locations around Sydney are also supposed to be getting used, such as Camelot, which will apparently double as Lady Ashley's England home. I am assuming that Fox Studios will be used to shoot the scenes involving 1930's England before Lady Ashley travels to Australia, with Camelot being used for exterior shots of her stately home. Therefore, it would make sense that only a short time is needed for filming within the studio. Baz Luhrmann has said from the very beginning that he wants to shoot as much of Australia as possible outdoors on location, and the majority of the shoot will indeed be outside, with production spanning right across the continent. Get ready for plenty of visually stunning landscapes to feature prominently in this film!
________________________________
9 April 2007
Publicity Shot - Lady Sarah Ashley
- Here is a fantastic Australia publicity shot featuring Nicole Kidman as Lady Sarah Ashley. Regular visitors to this website will recall that the first ever black and white publicity shots for Australia were posted here back in December 2006. This image is is therefore the third publicity shot we have seen so far. The picture accompanied a Sun Herald article entitled 'Bowenwood', which was scanned for the excellent fansite, Nicole Kidman United. Click here to view the scanned article, which featured information about the town of Bowen and the excitement that has been building there in recent weeks. Please also feel free to check out my Pre-Production Images for all pre-production images released for the movie so far.
Baz Luhrmann in Bowen Video
- Click here to visit Nicole Kidman United and download a fantastic video featuring a 5 minute clip from the Australian television series, A Current Affair. The reporter interviews Baz Luhrmann in Bowen, as well as several of the local residents. We also see many shots of buzzing Bowen, including sets being constructed in the 'old town', such as buildings from the movie's Chinatown, and the point where Lady Ashley meets the drover for the very first time. Click here for a full transcript of the video that I have personally transcribed. And for further pre-production location shots of Bowen taken by BowenGirl, including four more recently added which appear to show a jail being built in the 'old town', click here.
Extras still sought for Bowen
- It has been reported that Bazmark still do not have enough adult extras for the Bowen movie shoot. It seems they are especially looking for more men to take part as extras in the film, as there is still room for hundreds to play World War II soldiers. The production company will apparently be holding another extras casting session for adults later this month. No specific dates have been released yet, but I will post them here as soon as they become available. If you find any information regarding any further casting sessions in Bowen, please feel free to contact me.
In the meantime, the extras casting sessions that took place on 30 and 31 March, and on 2 April, were a considerable success and widely reported on in the local media. Special thanks to BowenGirl for providing the following scanned articles - Camera Shy and Australia Extras Still Needed. BowenGirl has also kindly provided a description of the paperwork you are handed when you go for casting which can be viewed here. All of these scans can be found on my Bowen Scanned Articles page. I would highly recommend all of these articles to anyone interested in the production, especially anyone interested in becoming an extra in the film.
Darwin Extras
- As I reported last month, Baz
Luhrmann has decided to do some filming of Australia in Darwin. Not much
information is known about the shoot just yet, but it seems that extras casting
will take place some time in May. ABC Darwin has reported the following
snippets of information:
Extras for Baz Luhrmann's Australia:
A major recruitment for extras will take place in May. In the meantime, the
film-makers are looking for pre-World War 2 vehicles and boats. If you have any,
please call the NT Film Office on 08 8951 1162. They are also currently on the
lookout for male and female Indigenous stockmen and riders. If you are
interested, contact Lawrence Woodward on 0417 405 540. Do not call either of
these numbers to be an extra.
Baz "going for gold" with Australia
ALL THE ANGLES ... Baz Luhrmann checks camera angles with
director of photography Mandy Walker on location in Bowen
- Last week, the Townsville Bulletin reported the following article featuring lots of quotes from Baz Luhrmann about the grand scale of Australia. Luhrmann confirmed they are still looking for extras, and that they are "going for gold" with this movie to make it the best it can be. Interestingly, he also said that special days would be set aside during filming to allow tourists to watch production from public galleries, and that bus tours would be conducted from centres such as Mackay and Townsville.
The Bowen epic
Townsville Bulletin, 3 April 2007
Australian film producer Baz Luhrmann doesn't hide the fact that he wants his
movie Australia, due to start production in Bowen next month, to take the world
by storm.
He wants it to go all the way and by that he means straight up the red carpet to
Hollywood's Academy Awards and Oscar glory.
