E-NEWS
EDITION #014
SEPTEMBER 2010
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Hello and welcome to the September edition of the ASE monthly E-News. First up is the announcement that the entries for the 2010 ASE Awards have now closed, so if you have any inquiries please contact awards@screeneditors.com. In this months edition we also have thoughts from one of our members on the colossus that is Bollywood. We have screening updates from some of our members and we also have some great ASE events coming up so please read on for more details.
Once again we always welcome news of upcoming events or your views on any issues that may be of interest to other editors. Please forward any production and publicity stills (copyright cleared), of current productions you are working on or have recently completed, to be featured on ASE website banners, to:
newsletter@screeneditors.com
First up is news from the ASE committee…
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ASE COMMITTEE:
The ASE congratulates the five ASE members who recently had the films they edited selected in the Toronto Film Festival. Blame (Editor - Meredith Watson Jeffrey), Griff the Invisible (Editor Karen Johnson) and Wasted on the Young (EditorLeanne Cole) will screen in Toronto’s Discovery program. The Discovery program is a showcase for innovative new filmmakers. Toronto represents the world premiere of Griff the Invisible, the story of an office worker by day and a superhero by night whose world is turned upside down. The film stars Ryan Kwanten and Maeve Dermody. Jucy (Editor Andrew Soo) has been selected for the festival’s Contemporary World Cinema section that presents the best films from every corner of the earth. Toronto’s Real to Reel program has selected Australian documentary Mother of Rock: Lillian Roxon (Editor Mark Middis). Real to Reel explores hot topics that affect us all or provide intimate access into dramatic lives. This selection of the year’s best documentaries is insightful and fascinating because the stories are true. Also selected is Machete Maidens Unleashed!
“The six films selected for Toronto this year reflect the diversity of Australian production with a particular focus on fresh, new voices,” said Kathleen Drumm, Screen Australia’s Head of Marketing. “A Toronto screening is a great way to launch a film into the North American market and we congratulate the filmmaking teams on their selection into one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals.”
“This year’s selection of Australian films showcases work that is as fresh, young, innovative, diverse and compelling as the country itself – I couldn’t be prouder to present this work in September,” said Jane Schoettle, International Programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival.
In other great news, A Good Man has just received a US Theatrical release. Last year Nicholas Beauman ASE won the ASE Best Editing in a Documentary award for A Good Man. We wish the film great success as it opens in the US.
And finally, current ASE President Karen Pearlman is going to be the featured guest at Friday on My Mind on September 10th. Friday on my Mind is a weekly conversation with an industry figure about some issue or idea relevant to industry. Karen is going to be talking about Genres and would love to have a question from an ASE member about editing them! Admission is free, no need to book, just turn up at AFTRS, 130 Bent St at 5 pm on Friday the 10th.
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NEWS:
The “Call for Entries” to the 2010 Australian Screen Editors Awards are now closed. Thank you to everyone who submitted for the 2010 ASE Awards. If you have any queries about the awards please email us on awards@screeneditors.com.
The applications for ASE Accreditations are still open until Friday 10th September 2010. Accreditation is the highest honour the can Guild bestow on an Editor and is available to any Full Member whose body of work is considered to exhibit a consistently high standard of editing as judged by the Accreditation Sub Committee. Applicants will have at least five years industry experience as an Editor and they will have demonstrated their ability to advocate the role of Editors in the industry. Applicants must be current financial members of the Guild with a minimum of two years membership. The deadline for applications is Friday 10th September 2010, and must be postmarked on or before this date.
http://www.screeneditors.com/accreditation/index.htm
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ASE Member Gita Raju recently returned from India, where she has spent the last 5 years studying and working in the Indian film industry. Gita gives us a crash course in Bollywood 101, with her thoughts on the largest film industry in the world.
Have you ever wondered why India is the biggest producer of films in the world? I think there are two main reasons: population and language. It is simple economics; the population of India is 1.18 billion (while the population of a country such as Australia is only 22.4 million). On sheer numbers alone this makes the demand for films in India much higher than anywhere else in the world and at a level that can only be experienced in the cinema halls of India. Watching films in India is an almost religious experience, where actors are idolized and prayed to and the frenzy of cheering audiences is like going to a packed football stadium. You would think that the population alone would be enough of an explanation for the popularity of films in India, but it is much more than that.
