Going to see Julia Roberts in 'Duplicity' this week, I was surprised at her showing signs of being a normal human being. Despite a knock out figure, fabulous clothes and great performance she had circles under her eyes and perhaps, a little trouble teetering about in cork heels. Who'd a thought it? After a while you get accustomed to it especially as this film breaks all the rules of a 'caper' movie. There is no doubt that she is one of the most stylish women on screen but she seemed happy to appear slightly less than perfect for 'Duplicity'.
This is even more of a surprise considering I have just found out that movie stars can and do appear on screen in less than perfect form, safe in the knowledge that their flaws can be removed in post production. I know that models do this but I did not know it was possible for the moving image. It is of course, incredibly expensive.
It is well known that Oliver Reed died during the making of 'Gladiator' and that he was computer generated for the remaining scenes but personally, I didn't think that worked out well. Call me naive but it never occurred to me this would happen with live action when it was a matter of looks only.
So perhaps it is great virtue in Julia Roberts that she is approaching human and not unearthly beauty in her latest film. It is a real brain teaser and has that rare and almost extinct creature, the mature and clever older woman working successfully in the corporate world.
There was one such in the first film I ever saw - Hitchcock's 'The Lady Vanishes' which starred a magnificent Dame May Witty as a devious and adept spy outwitting the Nazis in deepest war torn Europe. I never got over seeing a portly matron cheerfully going about her business under great pressure and in constant danger.
And why are we so surprised to see this now? What is the problem with Susan Boyle? In days of yore, the slightly less than fantastic face and figure was not received with such astonishment. Bring it back I say and lets have some - how to put it...every day people in our media.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Making it in Blighty
Shooting the final episode of '30 Seconds' brought me in contact with Peter O'Brien who has an unusual trajectory in his career. Deciding in the early 90's that the scene in Australia was too small, he headed to the vast market of London and slowly made his way up the acting ladder there. Its a tough move and his salary often fluctuated wildly.
Playing at a tiny theatre for 120 pounds a week he found himself transferred overnight to the West End earning one thousand and twenty pounds. The size of the audience had ballooned and with it his salary which in London can make a great deal of difference to an actor's life.
Talking of an actor's life in England, playwright Ron Blair tells of going to the Royal Shakespeare at Stratford and watching spellbound as the history of England was performed with flair and brilliance but, on the way home driving past three of the 'Kings' he had watched in ermine and armour flashing about the stage, lined up at the bus stop in raincoats!
In a report put out by Equity - the actors union, it was said that at the time Peter went to England, there were 75000 actors out of work at any one time. So to make it there is a mark of great strength as well as talent.
Still, whilst he was not playing an angel in '30 Seconds' it was a shock to see Peter in 'Underbelly 2' this week with white hair and steely heart as 'George Freeman.'
To see more of Peter O'Brien and the cast of Underbelly 2, click here.
Playing at a tiny theatre for 120 pounds a week he found himself transferred overnight to the West End earning one thousand and twenty pounds. The size of the audience had ballooned and with it his salary which in London can make a great deal of difference to an actor's life.
Talking of an actor's life in England, playwright Ron Blair tells of going to the Royal Shakespeare at Stratford and watching spellbound as the history of England was performed with flair and brilliance but, on the way home driving past three of the 'Kings' he had watched in ermine and armour flashing about the stage, lined up at the bus stop in raincoats!
In a report put out by Equity - the actors union, it was said that at the time Peter went to England, there were 75000 actors out of work at any one time. So to make it there is a mark of great strength as well as talent.
Still, whilst he was not playing an angel in '30 Seconds' it was a shock to see Peter in 'Underbelly 2' this week with white hair and steely heart as 'George Freeman.'
To see more of Peter O'Brien and the cast of Underbelly 2, click here.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Be Yourself
I have always been an Enough Rope fan and recently heard Andrew Denton was making a new comedy about advertising. Over the last month I found I had a part in it and started the usual visits for hair and makeup. The Fox studios production office had a gallery of mugshots of the cast members for '30 Seconds' including Peter O'Brien, Gyton Grantley and Stephen Curry. After a quick discussion with director Shawn Seet, Mr Denton came out and had a few laughing words and then it was time to try and weave my way out of the labyrinthine Studio complex again.
A couple of weeks later, I went to the '30 Seconds' location in Ultimo to try on a some wardrobe and walked past a trestle table set up for cast and crew. There was the horrific 'Carl Williams' having a quick cup.
It seems ridiculous to say it but Gyton's face is baby like in its innocence and charm. His photo on the wall beams down with great sweetness and so it is incredible to think he is able to summon a character of so much threat and violence. His face broke into a smile ..."I know you...you're the 'Dog Lady'."
I am not sure I dreamt of being 'The Dog Lady' but Chandon Films sure did get the face out there! Gyton might have dreamt of being a famous actor but is he a bit 'over' being 'Carl Williams' of Underbelly. And to emphasise this, he and a friend Abe Forsyth made a Tropfest short film called 'Being Carl Williams'.
