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MURAYA MOORE INTERVIEW
Category: Interview
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A Conversation with Eleanor Somerville
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A Conversation with Molly Haddon
Molly Haddon is a Sydney based filmmaker who recently completed her first feature film – The Longest Weekend. The film follows three scattered siblings who find themselves living under the same roof when their estranged father comes back into their lives. The film was officially selected in the Sydney Film Festival and Darwin International Film Festival. Molly and I discuss her process, tools on set and the future of Australian filmmaking. Read on for more.
The Longest Weekend
I heard you talk about how covid helped you get the film written. I was just wondering what specifically this writing process and period with Jordan looked like.
“I worked with Jorrden on the story. We went to film school together and had done a couple of short films and had always talked about doing a feature. Jordan had written a few scripts but none that had connected with me (she loves horror films). I took an idea to her that could work for a small budget. The biggest tool we had was Jordan and her tenacity and her ability to sit down and just write. So get yourself a Jordan!”
On set, do you have tools / methods you use to work through problems and keep stress levels low?
“I would say your ability to work with people is your biggest tool. You also need to make sure people know they are being heard. So, if you can’t give them what they want, at least you can listen.”
Is there a specific way / language you use to talk with actors?
“I came from an acting background and have done a fair bit of theatre. You get a sense of what an actor is like, how they work and what they need from you, and I just cater to that.”
Where do you stand on set?
“I was on a shoot last week and it came up a bit. They would put the monitors far away. I need to be able to move between the screen and the actors / artist. I have to be in the room and feel it in the space. Sometimes it’s quicker to not call cut, give a small note and let them keep going.”
Music Videos
How do you work with an artist? Do you like control or is it more of a collaboration?
“It’s a product honestly. Most of the artists I’ve worked with have been independent and using their own money. I don’t want to deliver something that they aren’t happy with. I don’t want them to feel like they are missing something. Although I try and work with people whose vision aligns with my own. So, while I cater the music video to the artist and their music, you can see my themes throughout.”
General
Favourite films and filmmakers
“There are a lot of filmmakers whose work I love. I am not looking to recreate their careers though. I love Wes Anderson, Yorgos Lanthimos and directors who have a particular style. Michelle Gondry and Greta Gerwig as well.”
Advice for younger filmmakers?
“The journey is different for different people. Especially different genders and nationalities. Don’t take what somebody else did as the gospel of how to get there. It won’t be like that for anyone else. When you come out of film school there is a big gap between where you are and where you want to be. It just takes time and practice.”
I heard you say that you are sick of bleak and dark Australian films. Do you want the Australian film scene to move in a different direction and what is that?
“There is a certain era of Australian films that I find really bleak and depressing. I wanted The Longest Weekend to leave people with a sense of hope.”
“Cord Jefferson at the Oscars said something that I have felt myself for a while now. Even a $200million film is a risk so why not make 100 $2million films. The Australian film scene is very risk averse. There was a time when Australian cinema was world renowned. They weren’t always the most highbrow films, but they were unique.”
What is next for you?
“I have a few projects in the works at the moment. But in the meantime, I have been back to my roots and working in the theatre. It can make for a nice change as the whole process is often over in six months or less, whereas the making of a film can take years. I prefer to keep working creatively whenever I can.” “I have a few projects in the works at the moment. But in the meantime, I have been back to my roots and working in the theatre. It can make for a nice change as the whole process is often over in six months or less, whereas the making of a film can take years. I prefer to keep working creatively whenever I can.”
Watch The Longest Weekend below!
https://play.google.com/store/movies/details?id=HBGLugDh40g.P
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A Conversation with Bonnie Moir
Bonnie Moir is a Melbourne based filmmaker whose has made countless award winning short films and music videos. Her most recent short film – NOT DARK YET – was nominated for the 2024 AACTA Award for Best Short Film. Lately, Bonnie has been working tirelessly on the 6 part television series EXPOSURE for Stan. In our conversation, we dived into how Bonnie writes, her process on set and the future of Australian filmmaking. Read on for more.
Your writing process with such personal and intimate stories like Not Dark Yet.
When making Not Dark Yet I was interested in the duality of freedom and obligation and how they coexist in our relationship to family. I was also interested in revealing the vulnerabilities inherent within our social structures, and to put a human face to something we tend to avoid interacting with.