In the early 1600’s, the East Indian Company arrived in India to find several regions reigned by kingdoms. Each princely state had it’s own unique culture, traditions, food, facial traits and language. By the 1700’s the British crown had begun to rule over the Princely States. Then in 1947, the different culture’s united together to gain independence, and for the very first time India was born. The states of India are divided by language; India has 28 states and 7 unions. There are 18 major languages spoken and 1600 dialects. There are similarities in the languages, however like Europe and Asia you may not always be able to understand the neighbouring language. Hindi is the non-official language of India. It is the most understood language nationally, in addition to being the people’s mother tongue. Out of the 28 states and 7 unions, there are 12 film industries in India. Bollywood (Bombay/Mumbai) is the biggest film industry in India because of the audience size.
What does this mean for editors? Work, and lots of it! So much work that lots of the time you may have to ask your friends and peers to take some of your projects. The other cool thing is that editors can edit different languages, even languages they do not understand properly. Yes, I know its sounds insane but an understanding of the cultures and their differences is all that is needed. In March I did a location edit for an Indian film and I did not understand a word, but because I understand the culture and with a little help with the translating I could do it.
After finishing film school and returning home to Australia, one question still continued to plague me. Looking beyond our small population, how can the Australian film industry be transformed into a thriving film industry like Bollywood.
Recently I was privileged to attend a UNESCO conference held July in Sydney, hosted by The Australian Directors Guild (ADG). The conference focused on “Ratifying Cultural Diversity in Australia and the Pacific”.
It was asserted that it was very important for films to be made in the Pacific Islands, about their rich cultural heritage so that they can preserve their culture. With American films dominating the market, lack of money and infrastructure to make films, the Pacific Islands are under threat of future generations not learning about their own culture.
In my opinion, Australia in comparison has the infrastructure and money. The key for us is to tell stories about Australian culture that audiences can relate to. The question then becomes, what is Australian culture? We can draw our stories from our indigenous culture, colonial Australia and our ever-evolving multi-cultural society. We have an opportunity to create a perception of who and what Australia is, and share it with the world.
In summary the fundamental reason for India’s thriving film industry is their strong culture. Indian audiences are so profoundly connected to the stories and it’s deep roots with culture, while Hollywood films have nearly no market in India at all because they can’t relate to them. In fact 90% of the population does not relate to the culture of Hollywood or their stories. It is up to our generation to find the stories that shape, strengthen and redefine our culture here in Australia. I think that my journey to see Australia become a thriving film industry has only just begun.
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
THE AUSTRALIAN SCREEN EDITORS GUILD & THE AFI INVITE YOU TO
DOCUMENTARY EVENTS IN SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE
It is a well recognized fact that documentaries are often written in the edit, which is why the ASE and the AFI are proud to invite you to special screenings followed by Q&A’s with editors of The Snowman Lindi Harrison (Sydney), and Strange Birds In Paradise – A West Papuan Story Mark Atkin ASE and Andrew Brinsmead, who will be joined by director Charlie Hill-Smith and producer Jamie Nicolai (Melbourne).
Both the films, which were wonderfully received at the Sydney Film Festival and MIFF, are screening as part of the 2010 Samsung Mobile AFI Awards Screenings, and are Feature Length Documentary nominees in this year’s AFI awards. The AFI is kindly offering free admission to ASE members.
The Snowman
Director: Juliet Lamont
Editors: Lindi Harrison, Melanie Sanford ASE
79 mins
In 1978 Jimmy Graham went to Antarctica with Operation Deepfreeze to train scientists in survival skills on the ice. He left in December of that year. Three months later he arrived back agitated and paranoid. He said that he had stumbled onto an illegal American nuclear site and that the CIA had given him a chemical lobotomy. He descended into madness. Unable to cope with his frightening behavior, his wife fled with their two children. Now, thirty years later, his daughter Juliet will try to uncover the truth and reconnect with what's left of the man she called her father.
