From Writing to Wrap: A Feature Film in Four Months

August 30, 2020

Just last week, on August 26th, we wrapped principal photography on Machination, our fifth feature film shot in the last four years. This was very much a film inspired by this new Covid-19 reality we live in, a story about a highly anxious woman named Maria who struggles to cope in isolation as a pandemic sweeps the world. Maria is forced to confront the monsters in her head, in the media, and in her past.

Maria in her bedroom, Machination Behind the scenes. Credit: Monika Kopčilová

We had the initial idea for the film during our own lockdown in April in Malta and spent a few days at the end of the month writing the first draft outline. May was spent redrafting and refining the outline. In June we approached cast, researched the equipment we would need as well as the VFX we wanted, and worked to fill gaps in knowledge for the story as well as the production, such as the specific mental health issues Maria was suffering from or how we could pull off a particular shot – a period that was a mix of development and pre-pre production. One month of official pre-production and rehearsal began from July 13th. Finally, in August, we went into a 10-day production period split into two halves – August 12th to 16th and August 22nd to 26th.

This was all done between Sarah working a full-time job and myself working on other projects, including still shooting our Cats of Malta documentary and planning a short film called Crossing Paths for the end of June. So until production, and perhaps the last couple of weeks of pre-production, we never dropped everything to simply focus on Machination, and Sarah didn’t stop working her day job until the first shooting day. That makes Machination a feature film done from first draft to wrap in four months, mostly part-time, during an uncertain time in the world where many productions shut down completely. And the budget was only €6000. And we still paid everyone.

This is how we did it.

Black, White and Writing in Color

August 2, 2020

To begin I would like to inform readers that my words and thoughts flow solely from an inner place of reflection. This piece is written by me, a privileged white, approaching forty female with European ancestry. I am a writer and filmmaker who is currently working on a personal journey towards educating myself on African American history and the representation of minorities in film. Some of the topics I have been reading, watching and listening to over the last month have included police brutality against minorities in America, how American history is built on a foundation of oppressed black slaves, and how white feminism has and continues to exclude women of colour.

I felt compelled to write this article during the beginning of recent protests occurring around various states in and around the USA, after countless unjust deaths of black men and women at the hands of white American police officers. I can’t identify to my core with the African American community as I have not lived my life as a person of colour. I will never understand how it feels to have to make calculated daily choices based around my safety due to the colour of my skin, but it doesn't mean that I don't feel angry, sad and frustrated when hearing of the unwarranted deaths of George Floyd and the many who have come before and likely will follow.

For me, though far removed, the protests brought up a lot of memories of my past and made me think about how much American Black culture I consumed as a child and a teenager through watching American movies and music performed and written by African American artists. It also made me realise that despite all that consuming in my youth, as an adult I did not know much at all what a truthful representation of African American culture was, what the culture was built on or what it stemmed from.

With this miseducation and ignorance in mind, I want to talk about how I personally consumed and then perceived African American culture as a white woman growing up in Australia. Also, I want to share with fellow white artists reading this ways in which we can take responsibility for what perceptions are put out there and how we can change the narrative through storytelling.

Personally, my introduction to African American culture started through music. Growing up in my pre-teens I listened to my parent’s record collection religiously, and that is when I fell in love with the sounds of Motown. I would listen to Marvin Gaye, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Tina Turner, The Supremes, and more. Jimi Hendrix was my favourite.

Saying No To Yourself

May 30, 2020

“I want it all and I want it now.”

Freddy Mercury first sang the iconic line in 1989 and to this day when I hear it I feel inspired to pursue all my goals. All at once.

The greatest hindrance to this is we all have a finite amount of time and most people cannot work on their creative dreams all the time. You have rent or a mortgage to pay. You have to put food on the table. You have to save because who wants to live cheque to cheque. Maybe you even have children or a family to support.

So you work a day job. It eats up your peak creative hours when your brain is the most proactive (and for most people that is mornings according to studies) so you are already drained when it is time to work on your own stuff. Or you run a production company, you serve clients, you work in the field you enjoy, but adjacent to what you really want to be doing – creating your own work instead of videos for others. You freelance, you write, you edit, you shoot, you crew on productions. The work is inconsistent, you hassle, you network, and then it all gets shut down anyway because 2020. What a year.

But even in better years there have always been those jobs you know in your heart you shouldn’t take but your mind says I need the money or it may lead to future work. The time wasters. The lowballers. The clients who demand strawberry sundaes but don’t have any strawberries for the recipe.

Staying Creatively Focused During Uncertain Times

March 28, 2020

It's a difficult time right now. I don't have to tell you that, you are going through it, as am I. Everyone around the world is suffering, some worse than others due to the situation they were in even before this COVID-19 virus started to change everything that most of us took for granted on a daily basis – family, the environment, work, our mental health, spirituality, our finances and the arts.

