My name is Chad Peacock and I started tinkering with film making in the nineties when I was 12 making really bad short action films with the family camcorder. Making videos/films has been a part of my life in one way or another ever since and has taken me to some really interesting places all around the world.

I currently teach high school media studies and find it a challenging yet inspiring job (plus I get to live vicariously through my students who have been finalists and winners in the WASA’s in the last few years!). My most important job though is being a Dad to three young girls, and it is really them who got me back into making short films again.

All the techniques I had been messing around with in our family videos came in pretty handy for the last few jobs I have done – the most notable being the ‘Creepy’ job.

What was the brief for the ‘Creepy’ vid and how did you approach it?

There was no real brief except to capture the three main phases of production of the biggest section of the artwork. The film only documents 14m of a 45m job – the final piece is really going to be amazing and will be installed at Murdoch University in the next few weeks.

I basically filmed a few hours each day for four or five days and set up another camera shooting time-lapse as Kyle (AKA Creepy) worked throughout the day. I had been experimenting with shooting on DSLR’s for about a year prior and had a pretty good grasp on what did and didn’t work – luckily this particular subject really suited this type of film making which does have it’s limitations.

In terms of gear though it was really pretty simple. I shot 90% of the video stuff on the Panasonic GH1 using a variety of cheap lenses (Nikon e series 28mm and a $40 eBay security camera lens that was really fast and great in low light).

Out of all the DSLR’s I love the fact the GH1 has a flip out screen to do the low and high angles – the Canon’s are currently pretty limited in this regard and I just used the 7D to shoot the time lapse stuff (tracking done in post) and the tracking shots at the end of the video.

The dolly shots were done on a ‘wally dolly’ and also on a ‘glidetrack’, which is a really simple but innovative piece of kit that I borrowed for the shoot. In terms of music we were stoked to get ‘Explosions in the Sky’ onboard as I am a really big fan of their work on the film ‘Friday Night Lights’.

It was a really enjoyable experience and everyone is happy with the final product, which is always nice.

What’s the story with the HK Airport vid? What was the hack?

I was traveling to Canada for a family wedding and had a 12 hour stop over in Hong Kong. I thought it would be fun to test out my little DSLR camera with limited gear in a confined space. I spent a few hours shooting, using things like the airport trolleys for my tracking shots and then edited the piece on my flight to Vancouver.

I found out later on my way back home that the airport is way bigger than I had thought and I could have shot a whole lot more interesting stuff but it turned out OK anyway. I enjoy the challenge of using limited equipment – I’m a strong believer in using constraints to foster creativity.

In terms of the hack that is a firmware update this guy has released to increase the capture bit rate on the Panasonic GH1. It is a really interesting time for filmmaking in terms of new these DSLR’s with a lot of people pushing the technology to it’s limits and getting some pretty cinematic looking results.

What are you working on at the mo?
I will be doing a really short promo piece for Kyle (Creepy) at his upcoming gallery show at Turner galleries, a corporate job promoting Perth to overseas education institutions/students, and later in the year I will be heading to Zambia to shoot a documentary with our School which I am really looking forward to.

Where can we find you (online or off)?

Online I can be found at Vimeo, musically at Sundaysaway.com, and the Zambia doco will be landing on swanmissions.com early 2011.

Offline I can be found playing in parks around our great city with my kids (and occasionally you will find me playing in dingy pubs with my mates in Sundays Away).

bell tower photo c/o flickr user timparkinson

Perth Indy Features Keep Falling On My Head
I guess that means my eyes will soon be turning red.
Watching them’s for me
‘Cause I’m never gonna stop the rain of features by complainin’
Because they’re made for free
Nothings paid in the way of fee’s

[trumpet]

Yep, it’s raining outside but that hasn’t put the damp on the flood of features that will be pouring out this year from Wet Australia.

Below is a sure-to-be-incomplete list of West Aussie indy features that are in the works.

Drop a comment here or on Facebook if something has been missed.

Playthings – Will we see it by year end, Wade? Contributor to Brains? Wade K. Savage* has his feature PLAYTHINGS rolling along nicely.

The Near Death Experience – Kane George Jason* is getting his feature TNDE up and running with a 2011 release goal.

Gemini – Burliegh Smith has a rom com feature in the works, aiming for a early 2011 release.

House of Blue – Kenta McGrath‘s feature length doc has been completed and LBP has a feature in pre-production.

Redback – Loren Johnson’s feature length thriller wrapped last week. Expecting more soon.

Esoterica – Nakatomi Pictures have completed production on their feature.

Congoro – Matt Z’s feature, finished, but not.

*Phil Jeng Kane is another of the three name film guys in this city. Does the K in Wade K., stand for Kane? Remind me to ask him.

Who are you?
Simon Jones, I’m a zombie, which isn’t as bad as it might sound. Sure you have flies to deal with in summer, but if I fall apart doing some neat trick, I can slap my arm or leg or head back on and get back on the skateboard, or bike…

What do you do?
Well I’m Kinda the the guy at School who does all the cool daring stuff, but mostly I’m a student, at Gate Street High, my school.
I’m in Year 9 High school and I hang out with my friends Gloria, Julius and Vincent.

What have you done?
Not a lot yet. I don’t remember anything before waking up as a zombie, but that’s okay, I’m happy as I am, and since Mum is a zombie too, whatever happened, I think I was with her.

What are you going to do?
I’d like to come up with the most awesome sport that somehow combines a big empty round swimming pool, skateboards and a hoop, I’d call it ‘Skate-ball’ or something, hopefully I can be picked up in a national team, or I could run my own league or something. Awesome.
I’d like to use the Fame from that to become an action star in movies.