WHEN: Sunday 12th September, 4.00pm
WHERE: Cinema Paris, Entertainment Quarter
ENTRY: Free single entry, upon presentation of ASE membership or Professional AFI membership cards at the box office
Strange Birds in Paradise
Director: Charlie Hill-Smith
Editors: Mark Atkin ASE, Andrew Brinsmead
75 mins
An expedition of imagination and discovery to the hidden Indonesian province of West Papua that exposes its sad history and desperate hopes, but culminates in a joyful and defiant musical celebration.
WHEN: Sunday 19th September, 2.30pm
WHERE: ACMI Cinemas, Federation Square
ENTRY: Free single entry, upon presentation of ASE membership or Professional AFI membership cards at the box office
More information about other 2010 Samsung Mobile AFI Awards Screenings can be found here.
** please note both films are unclassified R18+
** all cinema seating is unreserved and strictly limited by the capacity of each cinema
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OZDOX - The Australian Documentary Forum andThe Australian Directors Guild in association with the Australian Screen Editors Guild and Sydney AFTRS Presents:
The Perfect Match for the Perfect Cut
- Couples management for editors and directors
With a distinguished panel of documentary editors: James Bradley ASE, Ruth Cullen, Andrea Lang ASE
What happens in the dark between the editor and the director – the GOOD, the BAD and the truly UGLY – rarely sees the light of day, but now OzDox and the Australian Screen Editors Guild (ASE) will lift the veil of secrecy in this special workshop on how to get the best from your editing process. The session will feature a lively panel of expert editors, contributions from the floor, and confidential tales of intrigue, salvation and magic read out by actors in order to preserve anonymity. These true adventures in editing, never before revealed in public, have been solicited from some of Australia’s most distinguished documentarians. Both experienced and beginning editors/filmmakers are encouraged to attend and put forward your questions and experiences.
The workshop will address the following:
• For the director: How to choose an editor
• For the editor: How to choose a director (plus rejection without tears).
• For the director: What a great editor can do for your film and what you need to provide them with at the start
• For the editor: the care and feeding of the director – ten dos and don’ts
• For the Happy Couple:
- how to decide what your film is about and move forward together into bliss
- protocol in the editing room – coming on strong vs the waiting game
- ten fatal mistakes that can wreck a marriage
- turning creative differences into a brand new baby
- healthy parenting – the mix and the grade
• The Sweet Smell of Success: the domineering partner – learning to speak up – giving credit where credit’s due
Biographies:
James Bradley ASE
James studied filmmaking in the late 1970s under the inspirational Surrealist painter and filmmaker Dusan Marek. After making several grant-funded dramas, he began his career as an editor on TV series, music videos, corporate films, documentaries and short dramas. James subsequently become known for his work with indigenous filmmakers and has edited a large number of highly awarded documentaries, many on indigenous subjects. Notably, he has cut over 70 music videos for some of Australia’s best-loved artists. In 2005 James won the AFI Award for Best Non-Feature Editing and later that year was awarded Australian Screen Editors Guild accreditation. James has also worked as a director and producer.
Ruth Cullen
Ruth initially entered the film industry as an editor, and has worked in that capacity on some remarkable award-winning documentaries. She is experienced as an edit doctor in both the US and Australia. As a filmmaker, Ruth has produced and/or directed one-off and series documentaries – specialising in magical tales about unusual lives – and these have been shown around the world. Ruth has also worked as an Executive Producer in Arts, Entertainment and Comedy for the ABC, and is currently the Head of Documentary at The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). She serves on the Board of the Australian Directors Guild and is a committee member of Ozdox..
Andrea Lang ASE
After working for some years at SBS, editing documentaries, news and current affairs, in 1998 Andrea gained a Masters Degree in drama editing at AFTRS. Since then she has been applying her drama skills to documentary with notable results. As well as working on television series, hour-long and half hour documentaries, Andrea has edited a number of feature documentaries which have been highly acclaimed around the world. Within Australia, the films she has edited have consistently won “Best Documentary” awards, as well as several nominations for “Best Editing”.
WHEN: Wednesday, 8 September 2010, 6.00pm arrival for 6.30pm start
Wine, nibbles and conversation from 6:00
WHERE: AFTRS Theatre, Fox Studios, Entertainment Quarter, 130 Bent St,
Moore Park NSW.
Map: http://www.aftrs.edu.au/about/contact-us/sydney.aspx
ENTRY: Suggested donation $5
RSVP not required, but be early to ensure your seat.