The physiological human response when a pandemic of this capacity strikes, or any situation really that a human (or an animal) feels is out of their control, or when a threat is suddenly present, is to go into 'fight or flight mode'. In response to acute stress, the body's sympathetic nervous system is activated due to the sudden release of hormones, boosting alertness and heart rate and sending extra blood to the muscles, prepping the body to respond and to survive. I don't know about you, but as a writer and a film director, I find human behaviour fascinating and the human condition to be so complex and full of possibilities.

I'm Self-Distributing my Indie Feature Film and the Idea Scares the Hell Out of Me

February 29, 2020

That's right – I am doing something different this year, self distributing my production company's indie feature film, In Corpore. It's not my decision alone, my partner and co-director is jumping on this rollercoaster ride with me and we plan to market our self funded, no stars attached, micro feature in all four countries we shot it in – Germany, Malta, Australia and America. Not only that, as part of our self distribution plan we are looking to use four wall distribution where possible, and even tour smaller states in America should the interest be there.

You are probably wondering why. You are probably screaming it at the screen. Please stop yelling, it will be ok.

Well, with all those distributors, aggregators, online platforms and sales agents who seem supportive and constantly hungry for fresh content it's a fair call to ask why we would go at it alone. For us, the first reason is that we have lost faith in handing our hard work and money to someone who does not have the film’s or our own best interests as the main priority.

The Value of Time versus Money

November 30, 2019

A few weeks before I left for Rome for a festival screening of my film, my new company had been extremely busy putting together two applications for a local grant. It's been a hectic end of the year, lots of changes such as a move to a new office, while also personally moving home. My business partner Ivan has this saying, which popped up through all the recent chaos: "Value your time more than money.”

I recalled this statement as I wandered around Rome Termini trying to work out where to buy a bus ticket from, while the sweat started to build on my skin due to my layers of clothing. I checked my watch one more time. The plan I had was to arrive at the venue for the screening early to make the most of my day there and meet the organisers with plenty of time to spare. Doors opened at 12pm and it was close to 1.30pm when I was finally on that bus. My film was not screening until 4pm so I still had time but I wanted to be there from the start of the day.

Adopting a Morning Routine Changed My Perspective

September 27, 2019

It has been just over four months since I started practicing a morning routine. Prior to this period in May, despite not having the Facebook App installed on my phone, I was still one of those addicted people who would check all socials before bed and first thing in the morning. So what, it's not hurting anyone, right? Wrong. It was hurting me, big time.

Even though checking morning and night was on the surface not harming me, when I really delved deeper and thought about what the affects could be I realised that this addiction was messing with my brain, affecting my anxiety levels, stopping my natural thoughts from rolling, and eroding my basic capacity to focus and concentrate. In all it was taking me out of my natural state of existing and telling me that I need a distraction from the moment. And let's not forget the time I will never get back, as it takes a while until you realise “damn, how long have I been scrolling and why? There is nothing worthwhile on here!'

Then you stop. For a while.

My European Guilt Trip

September 1, 2019

I'm a godmother to an incredibly smart, knowledgeable, funny and caring four year old boy named Atticus, who, since his kindergarten days, has the ability to hold a conversation and out-talk the most talkative television presenter. He also has a knack for asking 'why' constantly and genuinely seeking a response for his knowledge tank. Atticus has a two year old sister, and when she was born I held her twice before boarding a plane to Europe to chase my dream of being a filmmaker.

Now I label myself the Invisible Godmother. The role of a Godmother is to be in the godchild's life to mould and shape their decisions through wisdom and moral guidance. Being on the other side of the world makes that near impossible, and Skype doesn't cut it. Hence, most days I feel guilty that I am not able to be there for my family.

One Year Later: Traditional Distribution or Self-Distribution for a Micro-Budget Feature

June 30, 2019

In 2019, when filmmaking has long since been revolutionised by digital technology, when movies shot on smartphones open at Sundance, when there are festivals dedicated to vertical filmmaking, and when so many people are making features that the ‘mystique’ of it has long since dissipated, the one area that still seems to hide behind a shroud of secrecy is distribution.

We’ve all heard the adage getting your film made is only half the battle; the real work begins when trying to sell it. Many filmmakers don’t understand the best practices when it comes to distribution, and choose to explore that path only when forced to, and I am prepared to admit that I am one such filmmaker.

Is working with sales agents, producer’s representatives, distributors the most viable method to release a micro-budget feature film? Or is self-distribution the best approach? One year later, after releasing our first micro-budget feature, myself and my partner Sarah Jayne are asking ourselves that very question.

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