And if that happens it could mean a tourism stampede for Bowen.
The famous movie maker, with hits like Moulin Rouge, Romeo and Juliet and
Strictly Ballroom under his belt, is staking a lot on the $130 million Australia
becoming a worldwide hit.
Asked if the movie was going to be the great Australian cinematic epic, he
replied that there were no guarantees. But, clearly, he is hoping to create a
masterpiece, a love story surrounded and embellished by the vast beauty of the
outback and the mayhem of wartime Darwin.
"'I can't guarantee that (it will be the great Australian epic). I'm reaching
out. We're all reaching out. I've got the best actors and the best crew. This is
the Olympics of cinema and we are going for gold," he said.
Parts of the movie being shot in Bowen are meant to represent Darwin in the
1920s-1940s. Bowen, with its long timber wharf and undeveloped esplanade, is
providing the perfect place to build a faux Darwin waterfront.
The potential for Bowen and Queensland to benefit from the movie if it becomes a
worldwide success is not lost on Mr Luhrmann. Yesterday he pointed to a spot
near the wharf to be called Australia Point in the movie.
It is here at Australia Point where the characters played by Nicole Kidman and
Hugh Jackman will meet for the first time in the film.
Mr Luhrmann said he was still looking for extras including Chinese, Japanese,
Aborigines, soldiers and experienced stockmen.
"We need great soldiers, great cattlemen, people who can really ride. We need
every shape and form that made up Australia at that time. We are looking for
Aboriginal extras and we have to match them with the world we are creating in
Darwin," he said.
Cattle yards are being constructed in front of the wharf and some of the timber
posts being used have come from the old timber stockyard next to the
Strathmore Station homestead outside Collinsville. Mr Luhrman is planning on
having more than 2000 cattle down on the wharf area.
"In those days the Darwin cattle yards ran right on to the wharf. There's a
scene here with over 2000 cattle on the wharf and we're driving cattle up on to
big military ships," he said.
He said he felt confident about finding top notch stockmen and added that the
greater Bowen area extending out into the western hinterland was a legendary
area for stockmen and women."When you think about where the Stockman's Hall of Fame is, there is no doubt
that this is an important place in the story of the Australian cattleman. We're
excited about that," he said.
It is still not clear if the film's leading lights will be staying in Bowen
while filming takes place. Mr Luhrmann said it was not easy to find
accommodation
for everyone.
"Accommodation is one of our great issues. We're still looking for people who
will rent out houses. We're still looking for housing," he said.
He said Australia, because of its logistic demands, was becoming a collaboration
between himself and the people of Bowen and to a wide extent, the people of
Queensland.
"It's an enormous undertaking. It has to be a collaboration," he said.
He is struggling to find enough extras to act as World War Two soldiers.
Asked if he had contacted the Department of Defence to see if soldiers from
Townsville's Lavarack Barracks could be made available, he said: "Actually I've
got to say we have not clarified all of that yet, but I know Premier Beattie has
been extraordinarily supportive and I've had several meetings with him," he
said.
Mr Luhrmann said special days would be set aside during filming to allow
tourists to watch production from public galleries. He said bus tours would be
conducted from centres such as Mackay and Townsville.
REMEMBER THIS SPOT ... movie buffs take note, here on the Bowen
waterfront
is where Nicole the heiress and Hugh the drover meet for the first time in the
movie
Cast and Crew News
- With filming set to start soon, the stars will reportedly begin rehearsals this week. We already know that Hugh Jackman has relocated to Sydney for the duration of the shoot, and now Nicole Kidman has also arrived and is expected to stay for most of the rest of the year. An article by Adelaide Now dated 8 April 2007 confirms, "Kidman starts work on Tuesday with Australian director Baz Luhrmann on his romantic adventure epic, Australia. She'll be in the country for up to eight months, filming with co-star Hugh Jackman at locations in far-north Queensland, Darwin, Western Australia and Sydney. "It's really good, really good, exciting about the film too," Kidman told reporters when asked how it felt to be back home. The last time she spent so much time in Australia was to film Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! - the last movie she made in the country."
I have also added a recent video interview with David Wenham to my Cast and Crew page. It is very similar to an article by The Daily Telegraph which I reported here last month, but it's great to watch Wenham talking so enthusiastically about his role in the film.