Where can we find you?
Dunbarton, usually at home, or at school, or on Facebook, I don’t have a computer of my own so I go to my friend Julius’ house. The coolest place to go is Vincent’s Dad’s underground lab, so much cool stuff.

Any last words?
Live fast, because you can always stitch yourself back together and pull yourself up by your Tendons

Who are you?
Matt Zappala

What do you do?
Act. Write. Edit. Direct.

What have you done?
I am a partner in the creation of a feature film, working title called “Congoro”. It’s a Action/Comedy about three screenwriters that are trying to write something brilliant in two days and as they come up with concepts the audience is visually shown how it all plays out. We made the film originally as a bit of fun and to see if we could make a “no budget” feature and have it look as hollywood and as commercially acceptable as possible with what was available to us at the time. I acted, Co-wrote and Co-produced that one with Daniel Parry.

Since the finish of Congoro we have had opportunities to sell the film and/or develop it further into a much larger project which is what Dan and I are currently doing, developing it further. With Congoro we had to write the script with very limited resources at hand and a very limited time frame. Now we have the opportunity to make the movie we always wanted too and by golly goshtown we’re going to do just that and film it too. I’ve co-written two feature scripts, three if you include Congoro, while also working on a script of my own.

I’ve worked on a few short films as Writer, Editor and actor such as “Tijuana Sunset” . For me, TJ was something I’ve wanted to do since I started doing this stuff. Grab some guns, go out somewhere, and just shoot the shit out of anything and film it in the coolest way possible. Gotta thank Bender for that one .

I also just wrapped on my first directorial piece. A short film called “Surfaced” starring a very talented and equally sexy Matt Elverd and a crew that if I went without I would not have such good looking footage and happy memories.

What are you going to do?
I am going to continue development of the script I’m co-writing with Dan until it gets made. At the same time I am going to continue working on my own feature film script and develop my skills more as a director with another short film or two before doing something…Bigger.

The short film “Surfaced” was basically a venture to see if I was able to handle directing and I feel that it was a very successful venture and something I very much want to continue doing. I have a goal to achieve over the next two years and one way or another I will achieve it.

I’m also thinking of doing a Zumba class.

Where can we find you?
I troll a lot so you can find me on facebook or you can hit me up at my hotmail mattzappala@hotmail.com

Alternatively you can get a massive 30k spotlight, assemble together a “Z” and point it into the night sky.

Any last words?
Not yet, I’m only getting started

If you are yet to see any of Burleigh’s stuff, be sure to watch the YouTube embed below, then read the interview, then join in the enthusiasm.

“What do you do?

Write, direct and act!

Screenwriting is my favourite part of the process and is where I am most creative.

To me, directing and acting is routine. I have a very simplistic visual style. I’m happy just to set the camera up on a tripod and cover the scene in one or two shots.

I really don’t like fancy camerawork and fast-paced editing. It doesn’t really serve my stories and it draws out the post production process. I edit my own work too. I don’t enjoy it but I’m too precious to let anyone else cut my work.

I rarely seek input from others in terms of screenplay. I know the stories I wish to tell and the most effective ways in which to do so. I ought to – I’ve spent my life watching thousands of films from all over the world.

I’ve worked with some of Perth’s top directors of photography and am always willing to receive input from them in terms of shots.

To me, acting’s really about delivering lines in the most naturalistic, understated manner possible. I work with actors who don’t really need directing. Sarah Louella and Ben Young are both excellent.

What are you doing next?

I’m writing and shooting my first feature later this year. It’s titled “Gemini” and it’s a romantic comedy where I play a man with bipolar disorder.

Can you describe your writing/pre-prod process?

I think about my various screenplays constantly and I am forever writing down ideas on scraps of paper and putting them into folders. When the ideas are developed, I sit down and write.

The folder for “Gemini”, my feature, is packed with hundreds of notes that I’ve amassed in the past eighteen months. I never suffer writer’s block because I only write when I’m ready. It usually only takes a couple of weeks for me to write a short and three or four months to write a feature. And I usually only write the one draft.

Preproduction is just organising. Not much fun. Organising a cast and crew, locations, costumes and props. Getting permission, hiring equipment, dealing with last-minute dramas. Fun and games.

I often work with the same group of people. Mat de Koning is a close collaborator, Greg Higgs, Brendan Dee and Laetitia Belen are often involved too because they’re good. So many others have let me down in the past and so I can never entrust them again!

I’ve shot on a variety of formats, including 8mm, 16mm, SD and HD. Will probably be shooting my feature on RED. But to me, the camera is just a tool. It’s the story that matters most.

I’m hoping to screen my feature at the Perth International Arts Festival in 2011.

Perth….are we all doomed to boil to death here?

I love Perth and don’t have many complaints. If I did, I’d move elsewhere. I’d love to see sensible allocation of government film funds but that’s too much to hope for.

There are some interesting young filmmakers in this state. I’m expecting big things in the future from de Koning, Templeman, Hilditch, Webb, Jack, Young, Inglis and McCann, to name a few.

Brains? once called WAPAA to try to source some talent for a little production, only to be told that they didn’t encourage their students to work with amateur, um, amateurs.

So here is a quick list of places where talent may be found. Especially if you’re just starting out, whether they will work with you, I don’t know, yeah, probably, they won’t. If you know of some other well-springs of dramatic talent, drop a comment. In descending order…..

WAAPA – Perth’s basically an Appalachian Mountain so it shouldn’t be too hard to find someone’s mother’s brother to hook you up.

Stargate Actors Academy - I emailed them but got no response. (This happens all the time, do they think we’re ACA here or some shit?) They work with Murdoch students though, according to the site though.

Perth Actors Collective(PAC) – Haven’t been in touch with these folks yet, but from reading around, seems like a decent bet.

FTI Forums – This here is probably the ticket to the place with the cure to what ails ya.