It was quite a challenging and personal film to make. The lead actor is my dad and I suppose the character playing his son is a version of me (Played beautifully by Nicholas Denton). We finished cutting an initial version of this film which had the perspective tied to the son’s character but we found that there was an inherent connection and empathy that the audience had with the father character, so we ended up only keeping key scenes that we loved from that first version and writing and shooting new scenes from the father’s perspective that fit in with those key scenes and crafting the film from there. So it was ultimately quite an unconventional writing experience!
I have mostly collaborated with other writers but I am trying to get into the practice of writing every day. I tend to write in sporadic short bursts when I feel inspired by something.
On set, what language are you using with the actors? Is it based on the actor or do you always have the same type of language you use?
I’m not totally sure, to answer your question, each actor is different! I love a performance that manages to capture a surprising and unexpected ‘real’ quality. My hope is that I allow actors a space that is supportive to do work that is alive and kinda feral, whatever language I am using!
I heard you say that before you took over for season 2 of Love Me, you had this major moment of doubt / fear. How do you combat this feeling?
Who told you this?! Haha. It’s true. It was the first lot of TV I directed and I was gifted the entire season, it was a daunting and just generally a big prospect. The best way for me to combat that fear was to get stuck into it all and get to work. It’s also not done alone, a director is nothing without the crew – I worked with an amazing team including Ed Goldner (DOP), Marni Kornhauser (Production designer) and my beaut producers Hamish Lewis and Nicole O’Donohue and not to mention those brilliant actors!
Biggest lessons you have learnt from working with Garth Davis and Glendyn Ivin?
I love them both so much. I have been so inspired by working with them. I feel extremely lucky that I had the chance to assist and do second unit work with directors whose work I love and admire. Not to mention such kind and supportive individuals. I hope I absorbed a lot doing that work. I never went to film school, so it’s been invaluable.
You have shot some beautiful music videos with incredible artists. What does your process working with artists look like? Do you bring them an idea or is it more of a collaboration?
It changes depending on the artist. In some cases the artists have a strong concept in mind but others are keen for initial concepts and ideas based on the song – I’ve worked in both ways but have ultimately been lucky with the few music videos I’ve done that the artists have been very collaborative and an absolute joy to work with. I’d love to do more!
When you are on set, where do you like to stand? Next to the video village or up closer with the actors.
Definitely closer to the actors, if i’m too far away I end up manically running back and forth and round in circles. I’ve never really been sat at a video village type set up but maybe the added distance creates a different perspective? One closer to an audience or viewer? It’s interesting to think about!
Your short films, music videos and shows all focus on the human condition and relationships, is this something you think will always stay in your work?
I find that stories like this offer up the most potential for deep performance work and for great actors. I also think it’s the most interesting work visually speaking. But I am open to trying it all!
How the process of creating EXPOSURE has been?
Exposure is a series that I am currently finishing up, I just finished the grade with the amazing colourist Trish Cahill. It is a 6 part mystery-thriller for STAN. I worked with the most crazily amazing team including Nicole O’Donohue as producer and Justin Kurzel and Shaun Grant as EPs via their company Thirdborn, as well as Lucy Coleman as our writer and Aaron McLisky as DOP to name a few.
It was one of the greatest experiences, setting the series up, finding the tone and look, building the jigsaw puzzle of locations and developing the story with the team.
I’m getting excited (and nervous) for people to watch the show. It is coming out soon and I’d love for you to watch it!
Favorite filmmakers and movies?
This is a secret.
Advice to younger filmmakers just starting out who are stuck in that beginning phase?
I’d say to focus wholeheartedly on the experience and process of making the work, the creation of it, not so much the outcome. It should be about making/creating the film, working with that actor or collaborating with that DOP or whatever it is…and the experience and practice of that.
I want to acknowledge that it can be very challenging to go all in for those of us without financial support particularly when starting out. I’d say that perhaps getting a job that is in support of what you want to do ultimately can be helpful. Being a director’s assistant and second unit work was great for that as I got to learn but also I could make short films when in post with other directors. I got that work by reaching out to a director whose work I loved (Garth) and offering to help him on his film Lion on the days I had off my then non film related job.
Where do you want the Australian film scene to move?
There seems to be a general consensus that the work is better elsewhere but so much of the work I have seen that is made here by amazing film makers and crews makes me feel that this just isn’t the case. We make great stuff, but it needs support and validation.
