NOVEMBER 2007
________________________________
30 November 2007
'Australia' Filming Until 21 December?
- It has been widely
reported for a while now that filming of Australia would finish by the
end of November. However, during a radio interview with Australian radio
station, KIIS FM, on 26 November 2007, presenter Ryan Seacrest asked Nicole
Kidman about the movie and she was quoted as saying, "we finish on the 21st of
December". It seems that the production of Australia may be running a bit
behind schedule, but hopefully filming will be complete by Christmas.
Click here to download the interview from my affiliate website,
australiamovie.net. The relevant part of the interview transcript reads as follows:
Ryan: I'm looking at a list of movies that you're in.
Nicole: Yeah but if you named them. ... People keep saying, 'oh you're doing
this, you're doing this,' but I'm not. So, um, I've been making a film in
Australia for the last nine months and we finish on the 21st of December, so, I
can't wait [for the time off].
Ryan: Is that 'Australia'?
Nicole: Yeah *laughs* It's called 'Australia' and we're filming in Australia.
Ryan: I've heard about, well, I remember Baz mentioned it when I talked to him a
while, a long time ago.
Nicole: Yeah! Yup, and we're still doing it.
Ryan: Yeah, well hopefully that will finish some day so we can all see what
you've been doing.
Nicole: Yeah, I hope it's good.
Eddie Baroo Talks 'Australia'
- Australian actor Eddie Baroo has been featured on my Australia Cast List page for a while now, but little has been known about him or his role. Yesterday, the Geelong Advertiser featured an interesting interview with Baroo in which he mentions his involvement in Australia. The first part of the article reads as follows:
Who is Baroo?
Geelong Advertiser, 29 November 2007
Eddie Baroo is chipping away towards his dreams, with a growing resume of acting
roles topped with his latest part in the blockbuster, Australia. Lauren Pike
tried to find out what makes him tick. Meet Eddie Baroo and think the Lion from
the Wizard of Oz. Tall, with a bushy, red beard, Eddie is intimidating at first
- loud, boisterous and playful. But within the blink of an eye, he becomes
quiet, softly spoken, charming and a touch self-conscious.
It is through revealing these differing personalities and characters that
perhaps enables Eddie to do what he does - act. The Grovedale 39-year-old father
of four has just landed his biggest role to date, working in the Baz Luhrmann
movie Australia, alongside the country's two biggest Hollywood stars, Nicole
Kidman and Hugh Jackman.
I meet Eddie at his home and he is nothing like I had pictured after talking on the phone. He stands at 192cm tall and is imposing; with a black shirt, long beard and tattoos covering his arms. "You're not a bikie?" I ask. Maybe not, but there are so many strings to his bow that it is difficult to know who Eddie Baroo really is. For a start, Geelong people might know him as Brian Daniels (he changed his name several years ago). Pub-goers could recognise him as the guitarist from the band, Rank. Eddie might soon be known as an author, with two children's books on the verge of publication. He dreams of writing a script. And when he's not mixing it with Hollywood superstars, you might find him on a building site cleaning toilets.
As we sit to chat in his studio - which Eddie says doubles as a hideout from his children - he oozes warmth and friendliness. Whiteboards glued to the walls have notes about a script scribbled on them. They're like an inside view into an artist's mind, ticking away with reminders on songs and settings. He leans across the desk and his face illuminates with a glow at the mention of Australia but, bound by a strict confidentiality agreement, Eddie can't divulge his character or anything about the movie. He struggles with this as the conversation twists and turns around the finer details of the film and several times has to calm his excitement to prevent himself letting slip any details.
Filming was due to finish in November of the big budget blockbuster about an English aristocrat (Kidman) who travels to Australia in the 1930s to sell a cattle farm she has inherited. She musters the cattle across the outback with a drover (Jackman), with who she is later caught in the bombing of Darwin. It is easy to tell Eddie is intoxicated with the energy of taking part in such an extraordinary film, especially after having just received a call to say he's needed for filming and will board a plane for Sydney at 8pm on the night of our interview. He is excited to get back and hang out with the cast who he says is like a second family, despite only knowing them for a short time. He describes them as "amazing" and "wonderful", but holds a soft spot for Hugh Jackman. It is obvious the two are close, if only Eddie could reveal more. "They're brilliant. I'm not just saying that, they're brilliant," he says. "It's probably the worst-kept secret that Hugh's one of the best blokes running around the world. I wish I could tell you why they're unreal. I tell ya what, when the film gets released and I'm able to talk more, I'll be able to tell you about the first day I met Hugh. Very, very funny, very funny."
His role involved riding a horse and Eddie admits he was petrified. Having never
ridden a horse - and not really liking them - it took a lot of work to perfect
the art which included falling off at least three times.
"You've got to look good on it. You have to act and ride, so that's probably the
hardest thing I have done, but the most rewarding thing I have done. I would
love to have him (the horse) now, he's just so great. I like him more than most
of me kids, to be honest." It is this type of humour Eddie uses time and again
during the interview...
