Stuart McBratney
Director, Spudmonkey
Written by Stephanie Birch on 2008-10-15
What do you see happening in the next five years in the Australian film industry?
The digital revolution is definitely happening here, like it is elsewhere, and that’s going to mean more films, but possibly less quality. In the same way that anyone with a computer can now write a novel, pretty much anyone with a video camera can now make a movie, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’ll be good. The problem with the digital revolution is that, while it makes it possible for everyone to actually make movies, people seem to think that they don’t need to spend fifteen years honing their craft before doing so. I think that will possibly lead to a few broken-hearted filmmaker hopefuls, but for the people out there who are really passionate about what they’re doing, and are willing to learn from their mistakes, they’ll eventually get there.
What are the biggest challenges you face as a member of the Brisbane media community?
To clarify what I said in the last question, making a quality feature film is actually extremely difficult. It’s a very long, complex and painstaking task, requiring hundreds of collaborators and sometimes years of peoples’ lives. That challenge of orchestrating a huge group of people to work together, and to actually get a film made, is a huge challenge anywhere. But I guess Brisbane is actually really lucky to have such amazing locations and facilities. Whereas you could theoretically go and make a film in Antarctica, it’s certainly going to be easier to do it here in Brisbane. And importantly, the people here are really friendly and enthusiastic, which makes the job much more fun.
What are the most important/valuable skills that graduates can bring to your industry?
I think that multi-skilled employees are really sought after. Not necessarily even ‘employees’, but multi-skilled ‘practitioners’ or ‘creatives’. For example, you can’t really say that filmmaking is just one field – it’s a combination of music, visual art, photography, acting, writing, fashion design, and directing, specifically, is as much about diplomacy as anything. You need to be relaxed on set, be a therapist sometimes, and set the tone for the cast and crew. A happy director makes for a happy cast and crew, and without that the production would be unbearable. So I think people out there who are hoping to break into the film industry require a whole range of creative, personal and business skills.
How would you rate the performance of Brisbane-based media organisations in comparison to other national and international media hubs?
In terms of non-governmental media companies, Australian filmmakers, including those based in Brisbane, need to understand that it’s “show business” not “show art”. To have a film industry that can support itself, Aussies need to make films that people actually want to see. There are so many Australian films made where somebody’s committing suicide, or where people just sit around smoking like chimneys and being morose and depressed, and people just tune out. So they win a few awards, then vanish after barely making a cent. But for some reason, these types of films get funded over and over again, despite their miniscule box-office takings. You can make really interesting films that tackle dark subjects – look at American Beauty, or much of Mike Leigh’s work – they just need to be films that connect with an audience, not isolate them.
How has new media such as the Internet and mobile communications revolutionised your workplace?
It’s a huge revolution because now you don’t have to physically post out your show reel, you just create a website and send people the link. I’ve been able to work internationally just from having a website which can be accessed instantly all around the world. I’ve been creating work for the Australian market, but living in Berlin at the time and shooting on location. I’d edit together a rough cut and email it to the client in Australia for approval. We’d go back and forth like this for a while, then once we were all happy, I’d upload the broadcast-resolution edit onto an FTP site, for them to download at the other end. This fast turnaround would have been impossible just a few years ago.
As well as that, I’m using Youtube, Myspace and Facebook to promote Spudmonkey, my new feature film which is being released this month.
As a director, why do you prefer working for yourself as opposed to a big media company?
I think it allows you to be much more creative. Big media companies might have large budgets, but you also have to deal with a lot of middle-men telling you what you can and can’t do, rather than just dealing directly with the person who’s paying for it.
Working for myself also gives me the freedom to persue other projects. When I worked nine-to-five making commercials for a big media company, I had no energy left at the end of the day to work on what I’m truly passionate about, which is feature film. I was just creating little works to pay the bills. Now I have the flexibility to focus on the bigger picture, which is to get my first feature film released and use the publicity from that to raise investment for a second feature film.
What advice do you have for young creatives in Brisbane?
My advice for young creatives in Brisbane would be the same as my advice for young creatives anywhere, which is just to hang in there and don’t give up when things get tough. And make mistakes! The great thing about studying and making short films is that you can make heaps of mistakes, and that’s the best way to learn. My three years at undergrad uni were a great time because I could make all these mistakes and learn an incredible amount from each one. Every time something goes wrong you just need to think “Okay, what went wrong? And what can I do differently so that it doesn’t happen again?” You just keep at it and eventually you work out how to make films. It’s just like playing an instrument – you practice and practice and eventually you realise you can play pretty well.