Pictures by Brad Hunter, The Daily Telegraph
Welcome to Sydney on Screen, the ultimate blog on Sydney's film world!
Sydney on Screen walking guides now on sale!
New city slum created for The Great Gatsby in Sydney is magnificent
In costume ... Tobey Maguire on set of The Great Gatsby / Pic: Brad Hunter Source: The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph’s Joel Christie reports
In a major day of filming of The Great Gatsby yesterday, cast and crew worked through the rain on an elaborate set built on the grounds of Rozelle's abandoned White Bay power station, which has been recreated to resemble a barren wasteland on the fringes of 1920s New York.
The backdrop - realised through the sketches of production designer Catherine Martin, the wife of director Baz Luhrmann - has come out of the film's $88 million production budget.
It's a setting Great Gatsby author F. Scott Fitzgerald called Valley of the Ashes in his 1925 literary classic.
In his novel he described the Valley of the Ashes as a "a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens".
It's also the place where Isla Fisher’s character, Myrtle Wilson, is killed.
Being shot in 3D, the movie is expected to inject more than $120 million into the NSW economy over the fourth-month shoot.
A total 1300 people will work on the film, including 275 full-time crew and 150 in post-production. Extras, assistants, engineers, carpenters, drivers and caterers will all play essential roles.
Luhrmann has a lot riding on the controversial Great Gatsby adaption following the critical panning of his last film Australia in 2008.
The release date he has set for Gatsby - Boxing Day 2012 - suggests a scale that is nothing short of blockbuster.
Boxing Day is traditionally reserved for highly-anticipated instalments of Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter, and last year featured box office smashes The King's Speech and The Social Network.
The timing of course also allows the film to compete in the Oscars race.
Industry observers have also questioned shooting the flick in expensive and problematic 3D technology.
But Aussie actor Joel Edgerton - who plays abusive know-it-all Tom Buchanan - defended Luhrmann's decision, saying the effect will be more about feeling immersed in the roaring 20s and the rich sets rather than experiencing an Avatar-style pop-out.
It's understood the Rozelle set will only be standing for about a week before being torn down.
While most of the movie is being shot inside the lots at Fox Studios, the main set that is yet to be seen is the mansion of mysterious millionaire, Jay Gatsby, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.
The house is pivotal to the plot as the venue for the wild, rollicking parties that defined America at that time - a place of post World War I prosperity and excess.
Sassy Susan Boyle is coming to Australia
Scottish singer Susan Boyle...is coming to Australia. Picture: Sony Music Source: Supplied
Kathy McCabe, Music Editor of The Daily Telegraph, reports
SUPERSTAR singer Susan Boyle will visit Australia for the first time next month to launch her new record Someone To Watch Over Me.
The shy yet sassy Boyle, a Scottish villager who captured the world's attention with her rendition of I Dreamed A Dream on Britain's Got Talent two years ago will perform in Sydney during a whirlwind promotional tour from November 7.
"I'll have a wee cuddle of a koala if I can," she said.
"Coming to Australia will be really exciting. I feel like a wee lassie in a sweetie shop."
SuBo, as she has been affectionately nicknamed, struggled with her overnight success and the rigours of promoting her talent around the world, cancelling her first Australian trip last year due to exhaustion.
She said she now felt more confident and less overwhelmed by her instant fame.
"Susan Boyle the performer now is more confident and mature," she said.
"I was inexperienced when I began - they feel like two very different personas.
"I think the song on the new album This Will Be The Year reflects that - I will show them how I've grown from a wee scared girl to a fully fledged performer."
Having sold 14 million copies of her first two records in just 14 months, Boyle is set to knock Adele off the top of the charts worldwide with her third album Someone To Watch Over Me.
It shows a more adventurous side of the 50-year-old vocalist as she tackles alternative pop hits including Depeche Mode's Enjoy The Silence and Tears For Fears' Mad World.
"They are away from the normal ballpark and I thought I would try something a bit more revealing, if you like," she said.
Her emotionally charged version of Unchained Melody, which last rocketed up the charts thanks to the movie Ghost, already has both critics and her fans raving.
"It's a very powerful song and you really have to look at your own life to reflect that back into the song. You have to feel it," she said.
Despite her newfound fame and fortune allowing her to buy a "posh house" in her Scottish village of Blackburn, Boyle remains living in the home she grew up in.
