Screen Australia Podcast

Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason looks at the record-breaking numbers in the 2020/21 Drama Report, before executive producers Andrea Denholm of ABC series Fires and Catherine Nebauer from International Emmy-award winning kids’ TV series Hardball and Paramount+ TV drama Spreadsheet give their insights into what production has been like on the ground. For more info, click here: https://bit.ly/3owNuun

Australian director of photography Greig Fraser ACS, ASC, talks about working on the epic new feature Dune, including collaborating with director Denis Villeneuve, shooting on IMAX, the switch from his Emmy-award winning work on The Mandalorian to a new sci-fi world, and how his lighting approach on Australian features Lion and Mary Magdalene helped with filming some of those big desert sequences in Dune.

Australian cinematographer Ari Wegner ACS talks about working with director Jane Campion on The Power of the Dog including spending a year in pre, shooting New Zealand as 1920s Montana, and what it was like switching to a handheld camera style for some scenes with the always-in-character Benedict Cumberbatch.

Nakkiah Lui on getting her start in the screen industry on Black Comedy, writing for stage and screen, staying on track during long development periods, and how a very real fascination with doomsday prepping led to co-creating, co-writing and starring in the new ABC half hour comedy Preppers.

For her first feature documentary Under the Volcano, Australian producer Cody Greenwood needed to licence music for 30 songs from the likes of Elton John, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, The Police, Duran Duran and more. She breaks down the ins and outs of music licencing and dealing with archival footage, as well as getting that first interview with Sting, working with director Gracie Otto, and advice. Visit https://www.underthevolcanomovie.com to stream, rent, or buy.

Screen composer Caitlin Yeo talks about her career writing music for film, television and documentary, and how she went about creating the score for the epic four-part SBS series New Gold Mountain – a murder mystery set in the Australian gold rush and told from a Chinese perspective – including working with director Corrie Chen, instrument choice, and breaking down the title music in detail.

Journalist, documentary-maker and presenter Marc Fennell talks about his latest work hosting ABC documentary series The School That Tried to End Racism and more broadly about his career to date, including interviewing techniques, his approach to research, why he always like to have at least two jobs on the go, and how he’s navigated a constantly changing media and screen landscape.

Screenwriter Bevan Lee, who created such TV series as All Saints, Always Greener, Winners & Losers, A Place to Call Home and Packed to the Rafters, talks about creating Amazon Australia’s First Scripted Original Series Back to the Rafters, working with streamers, the power of nostalgia, and his advice for writers.

Screenwriter Jon Bell discusses working on new Channel Seven drama series RFDS, creating a strong sense of place through characters, and his award-winning First Nations psychological horror short, The Moogai, which he wrote and directed and which he’s developing into a feature with Causeway Films.

Michael Lucas on creating, producing and writing on new ABC series The Newsreader, as well as working as a writer more broadly, including learnings from script editing Rosehaven that he took to co-creating Five Bedrooms; paying it forward as a producer; returning to work with directors such as Peter Templeman and Emma Freeman; and advice for writers wanting to break into the industry.

Mithila Gupta talks about her pathway to screenwriting, her process, juggling projects as a freelance writer, how she came to work on Five Bedrooms, and how the writers’ room on Five Bedrooms works – from plotting to writing episodes.

Director Stevie Cruz-Martin discusses moving from features like the 2017 film Pulse, to the fast-paced world of Australian television with the 6 x 10 minute SBS series The Tailings; the importance of rehearsal time especially when working with first-time actors; lighting set-up choices to maximise shooting time; and her collaborative approach with producer Liz Doran, writer and creator Caitlin Richardson, and the rest of the heads of department. Watch The Tailings Behind the Scenes video here.

Love on the Spectrum director and co-creator Cian O’Clery talks about his unconventional road to documentary making, from being a driver on films like the Matrix sequels, to finding his way into reality television, and then getting his big break in factual TV with Northern Pictures. He also breaks down his approach to Love on the Spectrum, including stylistic choices, how many cameras were used, shooting schedules and more.

Vanessa Gazy talks about how the chance to create, executive produce and write on new Stan Original series Eden came about; having four days to write a bible; developing TV for Netflix; the differences in creating TV for the US and Australia; as well as her advice for anyone going into a pitch meeting.

Producers Hayley Adams and Michelle Melky of new TikTok series Scattered run through everything you need to know about making content for the app, from working in a vertical frame, to writing one-minute episodes, how music on the app works, and why they think it's the perfect platform if you're an emerging storyteller.

Netflix ANZ’s Que Minh Luu and Nakul Legha talk to their programming strategy for both commissions and licencing, things to keep in mind before pitching, and what they are and aren’t looking for. The pair also detail their upcoming slate and address the controversy around upcoming docusoap Byron Baes.

To mark the 20th anniversary of Moulin Rouge!, writer, director and producer Baz Luhrmann and production and costume designer Catherine Martin look back on making the movie musical – remembering the Sydney shoot, their proudest moments, the audience reaction at Cannes Film Festival and around the globe, as well as their thoughts on the stage show opening in Australia two decades after the film premiered.

Lingo Pictures General Manager Tess Novak, Arenamedia founder Robert Connolly and Screen Australia Marketplace Manager Rakel Tansley break down Marketplace - the free industry resource to help finance and exploit projects, and make sure screen creatives are getting the best deals. Available to anyone – whether you have received funding or not. Podcast – Finance Plans Explained Podcast – Distribution 101 Best Practice When Selling Rights

Screenwriter Liz Doran of Please Like Me, Doctor Doctor, Dance Academy, Ready for This and more talks about the challenges of jumping from writing to producing for new SBS series The Tailings. Liz also talks to the power of mentorships, her advice for applying for funding and her tips for producers and writers. Watch all episodes of The Tailings on SBS On Demand now: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/the-tailings Find Liz’s projects and where to watch them through The Screen Guide: https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/p/liz-doran/5806/

Wakefield showrunners Kristen Dunphy and Sam Meikle talk through the challenges of making the complex eight-part psychological mystery, as well as how music influences their writing, working with directors Jocelyn Moorhouse and Kim Mordaunt, and the stresses and silver linings of having a project shut down by COVID-19. Watch all episodes of Wakefield on ABC iview from 2 April, or on ABC TV from 18 April. Subscribe to the Screen Australia newsletter: https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/subscribe