Archive for June, 2007
Bazmark have issued a press release giving details of the progress of filming of Australia, excerpts of which read as follows:
Baz Luhrmann’s epic movie ‘Australia’ will arrive in the Top End after filming is completed in Bowen in Northern Queensland this week. Production commences on Stokes Hill wharf in Darwin on Monday 2nd July. After filming wraps in Darwin, the company’s planned move to Kununurra will be postponed due to the record-breaking unseasonably wet season. Instead, the production will return to Sydney where filming will resume on the sound stages at Fox Studios.
… In Darwin, the filming on Stokes Hill wharf will feature scenes with stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. The filming will include the arrival to Darwin of Kidman’s character, Lady Sarah Ashley, on a Qantas flying boat at the bustling wharf. Jackman will be featured in a scene that takes place in the aftermath of an attack by Japanese forces on the city as Australia enters the Second World War. These scenes will be edited together with footage already shot in Bowen and Darwin will come to life as the exotic port it was then and remains today.
… Once filming wraps in Darwin, the company will return to Sydney where filming will continue on the sound stages at Fox Studios. The production made the decision to postpone shooting originally scheduled for Kununurra and the surrounding area due to unseasonably bad weather in the region over the past weeks. The torrential rains slowed down the construction of sets and the waters blocked access to many crucial locations. Luhrmann insists that “the color palette and drama of the East Kimberley landscape during the dry is worth waiting for. Once the waters have subsided and our team can recommence work there, we look forward to returning to Kununurra to complete filming.”
Displaying visual confirmation (see left, click for larger image), The Sydney Morning Herald has shown readers an image of the Faraway Downs homestead set showing it to be completely flooded. It solidly confirms that filming in Western Australia has been delayed and will now take place from early August onwards to let the area ‘dry out’ after unseasonably heavy rains.
sources: Bazmark Film II, Sydney Morning Herald
June 29th, 2007
The last day of filming in Bowen was 27 June 2007. Despite the fact the production has now moved on, it has been confirmed that the town will keep some movie props, and tourism to the town is bound to continue. “Cr Brunker said the town would get to keep movie memorabilia such as the WWI cenotaph, all signage, and a police cell and prison. He said this would all be collected in a permanent display to remind the locals and visitors the time Bowen became Bowenwood.”
With regards to the hard work and long hours put in by all involved on location in Bowen Luhrmann has jokingly said, “The crew have been incredibly exhausted so last night I would like to go on record and just apologise to the local nightclubs (in Bowen) because I think there might have been just a little bit of loosy goosy and having a good time shall we say.”
The Tourism Bowen website has put up an excellent pdf Australia booklet for people to download, and photographer Cameron Laird has posted photos on his website of one of the last scenes to be filmed in the town.
Be warned - the caption underneath the photos of Lady Ashley on Cameron’s site contain plot spoilers!
sources: Townsville Bulletin, Tourism Bowen, Cameron Laird, tvnz.co.nz
June 27th, 2007
Employment Opportunities on Australia
Bazmark Film II Pty. Ltd. has recently been in touch with the Northern Territory Film Office (NTFO) in relation to opportunities for Territory Filmmakers during the Darwin shoot of Australia. Opportunities may be available in a number of different production departments.
To register your interest in working as an attachment on Australia please nominate the department you are interested in working in and send that along with a current CV to film.office@nt.gov.au by COB Monday 25th June 2007.
Please note applicants must be available for work from the 2nd to the 11th of July, with some departments possibly requiring an extended period of time.
Please note, this is not a call for extras. Extras casting occured at the beginning of July.
source: Northern Territory Film Office
June 20th, 2007
After visiting the set of Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald have put together a fantastic article, complete with images and multimedia. The article, Australia Dreaming on a Carpet of Fake Red Dust even provides us with our first glimpse of dialogue from the film,
In A darkened warehouse in a Queensland coastal town, the director Baz Luhrmann issues an unlikely instruction. “Can we have a little more sweat for Jack, please?” Given the baking heat, Jack Thompson, playing a sozzled accountant named Kipling Flynn, must be sweating heavily already in an improvised studio in Bowen. But details matter on a $US100-million (AU$120-million) film, so more sweat it is. Thompson is playing a scene opposite Nicole Kidman.