Her ambitions outside of singing are to learn the piano and to ride horses.
"Singing is my sanctuary; it's a different world, my bubble where no one can harm me," she said.
Boyle, who hopes to reunite with extended family here, said she is also looking forward to meeting the fans whose letters and emails have proven inspirational in choosing the songs for her new record, which is released on November 4.
She will perform on television on Today and The X Factor during her visit.
Rebecca Gibney gets trim at her own pace
Bigger ... Rebecca Gibney as Shirley Moochmore. Source: The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph reports
HAVING piled on the weight earlier this year for her star turn in PJ Hogan's new film Mental, Rebecca Gibney is now faced with the rather unenviable task of losing it all.
Gibney planned to add 20kg for her role but in the end only managed half of that, finally adding another 9kg to her size 10 frame and pulling on a fat suit to achieve the transformation.
But when you’re 47, it's never going to be a simple matter of giving up the high-carb foods and ice-cream you adored while preparing for the role.
And so this week the Packed To The Rafters star was down at the beach with her husband Richard Bell and son Zach getting some exercise and giving us a glimpse at how the weight loss is going.
"It's going gradually," said a source, adding that that was, after all, the healthy way to lose weight.
Aussie actor Eric Bana to play Elvis Presley in "Elvis & Nixon"
Michelle Castillo, CBS News, reports
(CBS) An unlikely meeting between Elvis and Nixon is going to get the movie treatment, and Eric Bana going to play the King, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
In addition to starring in Elvis & Nixon, the Hollywood Reporter said that Bana will also act as executive producer through his company, Pick Up Truck Pictures. This is the first U.S. production for Bana's company.
The movie revolves around the Dec. 21, 1970 meeting between Presley and Nixon. Presley had requested a meeting with the former president through a six-page letter, in which he asked to become a "Federal Agent-at-Large" in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. The musician presented Nixon with family photos and a Colt 45 pistol during the meeting.
Danny Huston is in talks to play Nixon, the Hollywood Reporter added.
The film marks the first directorial effort from Cary Elwes, best known for his starring role in The Princess Bride. Elwes will next be seen in The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn. Variety said Elwes was fascinated by how this unlikely meeting was able to take place, and decided to make it the subject of his first film. Elwes also wrote the screenplay along with Joey Sagal and Hanala Sagal.
(CBS) An unlikely meeting between Elvis and Nixon is going to get the movie treatment, and Eric Bana going to play the King, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
In addition to starring in Elvis & Nixon, the Hollywood Reporter said that Bana will also act as executive producer through his company, Pick Up Truck Pictures. This is the first U.S. production for Bana's company.
The movie revolves around the Dec. 21, 1970 meeting between Presley and Nixon. Presley had requested a meeting with the former president through a six-page letter, in which he asked to become a "Federal Agent-at-Large" in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. The musician presented Nixon with family photos and a Colt 45 pistol during the meeting.
Danny Huston is in talks to play Nixon, the Hollywood Reporter added.
The film marks the first directorial effort from Cary Elwes, best known for his starring role in The Princess Bride. Elwes will next be seen in The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn. Variety said Elwes was fascinated by how this unlikely meeting was able to take place, and decided to make it the subject of his first film. Elwes also wrote the screenplay along with Joey Sagal and Hanala Sagal.
Aussiewood: our guide to Australia’s film studios
A Few Best Men starring Olivia Newton-John was shot at Fox Studios in early 2011
Excerpt of a report by Georgina Pearson on the Encore Magazine website
Sydney
As Australia’s largest production facility, Sydney’s Fox Studios is spread over a 32-acre site with 155,000m2 of sound stages (eight) supported by 35,000m2 of offices and133,000m2 of workshops, construction space and art departments.
Nancy Romano, chief executive of Fox Studios told Encore that for Fox, it’s all about bringing in the big productions.
“We have three of the largest sound stages in the southern hemisphere and hence, we really lend ourselves to features that have large sets. For instance currently we are shooting The Great Gatsby and in the past have shot features such as The Matrix Trilogy, Mission Impossible II, Moulin Rouge, Australia and Wolverine.”
However, where the studio really shines is in its wider cinematic scope – Housing over 50 television and film related businesses, the studio is also neighbouring (AFTRS), the Australian Film, Television and Radio School and the Brent Street Dance School – which Romano sees as a point of difference – positioning Fox as a truly creative campus.