Meanwhile, in terms of the crew, we
now know from the Townsville Bulletin article featured above that the
Director of Photography in Bowen will be Mandy Walker. The April 2007 edition of
Australian Film Institute Newsletter has also revealed that Nigel Bluck will
be the Second Unit Director of Photography. Here is an excerpt from an interview
with Nigel Bluck where he talks about Australia:
New Zealand born Nigel Bluck is a director of photography
whose resume includes a short but impressive slate of films. Bluck shot
Australian features Like Minds and Tony Ayres' The Home Song Stories (to be
released 16 August), as well as Bahman Ghobadi's award winning Iranian film,
Half Moon, for which he won Best Cinematography at the San Sebastian
International Film Festival last year. Bluck worked as the visual effects DP on
The Lord of The Rings trilogy with Peter Jackson and recently began work on Baz
Luhrmann's forthcoming feature Australia.
AFI: What can you tell us about Baz Luhrmann's Australia?
NB: I'm doing second unit and I'm really interested in it because of its
classical elements. It seems to be grounded in very classical filmmaking, almost
like a Western. So there's a real degree of purity that I'm looking forward to
being a part of. The scale is very large but I think the style of the film will
be close to the early Westerns which were made with a smaller style. Even though
it's a big film I think what Baz is trying to do is pure and simple and succinct
rather than a big show. It's also an opportunity to look at the Australian
landscape and film it as if it's a character, which a lot of films have done
before, but it's interesting for me because I'm not all that familiar with the
Australian landscape. That's part of the reason that Bahman got me to go to Iran
for Half Moon - it's that directors often look for someone with an ‘objective’
eye – an eye that's not too familiar with the landscape.
Bazmark Films seeking WA filmmakers
- ScreenWest is Western Australia's film funding and development
agency dedicated to the growth and promotion of film and television activity in
that state. They have posted an article on their website advertising for WA
filmmakers who would like to become involved with Australia, which reads
as follows:
Attachment Opportunities with Bazmark Films
ScreenWest,
4 April 2007
Three Western Australian filmmakers will have the opportunity to work on the Baz
Luhrmann feature film Australia to be partly shot in the Kimberley later
this year.
ScreenWest has joined forces with Bazmark Films to offer three professional
attachments in the assistant director, sound and camera departments, on the
Western Australian component of the shoot scheduled for late July/August.
Applications close Monday 16 April 2007.
Culture and Arts Minister Sheila McHale said three professional attachments
would be offered while Baz Luhrmann undertook the six-week Kimberley shoot.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for three local filmmakers to work with one of
the best directors in the business," Ms McHale said.
"Working on such a high-profile, big-budget film with Baz Luhrmann will be an
enormous career boost for these filmmakers. The filmmakers will gain valuable skills and get a professional credit working
on principal photography with some of the world's leading film
professionals."
Baz Luhrmann said the State Government had been extraordinarily supportive in
helping him to reveal to the world, the unique locations of WA's East
Kimberley.
"We feel strongly that it's not enough for a film company to just make their
movie and return home, it's important to leave something behind for both the
local community and the State," Mr Luhrmann said.
"With this in mind, the WA Government has approached us to make opportunities
for young, up and coming technicians in the local film industry, to be formally
attached to the production for the shooting period while in WA."
ScreenWest is seeking expressions of interest from early to mid-career
filmmakers who are genuinely seeking a career in the assistant director (AD),
sound or
camera departments. Some professional experience in the attachment position you
are applying for (ie AD, camera or sound) is necessary, as reflected in your
CV, and only those who are genuinely looking to pursue a career in one of these
crew areas are invited to apply.
As this is a key professional opportunity to gain skills on an international
film shoot, a training wage will be offered at the Professional Attachment rate
of $500 per week. Accommodation, airfare and per diems will also be funded by
ScreenWest.
Applicants must be available for a four week period from late July through to
the end of August 2007 and must be a Western Australian resident, (ie. someone
who has been resident in Western Australia for the six months prior to
submitting the application and is on the WA electoral role).
Please send your letter expressing your interest in one of the crew areas listed
above, along with an up to date CV to Liz Sward at ScreenWest by no later
than 5pm on Monday 16 April 2007. Please note that applicants are not to contact
Bazmark Films.
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