This event is open to the public. Parking fees discounted after 6pm, or with validated ticket from AFTRS.
The session organizers are Gwen Sputore for the ASE and Martha Ansara for Ozdox. If you have an anonymous story you wish to contribute, please contact gsputore@gmail.com or hotdox@iinet.net.au by Sept.5, 2010.
See also: http://www.ozdox.org
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17th WOW FILM FESTIVAL - CALL FOR ENTRIES
…seeing the World through the Eyes of Women…
Screening 8 to 10 March 2011 (Sydney)
Travelling to over 16 national locations & overseas
The 17th WOW (World of Women) Film Festival is now calling for entries for Fiction, Documentary, Animation, Digi-Vodules and Student films of less than 55 minutes duration with key creative input by women from Australia and around the world.
WOW is a unique showcase of films by women, allowing for a different storytelling and giving another perspective … of the world through women’s eyes. WOW 2011 aims to be a festival of discovery, celebration, debate, networking and an inspiration for new work.
Prizes and awards in each category of best film. New awards in 2011 for best director, best editor, best sound design, best music composition for eligible films as well as best writer & best cinematographer. These awards are for women in the Australian film industry.
DEADLINES:
Early Bird Entries: 15th July 2010
Regular: 15th September 2010
Late: 30th September 2010
For more information & to download Guidelines & Entry Forms go to website: www.wift.org/wow or enter via Withoutabox.
ENQUIRIEScontact Sil-Nyin : wowfilmfestival@wiftnsw.org.au or text / phone 0402246 601
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SCREENINGS – NATIONAL
***Russian Resurrection Film Festival
Sydney 19 August – 01 September
Melbourne 25 August – 05 September
Brisbane 01 September – 08 September
Perth 08 September – 15 September
Adelaide 09 September – 15 September
Canberra 15 September – 19 September
The 2010 Program features 17 new films, plus a World War II retrospective commemorating 65 years since the end of the War. Part of the War Retrospective will be timeless classics such as Tarkovsky's award winning Ivan's Childhood, Cannes Festival winner The Cranes are Flying and German's anti-war masterpieces. Let the Resurrection Continue!
http://www.russianresurrection.com/2010/
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NEW SOUTH WALES
***AFTRS Open Days (Sydney)
September 4th & 5th
Whether you are fresh out of high school, or just embarking on a screen arts
career, a freelancer or experienced practitioner, AFTRS - Australia¹s national screen arts and broadcast School - has options available for the acquisition of relevant and up-to-date training and learning in all facets of film, television and radio.
There are two options to study Editing at AFTRS in 2011: Graduate Certificate in Editing Drama OR Graduate Diploma in Editing. With information sessions, booths and Editing lecturers on hand to answer questions - AFTRS Open Days are a must for anyone who is considering a career in film TV or Radio. There will also be opportunities to get a feel for the state of the art facilities.
WHEN: Saturday September 4: 10am - 3pm & Sunday September 5: 10am - 3pm
WHERE: AFTRS (The Entertainment Quarter) 130 Bent Street Moore Park
Visit www.aftrs.edu.au/opendays for more information & directions
***2010 Sydney Underground Film Festival
September 9th - 11th
The Sydney Underground Film Festival is dedicated to nurturing an alternative film culture through the promotion of independent and experimental films. The festival seeks to support filmmakers who operate outside established film industry infrastructures, by providing a platform for exhibition, exposure and critical discussion.
http://www.suff.com.au/
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VICTORIA
***The 68th World Science Fiction Convention
September 2nd – 6th
The annual Worldcon brings together science fiction and fantasy professionals and fans from around the world. All forms of SF&F are represented - film, television, comics, costuming, gaming, and especially literature. Programming includes panel discussions, lectures, science demonstrations, films, readings, and autographing. This years convention will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Our Guests of Honour are Hugo-winning author Kim Stanley Robinson, award-winning Melbourne artist Shaun Tan, and dedicated fan Robin Johnson.
http://www.aussiecon4.org.au/
***Dark Star: Alain Delon
August 18th - September 8th
This season concentrates on the first 30 years of Delon’s career, taking in his breakthrough performance as the talismanic Ripley in Plein soleil, the crime genre peak of Melville’s extraordinary Le cercle rouge, the overt display of glassy beauty in Deray’s La piscine (where he appears with an equally gorgeous Schneider), his hardboiled, first directorial effort, Pour le peau d’un flic, & the late career highlight of Godard’s idiosyncratically revisionist Nouvelle vague.