Romano also told Encore that its lighting department is one of a kind.
“We are the only studio that offers our industry a “one stop shop” – particularly since we recently launched “Fox Lighting” which, in itself, gives us a competitive advantage as we are now Australia’s largest studio and leading supplier of lighting equipment.”
Alongside the big budget films, Fox has been home to massive domestic TV productions such as Australian Idol and the X Factor, and is presently filming
Good News World, Celebrity Apprentice and Kitchen Whiz.
When touting for new productions Romano said it is important to use incentives that will benefit the local industry.
“We use everything at our disposal as we understand the benefits to NSW and the local industry – this includes both federal incentives and state incentives.”
With such a huge complex to fill, it would seem that Fox must sit empty for half the year in between big shoots. Romano explains that while recent dollar strength has found international productions slightly lacking, the complex is almost always buzzing.
“There are many factors which determine when and if productions come to Australia. Currently the lack of international productions is predominantly due to our rising dollar coupled with a Location Offset that is not competitive enough with other countries and certain US states, which makes life a real challenge to keep the studio busy all of the time. And Fox Studios Australia is never really completely empty. Whether it’s a feature, a television production, commercials, music videos, a fashion show or a launch, there is always something happening.”
Crowe shooting fight scenes for Superman
From the Bigpondnews website
Russell Crowe has spent 'umpteen hours' filming fight scenes for 'Superman: Man of Steel'.
The 47-year-old actor plays Jor-El in the upcoming superhero movie - which stars Henry Cavill in the title role - has been training hard for the film and has revealed the action scenes with Michael Shannon, who plays General Zod, are taking days to complete.
He tweeted: '15km bike ride, umpteen hours fighting Michael Shannon. He's very hard to put down. Hard to tell who wins, we are still fighting tomorrow.'
Russell plays Superman's father in the movie and jokingly admits his prowess in the movie is limited.
He lamented: 'Alas, I'm no superhero. Just related to one ... I'm trying to save a planet here.'
The actor is known for his fluctuating weight but it seems he is taking training for the movie incredibly seriously, revealing he has given up drinking as part of a diet plan
He tweeted: 'I'm not drinking beer at the moment, going gluten free. (sic)'
Discussing his exercise regime, he added: 'Grouse Grind 1hr18 mins, slow steady, spectacular walk + 50 mins stroll downtown. Vancouver's a different kind of girl on a sunny day.
'1 hr 45 min mix of trad weights/body movement and body movement with weighted objects. (sic)'
Screen Australia announces feature production expenditure dropped in 2010-11
From the Encore Magazine website
Australia saw a 33 per cent drop in drama production expenditure in 2010-11 from the previous financial year.
A report by Screen Australia that makes the announcement, and looks at both film and TV.
Australian feature production sat at 18 per cent ($89m) with 17 features made in 2010-11. This was a drop from around $300m the previous year.
However, with Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby and Alex Proya’s Paradise Lost starting production in the second half of 2011, the current financial year is already looking more promising.
Screen Australia estimates around $350m for 2011-12, with the agency contributing around $100m of that for films Drift, Mental, The Sapphires and the Kath & Kim Filum.
With a total drama slate of $495m, the agency placed foreign activity at 17 per cent ($85m). This was down from $180m last year when two high-budget films were made here, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
In better news, TV drama made up 65 per cent ($322m), a 12 per cent increase from last year. 2010-11 also had the highest level of expenditure for adult programming in over a decade. Expenditure also rose for children’s drama however it has not completely returned to the strong results of 2007-2009.
Overall, 82 per cent of Australian films and 85 per cent of TV drama accessed the producer offset.
Janet Jackson quits Australia tour but plans a return to fulfil concert dates
Ian Shedden of The Australian reports
POP diva Janet Jackson has left her Australian tour to be with her family in the US, as the trial of her brother Michael Jackson's doctor on involuntary manslaughter charges nears a conclusion.
Jackson has rescheduled her three Melbourne shows this week as a one-off performance at the city's Rod Laver Arena on November 3. Her remaining shows in Sydney and on the Gold Coast are unaffected.
"I want to thank my fans in Australia for their love, support and understanding," Jackson said in a press statement.
"When I planned these shows, the schedule in California was completely different.