I’m inspired by directors like Kitty Green and Thomas M. Wright, and Goran Stoveleski. I’d love the industry to support and facilitate more work like theirs!
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A Conversation with Archie Waterson
Archie Waterson is an emerging Australian filmmaker who recently completed his biggest project yet – The Couple Across the Way. The drama/comedy follows John and Abbey as they go through the many stages of their tumultuous relationship. The Couple Across the Way encapsulates the bleak life of dating in Australia. Archie and I discuss his process and motivations for the short while also diving into his future. Read on for more.
What inspired you to write this short film?
“I watched a film called the Worst Person in the World. It has these beautiful romantic scenes, but I remember finishing it and thinking, “I will never be able to make this because nothing in Australia is that romantic.” I wrote this big poem that was venting about how unromantic Australia is and that became the intro and then I just kept writing.”
How was the writing process for Couples, what did the day in day out of it all look like?
“I wrote the first draft in a day. Scenes just kept coming to me. The structure was there within a day. At first, it was a very satirical comedy, but it ended up changing into a more dramatic script. I got to about draft 18 and it changed a lot but the structure was always there.”
I remember reading the early one and it was completely different tonally. Was that just an instinctual decision?
“Yeah, it was. The ending was always bleak, and I wanted to always stick with that end. I wanted to make a funny film but end with an emptiness. I had to adjust the tone dramatically so that the ending could work.”
How did you help guide Ruby Gudenswager into such an incredible performance?
“I think it’s all down to casting. I didn’t know she had the ability to cry on the spot like she did. Ruby understood the people in the script. She said it in the audition, and it made it a dead giveaway to me. For the last scene, we just left her outside with the camera by herself. She listened to music and got herself there. You just have to give good actors the space to do it and make sure there comfortable.”
How did you run the set?
“I had a lot of talented friends on board. We were all very prepared and had done so much pre-production. I trusted the DOP (Adam Potts) to set up his side of things. I would just come in, look at the shot and give notes if I needed to. He understood it completely so I could just spend my time with the actors. Other than that I just stand around trying to look serious…”
What did you learn from Couples?
“That’s it okay to be really inspired by films and show that to everyone. Not having that pride to not look original and I just found that learning from these masters was very positive. Another lesson was not to take yourself too seriously. Film isn’t the be all and end all.”
You have recently finished film school, what was the main thing you took away from it?
“You can find people who have the same interests as you. Creative people need that. Going to film school made me feel a lot more comfortable with who I was and what I am passionate about.”
What would you recommend new filmmakers to do in film school?
“Don’t be afraid to want to succeed. I brought this idea on from school that people give you shit for being passionate and intense about things. But at Uni that school mentality is gone. You can be yourself completely and that’s where the best work will come from. Also, do want you want to do. Learn the technical skills but don’t be afraid to completely commit to the thing you want to do the most.”
Favourite films you have been watching recently?
“I just discovered Aki Kaurismaki. He is a Finnish director who has a film out at the moment called Fallen Leaves. It was the first film of his I had seen so I went through and watched all his other big films. But I am always looking for new sources of inspiration.”
What have you been watching lately?
“I have been going over filmmakers I love and looking at their first short films. Like Yorgos Lanthimos, Ruben Ostlund. Just trying to see where their seeds of style and tone began.”
What are you working on right now?
“I am trying to write again. Just writing different sketches, a lot in the comedy space. When I find one that I love I will go through another year of making that film and spending all my money on it. I am just waiting for that sparkle before I dive in again.”
All Stills by Finnian Mullen
David Robinson-Smith is an Australian writer and director who recently completed his festival run of Mud Crab and We Used to Own Houses – two incredible short films that explore class and culpability. David is now focused on writing and directing his first feature film. In our conversation, we discussed his writing process, the short films and the future of Australian film.
MUD CRAB
I heard you say that you drew a lot from you own experience being from Budgewoi. Was writing this a challenge when incorporating your own story and life into a short film?
“It made it a little easier. The short film is an accumulation of stories of people from around here. It is emotionally harder. A lot of the stuff is pulled from real life and people I know. I curated stories into a character that says what I want to say about a place / issue.”
Similar question, but what does your writing process specifically look like? What’s the day in / day out of it all?