Abe is the son of veteran actor Drew Forsyth and is also part of the 30 Seconds cast. Just to be totally confusing, Abe is playing the part of 'Carl'!
To see 'Being Carl Williams' click here.
A couple of weeks later, I went to the '30 Seconds' location in Ultimo to try on a some wardrobe and walked past a trestle table set up for cast and crew. There was the horrific 'Carl Williams' having a quick cup.
It seems ridiculous to say it but Gyton's face is baby like in its innocence and charm. His photo on the wall beams down with great sweetness and so it is incredible to think he is able to summon a character of so much threat and violence. His face broke into a smile ..."I know you...you're the 'Dog Lady'."
I am not sure I dreamt of being 'The Dog Lady' but Chandon Films sure did get the face out there! Gyton might have dreamt of being a famous actor but is he a bit 'over' being 'Carl Williams' of Underbelly. And to emphasise this, he and a friend Abe Forsyth made a Tropfest short film called 'Being Carl Williams'.
Abe is the son of veteran actor Drew Forsyth and is also part of the 30 Seconds cast. Just to be totally confusing, Abe is playing the part of 'Carl'!
To see 'Being Carl Williams' click here.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Things that go Gurgle
One of the never ending pleasures about reading for ABC Radio is the high standard of material you are given to perform. An unpleasant side effect is that, with the pressure on and efficient earphones clamped onto your ears, you hear every noise in great detail.
So, if for instance, you are in the middle of a suspenseful moment which has been building up for some pages and you hear your stomach rumble under it, all is certainly lost and you have to start again. It sounds like a tsunami and is quite alarming considering we spend most of our lives blissfully unaware of these routine digestive processes.
I have tried everything - no breakfast, huge breakfast and all stages in between. Nothing works and, as Andre our Sound Engineer was quick to point out, I am not the only one. All the actors in the booth have this trouble and he thinks it is because actors are there to perform and so...every part of them does. That is very generous of him considering he has to patch up the endless retakes.
Is there a scientist out there who can make a potion that will stop this? We might call it the 'Performers Friend.' The ABC shop would stock it and export it all over the world. And I would order several dozen bottles.
To see Paul Newman and James Dean not handling performance pressure, click here.
<
So, if for instance, you are in the middle of a suspenseful moment which has been building up for some pages and you hear your stomach rumble under it, all is certainly lost and you have to start again. It sounds like a tsunami and is quite alarming considering we spend most of our lives blissfully unaware of these routine digestive processes.
I have tried everything - no breakfast, huge breakfast and all stages in between. Nothing works and, as Andre our Sound Engineer was quick to point out, I am not the only one. All the actors in the booth have this trouble and he thinks it is because actors are there to perform and so...every part of them does. That is very generous of him considering he has to patch up the endless retakes.
Is there a scientist out there who can make a potion that will stop this? We might call it the 'Performers Friend.' The ABC shop would stock it and export it all over the world. And I would order several dozen bottles.
To see Paul Newman and James Dean not handling performance pressure, click here.
<
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Sound Bite
This week I went into the ABC Radio and read five Katherine Mansfield stories for Anne Winter who produced and directed. The stories covered topics ranging from 'young love' to 'childhood rivalries' and 'unhappy marriage.' I read a series of Virginia Woolf stories from 'Mrs. Dalloway' last year and found preparing and performing them as demanding as any theatrical show. And so it should be. Radio does translate feeling and intention as strongly as visual drama and will soon find you out if you are half hearted.
Anne told me that Katherine had been ill in Switzerland when she wrote these stories, essentially to cover her medical expenses. That may give the feeling of them having been dashed off but they are quiet and deadly accurate, funny and sad and spine tingling. She died of TB at 34 which heightened the drama for me to think she could have written so much more given time.
Surprisingly, she had close contact with Virginia Woolf and her coterie and it is said that without her conversations with Katherine Mansfield, Virginia Woolf would not have written 'Mrs Dalloway.'
Still, like many great artists, she was not much fun as a friend. D. H. Lawrence, no blushing flower himself, had a hard time with her even if, according to her biographer Kathleen Jones, he 'used her as the model for Gudrun in ‘Women in Love’. He and his wife lived in a ‘menage a quatre’ with Katherine and her husband which ended in such animosity that he afterwards sent her a postcard saying ‘You are a loathsome reptile; I hope you will die’. '
Well, she did and early too.
The Katherine Mansfield series will be broadcast in The Book Reading, Monday 25th – Friday, 29th May, 2009. The times are 2.05pm and repeated at 11.05pm. They will also be available as audio on demand, if you miss the broadcast.
To read more about Katherine Mansfield, click here.
http://www.katherinemansfield.net/life/briefbio1.htm
To hear a small excerpt from an American mp3
Anne told me that Katherine had been ill in Switzerland when she wrote these stories, essentially to cover her medical expenses. That may give the feeling of them having been dashed off but they are quiet and deadly accurate, funny and sad and spine tingling. She died of TB at 34 which heightened the drama for me to think she could have written so much more given time.
Surprisingly, she had close contact with Virginia Woolf and her coterie and it is said that without her conversations with Katherine Mansfield, Virginia Woolf would not have written 'Mrs Dalloway.'
