Where are we and what are we doing?

[Peter]

Where are we and what are we doing?
by Peter Whitmore ASE

Making films is what we all do. We make them with passion, care and a lot of satisfying hours are involved.

The emerging technologies are in fact making it easier to access this world of story telling.

Over the next few months the ASE will be outlining a number of new initiatives to assist our members. To understand where technology is taking us. To develop our skills and to create new opportunities.
Whether we’re editing documentaries, feature films, television drama or commercials the process is the same. Telling a story.

So let’s start by bringing back something we used to do in our newsletter, telling our own stories. Where are we and what are we doing?

|Following last weeks AFI awards our congratulations go to Scott Gray on winning the AFI editing award for his wonderfully sensitive work on Somersault. A fabulous result for all the filmmakers of Somersault which swept all before it in the feature film categories. As Scott is not a member yet, this is about all we can say. Join up Scott.

Congratulations to our ex President Mary Jane St Vincent Welch for the best non feature editing award for her documentary 'The Men Who Would Conquer China'

Which had been nominated for best documentary and best editing (non feature) categories of the AFI's.

Great to see Presidents showing the way. Well done MJ.
On the ex President front Andrea Lang ASE who is always busy, something to do with talent we think, is having a delicious time editing and eating her way through 5 x 30 min. shows for the Good Food Guide.

We called Karl Marks to speak to Bernard Garry but he was in China cutting an Ad for DHL. Likewise Guillotine’s Drew Thompson was in LA cutting a spot, both leaving Alexandre De Franceschi ASE and Karl Sodersten ASE to look after the shops.

Emma Hay ASE is just back from England, to start editing ’Operation Baby Lift’.
John Scott ASE is in Sydney cutting ’Little Fish’. Jodie Gallacher from Winning Post, has been up north catching them as well as kicking back, supping mushies by the pool. Oh please!

She wasn’t the only one. Jill Bilcock ASE took a quick break during the mixing of ’Libertine’. She was last seen sipping cocktails by the setting sun in FNQ. Jill will be starting Eucalyptus, starring all of our Oscar winners, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman and maybe Geoffrey Rush in January 2005. Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse.


Lindi Harrison is cutting a beautiful story about the The Rock Challenge in South Africa. Featuring dance, music and colour promoting health without drugs, alcohol or tobacco for the children of Sth.Africa.
And still on the African continent Walter McIntosh has just scored one of the best gigs in town. His first editing assignment is a powerful documentary based on the lives of 3 men on the run from enraged rebels in Sierra Leone. More about that later…..

Kim Moodie ASE is cutting a paralysing story about the failed attempts of anaesthetics on patients.
Whilst Philippa Rowlands is dissecting the human anatomy in 2x 1hr. stories on gender re:assignment called Sexchange
Rachel Walls is on a mission with her 30 min. story about planting churches into communities.

Speaking of churches, Matthew Tucker, Stephen Smith and Josh Pomeranz inform us that Film Australia, FrameWorks and Spectrum Films are all pretty busy. Lets hope that keeps up.

Mike Reed ASE and his Partners are humming along nicely. Last seen at the Melbourne Cup, if you please.
Roberta Horslie ASE can’t stop laughing having just finished cutting Russell Coights’ Celebrity Challenge.
Mark Atkin ASE is busy cutting ’Puppy’, well not actually physically cutting puppy, more like editing ’Puppy’, a film called ’Puppy’. Well you get the picture.

Daz, where are you and what are you doing?

Swami Melanie Sandford ASE is at Film Australia cutting ’Divorce Stories’, soon to be joined by Stewart Young ASE - an interesting marriage - and of course the lovely Dany Cooper ASE who is featured by If in their current edition announces she is to return shortly to work back in Oz.

That’s about where we’re up to at the moment. We’d like to make this a regular feature on our website so keep up the info.

Stay strong and stay tuned

Peter Whitmore ASE
President and Gossip Columnist

[Daz]

Thanks for asking!

Still in London. I've just completed a gruelling 6 month stint on a BBC2 obs-doc/medical series "Edge of Life", on air over here in a few weeks. One film about people desperate for liver transplants, another about premature babies born at 24 weeks and the third about children with facial abnormalities that require plastic surgery. Whew!

For more info: http://www.3wisemen.tv/3wmprod.html

Now enjoying a reestful and romantic archive doco for BBC Timewatch about Princess Margaret's love affair with a British fighter pilot.

looking forward next year to: BandAid, 20th Anniversary. How scary is that? I was doing VT in ABC Sydney for the original one...

daz

[sarab]

Pres Pete!

Reviving this is a great idea but.....you sign off as 'president and gossip columnist' but where's the gossip? Most of this is about work! Serious stuff and of course very important, plus a few mentions of cocktails. But where is the hard core goss? Like who's on with who, who said what to who, Friday nights drinks where?

My news (sorry no goss) is that I am midst bathroom/laundry renovations at home prior to knee surgery on Dec 1st. I should be home for Christmas and will appreciate a new walk in shower and easily accessible laundry. Workwise I'm taking 3 or 4 months off from Popcorn Taxi and should be back on the job by March or April, if all goes well.


Congratulations to Jane and Scott for their well deserved awards - and look out for THE MEN WHO WOULD CONQUER CHINA when the ABC eventually put it to air as it is really good - and Happy Christmas to all.

