Last month, AFTRS welcomed the Australian Directors Guild Deep Dive into The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart. The all-day conference immersed participants in the intricate world of the Australian screen production based on the book of the same title by Holly Ringland.
The six panels presented a holistic approach to production with visual treatments, manifestos, process journals and other behind-the-scenes material presented by some of Australia’s most exciting screen storytellers, with director Glendyn Ivin, producer Jodi Matterson, writer Sarah Lambert, cinematographer Sam Chiplin, production designer and AFTRS alumna Melinda Doring, costume designer Joanna Mae Park and editors Deb Peart and Dany Cooper, explaining how their creative visions interweave into a powerful world and narrative on screen.
The in-depth conversations were moderated by acclaimed directors Rowan Woods (ADG President), Jennifer Peedom, Pearl Tan (AFTRS Discipline Lead – Directing), Taylor Ferguson and Mirrah Foulkes.
This opportunity to accelerate learning was welcomed by AFTRS students, who shared some of their main takeaways with us. Lindsay McDonald, Andy Diep and Flore Vallery-Radot emphasise the importance of trust and the enriching experience of being part of a creative community. Here are their highlights:
Lindsay McDonald (Master of Arts Screen: Directing)
– The way you run a set has to come from a truth in you. The energy on set is palpable and will infect and inspire everyone around. So, if you are in a position such as a head of department, or running the show for the day (director, AD, producer etc.) your attitudes have a flow on effect. Staying true to yourself and the way you work will be the most trustworthy and organic way to run the set.
– Glendyn Ivin had a mantra: “The most important thing, is the thing happening right now”. This helps ground everything that everyone was doing in the present moment. Staying present solves present problems. Once on set, don’t try and be in a million places at once. Be where you are.
– Plant the seeds for little extra gems early in the pre-prod process. If you have an idea for something that may not be on the page, start seeding it early so when an opportunity comes up on set it can be taken advantage of, rather than be a nasty or unwelcome surprise.
– Choose who you work with because of their heart, not their CV. You are going to be going through a lot with your team. People pick up new skills and grow through the creative process, so work with people that you align with on a more personable level to make the process as smooth, enjoyable, rigorous and challenging (in a good way) as possible!
– TRUST. Trust came up in every single panel discussion. Trust between HOD’s, departments, colleagues, everyone. It’s a space of creative problem solving and building a space of trust and respect will prove fortuitous in every step of the process.
Andy Diep (Master of Arts Screen: Directing)
– Learning about compromise, being open to changes and working with whatever an actor brings on the day will give them a version of what you wanted. Glendyn spoke about embracing and being open to what an actor brings onto the set each day and not being tied to a specific idea of how a scene can be approached. This includes locations and embracing difficult locations (he used an example in which there was a highway nearby, and instead of trying to avoid the sound, he embraced the moving of the trucks as part of the scene). He expanded by explaining that much of Lost Flowers of Alice Heart was built around the idea of being “open” to changes and to the mood of the actors.
– Instil trust with an actor: eating breakfast, lunch or dinner. Food is often related to intimacy. You eat food with people you are intimate with or that you want to spend time with. By spending these small moments that you have with actors, this subconsciously creates a connection or a feeling of intimacy with your actors.
– Practice the search: the act of always carrying a camera and looking for shots. Glendyn championed the idea of shooting as much as you can, even as you’re travelling to and from the set (a time when you see amazing things). Glendyn expanded on this by sharing two stories, one of how he shot much of the fire sequences with a splinter unit of himself and his DoP and another story involving Grieg Fraiser on the set of “The Batman”, going solo and shooting B-Roll as though they were on a short film.
– Glendyn’s approach to the camera test and setting the tone of the film with the composer is key. As such, Glendyn went with his production designer, DoP and lead actor and shot a “mood reel” in the place of a camera test and asked for the composer to write music to it. The result is a visual artefact that he shared around to every department member on set, a communicative piece which told everyone exactly what kind of show they were making.
– Embracing the point of view of a ghost. Much of the Lost Flowers of Alice Heart takes place from the point of view of a ghost. This then begs the questions: when would a ghost be up close and when would they give them room? When do they step in to wipe a tear and when do they interfere?
Flore Vallery-Radot (Master of Arts Screen: Documentary)
– Having so many key members of a screen project and film crew in one room, ready to share their experience working together is an absolute luxury and a form of accelerated learning. I would love to attend any such events in the future.
– Being let in the secrecy of a project’s genesis was very insightful. When does the idea starts? Who brings it to who? Why are the members of the crew chosen and by who? The discussions between screen writer Sarah Lambert and producer Jodi Matterson to bring the project to life was very interesting.
– From Holly Ringland’s book to the finished 7h TV series, all the key steps were explained by the key HODs. What was especially insightful was the unusual methods used by director Glendyn Ivin such as going on a rogue shoot on a Saturday morning, with 5 crew members, only to film a cane field controlled fire; or starting the project with the music created by a pianist seen on YouTube who is not a film composer; or refusing to share a shot list or story board; and finally spending hours to film a scene that’s not in the script on a gut feeling that curtains blowing in the wind will be key to the series. The way Glendyn Ivin managed to preserve pockets of freedom in a very constructed process was a revelation.
– Learning the steps taken by screenwriter Sarah Lambert to reconstruct the architecture of a novel, keeping the pace more cinema like than TV like, was fascinating. How each HOD took from that very detailed script to create the universe of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart while inserting their own touch was an example of a dream collaboration.
– The generosity of all speakers, interviewees and interviewers alike, was exceptional.
This unique opportunity to gain insights into the making of a screen production from inception to completion and learn from the Head of Departments about the creative collaboration required to propel production forward was a generous celebration of the collaborative spirit that drives the screen industry.