Still, like many great artists, she was not much fun as a friend. D. H. Lawrence, no blushing flower himself, had a hard time with her even if, according to her biographer Kathleen Jones, he 'used her as the model for Gudrun in ‘Women in Love’. He and his wife lived in a ‘menage a quatre’ with Katherine and her husband which ended in such animosity that he afterwards sent her a postcard saying ‘You are a loathsome reptile; I hope you will die’. '
Well, she did and early too.
The Katherine Mansfield series will be broadcast in The Book Reading, Monday 25th – Friday, 29th May, 2009. The times are 2.05pm and repeated at 11.05pm. They will also be available as audio on demand, if you miss the broadcast.
To read more about Katherine Mansfield, click here.
http://www.katherinemansfield.net/life/briefbio1.htm
To hear a small excerpt from an American mp3
Friday, April 3, 2009
Small is beautiful
Watching the final episodes of 'The Farmer wants a Wife' reminded me of how cumbersome the body microphones are and how far we have come in developing them. All reality shows use them to keep up with everything the contestants are saying... amorous whispers and all! When they first came on the scene, they were the size of an average transistor radio which limited your movements on camera greatly. If dressed in period costume, the bulky equipment ruined the line of the clothes and even in modern dress did nothing to improve the look. On top of this, the tiny microphone had to be strapped close to the sound which usually meant on the cleavage section of the bra - it was then stuck there with masking tape. The small transmitter box was attached round the waist.
The process of lowering the box down the front of the costume or passing it upward with microphone to the right position could be awkward and embarrassing and usually meant going behind a tree or back to the caravan and it was always done after the wardrobe was put on. Body mikes are expensive and nobody had more than three which were generally being used right up until your scene. All the technicians were men until recently which meant that you had a nice pleasant person approaching you with hand fulls of equipment and a pitying smile on his face. I used to wonder why they could put a man on the moon and yet still have these cumbersome bits of technology in an industry that played such a large part in America's GDP? And what about spies? If this is what 007 used, he would have been gone in a minute.
Along came Mao's Last Dancer' and joy of joy, a female sound technician! Wearing a T Shirt that said 'Double my Entendre' she approached carrying a business card size metal box which was light and nifty. Even so, there are problems having a microphone so closely attached that you forget it is there. You can have moments when you talk to your best friend on set and tell them what you really think about something...or someone. Also, you may be waiting for a set to be re lit or another shot to be set up and think you have time to rush to the women's loo. It is possible to do all of these things without realising you are still 'miked.' There is an on/off button on the actual transmitter but you may not be able to get at it. So the sound recordist may be sitting there all the while with his earphones on and an amused look on his face.
On the last day of 'Mao', when she approached me to take my body mike again, I said I was sorry I had not been able to get to the "OFF' button. She shrugged and said they always turn them off from the main Sound Recorder after every shot. Oh really? Hmm. REALLY?
Of course they don't always work perfectly either. Apparently Nicole so tired of having her microphone slithered under her saddle and into her costume during the 'Australia' shoot that she ripped it off and who can blame her? What with horses and saddles and cattle etc. etc. you don't want to hear "NO GOOD FOR SOUND" after you have done your best.
To see Nicole Kidman riding in 'Australia', click here:
The process of lowering the box down the front of the costume or passing it upward with microphone to the right position could be awkward and embarrassing and usually meant going behind a tree or back to the caravan and it was always done after the wardrobe was put on. Body mikes are expensive and nobody had more than three which were generally being used right up until your scene. All the technicians were men until recently which meant that you had a nice pleasant person approaching you with hand fulls of equipment and a pitying smile on his face. I used to wonder why they could put a man on the moon and yet still have these cumbersome bits of technology in an industry that played such a large part in America's GDP? And what about spies? If this is what 007 used, he would have been gone in a minute.
Along came Mao's Last Dancer' and joy of joy, a female sound technician! Wearing a T Shirt that said 'Double my Entendre' she approached carrying a business card size metal box which was light and nifty. Even so, there are problems having a microphone so closely attached that you forget it is there. You can have moments when you talk to your best friend on set and tell them what you really think about something...or someone. Also, you may be waiting for a set to be re lit or another shot to be set up and think you have time to rush to the women's loo. It is possible to do all of these things without realising you are still 'miked.' There is an on/off button on the actual transmitter but you may not be able to get at it. So the sound recordist may be sitting there all the while with his earphones on and an amused look on his face.
On the last day of 'Mao', when she approached me to take my body mike again, I said I was sorry I had not been able to get to the "OFF' button. She shrugged and said they always turn them off from the main Sound Recorder after every shot. Oh really? Hmm. REALLY?
Of course they don't always work perfectly either. Apparently Nicole so tired of having her microphone slithered under her saddle and into her costume during the 'Australia' shoot that she ripped it off and who can blame her? What with horses and saddles and cattle etc. etc. you don't want to hear "NO GOOD FOR SOUND" after you have done your best.
To see Nicole Kidman riding in 'Australia', click here:
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