Luhrmann calls action:
Flynn: If King Carney’s good Christian wife ever makes the same discovery that you have, Fletcher’s hopes of marrying his daughter would be dashed.
Ashley: I’m going to the authorities. I’ll be telling them everything.
Flynn: Carney is the authority around here.
Accompanying multimedia:
‘On the Australia Set’ [download], is a slideshow featuring various images of Luhrmann, the sets and the shoot. Baz narrates throughout the slideshow about the making of the film.
The second slideshow is entitled ‘Behind the Scenes in Bowen’ [download] consists of images from around Bowen and various promotional photograps. The audio differs as it is voiced entirely by local residents talking about their brushes with fame during the shoot. It’s quite an endearing piece.
US producer Mac Brown, whose last film was The Departed, says the film also taps into the stolen generation story. “A woman from England comes to this far away land called Australia and discovers life,” he says. “It’s a big epic story that spans years, that has moments of history. People are born and people die. There’s a war.” And the script? “It makes you laugh and makes you cry and makes you cry again, and makes you cry again.”
Finally The Sydney Morning Herald take us on a tour around the make shift town. Read on to get descriptions of the Bowen film set.
On the balcony of the Territory Hotel, created for the film, Luhrmann tells the visiting federal Communications Minister, Helen Coonan, that Bowen has proved to be a good choice for 1930s Darwin despite being windy. “They call it Blowin’ Bowen,” he says. “But actually it’s been only a good thing because when the bad weather comes - at least it blows away very quickly.”
Touring the set, while a second unit films 150 cattle being driven into a yard, it’s obvious why Australia is costing so much. Designer Catherine Martin, who won two Oscars for Moulin Rouge, has created an entire town that is “a creative interpretation” of Darwin and Broome at the time. There are the stockyards of the Carney Cattle Company, run by a cattle baron played by Bryan Brown. The red dust is an illusion - it was mixed for camera tests in Sydney then shipped to the set.
The Territory Hotel looks like it could serve beer. It has a bar with a suggestive 1939 calendar, racing odds chalked on a blackboard, stuffed crocodiles in a cabinet, faded photos of horses and bulls, and signs saying “Kanga bitter”, “Stewed wallaby and vegies - 5 bob” and “No non-whites”. The locals would love to keep the pub as a tourist attraction but it is due to be bombed once the set changes to wartime Darwin. Already, an army tank is under green plastic nearby, military tents are being assembled and blue screens have been erected near the wharf so computer-generated warships can be added later.
Behind the pub is the Chinatown brothel, Faruk’s Palace of a Thousand Bees (using extras supplied by the local Chinese and Thai restaurants), Wu Fang’s laundry, corrugated iron humpies and a market garden. The colours are as lavish as the detailing is intricate: at the Star Soup Shop, there’s a half-eaten bowl of noodles, Chinese checkers and a Chinese newspaper on battered tables. The Sunshine Emporium offers hats on blocks, slippers, pans, bolts of cloth and lamps.
And the Pearl Picture Gardens is an open-air cinema with plaster kangaroos and posters for The Wizard of Oz and Let George Do It out front, packets of Fantales, Jaffas and Minties on display in the foyer and rows of deck chairs in front of a big screen. A sign says “no spitting”. The cinema has been used for a scene in which the wet arrives - drenching everyone - during a movie.
The film is a vast enterprise covering 6.5 hectares on the waterfront and involving this day almost 400 cast, crew and extras. Four weeks into filming, there are five months to go. Luhrmann, who is the same perpetually enthusiastic figure he was on the set of Moulin Rouge, is filming next in Darwin, Kununurra, then back in Sydney. “I never see him eat,” says Mac Brown. “I never see him sleep … he’s just moving forward always.”
source: Sydney Morning Herald
image: Peter Rae
June 10th, 2007
If you’re anything like us folk here at australiamovie.net you’re just as interested in the behind the scenes action as that which ends up in your cinema. We’ll here’s a bit of insight on Jon Templeton. “Who’s that?” you may ask. Well, read the following article from The Townsville Bulletin to find out…
Is that Hugh Jackman at the Bowen River Rodeo?