Cheers Sara B

[Peter]

Hi Sara B
Great to hear from you.
So let me get this right, you're re-cutting the bathroom and laundry before you start on the the knee re-edit. I hope the script says more than just "Cut out the bad bits and all the stuff that doesn't work and leave in the good bits".
This journey the knee is taking you on, will it be full of adventure, love, a touch of danger at times?
Perhaps tripping us up with some light comic relief. Whoops sorry about the tripping bit. It's not allowed to do that. Although you'll probably have some great drugs for the relief side of it.
Well with all the twists and turns (there I go again) your knee will take, may it take you on a journey of discovery, of wide open fields, along crystal white sandy beaches, through the sun filtered rain forests of life and deliver you safely home again.
To a brand new bathroom and laundry I guess.
All the best, I'm sure it will be a wonderful success.

Cheers Pete
Ps. You're right about the gossip columnist bit. I'm an appalling failure at that. Apparently it was deemed inappropriate for Presidents to reveal who was doing what to whom in the darkness of an editing room.

[Emma]

Originally posted by Peter

Ps. You're right about the gossip columnist bit. I'm an appalling failure at that. Apparently it was deemed inappropriate for Presidents to reveal who was doing what to whom in the darkness of an editing room.

Oh go on Pete...

[cybermarky]

Hi, in May this year I took a 6 month contract in Broome WA as senior editor and trainee/mentor at the Indigenous TV station here "Goolarri". It was a welcome sea change from freelancing commercials in Sydney. I packed my bags and with dog in arm, just landed in Broome without any real knowledge of Broome or what I was getting into.

It's been one of the most extraordinary experiences in my life. Of course being part of a small team I've been director, cameraman, vision switcher, interviewer, sound recordist...you name it. It's all hands on deck here. Especially wild was filming a series catching, killing and cooking Goanna, Kangaroo and mud crabs. I've filmed ceremonies in remote parts of the Kimberley and packaged stories of historic land handovers. I've seen places I never imagined. I am honoured to have been a part of a progressive and dynamic indigenous organization. We are a unique voice in the Kimberly and to the rest of Australia.

There are no fancy edit suites or leather lounges here! Just a rusty hanger, a couple of dongers, beaten up chairs, noisy air-conditioners an Avid, Media 100 and a Final Cut Pro churning out all our content.

Goolarri have one of the only broadcast licences of it's type airing to Broome and beyond. Nearly all of the material we put to air we make. By the way we are also putting to air Australian short films and animations, so if anybody wants their film shown here we are hungry for material.

My time has just been extended and I've been thrown into managing TV while the boss is on maternity leave - so I'm now programming, producing, organising shoots, writing, submitting for funds as well as still overseeing all the editing and trainees, it's hard work but it's really gratifying.

It's one of the most challenging and rewarding things I've ever done and every day is surprising. I'm so glad I took this job. There is life beyond Sydney.

So please contact me if you have any short films or pieces you'd like to get shown. I'll personally put them to air! Our on air department is a Media 100 looping a time-line of short programmes 24/7. E-mail me on markc@gme.com.au or call (08) 91921325. Or check out our web site www.gme.com.au I really am interested in playing any short form material. PLEASE PUT OUT THE WORD. Often when people refer to Western Australia they mean Perth, but hey - don't forget us editing mob up here in Broome!

Cheers from beautiful Broome, where the red earth meets the sea.
Mark Cochrane.

[Matthew]

Are you staying out in Broome for another stint?

What are "a couple of dongers"? Can you get them in Sydney?

[rachelw]

I've just taken a posting that isn't as windswept or rugged as Broome, but is also looking for a bootload of short films and the like. It's with a new base channel to be launched on Foxtel Digital. I'm helping set the place up, and have just purchased a bootload of production equipment. Still waiting for it to show up, Xmas is a bummer of a time to order tv equipment. There are no Boxing Day sales....ho hum.

It's called Aurora Community Television, and aims to present community interest (and made) programming, as well as locally produced docos, shorts and features.

I will post a call for shorties ns stuff in a place that will get some attention, so long as my guild approves. Will check into that in early 2005.

In the meantime, thumbs up and fingers crossed, for Mark and also for myself, definately taking on a kamikaze mission as Creative & Technical Director for a Dark Horse/Underdog channel if there ever was one.

Launch is in March. Will keep you posted.

Happy New Years, Best Wishes for 2005.

x Rachel

[cybermarky]

Originally posted by Matthew
Are you staying out in Broome for another stint?

What are "a couple of dongers"? Can you get them in Sydney?

Yes I'm back in Broome for another stint, "dongers" are a WA term for a demountable office, a tin shed basically. We have several inside a rusty hanger as our edit suites.....as long as they have air-con up here - all is good. It's a basic set up, there are no fancy leather lounges up here....you'd stick to them anyway in this heat!

[Emma]

Well, about two weeks before Christmas I learnt that if you ride a horse in the rain and there is a sudden clap of thunder, not only will your horse "Dave" get spooked, but he will also do his darndest to get you off - and in a very "Hi Ho Silver" move, Dave reared up - throwing me off him -and I ended up with a broken elbow.

Not the greatest thing for editing, thats for sure. After a week off work - I went back and despite one day of awkwardness, managed to edit with just the one functioning hand/arm. Not as fast, but certainly manageable. That first day though was quite an education in how much my left hand instinctively knows the keyboard and how weird it feels relying on your right hand to take over.

Now, nearly five weeks later, I'm functioning just fine and loving the fact that my arm is nearly 100% again. It certainly makes a difference at work.


I hope everyone has a fantastic 2005.

Em.