"After talking with my family last night, I decided we must be together right now. .... this saddens me in so many ways."
Dr Conrad Murray is on trial in Los Angeles on charges that he was negligent in his treatment of the pop superstar at the time of his death in 2009.
Members of the Jackson family have been present throughout the trial.
Janet Jackson's Australian promoter Paul Dainty said it was important that the singer return home for the judgment.
"While Janet and our company apologise for any inconvenience for the reschedule of the Melbourne shows, we thank Janet for the great and successful concerts in Perth and Adelaide and eagerly await her return," Dainty said.
POP diva Janet Jackson has left her Australian tour to be with her family in the US, as the trial of her brother Michael Jackson's doctor on involuntary manslaughter charges nears a conclusion.
Jackson has rescheduled her three Melbourne shows this week as a one-off performance at the city's Rod Laver Arena on November 3. Her remaining shows in Sydney and on the Gold Coast are unaffected.
"I want to thank my fans in Australia for their love, support and understanding," Jackson said in a press statement.
"When I planned these shows, the schedule in California was completely different.
"After talking with my family last night, I decided we must be together right now. .... this saddens me in so many ways."
Dr Conrad Murray is on trial in Los Angeles on charges that he was negligent in his treatment of the pop superstar at the time of his death in 2009.
Members of the Jackson family have been present throughout the trial.
Janet Jackson's Australian promoter Paul Dainty said it was important that the singer return home for the judgment.
"While Janet and our company apologise for any inconvenience for the reschedule of the Melbourne shows, we thank Janet for the great and successful concerts in Perth and Adelaide and eagerly await her return," Dainty said.
From the catwalk to Catherine for Gemma Ward
Glamazon Gemma Ward will return to the silver screen in Baz Luhrmann’s production of The Great Gatsby. She received critical praise for her performance in The Black Balloon in 2008.
Jenna Clarke of The Age reports
Gemma Ward will be transformed into a "slender, worldly girl of about 30" for her role in the upcoming film The Great Gatsby.
According to film database IMDb, the Perth-born model-turned actress has officially been cast to play Catherine in the latest film version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel which is being shot on location at Fox Studios in Sydney.
There has been much speculation about what role the former supermodel and budding actress would play in Baz Luhrman's biggest film project since Australia in 2008.
"Ooo (sic) lots of congratulations for me... role has to stay disclosed for now though sorry guys, will keep you posted!" Ward tweeted in early September.
Although the character of Catherine only appears eight times in the novel, this latest role for Ward is another impressive cameo for the 24-year-old retired catwalk star and Vogue covergirl.
Catherine is introduced in the second chapter of the novel and shows an uncanny likeness to Ward thanks to her alabaster complexion.
It is not known if the natural-honey blonde will be required to cut and dye her hair to resemble Catherine's "solid, sticky bob of red hair," to match her "complexion powdered milky white," as Fitzgerald penned in the early 1920s.
Ward's on screen alter ego is the sister of Myrtle Wilson who is being played by fellow Australian born actress Isla Fisher.
Fellow home grown talents including Joel Edgerton, Elizabeth Debicki and Jason Clarke have also been cast in supporting roles alongside Leonardo DiCaprio's Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan played by Carey Mulligan for the $120 million 3D film.
Former Australia's Next Top Model winner Alice Burdeu has also been cast as an extra in the period drama set in the era of flapper fashion.
Ward disappeared from the international catwalks and social scene in 2008 following the death of her rumoured boyfriend, fellow Perth actor Heath Ledger.
She received critical praise for her role in the 2008 Australian drama The Black Balloon.
Ward made her stage debut earlier this year in her hometown for the Perth Theatre Company's production of The Ugly One.
She also landed a small role in this year's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth instalment of the successful film franchise.
MTV have since earmarked her as one of the Breakout Stars to Watch for 2011.
While Ward learns her lines, Luhrmann and his costume designer wife Catherine Martin have announced a special partnership with jeweller Tiffany & Co for the film.
The jeweller, where Fitzgerald was a regular customer at the flagship 5th Avenue boutique in the '20s, will produce a pair of platinum-set earrings and pearls to be worn by Mulligan on screen.
Tiffany & Co china, accessories and sterling silver table will also feature in scenes with DiCaprio.
The Great Gatsby is slated for a Christmas Day release.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)