“I have kind of evolved since Mud Crab. I was page by page and would just sit down and write to see what happens. Essentially, just waiting for the spark to come. But now I am much more disciplined about it. I have the story and characters mapped out before I ever open Final Draft. I consider watching films and reading as part of the writing process as well. I used to feel guilty about doing it. I also try to be more regimented. The actual writing can be very fast and only takes a few weeks per draft. I need a routine now. Walk the dogs, 9am start writing, do that until 12 for a break and then start again at 1. Wrap up by 5.”
Is it just about writing until your tired or a specific number of hours every day?
“I just go for the same amount of hours everyday. If I am not feeling the actual script writing, I just start researching or watching something instead. Jack Clark from Birdeater says he finishes on a high so the next day he is keen to write it. I also embrace sudden spurts of energy for writing. Like if it’s 8pm and I have had a wine I will write again.”
Another fascinating part of the short film is the decision to contrast the first half with the second half through the colour pallet and time of year. Can you just talk about the motivation behind this creative decision.
“The inspiration for the short is about coming back to your hometown and seeing that guy in the pokie room who has become a different person and reflecting on things you have witnessed that person go through. What you assume they might be holding onto. So the decision was to give that feeling of change. I really needed people to understand that these characters are different people now. Both have grown in their own ways but the past isn’t done with either of them. It was about making sure the viewers are aware that everything has shifted. Along with that I felt like the film needed a shift in mood. The first half is younger, full of people and energy. The second half is darker, less beautiful and more isolating and lonely.”
WE USED TO OWN HOUSES
I heard you say that you have this fear that filmmaking will only be available to those higher socio-economic backgrounds and thereby we will keep seeing the same films being made. Was that kind of the genesis for this project?
“It’s the motivation for the politics behind it. I want to see class discussed more in the industry. I hope my work will accumulate and make a larger point when viewed in totality.”
When you moved back into your hometown to make it, what was that experience like?
“I just get jokes from friends like “it’s not that bad here, is it?” which it isn’t. Due to a series of incidents while growing up in the area, it feels oppressive to me. I can’t fix that and that’s what the film is about. Everyone does it around here where they just kind of clench up when you bring up the issues. When I moved to Newtown when I was 21 it was shocking. I realised how many of the experiences I had weren’t normal. We’ve had a family friend stabbed to death, and I’ve been in court as a witness to a bottling. One incident that sticks with me happened when I was 15, working at Lake Haven Shopping Centre. On a Thursday night break, I walked to the newsagent to read magazines when a drunk man punched me in the head and kept walking. I continued to the newsagent, read magazines, and returned to work without telling my boss, feeling too embarrassed. I completely forgot about the story until I found myself back in the spot where it happened with Jaclyn, and then I told her about it. Her reaction told me a lot. It’s the accumulation of many times like this that leads to the feeling of oppressiveness in an area. It’s not that the area itself is bad, but you can’t untangle your memories from it. Moving back, I realised the area had changed a lot but I still hold onto everything.”
These themes of culpability, violence and exploitation that you have explored throughout your work seem like a golden thread. Do you think it’s what you will continue you focus on?
“I like people who are guilty and aren’t processing it correctly. The feature film is in that world. It definitely has similar undertones and themes.”
The Future
Advice for younger filmmakers?
“Film literacy is probably the most important. Just broadening your perspective in terms of what you like. Having a strong taste is everything. You have to develop your palette and taste. Also, just making as many shorts and music videos as possible. Don’t shy away from your weaknesses. Like if you love camera and don’t feel comfortable with actors, maybe focus on getting better talking with them vice versa.”
More challenging question but what makes a good director on set?
“Other then making good films… You have got to be calm. I don’t like seeing people who freak out or have temper tantrums. You are the leader. Taking time to think and figure out problems is pivotal. Someone who talks to the actors quietly, no one else needs to hear it.”
I heard you say you were writing a feature. Is that still what you are working towards?
“Yep. I am waiting for Screen Australia to go through our application for development funding right now. If approved, that funding will give me 6 months for writing on my budget. I have been writing it for 2 and a bit years. It’s kind of all I do now. I just got signed to Good Oil Films, but I haven’t done an ad… But that will happen at some point this year. My aim is to do that plus features.”
Where do you want the Australian film scene to move?
“I just want to see people take risks on original ideas and filmmakers with something to say. I want to see more complex serious drama feature films. I want to see another Lantana.”