http://www.melbournecinematheque.org/delon.html
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WESTERN AUSTRALIA
***Palace Opera & Ballet (HD & Surround Sound Screenings)
September 3rd – 5th
ROYAL BALLET - ONDINE - A hauntingly beautiful underwater world is brought to vivid life by The Royal Ballet in this 50th anniversary staging. Frederick Ashton's shimmering choreography, Lila de Nobili's impressionistic designs and Hans Werner Henze's specially commissioned, atmospheric score, memorably combine to evoke the many moods and colours of the sea.
SCREENING TIMES
FRIDAYS 11:30AM | SATURDAYS 11:30AM | SUNDAYS 1:00PM
For full schedule visit:
http://www.palaceoperaandballet.com.au/
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ACT
***The Canberra International Film Festival
The Canberra International Film Festival is a curated Festival – screening approximately 40 films from around the world each year.
We screen a mix of feature films and feature length documentaries.
If you have a film that is of a world-class standard that you would like to be considered for the festival please send a screener to our Artistic Director with some background information about yourself and the film.
Please note that we do not screen short films or documentaries less than an hour in length. For more information
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QLD
***Facing the Music - An Evening with Chris Fitchett
September 15th
Producer Chris Fitchett is currently completing A Heartbeat Away. This production featured not only a marching band but also a rock band, dancing and an Emmy award-winning theatre director directing her first feature film.
Shot over 6 weeks in Brisbane for just under $7 million, what were the biggest challenges the production faced? Chris will outline the development, casting, financing, production and release plans for this film.
http://www.screenqueensland.com.au/pftc/news/content.asp?pageid=758&top=&menuparent=741
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SA
***OzAsia On Screen
September 17th – October 2nd
The OzAsia Festival presents work by Australian artists that identify with an Asian heritage, stages collaborative work between Australian and Asian artists, and presents a cross section of traditional and contemporary cultures of Asia. http://www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/ozasia/
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ASE SUNDOWNERS:
Watch out for the details on Facebook and via email for the time and place of the next Sundowner.
And as always if you have any great pubs that you think we should visit we'd love to hear from you. Please send requests to:
newsletter@screeneditors.com
All the best and see you next time,
Melanie and Chris
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MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS:
***Members receive discounts to the Sydney and Melbourne film festivals, which are both coming up soon so check their websites for details.
***Palace Cinemas in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney are now offering ASE members $13.50 entry to any film, any session (not including festivals or special events) upon presentation of membership cards.
***Did you know ASE members get concession rate at Popcorn Taxi events? We do! So just remember to show your ASE members card.
***Online Membership Payment:
There’s never been an easier way to join or re-new your membership to the ASE! We are excited to announce our new online payment facility. You are now able to pay online with your credit card. If you would like to join the guild follow the link for Online Application Form: http://www.screeneditors.com/ase_membership/membership_application_form.htm.
Or if you are renewing your membership access to all the ASE benefits will be yours at the click of a button: https://www.screeneditors.com/membership/form.php
***Discounted AFI membership, check the link below for details
http://www.afi.org.au/AM/ContentManagerNet/ContentDisplay.aspx?ContentID=7014&Section=Guilds
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EDITING ON THE WEB:
Thought this might interest you...
Here’s a funny animation about editors.
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/6861167/
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
“Everybody tends to feel like "I made that movie," but it´s a collaborative [effort]. You do however get to sit in that room, at the crossroads, at the juncture where the magic is happening, the epicenter. And you´re flying the plane! You´re there where the alchemy is, you are the conjurer. And if you nail that sequence, and you wind up with movie magic or whatever, it´s the most exciting place to be. If it sticks, it belongs to the ages. And you get to do it and still remain a little anonymous. You don´t have to deal with the studio or actors or raising the money or a lot of the hassles or frustrations that go along with it; you´re protected. And if it turns out great, you can say, "It all went through these hands.”
Matt Chesse (Editor of Quantum of Solace, Finding Neverland, Monster's Ball)
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Until next time
The ASE Committee