Not quite, but near enough is good (looking) enough as far as the ladies of Bowen are concerned.
Jon Templeton, who is Jackman’s riding double for Australia, is making the most of his stay in Bowen by competing in the Bowen River Rodeo.
“I’ll be in the open drafting,” Mr Templeton said.
“I used to work up here for a few years and used to go every year to Bowen River.”
Mr Templeton grew up in the Northern Territory and now trains horses in Kingaroy.
“I do campdraft horses, breaking-in and cutting,” he said.
That was before he got whisked away to the Hollywood glamour of movie making Bowen-style.
While Mr Templeton said he wasn’t allowed to discuss his involvement in the movie under strict confidentiality rules there’s no doubt he’s enjoying himself.
Even if his patchy beard does require a little bit of help from the make-up department to match Jackman’s lustrous facial growth.
And he’s not having to work too hard as Jackman has become a good horseman capable of doing a lot of the on-screen riding himself.
Mr Templeton steps in for scenes where it’s important the rider and horse hit particular marks set out by director Baz Luhrmann.
More than 3000 people are expected to camp out at the Bowen River Rodeo grounds for the long weekend. Organisers are also hoping cast and crew from Australia, who have the day off on Sunday, will drive out to see some real bush fun at the rodeo.
It has been rumoured in the town that the real Hugh Jackman is planning to go to the rodeo, which has been running for more than 120 years. Bowen River is about 110km west of Bowen and the rodeo ground is behind the Bowen River Hotel.
The rodeo starts today and runs til late on Sunday.
There will be bull riding, barrel racing, team roping, campdrafting, cutting and bush sports for kids. Entertainment will feature the Bowen River Idol from 7pm tonight and live music every night.
article: The Townsville Bulletin
images: cameronlaird.com, The Townsville Bulletin.
June 9th, 2007
On June 3rd Baz Luhrmann gave a speech in Bowen as part of a Queensland Day function. Baz talked about the movie itself, filming in the town, and took time to mingle with the locals.
One such local, ‘A_Bowen_Womun’, was lucky enough to meet and greet with Baz. From their brief conversation we’ve finally been given a little more insight as to why Hugh Jackman’s character (aka Drover With No Name-DWNN) is still without a name to the general public. “His character is called The Drover …he does have a real name, but it’s part of a twist.” Apparently Baz also added that this is just one of many twists which have not been publicised!
Images from the event have appeared on photographer Cameron Laird’s website featuring Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin and their adorable daughter Lillian. Also, the excellent Townsville Bulletin Bowenwood page has reported about the event, and features even more photos. The article details what Baz said, and it certainly appears that the town of Bowen has won him over! He also reveals that filming is currently a week behind schedule, but he hopes to wrap the Bowen shoot in a month. Baz confirmed that they will then head to Darwin and Kununurra, then back to Sydney toward the end of the year.
For more up to the minute, behind the scenes and inside information, visit our Australia discussion forum and join in!
sources: townsville bulletin, A_Bowen_Womun
images: cameronlaird.com
June 8th, 2007
We’ve had so many requests for information regarding how to become an extra for the scenes being shot in the Northern Territory during July of 2007, finally some news in the form of a ‘want ad’ from NT News.
Baz Luhrmann’s film will be shooting in DARWIN in July 2007.
We’re looking for LOCALS OF ALL NATIONALITIES Caucasian Background, Indigenous Background, Asian Background, Armed Forces types. MALES AND FEMALES, All ages (Over 16) No experience required, no lines to learn. If you’re interested in being a PAID EXTRA all you need is ENTHUSIASM and RELIABILITY.
Casting will Take Place at: Corner of Daly & Mitchell Streets, Darwin City.
When: On June 2nd and 5th
sources: davidbaggsfilms, NT News
June 3rd, 2007
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Displaying visual confirmation (see left, click for larger image), The Sydney Morning Herald has shown readers an image of the Faraway Downs homestead set showing it to be completely flooded. It solidly confirms that filming in Western Australia has been delayed and will now take place from early August onwards to let the area ‘dry out’ after unseasonably heavy rains.