________________________________
25 November 2007
'Australia' Filming Coming To An End
- News regarding Australia is becoming increasingly
scarce now that production is winding down, and things are likely to remain
quiet for the next few months. However, tidbits of information are still
surfacing on the internet, and I shall continue to report every snippet I find
right here! :)
Filming of Australia is set to wrap at the end of this month, and I am
hoping that something will be said regarding this in the next week or so.
Meanwhile, now that production is almost complete, I think it is time to reveal
something that diehard fans like myself may find rather interesting. Click on
the image above to view the Bowen Filming Schedule. This schedule was originally
provided to my affiliated site, australiamovie.net, and it reveals what locations were used around the town
during that particular section of the movie shoot.
Compositor Sought for 'Australia'
- While the filming of Australia may nearly be complete, post-production is
only just beginning! Animal Logic, who we know are doing the digital visual effects for
Australia, are currently looking for a 2D Lead Compositor. The following
job advertisement has been posted on the
Animal Logic
website, and details are as
follows:
2D Lead Compositor - 'Australia'
We are currently looking for a talented and experienced 2D Lead Compositor, who is available in January to work on the Baz Luhrmann film 'Australia'.
A 2D Lead Compositor must have a thorough understanding and interest in the production process of a job; from the bidding, planning and securing of crew and resources to crew performance and expectations, working to a schedule of deliverables.
Candidates with the following skills are encouraged to apply: Minimum 2 - 3 years experience in leading a team, preferably on live action feature films Experience working on and off system while being responsible for the overall outcomes for the Compositing team. Extensive experience in Nuke Experience in communicating effectively with clients and supervisors Ability to lead teams in a collaborative environment If you are interested in applying for this position then please complete our resume submission form via our website http://www.animallogic.com specifying '2D Lead Compositor' in the job title section.
Nicole Kidman Talks 'Australia'
- As mentioned in my previous
news update, Nicole Kidman has been talking briefly about Australia in some of her interviews while promoting her new
film, Margot At The Wedding. On 13 November,
Coming Soon
reported the following:
CS: What's it been like working in the outback of Australia with Baz?
Kidman: I'm very happy to be in Australia actually. I've been there since April making this film ("Australia") and it's my dream of making this film since I was a little girl and I hope it lives up to my expectations because I wanted to make a film that's deeply romantic. It's a got a magical quality to it, but still it's a sweeping drama filled with some comedy and we can pull that off, I'd be very, very pleased. It's also nice to stand by a director you've worked with before and say, "I'm right here next to you again. Let's go. Let's try to do something unusual and special." Who knows? Next year, you'll be sitting here and saying it didn't work. We're certainly working hard towards putting something magical on screen.
Baz Makes Australia's 'Power 100'
- Finally, congratulations Baz for making Australia's 'Power 100' list!
The
Bulletin at ninemsn.com.au recently released an extensive article listing
Australia's 'Power 100', and Baz Luhrmann was listed in 5th position under 'Arts
and Entertainment'. His listing featured a small photo and the following text:
Baz Luhrmann -
Film-maker
One of Australia's creative geniuses, Luhrmann, 45, has forged his award-winning
career - and influence - by thumbing his nose at convention and stretching the
limits of artistic genres. He has left his large footprint on theatre and opera
(with his award-winning interpretation of La Bohème on Broadway), and film (from
Strictly Ballroom to Romeo + Juliet and beyond). He is also credited with
reinvigorating the musical as a film genre with his masterful direction of
Moulin Rouge! The flamboyant actor-turned-director is wrapping up yet another
über project: brazenly titled Australia, it is one of the biggest films to be
produced in this country.
________________________________
11 November 2007
Kidman Talks 'Australia' Horse-Riding
- Filming of Australia is reportedly due to continue until the end of the month, however news about the project has become rather quiet in recent weeks, probably because production has been taking place behind the closed doors of Fox Studios in Sydney. However, at a screening of one of her new movies last night, Nicole Kidman was asked about Australia. The following is a transcript of the article by New York Magazine:
At last night's Cinema Society/Allure screening of her movie Margot at the Wedding, Nicole Kidman put on a brave face (and a black Jil Sander overcoat) despite being sick. She apologized, with impeccable politesse, for not shaking hands ("I don't want to infect you"), and kept her arms tightly wrapped around her. "I'm freezing," she said. But a healthier Nicole emerged from her tales of derring-do on the set. "I've been doing most of my own horse-riding," she said of her work on the upcoming Baz Luhrman epic, Australia. "Just recently we ran with over 1,500 wild horses, and we were riding with them. And that's pretty hair-raising." Wasn't she worried about falling? "I just didn't think about it," she said. "I feel confident on a horse." Kidman explained that she's been riding since she was 3. Still, Kidman in a stampede of hundreds of wild stallions? That's like throwing a toothpick into a jet engine. Wonder who insured that?
________________________________
HOME
________________________________